I'm looking for a hardtail without a sloping top tube. Suggestions?

Whats wrong with sloping top tubes?

run a 20" front wheel

1. They're slopey
2. When you hang your bike on a top tube hook rack it sits at a weird angle.
3. Seatpost has to be longer - seat looks detached from bike.
4. Bad experience in BMX as a kid.

That enough?

1. personal preference i know, but i find level top tubes fugly.

2. so? shouldnt' be hurting anything

3. again, a personal preference. looks cleaner, and lets you drop the seat far more. if you're into that sort of thing.

4. a couple inches less to drop to the tube isn't going to spare the boys any pain if you really rack 'em on there...

as forks have gotten taller, top tubes have gotten more sloped to give more standover.

either custom, or something XC oriented around a short fork is going to have to be it. though even most short travel bikes have more slope than older rides.

Seriously? How the bike hangs on a rack will make you decide that you don't want it?

I think my old Barracuda frame is spoken for already (**note to self: take pics for YB**) - - but I think chelboed still has one of available .

This one's not sloping too much in the pic:

That camp-chair-frame splice looks a little sketch though. You sure that stuff's 6061?:

You're going to have to go the custom route.

I never said it was...(ti).

Surly Cross Check.

Transition TransAM with an nos Judy, 63mm travel.

You'll have to run rim brakes on the front and a disc rear, but I hear that's a sweet setup for skidzzzzz.

All joking aside, you will have to go custom if you want a true mountain frame. As mentioned the cross check comes close, but it only has clearance for 700c x 1.8 inch rubber, you only get rim brakes, and it's not corrected for a supension fork.

Your first three reasons don't really seem that important, and I don't understand your fourth, but perhaps you could elaborate?

EDIT: actually the surly 1x1 has a fairly straight top tube, but it is singlespeed only.

You can search for some old steel from the mid-90's. Some were made with 1 1/8 heads so you can upgrade the fork. Keep in mind, they won't have disc brake mounts for the rear. I recently picked up a 97 Hoo Koo E Koo that I plan to use for MUP riding and the top tube has very little slope to it.
But man, that design is gonna hurt if you ever come off the bike at the wrong angle and try to land on your feet while stradling the top tube.

I'm glad everyone had such fun with my four reasons.
I guess if they'd been funnier they would have been taken less seriously.
But now the OP hasn't returned to give his/her actual reason for the preference. And the OP is carfree and carefree, which I dig.
My bad.
As penance, I'll try to think of some actual reasons for wanting a non-slopey top tube.

1. More space for a shoulder carry cyclo-cross style.
2. Proper tube angle for one of those inside-the-frame bags.
3. In the case of smaller frames, enough room for a full sized water bottle in the seat tube cage.
4. Old school aesthetics.

How's that?

Awesome! Those are even better than the first ones. You have a gift; keep it coming.

I'd say just get a big frame and slam the seat/run a shorty stem.

22" should do it.

How about something like this...no slopey top tube to bother your aesthetic sensibilities

eb_easy_7_red.jpg

Herewith, my final and probably most awsome reason to be anti-slopey.

The OP is fascinated by the concepts of force, acceleration, and inclined planes.
The plan is to attach a carpenters spirit level to the top tube and use it as an accelerometer while riding on flat surfaces.
Bubble moves forward = acceleration
Bubble moves back = hitting the brakes
Bubble is centered while on a downhill = downhill acceleration or constant speed / stopped level ground
Many bubbles in the chamber = something bad just happened (check fingers and toes)

Don't encourage me in this.

Half a bubble shy of plumb, I'd say.