Don’t Make These Mistakes When You Next Ride A Hardtail!

[@gmbn]

Do you ride hardtails? What hardtail are you currently riding? Let us know! 👇

[@beaucrocker]

Commencal Meta HT

[@elononoras1902]

Entry level premium build 2018 29", a sort of XC. With pretentious name - Focus Whisler ;)

[@symstriker6074]

Just a Specialized Rockhopper Comp 29 :(. Feel OK about everything but tires and fork

[@tobiasiserhot4880]

Radon Cragger ( with 150mm and bigger brakes )

[@yengsabio5315]

I ride on a Giant Talon 2 (2017) with a 2x9 drivetrain. Lots'a love, cheers, & Mabuhay, from tropical Philippines! #RideOn #KeepBiking

[@MichaelMcKibben-s4k]

Love my Fatty Hard Tail. 3.8” tires, 100 mm travel, and a suspension dropper and I go anywhere my Full Squish buddies go.

[@numbers7905]

Clipless pedals... I remember those videos from a few years ago with Blake on his 27.5" wheels and raving about flats!

[@LoneWanderer905]

yeah, I thought it was the worst part of the video. Learning to properly ride flats is the way to go, and wtf is riding heavy and fighting the pedals anyway? When has someone ever done that? Only ever saw inexperienced riders on their first few hard trails fighting those (and they usually figure it out within weeks). Just keep your foot on the pedal, stand up to the jumps and... Learn how to ride the bike you have (and the trails you can get to).

[@leerichardson3752]

I'm going back to flats after falling sideways, attached to the bike, at a total standstill the other day... My pride took a big fracture that day 😂

[@wonderwatch2239]

He got wiser, and has ridden the knarly tecky stuff, where clips are faster/safer.

[@dievhart]

😂 same...Took me by surprise to hear Blake say riding with flats was a mistake 😮...glad ya came around Blake👍🏽

[@Indicasativa55]

Only ever rode on flats and never had an issue

[@MrChadLedford]

Everyone needs an aggressive hardtail. The best adventure bike imo.

[@andrewberwick8990]

i upgraded my Canyon Stoic to a 160mm lyrik, and it was 100% worth it. Transformed it to an Enduro hardtail and i love it, geometry works spot on for me and where i ride! Great vid!

[@markbayhon]

The Hard tail hero reminding us to be a hard tail hero our selves! :)

[@austinmeyer9851]

Wow of all the videos I’ve watched over the years this is the most well polished video I’ve seen. Only helps it’s about hardtails 😅

[@Old_skool_quindog]

@gmbn well said. HTs are brilliant fun. If people go for the N+1 then they should have a HT in their arsenal.

[@Cassie_MTB]

Blake, you've convinced me to try a Hardtail. Now I'm ditching my Full-Sus, because I'm now know what I've "missed" - or better - what I don't need 🫥. Got myself a Nicolai Argon GAM Pinion, not a budget friendly bike at all, but capable of doing anything i will ever be able to do and it will last forever. I now ride it for 5 months, and my Trek Fuel EX collects more dust with every day 😅

[@djbayr9516]

Keep both. I want a dual sus and hardtail to run around with.

[@erikbrynjolfson6478]

Blake , you got me back on the hard tail !!!! Love the videos and the helpful tips . I’m on the Ragley Big Al XL - 160mm fork which works perfectly with my 6foot3inch body . Still on flats , not sure I can do clipless . Definitely noticing it’s a bit harder on the body ,but man my confidence in my ability has improved and at the same time it’s more of a fun challenge to pick smoother lines and really use your whole body as the suspension. I’m 52 years old and loving the hard tail again !!!! Definitely riding the squishy bike less . Cheers .

