KHS Flagstaff 29er Full Suspension

4.38/5

(13 Reviews)

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MSRP : $2599.00

Product Description

Frame: 29" AL 7005, 3.5" travel, 4-bar Horst Link 1.5 Taper

Rear Shock: RockShox Monarch RT, Solo Air

Fork: 29" Rock Shox Reba RL 80mm, 1.5 Taper

Tires: WTP Exiwolf Race, 29x2.3, Folding 60 TPI

Shifters: Shimano New SLX, 10S

Seatpost: Truvativ Stylo Race, offset

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Reviews 1 - 13 (13 Reviews Total)

User Reviews

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by Jwiz a Weekend Warrior

Date Reviewed: April 26, 2012

Strengths:    Rides "lighter" than it is, climbs good, solid suspension, stiff, nice sizing.

Weaknesses:    Dident like the Monarch, but thats not a "frame" problem.

Bottom Line:

The weight is ok for a 29er Fully and at 6'5" a XL fitted me great. Been on quite a few rides and must say Im very pleased with how it handels. I have a 2011 wich is recomended to have a 80mm fork, I ride with a 100mm and it rocks! I traded the Monarch out in favor of an X-Fusion O2 PVA wich I find to be the better shock for the frame.

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Similar Products Used: On One Scandal, Salsa Dos-Niner

Bike Setup: Complete XT, Formula RX stoppers, RS Reba RLT/20mm, Mavic TN719 rims with Hope Pro 2 hubs.

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Submitted by pelts79

Date Reviewed: April 21, 2012

Strengths:    Great bang for buck 29er. Picked the frame up on ebay for $540, which was never ridden. Put some Black Flag Pros on it along with some pretty decent components. This bike rides sweet. Fit is right on and the bike handles really well. It's my first 29er and I really love it. I have a couple high end 26ers and they have not seen dirt in some time. I am running a Manitou Tower Pro 100 mm up front. I can't believe this bike is so often overlooked.

Weaknesses:    ????????

Bottom Line:

I built this bike from the frame up so it is fairly light. I believe good wheels and fit are key. The Flagstaff fits like a glove.

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Submitted by EGF168 a Cross Country Rider from UK

Date Reviewed: May 13, 2011

Strengths:    The frame is stiff and well made with sensible geometry and sizing. Very efficient rear suspension. The Reba is smooth, well controlled and doesn't flex. KHS sells direct in the UK so their bikes are extremely good value.

Weaknesses:    The WTB Exiwolf tires are heavy, slow, not great in muddy conditions and don't deliver grip or a good ride feel. They should be the first upgrade!

The rear suspension isn't amazingly plush or active but some riders like it that way and it does the job.

Bottom Line:

The Flagstaff is a fun ride and very capable for a XC bike. KHS UK were great to deal with.

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Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Price Paid:    $1900.00

Purchased At:   KHS UK

Similar Products Used:   Various 26ers and 29ers.

Bike Setup:   Mostly stock except for a few bits I prefer. Maxxis Aspen tires made the ride a lot more lively...better than the original tires in every way.

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Submitted by thesaints949 a Racer from Sudbury, Ontario

Date Reviewed: November 23, 2010

Strengths:    good value for the money. responsive and easily dialed in

Weaknesses:    No water bottle cage set up.

Bottom Line:

I liked the bike the second I pedalled out of the driveway. I changed the bike specs to make it lighter for racing and I took the spacer out of the fork to make it 100 mm. WOW--This bike rocks. It's fast, responsive and looks cool. KHS has really improved the linkages by adding bearing to them and beefing up the swing arm. I can't say a bad thing about the way the bike rides.

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Favorite Trail:   Switchback

Duration Product Used:   3 months

Price Paid:    $1500.00

Purchased At:   LBS

Bike Setup:   X9 drive train, XT wheelset, carbon stem, post and bar, Bontrager XDX 2.1 rires, Reba Race Fork with remote lockout., candy c pedals, WTB silverado saddle.

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Submitted by Dallas a Racer from Fayetteville, AR

Date Reviewed: July 8, 2010

Strengths:    The total ride, climbing, descending, flats, twisty, This bike is just a ton of fun to ride. Stable but still quick handling without being nervous/twitchy. Price, $550 for the frame off of ebay.

Weaknesses:    The ONLY weakness, No place to attach a water bottle cage to the frame.

Bottom Line:

I have owned a few 29ers and have rode my friends 29ers and 26ers. I have never enjoyed riding a bike as much as i have the flagstaff. If I had to do it all over again, I would buy it again in a heartbeat and pay at least msrp for it.

