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Submitted by
sshallen
a Weekend Warrior
from Fort Collins, CO
Date Reviewed: September 28, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | PorcRim MoabUT | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$2400.00 | | Purchased At: | Wheat Ridge Cyclery, | | Strengths: | Lite Weight, Climbs great, Full Suspension, Durable | | Weaknesses: | None. I have more confidence with bikes with more travel on 3' and greater drops but still do them on this bike. | | Similar Products Used: | Yeti AS-R, Specialized FSR, Trek Fuel | | Bike Setup: | RS SID race, bontrager race lite, bontrager hubs. All the components that came with the bike that retailed for around $3600 in 2000. | | Bottom Line: | It's sad to see the last few reviews come in nearly a decade late and disrespect this bike. I've owned this bike for 10 years. I've punished this bike and had no issues, just basic maintenance and replaced a big chainring as I ground off several teeth running the gnar. I left the bike shop 10 years ago with this bike weighing in at exactly 24 pounds. It is light and is a great climber. I've tried everything on this bike - every technical part of Amasa Back and Porcupine Rim in Moab, the entrance into Horsethief Bench in Fruita, the downhill course at Northstar in Cali. It won't give you the confidence of a DH rig but that's not the audience for this bike. Just saying it is very capable if you know how to ride. As an XC racing bike it is awesome and that is the intended audience (with 1.95 tires). I've had thoughts of upgrading recently with a new XC bike but I cannot justify it, I still love this bike. I'll just supplement it with a large travel bike someday. The geometry of the bike sets up well for a taller rider. I'm 6'3" and the Sugar 1 XL frame is the perfect geometry for me and puts me out over the handlebars in an agressive riding position. Shorter people may complain as the FSR or AS-R may be a better fit for them, they felt too small for me. Love this bike - 5 star.
| Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Andrew
a Cross Country Rider
from Duluth, MN
Date Reviewed: February 14, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Hartley | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$1850.00 | | Purchased At: | Penn Cycle | | Strengths: | Very good pedalling performance, sitting or standing. Very light weight. Good stand-over clearance with dropped top tube. Ceramic rims worked well, and never squeeled or chipped. | | Weaknesses: | Geometry. Too steep head and seat angles, 71.5 and 74. Bottom bracket too low, constantly clipping rocks with your pedals. Tire clearance very tight. Could not even upgrade this frame to a 2.0 tire, no clearance! No disc brake mounts. Very flexible. The light-weight Sid fork, frame, and wheels, accumulated to a very flexible overall bike. Handling felt even more insecure due to the steep geometry when added to the flexible chassis. The stock Bontrager crank is junk and would drop the chain often with very frustrating chain suck wrapped around the chain stay. Seriously stuck chains wrapped all up and around the chainstay, took a lot of work on the trail to unstick the chain and get going again. | | Similar Products Used: | 2004 S-Works Stumpjumper hardtail, like this bike alot except it doesn't have disc brakes. 2006 Iron Horse MK III Expert. Heavy for XC and pedals poorly out of the saddle. | | Bike Setup: | Stock 2000 model, yellow and red. Sid fork, Sid shock. Tried to upgrade to 2.0 tires front and back but couldn't because there is not enough room on the ultra-short chainstays of this model. | | Bottom Line: | This is a very late review of this 2000 Sugar 1 model. Nobody will probably read this unless they are looking at a used model on Ebay. This bike is very light at about 24 pounds. It pedals like a champ in any situation. It should, with only 2.5" of travel. It pedals so well, I put slicks on it and rode it on the street with no ill effects on my hill-climbing or big gear mashing. Take it off road and you'll notice that the head tube angle is too steep, the bottom bracket too low, and the tire clearance too tight to fit a decent 2.0 tire (seriously, you can't mount a 2.0 on the back. One will fit on the Sid fork though). Also, the cumulative ultra light weight design of the frame, fork, and wheels, give this bike the structural integrity of a wet noodle. Add the bike's flexible frame characteristics with its steep geometry and you get a bike that is a handfull to ride off road. I've been pitched over the bars numerous times on this bike and always feel like I'm going to crash every time I ride it. I have since sold this bike and got something stiffer with disc brakes. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Damian
a Racer
from Toronto, Canada
