We see whether carbon fibre or steel, big-name value or boutique attention to detail comes out on top on the trails
When you envisage a hardtail – that’s to say, a mountain bike with no rear suspension – it could be a cross-country (XC) race whippet with a lightweight carbon fibre frame, narrow handlebar, slender fork and scarily slick tyres (see MBUK 423 for a test of those). Alternatively, you may picture a ‘hardcore hardtail’ with steel tubes, slack angles, chunky rubber and plenty of front suspension travel so you can ‘ride the fork’ and batter your way down techy trails. However, there is a third option, a middle ground if you will, that’s reasonably light for punchy climbing but has enough suspension to allow silly line choices and balanced geometry that feels at home on a mix of different terrain.
These bikes – and we hesitate to call them ‘downcountry’ hardtails, especially when ‘backcountry’ seems more appropriate – are your do-it-all, post-work spin, super-versatile machines. For this test, we’ve collected four such bikes, each with 120 to 130mm of fork travel. They’re all targeted at slightly different riders, though, from adventurous souls who want to disappear for days, to those who want to shred as hard as they can, without the need to lug a 15kg sled around.
Two come from large international brands, Yeti and Merida, and feature carbon fibre frames, super-modern geometry and set-in-stone build kids for an off-the-shelf experience. The other two are from smaller operations – Fairlight and Mason. These UK companies have built their reputation on versatility and the famed ‘forgiving’ ride feel of steel tubing. Mason have built their RAW based upon their Shimano XT build, with a few tweaks, while the Fairlight Holt on test has a relatively custom build. We will talk about the kit here, but, given the differences in price of the complete bikes, we’ll be mainly focusing on the frames.
OUR RATINGS
We base our scores on value for money and performance
EXCEPTIONAL
Close to perfect (rare!)
VERY GOOD
Not quite class-leading
GOOD
Will do the job
BELOW AVERAGE
Flawed in some way
POOR
We don’t recommend this
MEET THE TESTER
TOM MARVIN
SENIOR TECHNICAL EDITOR
Tom’s a bit of a trail bike aficionado, as well as keen to get his saddle up and head down on XC bikes. So, this middle ground of shorter- but not short-travel, fast-rolling but not sketchy-feeling bikes is th