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Favorite Trail:   Leatherwood

Duration Product Used:   3 months

Price Paid:    $550.00

Purchased At:   Ebay

Similar Products Used:   I have owned a Gary Fisher Cobia 29er, Carver 96er, Salsa Mamasita 29er,

Bike Setup:   Full Sram X9 w/twisties, Truvative Stylo Crank, Hayes Carbon Stroker brakes, American Classic Wheels, Specialized The captain tires, WTB seat, Truvative Seatpost and Bars,Ceramic headset, shimano spd pedals

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Submitted by twobournes a Cross Country Rider from Fries, VA

Date Reviewed: March 21, 2010

Strengths:    Technical climbs,high speed descents, absorbs more trail than my FS 26er. Spec'd out really well with x.7/x.9 drivetrain.

Weaknesses:    WHEELS! Not only are they heavy - the shimano M475 hubs have crapped out on me TWICE now! Neither of the hubs have lasted more than 18 miles. Switching them for American Classics immediately. This is the only reason I cannot give this bike a 5/5 rating -which it deserves like it deserves a reliable hub!

Bottom Line:

With the exception of the wheel/hub problems - this bike is spec'd incredibly well for the $$. Once I replace the wheelset the only remaining upgrade I would consider is the cassette (spec'd with pg950 - converting to pg990). These upgrades will get the weight well into the range of many 26"s (expect around 27lbs; size: large).

This bike offers its rider the ability to go straight up and over many rocks and roots that would bog down a 26" wheel. I am clearing trails and that had been vexing me for a long time.

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Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $1475.00

Purchased At:   Cycleworks - Mt. Air

Similar Products Used:   Trek Fuel EX8 (FS 26er)

Bike Setup:   pure stock (right now)

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Submitted by vizsladog a Cross Country Rider from ocala fl usa

Date Reviewed: August 24, 2009

Strengths:    climbing...........everthing

Weaknesses:    ??????

Bottom Line:

Great value. The FSR suspension has been around for a while and works great.

The bike is speced well but the headset took a dump after one month. Replaced it with a cane creek cartridge bearing.

The bike climbs great handles well.

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Favorite Trail:   santos

Duration Product Used:   3 months

Price Paid:    $1350.00

Purchased At:   bobs bicycles

Similar Products Used:   fisher 29er hifi,kona hei hei 29er

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Submitted by wipeout2008 a Cross Country Rider from Campbellton NB Canada

Date Reviewed: July 31, 2009

Strengths:    Smooth ride. Confortable bike. Components are good even if a prefer Shimano. Confortable seat. The medium was a perfect fit for me at 5'8". Nice look,

Weaknesses:    Takes some getting used to at first. Higher point of gravity. Not for highly technical trails.

Bottom Line:

I was given this bike by my dealer to use as a spare bike at a 24hr race this summer. I loved it some much riding it during the week prior to the race that I decided to use it for part of my 24hr event even though I had a new Genuis to ride. I was very sad to have to give it back. I also rode it DH at the bike park here and manage to stay very close being the DH guys with their bikes. This bike smooth’s out terrain like there is no tomorrow. The 3.5" suspension is long forgotten once you start riding. Awesome bike. I plan to get one very soon. Maybe the demo one I rode.......

Over all this is a great XC and trail bike for anyone looking for a change.

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Favorite Trail:   Sugarloaf Park

Duration Product Used:   Tested or demo'ed only

Purchased At:   ProXSports Campbellt

Similar Products Used:   Giant Trance, Scott Reflex 25 and Scott Genius 40.

Bike Setup:   Stock.

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Submitted by ez5 a Weekend Warrior from ontario

Date Reviewed: July 1, 2009

Strengths:    stupid fast + plush, doesn't pedal bob, low crossbar, uses specialized 4 bar linkage/horst pivot.

Weaknesses:    tall + long, heavy w/stock rims.

Bottom Line:

Took some setting up cockpit wise as all bikes do, but finally have seat position and handlebar height/angle that suits my riding style. it is much longer which makes getting front wheel up over stuff harder unless you get right setup going.

DEFINITELY needs lighter rims, american classics brought the weight down from 31 lbs to 26.5 lbs. it now feels as quick as any 26" bike ive ridden.

picks up speed like nothing ive ever ridden before, even uphill you feel like upshifting. downhill is so fast i regularly lose my riding partners who ive been riding with for years and are similar riding speed and technical ability. pump + flat sections are where you really notice the difference, it feels like you're pedaling but your not.

is quite tall, i am about 6" to the ground when on the seat, if it wasnt for the low cross tube i couldnt ride it.
however this gives it great ground clearance.

tight sections take some getting used to but is more of a weight shifting issue than anything, also i have jammed the wheel side ways a few times on log jams etc and recovered where my 26" would have seen me leapfrogging over the bars.

with a big (2.3+) tire will roll over anything and you wont even feel it. i can run full speed through rock gardens i used to carefully pick my way through.

middle chain ring suits this type of bike best for both climbing and accelerating, seems to be the sweet spot rpm wise, i understand why so many guys run single speed + 29er now.

all in all a great bike.

