The Radavist

While most hardtails we feature here are long, slack, and low, we still love riding XC and that pleasant middle-ground an all-rounder hardtail offers. Titanium wizards MOOTS just launched their Womble 29er, which fits a 2.6″ tire, has a 67º head angle, and 57mm of BB drop. The geometry on this bike looks like an ideal all-rounder bike, perfect for XC trails, bikepacking, and a bit of all-mountain underbiking. Check out more of this beautiful steed at MOOTS.

Also, check out our Shop Visit to MOOTS from a while back for more titanium wizardry!

This video from our friend Jeff really fits into the site’s content this afternoon, which is funky steel bikes!

The Why Cycles team has been constantly working on their Wayward 29+ platform MTB since its inception, so there’s no surprise that V2 is still the same bike but with a few new details. Why used their tubing of choice, 3/2.5 titanium, and added their unique cold-formed shaping to really tune the ride quality. The geometry has been corrected to fit a 120mm fork (instead of 100mm), giving the bike a more balanced feel. The next change is an increase in standover clearance, yet the biggest change is a product spec. Why Cycles worked with Sean Burns at Oddity Cycles, the master manipulator of titanium, to offer a suspension-corrected Squid fork option for the Wayward along with his Lowrizer titanium handlebars. The team at Why have dubbed this the Squidward.

Pricing for the V2 remains the same with a frame (including headset, seat collar, anodized water bottle bolts and rear axle) coming in at $2449. Frame and fork options start at $3049 with a RockShox Yari and a $1000 upgrade for the Oddity Squid fork. Complete builds with SRAM components and Industry 9 wheels start at $4799.

See more at Why Cycles.

With a 68º head tube angle and a 74º seat tube angle, the Rangefinder might not be the shreddiest hardtail out there but it’ll be a more than capable bike for most trails. Plus, we need more approachable and affordable mountain bikes in this industry. With a 27.5+/29er wheel platform, a dropper post, and SRAM’s SX Eagle kit, you get to whet your appetite for trails and bikepacking all for under $1,300. Not bad.

There’s also a Deore build for a mere $1,099. Check out more of the Rangefinder at Salsa.

The newest bike to hit the Bombtrack lineup is their Cale hardtail, a 27.5+ or 29er frameset with extra cargo mounts, a geometry tuned for all-mountain riding and bikepacking.

Highlights:
-MRP Ribbon SL 120 mm travel suspension fork with Boost spacing and 35mm stanchions.
-Bombtrack Illusion 35 mm oversized handlebar, 800 mm wide and Bombtrack Chase stem with 40 mm extension.
-WTB STi4 TCS 2.0” tubeless ready front rim, WTB STi40 TCS 2.0 tubeless ready rear rim.
-WTB Vigilante 2.8” TCS tubeless ready tires, tough and high grip front, tough and fast rolling rear.
-Sram GX Eagle 12-speed drivetrain with 10 – 50t cassette, GX Eagle Boost crank, Sram Dub bottom bracket and 30t direct mount chainring.
-Magura Trail Sport hydraulic disc brake with four front pistons and two at the rear for maximum power and control.
-Magura Storm SL.2 180 mm rotors.
-KS E30i 30.9mm dropper post with 150mm travel.

Frameset: 649,99 € // 729,99 U$ // 595,00 £ // 799,00 CA$
Complete: 3.399,00 € // 3.749,99 U$ // 3.300,00 £ // 4.999,99 AU$

See more information at Bombtrack.

This is not an XC race bike. This is not an XC race bike.

The Nordest Bardino 2 is an all-mountain/enduro/trail bike and yes, it is a hardtail! Designed for a 140mm to 170mm fork, with the ability to run either 27.5″ x 3″ / 29″ x 2.6″ wheels, a short reach, optimized for 40mm stems, and weighing in at 5.84lbs for a size M/L, the Bardino is a modern bike that won’t break the bank at 495,04 €, shipped in the EU! Head to Nordest to check it out in detail.

FYXO sent over this video he made of the new Curve Cycling DownRock, a new titanium 29×2.6″ hardtail from the brand, with a plethora of details worth checking out at Curve.

Marin’s new Pine Mountain hardtail is a $2099 hardtail with more than enough bottle bosses to bolt on a full-size framebag or cargo cages. While the profile might look a little ridiculous, this is what the people want isn’t it? Honestly, bottle bosses don’t bother me, especially when they’re plugged with rubber stops, not bolts. Good on ya, Marin for making an affordable hardtail with lots of versatility built in. See the full spec sheet at Marin.

After sharing the Mystic Alluvium earlier this month, we’ve received a lot of emails requesting the geo sheet. While numbers and degrees aren’t exactly intellectual property, initially I felt a little weird posting them for the entire internet to see. Adam and I put a lot of time in designing the geometry for this bike and I didn’t want to just give away all that work. Later I realized it really doesn’t matter and we only dialed in the geo for the size large and size medium anyway.

I thought it would be fun to just open source the sheets for other people to hand them off to a builder of their choice. Even if no one follows through with that, it’s still a neat project to share. I’ve been riding this bike as a 29er with a 150mm fork over the past few weeks and it’s even better now!

See the full spread below.

With a complete build starting at $2,199, the Norco Torrent looks to be a contender for riders looking for a new hardtail to take on their local trails. With a 64º head tube angle, a 76º seat tube angle, a 150mm RockShox fork and 29’r wheels, it will gobble up mountain chunder for breakfast. Head to Norco to see all the specs and other pricing options.

Cotic’s BFe is their veritable do-it-all hardtail trail shredder. The BFe can be built with a 120-160mm fork, 26″x3″ or 27.5″ x 2.6″ tires, with completes starting at £1799 or £549 with 148mm Syntace X-12 thru-axle, Seat QR, chainstay protector, and all your hose clips and parts. The BFe is the UK brand’s answer for a versatile hardtail. See more at Cotic.

Let’s face it, there’s not a lot of head-turning tech coming from the world of frame design within the MTB industry. Longer, slacker, lower, new linkages, electronic shifting. We’ve seen that all coming from a mile away but the latest from TREK has my interest piqued. Especially for bikepacking or other long endurance rides where you don’t want to deal with a lot of bobbing from a long travel rear linkage. The Supercaliber does look fun! As for the video, kudos, team Trek.