Date Reviewed: April 16, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Hardwood Hills | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$2000.00 | | Strengths: | With upgraded components this bike/frame is a light-weight, great handling XC racer. It climbs and decends extremely well, it's easy to loft over rocks and logs due to its short swing-arm and light weight and its generously sized top tube allows the rider great freadom to move back and forth on the bike. The bend of the top tube allows for lots of stand-over clearance. The geometry seems to work exremely well in muddy/snowey conditions. I've raced it hard for 5 years and have had great success with it although not without a fair number of problems. | | Weaknesses: | Frame alignment and weak swingarm design. I've resolved an ongoing shifting problem by installing the Gary Fisher ecentric swingarm bushing that compensates for the incorrect frame alignment. It's available from your Trek dealer. The entire frame has been replaced under warranty 3 times due to fractures (each time with an upgraded frame and shock design)and the forth and last fracture/failiure in the swingarm resulted in it's replacement with an all-aluminum, rather than carbon fibre unit, again under warranty. The torsional fracture always occurs in a counter-clockwise spiral in the short round tube just behind the bottom bracket and on the drive side(Note: this same fracture occurs on Kliens with the same design). The new replacment swing arm has about twice as much material in the critical area and has stood up well so far.The original controls (Sram brakes, 9.0 shifters and derailiurs)and cranks were not very good and things improved dramatically when they were replaced. Turn around time for warranty work has been extremely slow and is either a result of the bike shop or Gary Fisher,...it's hard to know where the problem lay. | | Similar Products Used: | I've raced a Gary Fisher Parragon hard tail with the same geometry and appart from the rough ride I liked the way it handled. I had absolutely no problems with that frame.I also now race a full suspension Yeti. The bike is set up with identical seat/pedal/bar measurements and handles well but actually seems to turn better in tight trails. | | Bike Setup: | I replaced almost all the components as they wore out.. King hubs and headset, XO gear shifting, carbon bars and avid brakes, race face cranks. The components never give any problems except for a race Face "NEXT" crankarm that snapped off unexpectedly and for no real apparent reason other than perhaps fatigue. | | Bottom Line: | I've really enjoyed riding/racing the Sugar-One but have been frustrated by the ongoing fractures and failiures. Faster warranty service would have alleviated some of my anxiety. I've basically moved on to a Yeti because of extended down-time due to repairs on the Gary Fisher.The Sugar-One has become my secondary/spare bike and the one I race/ride when it's really muddy (or on snowy and icey trails) due to its generous wheel clearance and the fact that the geometry seems to work really well in those conditions.So far the Yeti is proving to be a much stronger bike and has become my primary bike for XC use.
I'm always surprised when a reputable manufacturer produces a bike with design flaws as glaring as the ones afflicting the Sugar-one. I hope that the new swingarm is the final solution to the ongoing fracture problem and that the frame alignment problem is corrected by the eccentric bushing kit. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Andrew
a Weekend Warrior
from Palo Alto California
Date Reviewed: February 18, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Weaknesses: | rear derailleur hanger snapped and i couldn't find new brake pads for it(at least none that fit) | | Bottom Line: | I had gotten my old bmx stolen and the person who stole it left the bike(which was messed up) i started to fix up the bike when i went to ride it i switched gears the whole hanger busted off. If anyone can help please e-mail me because no one sell it without at least a 2 week wait. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
George
a Weekend Warrior
from Merrimack, NH
Date Reviewed: December 5, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Grater Woods, FOMBA, more... | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | This is another update. I've had the bike 2 1/2 years now, approaching my third season. Not a happy time overall. A lot of down time.
Fisher has been good on the warranty and my shop has been excellent in executing the fixes.
When it works it climbs very well and is very fast. | | Weaknesses: | Broke (stress fracture) the rear triangle twice down low on the drive side exact same spot, from riding pedalling stress, not from jumps. I'm on my third frame now. I'm sure it will fatigue in time.