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Favorite Trail:   frankenstein

Duration Product Used:   6 months

Price Paid:    $1799.00

Purchased At:   lakeshore c.s.

Similar Products Used:   specialized fsr, stumpjumper.

Bike Setup:   american classics w/sram pg 990 scwalbe rr on rear + weirwolf front, rampages on stock rims for mud, race face next sl c.f. riser bars, salsa 25 deg stem, e-thirteen bashguard, crank bros mallet 3's, wtb pure v team saddle, titec el norte offset post.

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Submitted by jk a Cross Country Rider from pa

Date Reviewed: November 12, 2008

Strengths:    FSR rear suspension for a fraction of the cost of the stumpy. Hayes Stroker disc brakes. Haven't had to true the wheels yet after 150+ miles of rocky pa singletrack.

Weaknesses:    seatpost clamp has to be cranked or your seat drops slowly...got a thomson post and that fixed the problem.

Bottom Line:

I ride twice a week year-round so my bikes see some abuse. For the price you can't go wrong. The parts are typical low-end stuff at this price-point, but they seem to be durable. The FSR is far superior to the single pivot design on the fishers. At just under 31 lbs its no lightweight, but I don't race so this is unimportant to me, plus it provides more of a workout. I can run about 25psi in the tires ( i weigh 145 lbs ) and get excellent traction compared to a 26er so this thing climbs like a goat on crack. If you haven't tried a 29er and dont want to shell out big $$$ for a niner or stumpy, give this a try.

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Favorite Trail:   all of em

Duration Product Used:   3 months

Price Paid:    $1500.00

Purchased At:   Big Kahuna Bikes

Similar Products Used:   kona unit 2-9 ss, kona kula 2-9 fully geared and ss, gary fisher sugar 293 (those are all the 29ers i have experience with thus far)

Bike Setup:   stock except for a thomson seatpost.

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Submitted by SW a Cross Country Rider from Temecula, Ca

Date Reviewed: June 13, 2008

Strengths:    Great Value for the price. Great mix of components.

Weaknesses:    Little bit heavy

Bottom Line:

Awesome bike. Great value for the price. All the components are excelent, especially the Hayes Stroker Ryde hydro brakes. I would recomend this bike to anyone.

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Favorite Trail:   Vail Lake

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $2200.00

Purchased At:   IE Bikes

Similar Products Used:   Gary Fisher Cobia

Bike Setup:   Stock

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Submitted by cedge100 a Weekend Warrior from Norfolk NE

Date Reviewed: June 2, 2008

Strengths:    Corners well, climbs nicely. Smooth ride.

Weaknesses:    Longish cockpit. Could be lighter.

Bottom Line:

Wow,this thing rocks. Got a chance to ride a brand new one over my usual training trail. The suspension was tuned for my weight so it was a good test.

This bike rolls well, corners like a dream, and climbs nicely. its a typical 29r in that it takes a little to get rolling but once it does watch out - it doesn't slow down. I was thoroughly impressed with the balance of front and rear suspension and the lack of bob when our of the saddle peddling.

I almost didn't give it back.

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Favorite Trail:   Maskenthine Lake

Duration Product Used:   Tested or demo'ed only

Purchased At:   Cleveland Bike and S

Similar Products Used:   Intense Spider 29r, Giant NRS

Bike Setup:   Stock

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Submitted by Wade McCormick a Cross Country Rider from San Marcos, Ca

Date Reviewed: April 19, 2008

Strengths:    It's supposed to be a great value!

Weaknesses:    Delivery Delays

Bottom Line:

Bike was fully paid for in 2007, It rides like a dream, because that's all I've been able to do, since the delivery has been postphoned at least half a dozen times and I am very frustrated with KHS. On the surface this bike seems like a great value, but it's going on May, and still no delivery. I hope to amend my non review with something positive in a couple of weeks. Buy one if you are very patient.

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Favorite Trail:   alternate route

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $1783.00

Purchased At:   Alpha Bicycle Co

Similar Products Used:   Many MTB's since 1983

Bike Setup:   Stock

Reviews 1 - 13 (13 Reviews Total)

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KHS Flagstaff 29er Full Suspension

Product Description

User Reviews

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