Growler is actually one of the cleanest looking frames I've seen. Also, the stability on the descents far outweighs any climbing negatives. This bike deserves a better ranking.

I like todays setup with just you and the action cameras bettet honestly. Feels more honest and more like an actual review of the bike!

Just found your channel and I’m enjoying your content! I appreciate the work you put into production with the high def camera, editing, and sound. Really polished! However, if just using action cams saved you time and keeps you putting out content I’m completely fine with that. Ultimately, it’s the bike nerd/Hardtail stuff I like. You’re doing a fantastic job! Thanks!

I'm digging the series, Evan! I also prefer the action cam stuff. The dual angles are really cool, and it feels more like you're talking with us on the ride without any breaks in between. Digging it.

I think the Canyon Stoic is a very good hardtail for Hardtail Quest. And it has everything and it has external Cabel routing

Keep up the amazing work I love how fast you are punching out this series!

Canyon stoic ? Might very well be my first mtb, and curious to see a good review. Great video !

Very well done camera work, I too enjoyed the more personal feel of just you reviewing the bike.

Filming was great! Super fun even just to watch! Good job man!

The action camera footage (bar mount, chest mount, & tripods) absolutely works! The POV shots, especially on new bike reviews (Hardtail Quest), or new trail reviews, is definitely more engaging, and is the best at conveying how the bike actually performs (climbing, tech, flow, jump, cornering). Throw in the side of the trail facing the camera commentary, and its the complete package! Keep doing what you do 😁👍‼️

Santa Cruz chameleon. Great geometry for all types of riding, sliding rear dropouts and the ability to run mixed wheel sizes. I know it’s expensive but it’s definitely worth a try!

I’ve been watching your channel since the beginning and I totally trust your decisions on camera stuff. Action cam or camera man always look good. Looking for to the next hardtail.

Good Vid Evan , Chest cam does the job well . Picture quality is very good too . Keep up the good work

The Growler is an amazing frame!!! I regularly ride mine on downhill trails and decent sized jump lines. Specifically the Growler 20 so I could upgrade it down the line.

The chest cam is cool with me. Enjoy watching the content and this series! 🙌

Love the action cam footage!!

Very smart Evan, reading your ads while showing the tear down ... Your sponsors should be appreciative since viewers are much more likely to watch the ad. Reminds me of Howard Stern back in the day, who started reading ads during the live broadcast (which was a massive success and now a staple in the industry, plus he charged those companies a premium for doing it live). Your production and especially your attention to detail is top notch, and only Seth rivals you at the moment.

Awesome video...glad you tested the Growler! We have the same exact Birkenstocks too

Action cam and pov is fine, the value is in the evaluation you give and insight you provide.

Action shots are great. Stay hydrated bro. ❤ The reviews. Team Rocky Mtn!

Loving this series!

Vitus Sentier, absolutely love mine! Super light and single and responsive

Loving this series!!! I think it would be interesting to test the vitus nucleus (or sentier)... 😂 The bike which started it all❤️. Fantastic work, keep it up!

Quality content man, I'd never ride a hard tail but I just like your videos. Rode a rocky mountain altitude for years and they make great bikes, there is a reason you see them everywhere in bc.

The action cam is great content don’t worry about having to set up a tripod all the time the best content to watch is one you enjoy yourself to film, also glad to the the scout on top still

chest cam footage looks great dude

Absolutely love my growler 20. Upgraded the shit out of it and its an absolute monster. XT drivetrain, Lyrik 150mm, Hope Tech 4s, RaceFace wheels etc

Great way to introduce the video's sponsor! You got my attention

Nice camera setup🤙🏾💯

I telling you man, you need to try the Orbea Laufey. And your content is yours, i will still love it either way.

I think it adds value when you have a camera man to get those 3rd person shots to combine with your 1st person GoPro footage. I like seeing both perspectives.

I think the setup with 2 action cameras (chest + bar) is the sweat spot. Really nice content!

Good video as always! Cant wait for the next one

bar camera is cool for when you pause to talk or when less is going on. ofc with external pov is the best but this video was really good like that too

Great review, all points are valid and I agree totally. I too got a growelr 20 with the idea of immediately upgrading the fork to a fox 36 w/160mm and slowly updating the rest of the bike overtime. Even with the fox the bike was still too heavy and sadly the stock hubs where defective which forced my hand upgrading those which I did with a new wheelset from Hunt. It should be noted RR sent me a new wheel set with Shimano hubs and WTB i30 rims which is great but I love the hunts and those will make a good backup set. I ended up replacing everything but the handlebars, stem, grips, drivetrain. In hindsight the scout would have been a better deal but I wanted to be able to ride while upgrading. I will say I ride with my brother who went with the scout and it is a much stiffer frame as well as the lower BB does have him getting more pedal strikes even with 155 cranks. Im still super happy with the bike and it has been great with all that front travel. With that said the nukeproof gets all the attention on the trail by other riders. Im glad the growler did as well as it did vs the other frames, keep up the good work!

I really like this series and I'm looking foward to a full suspension series. I just think you should stick the scoring to whole numbers from 1 to 5.

