What is titanium anyway? And where does it come from? Maybe from outer space? Who knows? We’re not really sure, but the folks over at Sanitas Cycles in Durango, Colorado, probably know. The Sanitas Tap Root is a trail-ready titanium hardtail with so much to offer. Today, in his review, Sean T. Randolph explains why this silver surfer is a great value and so much fun to ride!

Why should you trust me? I am not Spencer or Hailey or whoever is your go-to over at the Radavist for reviews of your next two-wheeled midlife crisis or not-so-midlife crisis. I am Sean T. Randolph, and you should trust me because when I’m not reviewing and riding the Sanitas Tap Root Hardtail, I’m riding a hardtail that has a geometry and feel that’s freakily similar to this bike. Although I may not be a familiar name over here at the Radavist, I may be the perfect candidate to review a bike that, in many ways, is a bike I already own and love.

The Daily Driver

We all know the concept of the daily driver. Sure, you have the tricked-out Land Cruiser or Miata, but what we see you hop out of in the Natty G’s parking lot on a Wednesday is your silver Honda Pilot with desert pinstriping so deep you’d think a mountain lion tore it up in a frenzy; or maybe the non-lifted Tacoma with wicked work truck vibes and bald tires is more your vibe.

But Sean, a titanium bike as a daily ripper – what are you thinking?

Hear me out. For a daily driver, you want something a bit under the radar. Something subtle, classic, and most of all, comfortable and efficient. This is the Sanitas Tap Root hardtail. It’s what our buddy Hubert (on-and-off-again expert framebuilder) would refer to as a “perfect Starr Pass bike.” If you are not familiar with Starr Pass, it’s our local trail system here in Tucson that has it all, from techy bits and fast bits to everything in between. It’s what we ride after work on weekdays and link together larger loops on the weekends. Starr Pass is like Star Wars in Durango or Pipe Dream in Moab; it’s your go-to when you want to squeeze in a ride with friends. For Starr Pass, you want something that can get a little rowdy, but nothing crazy. The Tap Root is the prime Starr Pass bike for three main reasons: geometry, build quality, and part spec.

Geometry of the Tap Root

As I previously mentioned, the Tap Root has a similar fit and feel to my primary mountain bike. My personal custom MTB, called the Transport by Trandolph, is a steel filet brazed hardtail that I built with the help of my good friend Hubert D’autremont of Madrean Fabrication. My bike’s geometry is based on Hubert’s immaculately designed Team Bike. The Transport by Trandolph has a 66.6º headtube angle (hail satan), 74º seat tube angle, 434 mm chainstays, 70 mm BB drop, and it runs a 150 mm fork. The bike is more playful than an XC bike but not as rowdy as something like the Kona ESD. It’s the perfect bike for the type of riding I like to do.

The Tap Root (XL size) has a 65 º headtube angle, 74.5 º seat tube angle, 435 mm chainstays, 57.5 BB drop, and it runs a 120 mm fork. On first ride, the most notable difference was the combination of the higher BB and shorter travel fork. The BB on the Tap Root is about a half inch or so higher than the Trandolph, and in combination with its shorter travel fork, this means that I didn’t clip my pedals or crank arms once. This is particularly nice when climbing more technical terrain where you are dodging rocks while cranking on the pedals to stay upright. If you are someone who rides flats or doesn’t like pedal strikes, this would be a huge plus to this bike. The headtube angle is slack enough that the Sanitas feels stable at speed and very capable when romping over rocks. If this seems abstract to you and you have an older 29er with a steeper headtube angle, I highly recommend riding something slightly slacker – I think you’ll feel more confident romping over stuff and bombing down steeper stuff.