After numerous failures (not from any crashes or big jumps) I replaced (with my own cash) the hub with Chris King.
After countless drivetrain failures of all kinds including a free upgrade to the next years Bontrager cranks, I replaced it with Race Face Next LP (my own cash again).
I replaced the front fork with the Z2 Atom because the original RS was just too rough especially in studder bumps.
I put in carbon handlebars, the originals vibrated too much.
The tires were changed long ago. The stock had minimal traction.
Now, after 2 1/2 years, the rear wheel finally fell apart on me. The spokes let go and the rim simply gave out. (not from a hit, just from fatigue). The seatpost seemed a tad short so I got a Thomson. (I've had no problems with any replacement parts that I paid for and installed.) But the frame durability and flexion is still going to haunt me as long as I ride it.
| | Similar Products Used: | Several. I'm looking to change brands now. For year three I'll probably be on a Rocky Mountain. Hopefully it will be more durable and more reliable. | | Bottom Line: | A fragile bike that breaks a lot. The frame is too weak in the rear triangle. GF replaces it with the same design when it breaks, but no fix. The suspension design is weak and has WAY too much play side to side. There is nothing we can do about it. This will continue to cause shifting problems and worse. The original components, namely bontrager were weak and broke or just fell apart. When the bike works it does its job very well. Light and very quick and climbs. But I spent the last two years doing a lot of walking and spending a lot of money for replacement parts. Some say that the bike wasn't designed for mountain biking, just racing on fairly forgiving terrain. I wish Gary Fisher had clearly marketed it that way and had told its retailers not to sell this bike to guys like me who like to mountain bike. Sure I'm 210 lbs too. Sell it to light riders only and only for xc races then. I don't do drops, that isn't what breaks the bike. It is just standing on it going up hill or going down over bumpy sections stresses it out so much and that the rear end flexes too much and the stuff gets misalligned, stresses and finally breaks. When I get a more durable replacement I'll give the Sugar 1 to my girlfriend. She's about the same height but much lighter and isn't quite as agressive. The Sugar frame has ample stand over height too, she'll like that too. She'll probably get more miles on it than I did. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Colin
a Cross Country Rider
from Toronto, Canada
Date Reviewed: September 2, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Great bike up until this year. A week before a 24 hour race I snapped the rear triange just below the main pivot on the cross piece between the chain stays. Do have to give Gary Fisher credit as they replace the rear trianle in 4 days with a 2002/3 upgraded sugar 1 rear end.
Now my friend has done the same with his Sugar 2, anyone else done the same as us?
Thanks | | Bottom Line: | Love the bike, but now is squaks and we cant slove it :( | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steven Markin
a Cross Country Rider
from Armonk, NY, USA
Date Reviewed: December 5, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Minnewaska | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$3000.00 | | Purchased At: | Cycle Dynamics | | Strengths: | Best riding bike for x-country when it works | | Weaknesses: | It's a constant maintenance nightmare. The Bontrager components are simply garbage. | | Similar Products Used: | Marlin's, Cannondale's | | Bike Setup: | Stock with Mavic 517 wheels and Chris King Hubs w/Mythos tires and XTR cassette; cranks and rings upgraded to Bontrager Race Lite Elite for 2001. | | Bottom Line: | This updates my 10/14/00 review. I've had the bike for over a year now and wouldn't trade it for anything when it works. Unfortunately, I've had countless broken chains and shifts off the front chainring even with the new upgraded chainrings and cranks. The rear der. is also bent from the jams and chain breaks caused by the miserable Bontrager chainrings and cranks. In speaking with a rep at Fisher, I was offered an LX chainring and cranks. Not a bad deal for a $3000 bike ;-).
I'm visiting my LBS, which has been great, one more time before going ballistic. I'd really appreciate some of the great support from Fisher I've read about in the reviews. Too bad, it's a great design burdened by simply awful components. Buy the frame and build it up, you'll love it.