I have the 2023 Growler 40 and love it. I Have a vitus nucleus in 27.5 and true...little harder on super tight stuff then vitus but you can do it. Im 6"5' and the XL is AWESOME.

Loving this Hardtail Quest ep.

Rode a friends Growler E bike with big 3.0 tires on it. It was a perfect combo! The bike was a size or two too small for me so I couldnt get a genuine feel for it, however with that kit, the big tires and the E bit, it was an excellent explorer in some very rough spaces!

Camera angles look great!

I have an identical growler 20. Mine came spec'd differently, drivetrain wise (must have had part shortage). I was able to get some used parts to built it up, and including buying ghe bike new, it was cheaper to build with "new take offs", rather than buying a higher spec'd bike like the norco torrent A1. I noticed immediately that the frame absorbed the lip hit of jump. I added a bottomless tolken (3 in total) to my 150mm lyrik and lowered high-speed compression, and bumped my fork psi +5. I hope you give it more of a ride when youre a little less under the weather, it is an amazing bike.

I really like the chest cam+bar mount combo for these reviews (almost better than the cameraman side of trail?)

Love the work ❤

Nice, I bought a Rocky Instinct last summer and ran into the same issue with price and components. It was a good bike, but I was disappointed. Even after putting about 1k into it, ($3900 total), I would've been better off with something else. This year I bought a YT Capra and I absolutely love it, and the price was insane. Fox 38, SRAM GX, Code R's, Crankbrother's wheels. $2380 total. Cameras were fine in this video.

keep in mind all hard tales are for different types of riders and some people just love hard tales for chunk and downhill because its a whole other challenge, but otherwise i love the series, ur doing great and you have been riding super well!

Honestly, I like the purely action cam footage. Sometimes tho e switching back and forth from GoPro to cameraman makes it to where you can’t really see the trail as well. If allowing you to pump out more content means only action camera. Go for it!

Nice review, filming is fine. Thanks for a good video.

The suspense! Love my growler. :)

The day is saved when evan uploads, keep up the Work man

RSD middlechild yes!! can't wait to see you on that as I've been wanting it for months now. Also the Marin san quentin is pretty nice but not rly compliant, and the banshee enigma is the 27.5 version of the paradox..and I'm a sucker for small wheels. 26 ain't dead boys!

Great reviews! I hope Specialized Fuse and Santa Cruz Chameleon are in the list.

Super excited for this one! Bought my growler 50 for 540eur!

Huge fan, I have watched all of your videos

I have a specialized fuse comp 29, would like to see evan try that frame on this episodes. And see what kind of rating it would get! I personally love it.

I've got a growler 40 it's great I've got no complaints

I ride this in super chunk and lots of jumps and absolutely love this bike. Been riding full suspensions for years and got this bike and with a few upgrades on it and I love it more than the full sus. Bummed it wasn’t higher because I do believe it is one of the best bang for buck (geo wise)

I need to see a specialized fuse. It’s sold in a frame set option with adjustable rear dropouts and I think it would be great for this type of riding

OK That RSD Looks sick! That's a 5 on looks. That my favorite So far, looking for ward to next week. I also 100% agree on the component spec. That is junk and its stuff you would have a very hard time selling to anyone else. So it almost like a 1200 frame.

Love the series, as a Canadian with a soft spot for Canadian made bikes, the Rocky is a classic but as an Ontarian, the middlechild wins out in my and can't wait to see the review. I'm looking to pick up the middlechild as they sell frame only and moving my Optic parts over for winter riding, I don't want FS in the winter.

Wow, that frame is sweet

The POV camera is definitely better for this series. It’s easier to understand how a bike rides from that angle. The polished shots are cool but I prefer when they’re used sparingly.

I like the way you produce your videos. Chest cam is a given. Having a camera facing you is nice when you're stopped and speaking, but not needed while riding. Having a camera person panning shots is great when you can get it, because it shows off the scale of the features your riding, but you do just fine without a crew. My sister was trying to buy a Growler 20 because of the price. I talked her out of it because of the parts spec. The Growler is definitely a cool bike, but I would advise people to pony up the extra cash for a Growler 40 or 50. There's no point in getting a rowdy frame with a bunch of non rowdy parts bolted to it.

Yay for the Lost Co shout out! They are my local Bike shop!

I think the bar camera and the action cam is good I don’t think it needs the other shots your videos are extremely high quality wir or without the other cameras.

I picked up a Cannondale Habit HT. I’m a fan of it, it’s a lot easier to pedal around than my Banshee Legend 😬

Great video👏 Evan! Sad that Rocky Mtn did not spec the bike better. Smaller companies usually don’t have the buying Power… Not sure it makes sense to ‚fork out‘ $1200 just to get the frame. The same can be said for the Poseidon Norton, component specs aren’t great but at least that bike (with $100 off) only costs 899, frame only is $399. BTW… i suspect you are riding these bikes all with the same tire pressure?

