Trail hardtail for xc/marathon

Maybe not exactly what you are looking for but I've been riding and racing my Trek Stache (setup 120mm) as my primary bike for over 3 yrs now. In some instances I can tell its not quite as fast (marathon races where you are transferring on the road/pavement). I've been in situations where I was essentially in a MTB peleton/paceline and I could tell I was not as efficient, but I think that was mainly the 29+ tire. But I put a nice lightweight wide carbon wheel set on it and I think it excels in the techy terrain. And I've done multiple 6-10 hr events on it with respectable results.

In summary, I say go for it! My fork does have a lockout so I'm not too worried about how much travel I have. When I need it...I can have ZERO travel. All that said, I do think that the modern progressive STEEP STA would be a notable hindrance for me when pedaling very long distances that covered some flatter terrain. I have a hard time finding the right saddle fore/aft spot when the STA gets above 74* for me. YMMV

Cheers,
CJB

I love my Yeti ARC with a 130 fork. Its 25 lb with big trail type tires and 23lb with with racey tires and wheels. Very capable and I've ridden it for 40+ mile rides and fast local 1hr rippers. Very fun and capable. I'm considering it for a couple of marathon races next year, and would be my choice for our some of our short XC races. I also have an Ibis Ripley that is also a great bike and I race in marathon and longer events.

I’ve been on an Esker Japhy for a year now, and plan to do some endurance and bikepacking races this year (already signed up for a few). It’s a great all around bike, and I love that I can both race on it AND actually enjoy just casual riding. I can’t do the full on race bikes, I just don’t find them that fun to ride. Luckily I’m not super competitive so a setup like this suits me just perfect.

darth tracer said:

I love my Yeti ARC with a 130 fork. Its 25 lb with big trail type tires and 23lb with with racey tires and wheels. Very capable and I've ridden it for 40+ mile rides and fast local 1hr rippers. Very fun and capable. I'm considering it for a couple of marathon races next year, and would be my choice for our some of our short XC races. I also have an Ibis Ripley that is also a great bike and I race in marathon and longer events.
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Plus 1 for the ARC. Mines a snappy XC raceable build.

Glad I saw this thread, as I was debating going to a full suspension to do this years Grizzly 75K in Big Bear. I did it last year on my Scott Scale and felt it did well, I could feel my back at the end though. I think I will do it again and maybe a little less tire pressure. Any recommendations would be appreciate, I am already signed up for the Grizzly 75K this year in mens open. Thanks. Rick

As others have said, the Spot Rocker and Yeti ARC are great choices. I’ve owned both, still have/ride the Spot Rocker as a single speed and a 100mil travel SiD Ultimate SL Brain fork. I played around with 130, 120, and rigid forks on my Yeti ARC, and like the 120 most for “fast flow riding”, but I’m biased to XC over long travel trail bikes.

The arc is the best blend of speed, comfort and capability in a hard tail I’ve found.

I rode/ and “raced” this Canfield EPO for a few years. Huge fun. Super short rear end was a bit of a hassle on brutally steep climbs—and there are plenty where I live. I’ve since succumbed to squishy life, but hard tails offer an experience that I really enjoy.