Solid Frame, great ride, good shifting, Great Bike

None

The bottom line is that this is a great bike for the money. I've put on a ton of miles over the years on this bike and it has never let me down. Offroad, it's solid and out on the road, with the 1.25 size tires, this bike is fast. I've reached 40mph on a downhill. I'm keeping this bike forever.

Front shock works very well. A solid frame. Light frame for this price range.

Shifter often misshift. Weak Brakes. Chain often fall off from front gears. Uncomfortable seats.

This is a decent bike if you are low on budget, and only plans to ride the bike on weekends for short distance. However, if you are planning to use this bike on a daily basis, or bike long trials on the weekends, then I would recommend spending a litte more and get a better bike.

The problems I had with this bike is as follow:
1. The frame is quite heavy.
When you go uphill, it takes a lot of work to pedal it
up. This take the fun out of riding cause I will always
try to find a detour when I see a hill.
2. Shifter often misshift.
The shifter is not very reliable. It often skip a gear
when it shifts, or get stuck between the gears and the
derailers. Once in a while it will cause the chain to
fall off.
3. Brakes are weak.
When I go high speed and try to brake quickly, I feel
that the brakes doesn't stop the wheels fast enough.
This take quite a bit of fun from the ride because it
limits how fast I could go sometimes cause I need
that extra length for the brakes.
4. Uncomfortable seats.
The seat is very hard, and it gets very uncomfortable on
rides longer than half an hour. I often have to use the
pedals to support my weight to get a break from it.

If you are looking for a bike at this price range, then you are probably a beginner in mountain biking like myself. I don't know too much about bikes, but I've learn a lot in the last month from the research I did and the differnt bikes I've test ride. I've tested bikes ranging from $300 to $2000 just to understand the differences. I just recently got a cannandale, and is planning to sell the Fuji sunfire. I hope you wouldn't make the same mistake of choose the wrong bike, so I have a few recommendations before you plan to purchase a bike.

1. Don't just look at the pictures and specs from websites.
Go to a local bike shop and test ride it. A lot of bikes
have very similar specs, but they can weight very
different based on their frame design and components.
Test bikes at different price range to compare the
differences.

2. To get a decent bike, you will probably have to set your
budget to $400 or higher. I know this sounds a lot for a
bike, I felt the same way a month ago. However, you need
to be in that price range to get some decent components.
I spent over twice the amount on my cannondale, but the
seat is much more comfortable, the shifter has not missed
once since I got it, and the brakes works like a champ.
Not to mention how light the frame is. A bike with good
components makes you enjoy the sport a lot more. If I had
gotten the cannondale the first place, I wouldn't have to
sell the fuji now and lose a big chunk on it.

3. Try to buy a bike from the previous year's model. You
can usually save 15% or more compare to this year's
model. The differences between last year and this
year is usually the color of the frame. Most of the
components are pretty much the same. However, previous
year's model usually sold out fast, so you might need to
go through a number of dealers to find one.

4. Try to buy a bike during the non-peak season. That's
usually during the winter time. Bikes shop are more
willing to give you a deal during those times. You might
be able to get 10% or more discount depending on the
brand and model.

5. Get a good local bike shop. Find a dealer that is
experienced and you can trust. A dealer who gives you
good advice plays a big part on finding the perfect bike
for you. Bikes can have defect parts, and a good dealer
will replace it for you free of charge. Also, a bike
needs to be tuned and maintained. A good deal will
usually give you one year of free service, and continue
to provide you with quality service at a good price.

I hope this will help you in choosing you perfect bike.

Tommy,

nice handling, shocks have nice rebound, good for a beginner, holds up for a long time, brakes are out of this world, ez shifters are really nice, will be great for riding to school and freinds houses, great overall bike

none other than the pedals are a must change!

this is a great bike for a young teen that is wanting a bike for starting out. this bike will last for years and not break down, i have had a good time on this bike and will recomend it to anyone!!!!

Similar Products Used:

haro v2, cannodale lefty