Submitted by
Dirt Diggla'
a Weekend Warrior
from Grand Rapids,MI,USA
Date Reviewed: November 14, 2010
Strengths: Strong frame. Great gear ratio makes up for weight,I can get this thing flying on the flats, and cruises up hill very well too. The disc brakes do work great if you set them a little loose so the lever doesn't pull till 1/4 of the way back. Big tires are awesome. Rear shock handles every jump and drop I've hit so far.I am 5'10" and 175 lbs. I had to cut about and inch or two of the seat post to get it low enough for down hilling and bigger jumps. Awesome downhill, handles rocks,stumps, bumps, and jumps with ease. Corners great.
Weaknesses: The front fork is pretty good for most riding, but on the bigger drops I have been hitting lately the front tire rubs on the fork when it bottoms out. It still handles well, but when it rubs it makes a lot of noise and is annoying. I want to upgrade to a fox fork or maybe try a smaller tire, but I like the bike ones it came with. Another problem area I found is the rear derailer is hard to tune in perfectly and you have to make sure that you are in a mid range gear on the rear in order to shift up or down on the front gear set and the same the other way around, but can be mastered.
Bottom Line:
It is a bit heavier like every body says, but I can't feel it when I'm riding it. Awesome bike for the price...even if you paid $1,200. Great all around bike. I do alot of urban rind with it. I do a lot of xc trails with it. I do alot of dirt jumping and drops . Very versatile. Very durable, just keep up on routine maintenance. Like a tank! I love it.
Similar Products Used: Gary Fisher,I think it was a Joshua or something like that.
Bike Setup: Mavic formula hubs & rims. Geax Sedona 26x2.25 tires with reversible directional tread for hard or soft terrain. Marzocchi Bomber front fork. Deluxe rock shock 800 x 1.50 rear.Shimano Deore mega drive train. Avid DL 600 disc brakes front and rear. Koski 1" rise handle bars, they are like pro taper dirt bike handle bars. Redline pedals.
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Submitted by
Dirt Diggler
a Weekend Warrior
from Grand Rapids,MI,USA
Date Reviewed: November 14, 2010
Strengths: Strong frame. Great gear ratio makes up for weight,I can get this thing flying on the flats, and cruises up hill very well too. The disc brakes do work great if you set them a little loose so the lever doesn't pull till 1/4 of the way back. Big tires are awesome. Rear shock handles every jump and drop I've hit so far.I am 5'10" and 175 lbs. I had to cut about and inch or two of the seat post to get it low enough for down hilling and bigger jumps. Awesome downhill, handles rocks,stumps, bumps, and jumps with ease. Corners great.
Weaknesses: The front fork is pretty good for most riding, but on the bigger drops I have been hitting lately the front tire rubs on the fork when it bottoms out. It still handles well, but when it rubs it makes a lot of noise and is annoying. I want to upgrade to a fox fork or maybe try a smaller tire, but I like the bike ones it came with. Another problem area I found is the rear derailer is hard to tune in perfectly and you have to make sure that you are in a mid range gear on the rear in order to shift up or down on the front gear set and the same the other way around, but can be mastered.
Bottom Line:
It is a bit heavier like every body says, but I can't feel it when I'm riding it. Awesome bike for the price...even if you paid $1,200. Great all around bike. I do alot of urban rind with it. I do a lot of xc trails with it. I do alot of dirt jumping and drops . Very versatile. Very durable, just keep up on routine maintenance. Like a tank! I love it.
Similar Products Used: Gary Fisher,I think it was a Joshua or something like that.
Bike Setup: Mavic formula hubs & rims. Geax Sedona 26x2.25 tires with reversible directional tread for hard or soft terrain. Marzocchi Bomber front fork. Deluxe rock shock 800 x 1.50 rear.Shimano Deore mega drive train. Avid DL 600 disc brakes front and rear. Koski 1" rise handle bars, they are like pro taper dirt bike handle bars. Redline pedals.
