Words by Ambassador Elliot Smith. Photos by Caleb Smith.
I hadn’t ridden a hardtail mountain bike since I was about 10 years old (other than my Shonky, if you want to count that). It was a little 24-inch bike, back when what quantified the best bike was which one had the most gears. This bike did have quick-release axles, disc brakes, and working suspension, but there were a few things it didn’t have. Firstly it was missing a Kona logo, not a big issue, but eight years later it has been resolved. It was also missing a whole lot of travel. I think it had an 80mm fork up front, nowhere near the 170mm of travel found on my current RockShox ZEB. Being a 24” it’s a bit of a given that it didn’t have 29” wheels, which is fair enough, I mean I was 9. Basically what I’m saying is that a lot has changed in the MTB world since I last owned a hardtail, I know I’m not exactly comparing apples to apples, but here’s my perspective on riding a hardcore hardtail for the first time.