A hardtail has a suspension fork and a rigid rear end. That makes it lighter, cheaper and simpler to look after than an equivalent full suspension bike, with less to service and nothing to wear out at the back. It also makes it a better teacher: with no rear shock to smooth things over you learn to pick lines, stay light and carry speed — which is why plenty of very good riders keep one.

Our hardtails run from lightweight XC race bikes through capable trail hardtails to dirt jump frames, with complete bikes and framesets from Merida, Marin, Mondraker, Orbea, Nukeproof, Kona, Cannondale, Norco, Yeti and Craft Bikes, who build custom titanium frames here in Kent. Ask us about fork options if you're building from a frameset.