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Submitted by
Jahaziel
a Cross Country Rider
from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Central America
Date Reviewed: January 21, 2009
Strengths: Frame strength is remarkably good for its wheigth, and I feel it's extremelly eficient for up-hill pedalling. Sear shock is very stiff allowing hard pounding w/o bottoming. Short tailed frame gives very good cornering when going fast in a downhill trail. I recommend this bike for people that runs XC like trials with some rooks an roots (I mean, unprepared trials), especially if youre a little heavy for the size of bike you shuld use. Or if you plan to use it harder than a XC bike.
Weaknesses: Some may find rear travel short. In my group, some people like to adjust saddle height very often, this frame doesn't allow too much adjust, only 2 or 3 inches. I dont recomend it for people who needs to set the saddle low for descending and back up for climbing.
Bottom Line:
Excellent bike whit a llitle more wheight than it's simillars but pays back whith the pedelling eficiency. It has a little pedal bowing, but is not likely you'll suffer it since this bike somehow lets you use harder gears even in very step hills.
I use it in routes where we climb ann then descend shwitching very quikly and it the best I've had, I dont have to ajust anything from being climbing side to side whith an XC rider to going along with my downhill partners. I feel I have advantages in both cases!
Submitted by
Gerson
a Weekend Warrior
from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Central America
Date Reviewed: January 21, 2009
Strengths: Frame strength is remarkably good for its wheigth, and I feel it's extremelly eficient for up-hill pedalling. Sear shock is very stiff allowing hard pounding w/o bottoming. Short tailed frame gives very good cornering when going fast in a downhill trail. I recommend this bike for people that runs XC like trials with some rooks an roots (I mean, unprepared trials), especially if youre a little heavy for the size of bike you shuld use. Or if you plan to use it harder than a XC bike.
Weaknesses: Some may find rear travel short. In my group, some people like to adjust saddle height very often, this frame doesn't allow too much adjust, only 2 or 3 inches. I dont recomend it for people who needs to set the saddle low for descending and back up for climbing.
Bottom Line:
Excellent bike whit a llitle more wheight than it's simillars but pays back whith the pedelling eficiency. It has a little pedal bowing, but is not likely you'll suffer it since this bike somehow lets you use harder gear even in very step hills.
I use it in routes where we climb ann then descend shwitching very quikly and it the best I've had, I dont have to ajust anything from being climbing side to side whith an XC rider to going along with my downhill partners. I feel I have advantages in both cases!
Bike Setup: This is where i forgot to put something..Everything is just the same as below but I have switched the link around and i flipped the shock and put it in the bottom hole. Its a lot lower but it increases travel a bit and its a lot softer in back too
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Submitted by
Shaun
a Weekend Warrior
from Massachusetts
Date Reviewed: July 21, 2003
Strengths: Very upgradeable, Strong
Weaknesses: some of the stock parts need to be replaced... the z-5 fork is a little soft for most things but can be pumped back up .. rear shock has not so good rebound and nothing to tune it except for teh spring.
Bottom Line:
This is one hell of a bike... I have ridden the hell out of it the last two years and the worst thing is that i have had to put some money into it for upgrades .. but nothing sincce then.. I love this bike and I am planning on trying to find an older marzocchi jr.t (2000-2001, if anyone has any info on where to get one now a days please tell me). My biggest drop with this bike is about 7' and the only thing that happened was that the fork bottomed out.GREAT BIKE
Bike Setup: Sun Rhyno lite rims/deore disc...shimano deore disc brakes...azonic shorty stem...titec hell bent bars...xt drivetrain...odi rouge lock on grips with lock jaws xtr cables and new housing... green cable end caps
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Submitted by
Dick Hill
a Weekend Warrior
from San Diego, Ca
Date Reviewed: June 16, 2003
Strengths: Overall bike set-up when bought was great for an entry level full suspension bike. Not the best of all components but overall the bike was quality.
Weaknesses: Diatech disk brakes on my bike were recalled and replaced with promax dc 600 mechanical disk brakes which worked well but don't ever try to get new pads anywhere as they are non-exsistant. Promax is no help at all. After numerous e-mails to them over 6 months I still can't get pads. Stick with a company that stands behind their products.
