Conclusion
That wraps up our 2022 Hardtail of Year test. And while it wasn’t the bumper harvest that we normally deliver, we were lucky enough to get the cream of the current hardtail crop. In the direct-sales category, the test was the most hotly contested to date. Hardly surprising when you have two hardtail titans go toe to toe. In the ring, both bikes had slightly different approaches: the Vitus lighter on its toes and more agile, the Voodoo more flat-footed and stable. Also the beefy Rockshox 35 fork on the Voodoo was better at absorbing the blows than the Recon fork on the Vitus. Both are great bikes for the money though, and in the end the decision to give Voodoo the win largely came down to the quality of the drivetrain, brakes and fork, and their long-term durability.
Like any great prize fighter, the Voodoo Bizango has proved that it can hold Hardtail of the Year titles in multiple classes. We’re confident that Vitus won’t take the defeat lying down though, so hopefully we’ll be back with a rematch next year, with many more names on the direct-sales fight card.
In the shop-bought category things were more clear-cut. Specialized and Trek have never fielded the strongest bikes in this test, but the decision to separate the shop-bought bikes from the direct-sales models, definitely gave them both a leg up. The Specialized Rockhopper was the only bike to get Shimano brakes, but the skinny tyres and more Xcfocused ride feel meant that we couldn’t really use them to go any faster.
With massive 2.8in tyres, the Trek Roscoe 6 had no such problems getting up to speed. Once there, however, the under-damped, rattly SR Suntour fork was the real limiting factor. Even the extra convenience of the 130mm dropper post wasn’t enough to offset the shocking fork. Trek could easily remedy this, though. By switching to a 29in front wheel, with a 100mm Rockshox Judy fork, the Roscoe would have better damping control and you’d still get all the comfort and traction of the fatter