Hardcore hardtails feel like a particularly British phenomenon. Think about mucking about on a slack-angled bike with no rear suspension, and chances are you're imagining a rowdy slip-and-slide on a track scratched straight down the fall line by folks who should know better. Bikes like this pair from Ragley and Whyte are designed to eat this stuff up, along with all the greasy linked turns, steepness and daft fly-offs you can chuck at them. Not to mention the odd jump session, some trail centre laps or even the occasional big pedalling-heavy day in the countryside.
UK brands kickstarted this category in the first place and really celebrate this side of mountain biking culture, so it's unsurprising that the Mmmbop and 905 tested here are built for messing about in the woods as much as for getting from point to point off-road as quickly as possible. And, since both brands have been at the forefront of aggro hardtail design for years, you'd hope they know a thing or two about what makes one sing by now.
Both machines are aluminium-framed with front suspension and 650b (aka 27.5in) wheels, and are no-nonsense, tough and easy to chuck about. Wear your jeans and hoodie on them to kick about at the pump track or jumps, or don your trendy riding kit to chase your mates on full-sus bikes down proper downhill tracks. Slack geometry is a key ingredient to this versatility, keeping you upright and off your arse in the woods. Both bikes here have powerful fourpot brakes and grippy tyres, too, to maximise downhill capability on faster and steeper tracks. A UK hardcore hardtail also needs to be reliable enough to handle winter wetness, with plenty of mud clearance.
This story is from the March 2023 edition of Mountain Biking UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March 2023 edition of Mountain Biking UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
GRIME TIME - EXPERT WORKSHOP ADVICE
WHEELY ANNOYING
TRAILCREW HAFOD TRAILS
We discover the delights of Wales's newest bike park, located deep in beautiful Carmarthenshire
BIKETEST ULTIMATE HIRE BIKES
We test three park-cum-DH rigs - the kind of bikes available in holiday spots like Morzine and Whistler, as well as uplift venues closer to home
SCOTT GAMBLER 910 - £4,399 A bike park-ready budget beater worth taking a chance on
This latest iteration of Scott's long-standing Gambler launched in 2019.
THE MANY FACES OF MOUNTAIN BIKING
WE HIT THE ARIZONA DESERT AS PART OF A HUGE FEMALE-LED GROUP RIDE THAT PUTS THE FOCUS ON FUN AND FRIENDSHIP
PARIS HERE WE COME!
With the 2024 Olympics in France fast coming around, we take a quick dive into the history of mountain biking at the Games, plus explain what to expect, how to watch and who to keep an eye on this year
TRANSITION SPUR XO AXS - £7,999 Can the smallest of revisions keep Transition's downcountry demon at the top of the pile?
Transition's Spur has set the benchmark for downcountry bikes since its release in 2020.
MARIN ALPINE TRAIL E2 BOSCH - £6,385 Big-battery, high-powered e-MTB for gravity fans at a (relatively) affordable price
The Alpine Trail E Bosch is Marin's first e-MTB to use a four-bar linkage suspension design and a non-Shimano motor.
PINARELLO DOGMA XC - £12,000 Designed by and for Elite racers, with a ride feel to match
STRAIGHT OUT OF THE BOX & ONTO THE TRAILS
MBUK SUPER BIKE - #128 MATT WALKER'S SARACEN MYST
The British national downhill champ has a new ride for the 2024 race season