Bottom Line:
This was my first full suspension bike and although it is a little on the heavy side it does help you build some leg strength while your climbing. Hopefully your riding buddies on there 23lb hard tails will be waiting for you at the top of the hill but if they're not then you can still make up ground going downhill as I never really have to ride around much on this bike. You just point the thing downhill and go. I've tried several different tires since my original Geax Sedonas wore out but I haven't found any that makes the bike handle anywhere near as good. The marzocchi Z-5 shock had to be rebuilt once but it still working great. Overall I'm very pleased with it.
Strengths: Nice entry level bike for a someone new to mountain biking.
Weaknesses: Most components that came stock were not durable. Bike is a little heavy compared to other full-suspension/free-ride bikes.
Bottom Line:
Again, nice bike for someone new to mountain biking. It is my first mountain bike and I could have made worse choices. I have replaced every part on the bike from the original setup. I seem to be good at breaking things! Maybe because I'm a bigger rider (6'2" 230 lbs) and ride hard especially for someone my size. One good thing about this is I have it fitted almost perfectly for me now.
Bike Setup: Marzocchi X-Fly 100; Fox Vanilla R; Easton Monkey Lite handlebars/seat post; Magura Louise Disc Brakes; Selle Italia Flite Saddle; XT/LX component mix; Shimano 858 Pedals; Mythos IRC tires; Mavic 317 XT disc wheels 14/15; Kore stem; Cane Creek C2 headset
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Submitted by
Brent Haeseker
a Cross Country Rider
from Crystal River, FL USA
Date Reviewed: September 21, 2002
Strengths: Strong and dependable (after a few upgrades). Very comfortable ride.
Weaknesses: Stock brakes suck, stock drivetrain always had issues for me.
Bottom Line:
I bought this bike in February of 2000 so I'm not sure if it's a 2000 or a 1999 model. This bike has been responsible for my current addiction to mountain biking. A fantastic ride. The stock brakes were so bad they were dangerous, but a rather inexpensive upgrade to Avid mechanicals will get you all the braking you need (I like them better than Hayes) with very little maintenance. I always fought with my original drivetrain on this bike, cursing it many times to the point I was shopping for a new bike. Instead, realizing how much I still loved this bike, I opted the cheaper route of upgrading the drivetrain to all XT. Man, what a difference! And the bike feels lighter now too. It basically feels like a new high-end ride now.
I've also changed out the well wore in GEAX tires for WTB Mutano Rapters. The WTB's seem lighter and faster although they don't have the grip of the GEAX's - especially while cornering.
The hard stock seat has been changed out for a more comfy Serfas seat.
This bike has been riden hard and often for 2 and a half years now and still wants more. My main riding buddy has a Rocky Mountain Element Race and I can't tell you how many times I beat him on the climbs dispite the other bikes design to be a better climber (and ironically, he usually beats me on the downhills dispite my bikes design towards be better geared for downhills).
The only real complaint I currently have of the bike is it's steering. It doesn't cut as hard as I want it to. I've riden other bike to compare and the X2 indeed likes to go wide. Because of this I slow more for tight corners than I want and lose momentium - otherwise I might get off the trail. It also drifts on hard/steep climbs as the front wheel twitches - I'm adapting a technique were on steep climbs I have to lift the front wheel off the ground and yank it back over where I want it to go.
Next week I'll actually be entering my first race and I'll be riding this bike. I don't expect to win by any means, and I know this isn't the most race oriented bike, but with the upgrades I've made it's quite zippy now. I'll also be taking it up north again to Tsali and Pisgah in North Carolina in the coming month. I expect to be riding this bike still for some time to come.
Similar Products Used: Most all other popular makes and models have been test rode since purchasing this bike.
Bike Setup: Upgrades over the years include: Avid mechanical disc brakes (one of the first in line to get them :-), XT drivetrain (front and rear derailer, rear cogs, front chainrings, cranks, bottom bracket, shifters and cables), Serfas ddvado seat, WTB Mutano Rapter 2.2 tires, WTB grips.
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Submitted by
Shaun
a Downhiller
from pittsfield mass
Date Reviewed: March 12, 2002
Strengths: travel,fork(marzocchi),4 bar linkage,bars,stem
Weaknesses: those brakes suck!the rear shock is a bit squeaky until you get it broken in.the rims bend somewhat easily on nose-dives.(i know from experence)but it is an overall great.