Overall rating is for frame only. My ratings for the components would be censored. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeff
a
from Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: December 4, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$1200.00 | | Strengths: | very light and stiff and climbs like a mule!!!! | | Weaknesses: | racelite cranks suck....had a creak problem when it was a couple of months old, no rear disc tabs. | | Similar Products Used: | Ellsworth Truth, X-Caliber | | Bike Setup: | '01 SID SL w/lockout, full XTR, thomson, easton CT2, hayes front, Spinergy Xyclone disc frt, Spox rear | | Bottom Line: | This bike rocks for both racing and normal xc riding...there is absolutely no pedal bobbing when in and out of the saddle on the climbs and it gets better traction on the climbs than my hardtail!!! I took off all the Bontrager crap and went with XTR and such...went with the '01 SID SL for the lockout, that made a big difference on climbing too...large frame w/hayes hydro frt at 23lbs....you can't beat that for a dual suspension. If you are looking to make the leap to dual suspension, get this bike...go with the '01 frame, its got disc tabs. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Thomas Johannessen
a Cross Country Rider
from Nannestad, Norway
Date Reviewed: November 4, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$2700.00 | | Purchased At: | Raske sykler, OSLO | | Strengths: | Great suspension, light, fast uphill and downhill. Responsive steering. | | Weaknesses: | Hugi hubs. Rear broke after 6 months. Front is causing trubble now, havent done anything about it yet. | | Similar Products Used: | Klein adept comp and race, Trek 8900 (with thudbuster) | | Bike Setup: | Standard. | | Bottom Line: | I love this bike, It works great everywhere I go.
If I had a million dollars I would still buy this bike.
The bontrager components work fine for me, but there is ofcorse more expensive equipment out there that is marginally better.
The wheelset is great, stiff and fast, but the hubs suck bigtime. This is the only disapointment with the Sugar.
And who's to blame ? Trek...
The WTB tires that came on the bike were not the right for me. I usually use Python airlight and Michelin Jet S.
A fantastic bike. Go buy one !
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bill
a Cross Country Rider
from Boise, Idaho
Date Reviewed: September 29, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only | | Strengths: | Light, good climber | | Weaknesses: | Flexy rear triangle, Bontrager crank (kept dropping chain onto BB shell when I went for the small ring). | | Similar Products Used: | All demos: Ventana Marble Peak, Trek Fuel 90, Rocky Mountain Element Race, Trek STP 200, Ibis Ripley | | Bottom Line: | I demo'd this bike and rode my usual trails with it. Excellent climber, ascended much better than my current steel hardtail or any of the other bikes I demo'd. From my limited time on this bike I would say it'd make a great all-around xc bike and racer (very light weight) with one glaring exception: its tight single-track performance. The rear-suspension configuration yields a rear triangle that is very flexy in the tight, technical stuff. It wasn't intuitive, you had to pull the bike through the twisties, instead of steering it through with your hips. It was the first time I could really detect frame flex in a bike, and with this rig there was quite a bit of it, almost like I was driving a hook-and-ladder fire engine (just like Kramer in that one 'Sienfeld' episode!). Mind you, it was very technical and tight single-track, so maybe this bike would work fine for someone who spends most of their time on wide-open xc race courses, or blasting down fire roads. I took the Fuel on the same trail and it felt completely solid, no lateral flexing whatsoever. But mountain biking is a very personal experience, if you have your heart set on the Sugar line, don't let my observations, as objective as I've tried to make them, deter you from riding or buying. Just try to demo it on a twisty piece of earth before you do, and see for yourself. Peace out! (I've always wanted to say that in a public forum!) | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John G
a Cross Country Rider
from Westminster, Co.