[@rbstretch100]

On a Big Al XL with 150mm fork and flats. At 6’6” loving the space, but my 55 old body also struggles with getting beaten up

[@uldi1s]

I'm on a Ragley Big Al XL too! at 6'2" (and 95cm inseam) and with a 150mm fork, I have all the space I need to move around on extremely steep tech trails 😎

[@xosece]

learnt some of those the hard way. I live in a very hilly region and when going from 550m (altitude of the village where I live) to 700m in the mountain in less than a kilometer, I climbed fine on my hardtail (save from a couple of places that had little rocks and boulders everywhere, climbing was so difficult), but when descending it was a totally different story. I survived and miraculously didn't fall from the bike, and got home in one piece, but thinking that I was fine, at night my calf muscles started hurting and that lasted about 2 weeks. It was so hard on the legs..., 'cos of all the rocks and boulders of the descent, my bike didn't have grip at all

[@chrismillard3044]

Recently got ax2023 Vitus Sentier Vr 27.5, I'm from an old school mtb background, love my hardtail, hills or urban great fun

[@aliens1990990]

I do love my steel hardtail

[@stefang.2937]

Hey Blake. You made me buying my Nukeproof Scout 2 years ago and I love this bike. 😁

[@JKryanX]

I just switched to MTB after 30 years on a bmx. The one thing I know for sure is 99% of riders are over biked and under skilled. So many full squish riders don’t even know how to properly pump the lip of a jump. It makes me chuckle on a regular basis.

[@djbayr9516]

Top notch tips and music choice :D Agree about the clipless pedals. I only ride clipless now and it's made all the difference.

[@uldi1s]

I tend to agree with everything you say Blake, but the clipless... nah! My terrain is extremely steep, rocky, rooty, leafy and loamy. In sections. Or all at the same time. There's everything in here. And one thing I NEVER thought I wanted is clipless. Horrible stuff! I still have flashbacks of the two years I tried to get acquainted with clipless... such a horrible experience that I quit MTB's altogether! Never again. Flats for life 😎

[@Stu411]

What would you say the reasons were for not liking it? Was it not confidence inspiring?

[@uldi1s]

@@Stu411 not at all! In order to be confidence inspiring you need first to have a lack of confidence in flats, something I never had. Even on bouncy terrain and when the feet leave the pedals, I always know where they are and just "grab" them again. I also pedal very loose, I often lift a foot from a pedal for corners or tech stuff and grab it again. I don't need to "lift" the bike with clips, as I can bunny hop any time and moreover, found that feeling of being always "attached" to the bike horrible 😬

[@marcusshipley1973]

thanks for this video !!!! because of your hard tail video's i have gone from a trek rememdy to a regley mmmbop as i just wanted to get back to basics. my riding group are all riding LT full sus bikes and think the hard tail wont be able to keep up, i look forward to proving them wrong :D

[@alanbussell7894]

I ride HT and regularly get to the bottom before my FS compadres. It's a great feeling 😊

[@LoneWanderer905]

HTs are the way to go, just get on top of it and ride. Especially on the weekends where the full sus rich people are servicing their frame suspensions, bearings, arms and pivots. (I live in a third world country, full sus are expensive around here, servicing them makes it even more expensive)

[@uldi1s]

Oh it will be able to keep up once you get used to picking a better line. I tend to go as fast or faster than all my friends on FS 😁

[@ExplosiveNotes]

Clipless pedals, no thanks, I'm perfactly fine with my flats.

[@Later_Nerd]

I can see the benefits. Especially on a hard tail which is my weapon of choice. But years of BMX is going to have me riding flats until the end of time lol. I ride in the PNW and with proper MTB shoes and quality pedals, I always feel locked in. Even when it's nasty outside.

[@ExplosiveNotes]

I did ride toe clips for maybe a year as kid. The connection to bike is certainly interesting and beneficial in some scenarios. On other hand, I don't get shaken of my pedals and I value the ease of quickly abandoning the ship over the connection at this point in my life. I mainly find it silly to suggest one should ride type of pedals on type of bike. Different people ride for different reasons on different skill levels etc. 🤔Now that I'm thinking about it, makes me wonder if Blake (dirt jumper, freerider) would ride HT clipped in if it would be his only bike @@Later_Nerd

[@Indicasativa55]

Flat pedals for me but have to be dmr vaults

[@barfo281]

Yeah "clipless" pedals that you clip into are overrated and potentially dangerous for beginners too. And I still hate the terminology....clipless pedals being the ones that you clip into....because they are clips. The overwhelmingly stupid MTB lingo is almost enough to make me chuck my bike into a dumpster and stick to video games as a hobby.

[@joaocastro924]

have you tried clipless before?