I'd love to know what you think of the Identiti AKA. It's a bit of an odd ball (hence why I own one 😅). I don't see many around or even many reviews. I love it though apart from getting a bit of wrist ache but I'm new to riding so still learning how I like my bars, suspension setup etc. Love your content though! Thanks for all the work you put in 😁

Canfield Yelli Screamy or Nimble 9 would be good choices, and can be bought as a frame only option and not crazy expensive.

Hardtail Party really liked the Team Marin and how it "felt like a trail bike should". I own one and coming from a decked out Trek marlin, it sure does ride nice. On my first exercise loop ride (and first ride of 2023) it beat my Trek marlin time by almost 20% from the previous year. My experience is limited but I do like how my Team Marin rides. It's stability gave me confidence that the Marlin couldn't touch.

Great video series. I am curious why you are limiting frames to aluminum only. Seems like some of the steel options may be great for your purposes.

I have this bike as a companion to my full sus, climbing is definitely not the strong suit as you said, however going down and on flows it's one of the best bikes I've ever ridden. I actually feel that if the trail is not bumpy or rooty it's more capable than my izzo, probably due to geometry. That stack and steepness is immensely confidence inspiring. And climbing is actually not as bad as you would think it would be. Overall I think it's purpose is pretty intentional and it does it perfectly

For season 2, you should look at the Ribble Ht Al. Essentially a downhill hardtail.

Hey all the way from Tasmania, Australia!🤘

If you are wanting a forever hardtail and you want steel I’d check out Stanton. They make some beautiful frames

Every rocky mountain bike I have ever ridden has been stellar and the don’t look cheap

You should mention that this the entry lever Growler. I love my RM Growler 40!

With Rocky Mountain, it used to be that you were paying for craftsmanship in the frame, as they were manufacturing their own frames. But nowadays they've outsourced their frame production (like pretty much every other bike manufacturer) to overseas.

Get a Kona Honzo ESD. Steel frame. Great build. Slack geo. Amazing color.

I think you would try the Sonder signal Ti, or if you want the cheap one or aluminium you can go with Sonder transmitter, they made really cool bike.

With the seat pushed forward the Growler has what I consider ideal Trailbike Hardtail geometry, 76* STA and 64* HTA. In addition, the Growler has a long top tube for the given size which will make the bike even longer. A bike with similar geo that might be good to test would be the Cannondale Habit HT.

Kona Honzo!!! I love mine it’s a super great aggressive hardtail

Thank you !

Great video! Still sad that i couldn’t film it due to high school orientation 😕

Is the specialized fuse 29 gonna be in your list? Just curious about the reviews from you.

Action camera footage is just fine

Hoping you release or show the full score breakdown excel sheet of all the builds at the end of the series. I'd place heavier weight on the jumping ability of a bike for the overall score since that's where the most fun is had. Curious to see which bike you think is the best jumper.

Can't argue with what you have said about the price point, fork could have been Rockshox at the very least, cassette should be 11-46t just saying, and what is RSD middle child. P.S I love & respect your content especially this new Hardtail Quest.

What about the new 2023 san quintens? They have an awsome frame and they're an absolute beast on chunk. The only problem is that they are a 27.5 but with a mullet set-up (like mine) it would be the perfect hardtail.

To take a bit of weight off of your hands lower your seat-post slightly and then you could also try to raise the tip of your saddle

Excellent video, at first I was hovering over the unsub with all the trash talk lol jk. I do believe this a very good analysis on the bike including the stock parts. I have the growler 20 and have replaced everything but the wheels. I will be getting the industry nine classic enduro soon though. After about 3.4k in cost it’s absolutely amazing bike and I love it. I’d really like to show you mine, I think you would like it. Thanks for the great content.

The backstory of my Growler is that it is my first trail capable bike, but I'd overpaid for a used worn out bike and after replacing the worn out parts one at a time, the only original equipment is the frame and the handle bars. I see you skipped straight to the chase and swapped in all your favourite components. Which RockShox did you put on the front? Mine got a whole lot better with a decent shock on front, a RockShox Rhythm and it shed 2.2 lbs in the process. It's a ton of fun on the flow trails, and okay but manageable on the chunky (blue) stuff.

Thanks for letting us know the next bike in the test. Most youtubers would blur it it. 😂

Evan follows Gingium?!! What a cool path cross of my KZfaqverse!!!

If you ask me. Definietly good enough the chestcam, stemcam, tripod trinity. Btw now, this series are just entertaining for me. I already bought a Nukeproof Scout 275 Comp. I just waiting for the delivery. :D

Norco Fluid HT also deserves a review 😊

You should definitely try out the Salsa Timberjack

Damn i wish you tried those Clark's brakes out they are unbelievable for the money

If you want the best hard tail in the market you should check out the salsa timberjack, you’ll have to buy the frame and build it up from there and it’s titanium so it’s not cheap, but it is the best hardtail

Hey Evan, Have you considered the Specialised Fuse Comp 29? If not, why? I don't own a hardtail just curious and like watching the vids.

a test of the Orbea Laufy please. Decision was down to a Growler 40 or Laufy 10 and the dealer gave a deal and a half on the Laufy so that is where the money went.