Date Reviewed: September 8, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Porcupine Rim-backwards. I do it as an out and back from the river road. Try it! | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$950.00 | | Strengths: | As those who love this bike say, climbs incredibly, and descends as well. It's a cross-country specific ride. I call it a hardtail with cush when I need it. Low bottom bracket height so I can dab like on my hardtail. It doesn't bother me that I can't clear as many logs, I want to be able to touch my toes to the dirt when I want without having to fall way over first. Under 25 lbs. | | Weaknesses: | I built up a Sugar 2 frame (I put this review in the Sugar 1 column because of the XTR components) and consequently can't complain about the component selection. So--weaknesses? One water bottle mount and, and...that's it. Oh,yeah, it sometimes throws the chain when shifting from middle chainring to granny, but not all the time. Do all fully active FS bikes do this? | | Similar Products Used: | My previous Schwinn Homegrown Factory sweetspot FS. It did what it did fine, but it wasn't really active full suspension. A Specialized M2 (a great hardtail) and numerous others in the foggy past. | | Bike Setup: | 2000 Sugar 2 frame ($950) and the entire gruppo from my Schwinn. XTR-cassette, brakes, shifter/brake, hubs, Rapid Rise rear derailleur ; Thomson seatpost; now a Manitou Mars 1 fork; XT crankset; back to my old Vetta TT Trishock saddle (years old but boy is it comfortable for my backside--I hope it never wears out; Conti Explorer Pro front, Cross Country 2.0 in back (too bad they discontinued this size--my all-time favorite) | | Bottom Line: | The way my bike is built up (also includes a slightly longer stem than is usually spec'ed for a medium) it fits me perfectly (5'9 and 160 lbs) and has been trouble-free. It's the best bike I've ever had. I wrote a review last year and this is a follow-up. I read where the component selection sucks, according to some reviewers, on stock bikes and upgrading follows immediately. I can see the Gary Fisher/Trek conglomerate wanting to stay in-house and spec'ing American Made products, which I'm all for. Too bad they don't perform as well as a full XTR setup (which you should get, or at least the equivalent-performing for the $$ that a new Sugar 1 retails for.) I guess that I recommend building up a frame first off with the components of your choice, because it sure worked for me. The frame is awesome. Every ride I marvel how well this bike performs for my riding style (admittedly not much of a downhiller, but the Sugar makes descending tricky sh!t a whole lot more confidence-inspiring) and, since I love to climb, it's a joy at all times. Like I say, the components I have work flawlessly and it's only been in the shop once for repairs since I built it up. I threw a chain on Amasa Back and it sucked up past the frame down there and jambed bigtime. Solution was to file down the frame and add a spacer to the right crank. Now at least the chain can be pulled back to where it belongs. By the way, it's 8-speed, which works so well I haven't even thought about "upgrading" to 9-speed. All in all, I'm completely satisfied. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
George
a Weekend Warrior
from Merrimack, NH USA
Date Reviewed: August 28, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Town Forest, Merrimack | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$3000.00 | | Purchased At: | Naults of Nashua | | Strengths: | Update to my older reviews below. The only new news is that I went to Chris King Hubs after the third Hugi Hub failure!
The rest of this review is a summary of my year on the Sugar 1.
When the Sugar 1 isn't broken, it is quick uphill.
My bike shop has been incredibly supportive!
Best support policy in the business. Great guys.
Gary Fisher at least has backed up my shop with the warranty for every breakage. But I'm starting to put my money into better brand components. I'm tired of breakdowns. | | Weaknesses: | Frame (rear triangle broke); Chain rings (fell apart & shifts badly after a few hours in the woods); Hugi Hubs are worthless and will strand you. Front fork doesn't give confidence on small nor large bumps going fast. Tires no good for the woods. | | Similar Products Used: | Quite a few | | Bike Setup: | Chris King Hub rear; upgraded to 2001 Bontrager Cranks & Ring Set; Survival Pros Rear (grippiest that fit); Carbon Bars (erase high speed vibration); Thomson Seatpost for a little more height. | | Bottom Line: | More time in the shop than anything I've ever owned! I mean anything, even more than a Harley.