What I also love about more modern geometry hardtails like this one is the steeper seat tube angle. The steeper seat tube is a perfect complement to having a dropper on a bike. The steeper seat tube angle puts you in a more active position closer to the center of the bike – this has helped me corner faster and climb seated more efficiently. And because the seat is dropped when descending and the saddle is positioned slightly forward (in comparison to slacker seat tube bikes), you then have even more room to be off the back of the saddle to get even more rowdy! I took the Tap Root on a variety of trails and it performed well both up and downhill because of Sanitas’ consideration in design. One thing that needs to be noted in reference to the geometry is the sizing. I was riding an XL frame and at 6 feet tall (with short legs and long reach), I am typically on a large frame. I’d recommend that before you buy the Tap Root, consult their geometry chart and size up or down accordingly.

Build Quality and Parts Specification

• GX build option: $5950
• Frame only: $2,750
• RockShox Pike Select RL 120mm fork
• Hunt Trail Wide 29 wheelset
• Sram G2R brakes
• Sram GX Eagle drivetrain
• RaceFace Atlas alloy cockpit
• RaceFace Aeffect R dropper post
• WTB Ranger 29″ x 2.4 tires

Ok, so you’re sold on the way the bike functions as a geometric object, but how does it function as a whole, how does it look, and is it built for the long haul? Well, the bike is titanium, so upon first glance it looks like a Ti bike, and if you’re into that, great! The branding is subtle and very neutral. I don’t necessarily need an alligator riding a bicycle on the head badge, but maybe something more than a silhouette of mountains. To be fair, I am into flashier things.

As a slight aside, if you were going for the neutral classic look, I’d swap the visually busy RaceFace Atlas bars for a pair of Smooth Moves or something of the like. Functionally the bars worked great, but if we are talking aesthetics, it’s the one thing I would change.

Something that stood out in particular in relation to the construction of the frame was the T47 bottom bracket. Many people are back to using the standard BSA bottom bracket shell (which I prefer). That being said, the T47 bottom bracket shell on this bike makes for a stiff and sporty platform that feels like you could easily use this bike as a cross-country racer.

The short rear end (435 mm for the XL) of the bike also adds to this stiff platform. There are dimples on the outside of the chainstays to accommodate the cranks, which is both a necessity and neat feature. I was worried that my feet would run into the chainstays because of this, but they seemed to have plenty of clearance and if they did bump into the chainstays it wasn’t a bother.

The sliding rear dropouts have a pretty standard design, so finding replacement parts should be relatively easy. Sometimes manufacturers try to tweak designs to make them their own or improve upon them. These are not some new-fangled “latest and greatest” design, they are simple and effective at what they do. And in my experience, they are durable as hell.

The frame is also backed by a lifetime warranty and built by skilled hands in Durango, Colorado. At $5,950 this bike feels like a good deal for a US-made small production run bike. I have no major complaints about the build.

The Sram GX group shifts flawlessly, the Sram G2 brakes are plenty powerful, the Hunt wheels feel stiff and durable and RaceFace dropper works well. If this was my bike I would replace the dropper lever with something of higher quality. It comes with a RaceFace lever and the action is a bit stiff. My recommendation would be one from Wolf Tooth, PNW, or Paul Components. Additionally, I’d put 2.6″ tires on the bike, but this is just because I like the extra cush and grip.

Pros

• Stiff and lightweight frame is sporty and ready for adventure
• Bead blasted finish is classic and easy to take care of
• SRAM drivetrain shifts flawlessly without totally breaking the bank
• SRAM 4-piston brakes provide more than enough power for rowdy downhills or loaded bikepacking adventures
• Build kit overall provides great value without sacrificing performance or adding unnecessarily tank-ish parts

Cons

• RaceFace dropper lever works but feels flimsy and sticky at times
• Fatter tires would provide more cushion and grip
• Sanitas logo and bike styling could have a little more pizazz to stand out amongst the rest of the titanium bikes in the field
• RaceFace bars have minimal rise and maximal graphics

The Sanitas Tap Root Titanium Hardtail is an awesome bike for someone looking for a domestically-produced titanium bike at a very fair price. It could easily replace multiple bikes in your fleet and give your garage/bike room/kitchen that Ti sparkle you’ve always wanted.