Hardtail for Carlos

Carlos rides in the Austrian mountains. He wanted a hardtail that could tackle a wide variety of tracks, including steep terrain.

Most hardtails I make run a 120mm or 130mm fork. My customers typically own full-suspension bikes. They’re looking for a hardtail to make the tamer trails fun to ride.

Since Carlos plans to ride this bike on challenging trails, a 140mm RockShox Pike would be a good idea. The longer fork will add more forgiveness and plushness when the going gets rough.

Carlos used 29x2.6” Terravail Kessel tires to run low pressures to improve traction and comfort. The Reserve 30 SL carbon wheels with DT Swiss 350 hubs are durability champions.

The bike wears the whole gamut of parts from OneUp Components, including the carbon handlebar, stem, grips, pedals, and the 210mm dropper post. I made sure to custom bend the seat tube close to the bottom bracket shell so he could run a long dropper post with his 710mm saddle height.

Carlos chose the Shimano 12-speed XT drivetrain and XT 4-piston brakes with a 203mm rotor up front and a 180mm rotor in the rear. 4-piston brakes and large rotors provide heaps of control on the steepest and loosest descents.

The cherry on the cake is the beautifully machined Ingrid crankset.

Since Carlos is a professional photographer, I wasn’t surprised that the paint scheme was the most challenging choice for him. He wanted the frame to look nice but not too flashy. He chose a Vanilla Ice Cream powder coat with matte black graphics. Adorned with primarily black and white components, this bike looks ready to attend a fancy soiree.