Bottom Line:
this bike is a great beginers freeeride\ downhill bike.once you get some better rims this bike is almost bomb proof!
Bike Setup: stock except for sun ryhno lite rims and new cables.the other rims were weak!
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Submitted by
Jeff Whittingham
a Cross Country Rider
from Boston, MA
Date Reviewed: March 10, 2002
Strengths: Rides like a Cadillac. Lots of Rear travel. Good value for the price.
Weaknesses: LEAD SLED!!!! WEIGHS A MILLION POUNDS!!!! Seriously, if you like to climb as much as go down, this bike will make it a challenge.
Bottom Line:
If you want to drag a lot of weight around, this is the bike for you; if you're a heavier rider who loves the downhills, this bike is for you. If you like XC and/or racing, this might not be the right choice. I had a lot of repair problems, chain slippage (after removing multiple links), couldn't get rear derailuer dialed-in quite right, etc... this is a good intermeidate ride.
Submitted by
Ben Smith
a Cross Country Rider
from Gainesville, FL
Date Reviewed: January 10, 2002
Strengths: Very plush, frame is laterally stiff, front and rear shocks work very well together, great parts package.
Weaknesses: Weight, although it's still not bad for a dualie. Stems come way too short for frame size.
Bottom Line:
This bike rocks. It's not much for sprinting out of the saddle, but how many dual suspension bikes are? If you want to ride rocks and roots all day and be ready to ride again the next day, this is your bike.
Strengths: Good beginners downhill bike. Good building platform for upgrades.
Weaknesses: No bearings in the piviots. Squeaking from piviots/shock, once you ride other things you'll discover that the supension is very active, it just bounces over a lot of things. Rear shock is sticking a bit. With chain guide can't get to bottom piviot.
Bottom Line:
Good beginner dh bike or xc. Great bike for the money. Feels like a solid frame, like it will last a while. I can only talk about the frame because which I think is pretty good. It is not very active on some downhills but is fine for just about everthing else.
Similar Products Used: Schwinn 4 Banger, Foes ZigZag, Foes DHS
Bike Setup: I bought frame only and built up, Pyslo XC, Kooka Cranks, Mr. Dirt chain guide, Sun Ringle Mammoth rims on Xt Disc hubs with Xt Disc brakes.
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Submitted by
mike c
a Weekend Warrior
from cherry hill n.j.
Date Reviewed: August 8, 2001
Strengths: price frame components rims great platform of a bike to build on and make minor improvements brakes are great after a short brake in period and then dial them in correctly looks. i have the all black with the black judyxc at 100mm em in correctly.
Weaknesses: rear shock coil spring 550 toooo soft. i changed mine out for a fox 800lb spring now it handles it all mid ring on deore bent twice BAD. changed that out for xt ring now no problems. f
or a fox 800lb spring now it handles it all.
Bottom Line:
bike is excellant for the money.this is my first full suspension and it is alot of fun to ride.from freeride to xc to drops to the down hills you will not be disappointed. with a few more upgrades the bike will be perfect. buy one if you can.
Similar Products Used: relighm8000,gary fisher hoo kooekoo
Bike Setup: replaced outer ring for tooth fairy bash ring/THE front fender/fox 800lb coilspring on rockshox delux rear/bontrager front and rear specific tires/vistalights rest is pretty much stock
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Submitted by
Kevin
a Cross Country Rider
from Clayton, CA
Date Reviewed: July 23, 2001
Strengths: Slick looks, decent value, plush on downhill and rough stuff. Very fun and versatile all-around bike. I have no problems with the suspension, tires, rims, headset, bars, weight etc..
Weaknesses: Disk Brakes (they squeak, grab, or don't stop)Transmission (pops in and out of gears on steep climbs or under torque)seat is a little hard!
Bottom Line:
Great all-around graduate-to-full-suspension bike for the fire roads I ride on Mt. Diablo. If I were doing it over I would have put the same $$$ into a bike w/ no disc brakes and better drivetrain components. (but you don't figure that stuff out until you've ridden it awhile) Those of you who got the bike for 650 should not be complaining at all (crybabies!) This bike has made me ride more often, I'm now out there almost every morning for about 45 mins to an hour.