[@edmundscycles1]

"don't over fork your hardtail" Evil would like a word with you ! nice vid. Love my hardtail for racing DH back in the day.

[@LaurentiusTriarius]

My hardtail has the 170mm RST stich, it's a friggin riot...headtube angle is about 65.5 with this configuration, plenty of fun but still a goat.

[@rafe7678]

Yeah I've got a 160 on mine and it's got like a 64 degree head angle it's crazy​@@LaurentiusTriarius

[@stujm8376]

I like clipless on my hardtail… for xc, but for the gnarly stuff it’s flats all day for me. And I love hitting gnarly stuff on my hardtail. Gotta love a hardtail…

[@Stu411]

What are the reasons for your preferences? I'm getting into hardtail riding and not sure if I should get better flat pedals because the stock ones arn't all that grippy or go clipless.

[@richmccullough]

I’ve always thought bikers overthink hardtails. Then again, I have never ridden a full suspension bike nor have I ever tried clip in pedals. Hardtails and flats are the only bike I know and love. 40 years of riding and I don’t believe I’ll ver own a full sus. Anything is possible though…

[@JAvellino669]

One part should be to know your limitations in skill level and physical fitness, and how the additional demands can affect a group ride when others are on full sus bikes. All things being equal, expect to be slower, and to tire more quickly. I adore my hardtail, but using my legs as suspension on New England trails burns me out much faster than a full sus, and back injuries make each ride that much more punishing. There are rides I'm excluded from because of how I'll limit the group. That said, I only have hardtails now (Norco Torrent S2 with Z1 coil fork, Fluid HT1, and a Storm 2 for my wife). The direct connection from the pedals to the back wheel is so much more rewarding to me!

[@junka1975]

I would say after my own experiences, if you're looking for a hard tail, really think hard about your budget and the type of riding you do. Look for a bike within your budget that has the best possible components for your style of riding and look at different brands, look at different shops, some shops may have sales on.

[@GregAspenson]

I’m thinking of switching to clips for the only reason of not destroying my shins. 8 stitches because of those studs. I wear shin guards now but would rather not wear them all the time.

[@teemu3370]

Blake = Hardtail = Blake

[@underbikedoverconfident1142]

I have a weekend coming up in May. It's my only no wife, no kids all MTB weekend. I camp at a bike park and ride an insane amount on my hardcore steel hardtail. Last year I was a broken man for months!! This year I started weight training on the 1st Jan for my weekend in May. I'm buying ALL of the stealth tools for my frame to keep the weight of my body (because the hardtail beats you up on the proper black trails). I have new cranks, stem, handlebar, larger disc rotors, new pedals, new damper in my fork, I've completely changed my gear ratios to reduce the impact on my body of the climb up. Basically, the hardtail is lifestyle choice and I love it!!! BUT it's not the cheap or easy option 🤣

[@JKryanX]

Have you seen the prices of a full sus with decent components?

[@davidgeiger8620]

And I agree with Blake, Click-pedals rule!!

[@rodrodriguez5847]

Thanks Blake. Well said budget friendly rig. 🤙

[@stefanocspt6732]

I love my Nukeproof Scout 29 , artichoke green color , with a must-have dropper seatpost !

[@DevonBarrett]

Hi GMBN! Could you guy's do a video on a single-speed conversion? Would be cool to hear your thoughts on the pros & cons; hardtail, front-suspension and/or full-suspension; additional upgrades; brands; price; etc.

[@josetxulopez4569]

Orbea Laufey!! A bike for everything in everywhere

[@woduk]

I’ve only just bought a dropper post for mine.

[@RicardoPetrazzi]

I run my NP Scout 275 with a 170mm fork too.....max tokens in use!

[@ericf5976]

I’m going to have to disagree on not using flat pedals. A skilled hardtail rider can benefit from flats more so than clipless imo.

[@tSobota]

That intro rocks!

[@barfo281]

The main thing a hardtail can't do that a full suspension can is to cost 3-6x as much.

[@trotro80]

Let's be honest, "a bit of bling" is the most important part on any bike 😅

[@TheECP]

Flat Pedals are so great, I couldn’t imagine riding technical terrain while being attached to the bike. Maybe I’m not a heavy rider because I’ve never felt like I’m putting the back wheel through too much even through rocky tech stuff on my hardtail. The back wheel bounces around anyways haha.

