In Bellingham, we’re lucky to be able to ride year-round, but winters can be tough on full-suspension mountain bikes. With the wet conditions, grit and grime seem to make their way into every nook and cranny of your linkage, often leading to premature bearing replacements if you aren’t careful. So how do you remedy this conundrum? Easy—get yourself a hardtail! That’s exactly what Fanatik’s graphic designer, Jan, did. He chose to build up a custom Chromag Rootdown to mix things up for the winter and get back to his mountain biking roots! Check out his build and find out why he choose the components he did!
Bike Details
Frame: Chromag Rootdown [Series VI]
Size: M/L
Wheels: Crankbrothers Synthesis Enduro Alloy 2.0 29” // Industry Nine 1/1 // Pillar Triple Butted Spokes
Tires: Schwalbe Magic Mary Radial Trail 29x2.5 [Front] // Schwalbe Albert Radial Gravity 29x2.5 w/ Cushcore Trail Insert [Rear]
Drivetrain: Shimano Deore 12s M6100 Series Groupset // Shimano Deore 170mm Crankset w/ 30t Chainring // OneUp Bashguide
Brakes: Hayes Dominion A4 // SRAM HS2 Rotors 200mm [Front & Rear]
Cockpit: Tenet Bodem AL 40mm Rise, 750mm Wide // Specialized Alloy Trail Stem 40mm // ODI Elite Flow Grips
Seatpost/Saddle: PNW Loam Dropper Gen 2 200mm w/ OneUp V3 Remote // Ergon SM Sport Mens S/M
Shock: *crickets* (Jan's youthful ankles and back)
Fork: Marzocchi Bomber Z1 160mm (PSI: 80, LSC: ~1:00 Knob Orientation, LSR: -10, Spacers: 6)
What Does Jan Have To Say About His Rootdown!?
Hardtails. Bold move! What led you to building up a Chromag Rootdown?
Hardtails are sick! It’s a different experience/sensation than a full squish bike and I think that’s what makes it unique and so much fun. No rear shock obviously makes everything a little more rowdy so it feels like the trail is cranked up a notch and really pushes you to be an active rider.
After graduating from a hardtail to my first full-suspension bike years ago, I never really went back. I wanted to build up a bike that was genuinely going to be a different riding experience than what I’m currently riding and I think the Rootdown checked that box and more. I already have my trail/enduro bike, and I’m lucky enough to have a DH bike as well, so rounding out the fleet with a rippin’ hardtail has been the cherry on top.
We looked at your alloy Transition Spire last year, how do you choose which bike to ride? When are you grabbing the hardtail and when are you grabbing the big squishy bike?
I would say there are three factors that play into choosing what to ride; conditions, type of trail, and who's riding with me.
When referring to conditions, I tend to ride my hardtail a lot in the winter months when the dirt is saturated and soft. Those days provide a little more forgiveness for not having rear suspension as well as are just super fun for getting out on a different bike. It’s also really easy to clean and less maintenance vs. the Spire.
The type of trail and who’s coming plays a big part too. If I’m going for a fun lap out around Galbraith with a big crew of friends and the goal is just to putz around and enjoy the day, I’m hopping on the hardtail. But if I’m headed over to Chuckanut and just want to rip a fast lap down through the chunk, it’s definitely gonna be riding the full squish.
You have your Spire set up with MX wheels, but opted for the full 29” Rootdown. Did you ever think about doing the MX wheel Stylus instead of the Rootdown?
I did think about that! Both my other bikes are MX and I really enjoy the way a mullet bike rides, so a Stylus MX definitely piqued my interest. That being said, when I built this bike my goal was to build something that was going to be a different than what I’m used to. So I opted for full 29” and it’s been super fun! I also think having a 29” rear wheel provides a slightly smoother and faster ride when going through roots, rocks, and holes, especially with the lack of rear suspension to help.
You have Hayes brakes on this build and your Spire. What is it that you like so much about the Hayes brakes?
Light lever feel, adjustable reach + bite, and great stopping power. I’ve also never experienced any problems with brake fade using these brakes, even on my DH bike riding long T to B laps at Whistler. They just work well for me and I’m very happy with them.
Some people wig out about people riding hardtails on flat pedals. What flat pedals are you riding and do you ever find yourself getting bucked off the pedals with the bike not having any rear suspension to soak up the bumps?
I can see why because yes, I definitely have been bucked off the pedals before hahaha. But that was definitely more rider-laziness than lack of performance from my pedals.
On my Rootdown I’m riding the Tenet Occult pedals which I feel do a great job at keeping me locked in. The pronounced concave, wide platform, and pin arrangement are spot on with everything I look for in a nice grippy pedal. On these ones I actually swapped out the pins for grub screws and I find the grip is up even another notch.
Silver seems to be in right now with all sorts of brands coming out with silver alloy rims, silver bars, and even your all silver PNW Components dropper. Do you think the silver craze is here to stay?
You could definitely say the silver craze is back, but for me it never left. I’ve always been super stoked on raw and silver colorways for bikes and components. If you ask friends or co workers they would tell you I might even be a little wacko about always wanting more silver parts. If I can’t get it silver, sometimes I just end up making it silver. When PNW came out with the LTD silver post I knew I had to have one so I jumped on it. It sure looks cool, but I’ve also been super impressed with the robustness, smooth actuation, and high quality–the PNW Loam Gen 2 is a super solid dropper post.
If you had an infinite budget what is the one thing you would change on your build?
Oooo infinite budget eh? Haha I think I would swap out the drivetrain for the limited edition SRAM 1987 AXS Transmission Groupset. Too much silver you say? NEVER.
What's the one thing everyone building a hardtail needs to have on their build?
One thing I’d say every hardtail build should feature is a good set of tires. Without the help of a rear shock, you want to optimize every bit of comfort and traction you have. Tires with a little wider profile and/or an insert will let you run lower pressures in turn giving you a little bit of suspension. Additionally, the lower pressures will provide you with the grip you need for a bike that otherwise may feel squirrelly when running higher pressures.