[@j.albertogratacos2076]

I would add that it's a mistake to use carbon rims on a hardtail. The added compliance of the alloy wheels helps keep the back smoother. And when you get a bad hit on the rear end, you might get a dent on the wheel instead of a crack.

[@Milessongs]

Over forking is a mistake. Best to embrace the format. Your HT ride is designed with good solid geo. 150+ forks are going to dive and pitch you forward, and don't really help at all with the bumps out back. Best to learn to "ride light" and pick the smoother lines!

[@djsonfire0001]

"Just shred it"... GOT IT👍🏻

[@daviddegea920]

Thanks for that cuban tune from 3:22 🥰

[@madtownangler]

I don't ride off-road anymore nothing anywhere near where I live and have no car The farthest traveling fork I had back when I lived in Colorado and all I did was trail riding was a whopping 80mm I also put racks on many of my bikes for hauling stuff around and to keep my butt dry

[@diegosurfeliz8167]

I ❤ my hardtail 🚵

[@usernamefromhell]

Agree with all.....except the fork one. No such thing as "overforked" in my book, not unless the frame has a bad standover height.

[@stevengeorge5605]

Norco Fluid HT 1, Kona Honzo AL DL, Giant Fathom 1, Giant XTC. All have large Kona Wah Wah flat pedals.

[@RafaRakowicz]

Trek 6500 for 20 years, hardtail for life.

[@JeffMTBinVA]

That is a beautiful NP #Blake. I have a 2020 Vitus Sentier. Got a full sus to take less of a beating. I will never get rid of it and have been thinking about slowly upgrading the fork, rotors, swap to clips and add a dropper. Or maybe I should try to find an NP hardtail frame and build one 🤔

[@dystopiaisutopia]

Flats and 26" for life.

[@simonfaux5781]

Surly Krampus, Voodoo Dambala Cannondale Single speed

[@brianrivasoconer5543]

I have trek marlin 8 2nd gen rockshox judy air 100mm , sometimes I ride Hard , but not much that I bottom out

[@John_D2]

I sold my fuel ex and kept my ns eccentric, no regrets.

[@thecrowsecho]

Over forked I get, what about mix wheel?

[@Hipp0campus_1]

Biggest mistake: Not riding in such a beautiful place (Madeira?)

[@marcelsypniewski4566]

Finale Ligure

[@gmbn]

Finale Ligure, Correct! 🤘

[@LaurentiusTriarius]

A long way from Tremblant Canada... I don't care for the parts giveaway pls send me there 😂

[@paulbry754]

I love clipless pedals but can't ride them anymore as have a knackered knee and the movement of being locked in kills my knee,so had to go back to flats years ago

[@VRietySociety]

as for the fork travel, you don't really want to ad more than 10-20mm from stock, the frame is designed for a certain amount of travel, too much will wreck your frame geometry Clipless? .......never, especially on the techi stuf. better shoes and flats (well ill consider clipless for xc racing i guess, if i ever attempt that)

[@juzDubbin]

Blake, thanks bro! I was beginning to be a bit doubtful of my hardtail and thinking that it's time to switch to the squish. I ride aggressive on it but suffer days after with sore feet, back and wrists...so I was thinking of switching to full suspension to get a more plush ride that would allow for back to back trail days....I think I'll try modding with some of your tips first and give another season! Thanks for another great video!

[@RigorMortisItrium]

I have the same @juzDubbin! What I did is incorporated some kettlebell training drill to get my body used to the shaking and thumping. It did help.

[@juzDubbin]

@RigorMortisItrium thanks man! Certainly worth giving it try...

[@DizRidesMtb]

Gotta luv the Ht's . Ano I do but I can't afford the dear parts ect lol. Took me 6 month to save up to upgrade all my running gear to SRAM Nx n buy new Forks lol

[@gmbn]

What bike have you got at the moment? 🤙

[@DizRidesMtb]

@@gmbn Only A Cannondale Cujo 3 FRM 2017 .I do own a Kona Stuff too that's in parts n has been 3 yrs as I can't find the right parts to rebuild her . Which is guttin I love my bikes lol

[@LoneWanderer905]

I feel you. My first upgrade was the SRAM NX derailleur and chain along with some local brand cassette and front chainrings, still isn't the best but it rides pretty sweet, never imangined how much a clutch affects the ride quality until I rode it. I also managed to get an old RockShox XC28 100mm fork. Managed to get the fork pretty sweet after servicing (more like overhauling tbh) and putting denser oil, cheap stuff ftw.

[@DizRidesMtb]

@@LoneWanderer905 aye dude it's a dear job at times but it's not my only bike lol

[@VRietySociety]

i find that everything hurst except for my core (abs/lowerback are fine) but everything from the chest up and hips down are sore the next day and I run a lot so my legs are not weak

[@1monkeyflower]

Question about overworking. If I went to 170 mm of travel on a 27.5 that can also be set up 29er wouldn’t that math work out to almost the same as a mullet rig?

[@1monkeyflower]

For reference the old fork is 130 travel

[@sirus_blue]

built a ragley mmmbop over christmas took it 4 its first ride on sunday and it was great but i couldnt climb and hills cause my legs where shaking so much got used to my full sus too much [ IF ANYONE IS WONDERING I SPENT 950 ISH ON IT ON CRC DEALS BUT WOULD OF COSTED 2.6 K NORMALY]

[@JasonFerguson17t]

I love hardtails and love my clipless pedals. I've been riding clipless for 20+ years and still have no intention to try out flats.

[@Jollyjape]

Sweet

[@evilchickengod2891]

Got a new nukeproof scout for a good price. Have some red black local trails. Do i rude them slow or what?

[@littledevilchris666]

I’ve only had a few rides on mine , but I love it! Il stick with the flats though

[@burton926]

This isn't a hardtail video, its a mountain bike video. I get that GMBN needs to make more videos to make more money, but can we get content with a bit more insight behind it? A. Don't preride a trail? It can bite you on any bike. B. Think your ride will only burn your legs? All mountain biking will work your whole body. A 100mm xc bike will take more of a toll on your body than a 140mm trail bike. C. Find it hard to keep your feet stuck to the pedals? Clipless works great on any bike you have to pedal (ok this one probably has more merit on hardtails...but then again DJs are hardtails) D. Overforking any bike can ruin the geometry, and arguably full sus bikes will feel even more out of balance due to the uneven travel distances and/or spring rates. E. Underbiking is fun for a reason. Most bikes not found in a department store can handle gnarly trails under the right rider (see "Road Bike Party"). F. Hardtails are no more subject to upgrade-itis than a budget full sus. How about some facts and pitfalls unique to hardtails? 1. Pinch flats/wheel failures -You will benefit from running higher pressures, stiffer casings, or tubeless inserts on your rear wheel when riding a hardtail compared to a full sus 2. Adjustable Chainstay length -Lots of hardtails have adjustable dropouts so you can change the feel and wheelbase of your bike. Its like a flip chip with infinite settings. Play with it! 3. Material Options -When buying a hardtail, you have more options between carbon, aluminum, steel, and titanium than you would on a full sus bike. Try some new things! 4. Hydration -Bring more than one bottle if your hardtail has bosses for multiple cages. Having 2+ bottles on your bike doesn't make you an XC nerd, it enables you to go further for longer. 5. Crank length/BB drop -Without suspension bob, you can run longer cranks on a hardtail without pedal strikes compared to a full sus with the same BB drop (altho short cranks are all the rage these days) 6. Frame stress/failure -Any bike will fatigue over time, but hardtails don't benefit from suspension softening each blow. Just like with pinch flats, hardtails are easier to break especially as you add up all those impacts over time. Regularly inspect your welds/seams for stress cracks, especially around the BB and downtube.

[@stefanmathies9284]

I ride a Specialized Fuse 27.5 that comes with a 130mm coil fork. Would a 150mm air fork be good or would that be too overforked?

[@gmbn]

Most bike manufacturers will state a range of fork travel that will work with the frame!

[@TiMoLoToV]

Anybody knows where i could still find a Scout 290 frame, black size L? Ive been dying to start my first custom build based on this frame, but due to the circumstances i cant find any :(

[@RoryFarrell-pm9rx]

Check local bike parks, along of them use nukeproof bikes (at least in ireland) and they normally sell their frames, or chain reaction if its still breathing

[@LaurentiusTriarius]

Yellow are available but I don't think there's any black large available, I found a 2022 black large complete bike on local FB marketplace and one on the pros closet but both in North America, new ones are not available it seems, your best bet is scouting the internet there's surely one available somewhere 😂

[@joebrowm9911]

Can eny one recommend a good see just got s trek slash but seat is killing me lol

[@phil5073]

You need to try the RUROK Kanlaon, blake.

[@Wrangzilla]

Lol. I bought a budget Nukeproof Scout Pro 275

[@itsianwood]

Still think it's silly to call pedals that you have to clip into, 'clipless' pedals. High time for a terminology change. Most people don't even remember pedal clips! :-) (I do - I'm 55)

[@ifitrollsrideit530]

You don't "clip" into them though. You "cleat" into them. Like damping and dampening, just because a few people can't be bothered to get it right doesn't mean we should change it.

[@stephankoehler800]

Do you not remember toe clips?

[@wantahertzdonut]

I can't say enough about the benefits of riding clipless to the point where I can't understand why anyone would choose to ride without them. I never need to worry if my foot is on the pedal or if it'll slip off. Leaves bandwidth to focus on the many other things going on.

[@theymademepickaname1248]

Opposite for me. I'm more timid when clipped in because I'm constantly worried about being able to unclip in time.

[@chadsworth0524]

Don't overfork *rides a 160mm travel fork*

[@fud1376]

naa man! Flats all the way on my 160mm Ragley BluePigRace....Ha!

[@gmbn]

It's going to be a bumpy ride 👊

[@davidgeiger8620]

One thing to mention: The meaning clipless is wrong.Correct is click-pedals

[@barfo281]

The mistakes those people were making in the video were not the fault of their bikes, it was their lack of skill, experience, and judgment.

[@RoryFarrell-pm9rx]

Ive been riding hartails for the last five years and just bought my first full sus, i will say about hardtails that theyre great fun but you reach a pint where they start letting you down on some of the gnar

[@LoneWanderer905]

It's not the hardtail that's letting you down, it's your fit/legs (maybe back).

[@StanleyKubick1]

clipless on a techy trail is sociopathic

[@brianrivasoconer5543]

I HAVE ELBOW AND KNEE SHIN PADS FULL FACE HELMET AT LEAST IF I FALL THESE PARTS ARE PROTECTED

[@FoxtrotHostel]

hardtails are not for weak people

[@ERKNEES2]

What kind of flat are yalls using lmao wtf is this tip 2:55

[@FlyDreamEcuador]

You can't make a mistak with a hardtail 😉

[@Create_o_raptor]

Hard tails are more capable in every category other than huge rampage stuff maybe

[@NoLimitTouge]

Overforked? 🤔 better said you forked it up 😂

[@crabtrap]

Adding a dropper post has zero to do with hardtail vs fullsus. Why even say it?

[@aliens1990990]

❤

[@1000750]

Clipless doesn't belong on any MTB well maybe XC but who rides those anyways 😎

[@philanimasuku4256]

👍🏾👍🏾

[@gmbn]

👍

[@Rebelscum985]

@@gmbnlol

[@Jqteadventures1659]

My balls and arse always seem to hurt as-well as everything else lol

[@FlyDreamEcuador]

You don't like triple clamp forks on hardtail, so sorry for you! 😅

[@thomaspannerup]

The first advice is the direct opposite to Pinkbike's very bad take "that every KZbinr wants to be a racer", that kind of video helps others in doing research

[@toddpillow3074]

Your first mistake will always be riding a hard tail. Why get beat up while foregoing safety and control??? You wouldn’t go back to rim brakes or 26” wheels. Hell, grow a handlebar mustache and get a highwheeler. I’ve been biking since 1984 and hope to never go back to that kind of gear.

[@Racing_Fox]

If it ain’t light it ain’t right. Hardtails definitely have the advantage in the weight category and I for one cannot stand a heavy bike

[@lucasmarquis8990]

I just finished building my first bike thos weekend, a commencal meta ht/am