Frame (rear triangle broke) from riding; Stock Chain rings fell apart for no apparent reason; Chains broke; untold shifts off the granny; Hugi Hubs are worthless I finally replaced the rear with Chris King after many miles walking home and three times in the shop. The squeaks now finally gone. Now I'm about to replace the front derailleur to XTR in hopes that it won't shift off the granny so much. After that I'll probably replace the front fork. It just doesn't give me confidence and doesn't take the hits nor high speed studders like I hope. I'm reading a lot of folks went to the Z2, well I'm thinking about it. If I had to do it again I'd either get another bike or just get the frame and build it. The stock Gary Fisher Sugar 1 supplied components just aren't any good. Before I bought I should have read the reviews by the guys that bought the frame and installed good parts, they seem the most satisfied. I've spend a lot of time in the shop with this bike and got to know some great mechanics and spend time riding my old Specialized hard tail while the Sugar got the repairs. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
will
a Weekend Warrior
from denver, CO
Date Reviewed: August 15, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1500.00 | | Purchased At: | used | | Strengths: | Love the geometry, love the weight, love being able to walk after a long ride, love the confidence (hopefully not hubris!) given by a responsive bit of machinery. | | Weaknesses: | Dang, there are some krappy components on this thing! Despite the efforts of a diligent mechanic (Ron at Campus Cycles; this guy is great and should be sought out), there are plenty of pips and pings and dropped chains, broken chains, broken rear derailleur hanger, bent chain rings, etc. For such an expensive bike I would think they could spec this a bit better. | | Similar Products Used: | Tested lots: yeti, ellsworth, specialized, trek. had been riding a '92 rocky mtn equipe; damn that thing is sweet although the old back finds it not so friendly anymore. | | Bike Setup: | Bontragor (amazingly crappy) and xtr, hellbent bar, sid xl, rock shox rear. | | Bottom Line: | this is my first real foray into FS (I thought they were only for wussies, but since have eaten that crow). I'm a 150 lb rider who doesn't ride too aggresively (no big jumps; I work with my hands and disability insurance wouldn't be keen on me breaking them). Lovely to ride when it's working, which is quite variable. i got this barely used (within my budget) but it has spent more time being serviced than my rocky mtn in its 8 yrs of use. I have reached new (still low) levels in my riding, in terms of endurance, technical riding, up and down. Fine as hell to ride, feel pleasantly tired but not beat up afterwards. Everything seems to break on this thing; I blame the bontragor components, although the rep. denies all. The rock shox are fantastic. I would not pay more than 2K for this bike, although I love it when it's working.
Value rating is for when it's riding well, overall is for as is. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
geoff brent
a Cross Country Rider
from mechanicsburg,pa
Date Reviewed: June 18, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$1150.00 | | Purchased At: | lbs | | Strengths: | bought as frame only. soaks up all of those fatigue inducing smaller bumps, climbs like a goat. genesis geometry great on singletrack. lifetime warranty. | | Weaknesses: | limited mud clearance | | Similar Products Used: | cannondale super v | | Bike Setup: | mostly xt (xtr r deur. and brakes) avid levers, easton ct2 bar/ stem, race face headset, thompson seatpost, judy race, atac pedals, hugi 240-517 ceramic wheels | | Bottom Line: | over a year of riding including wild 100, shenendoah 100 and 24 hours of snowshoe. running 1.9 tires helps with mud clearance (a little "Pam" cooking spray on the frame also work wonders to shed mud- don't get your brakes!) Takes the abuse out of riding with great singletrack and climbing ability. I don't ride "North shore like" trails, so 3" travel works well. Building bike allowed more durable wheel selection, as well as plush coil spring fork- one less thing to pump-up before I ride. I would give it a five but nothing is perfect, right? | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Peter Schepers
a Cross Country Rider
from Hoorn, The Netherlands
Date Reviewed: June 7, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Bergen | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$3500.00 | | Purchased At: | All American Bikes, Hoorn | | Strengths: | Fairly light, Great design | | Weaknesses: | Bontrager is not the best product for this kind of bike (and money). My frame broke. My wheels lost there caremic layer, the rear hub was repleaced so the bike was not durable. | | Similar Products Used: | Santa cruz heckler, G.F. joshua F2 | | Bike Setup: | sram rockets half pipe (there sh*t), sram 9.0 brake levers, tune carbon seat, carbon seatpost | | Bottom Line: | I like the ride but hate the problems of the bike. I'am looking for something else but I can't find it (yet). | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
George
a Weekend Warrior
from Merrimack, NH, USA
Date Reviewed: May 28, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | FOMBA Single Track, NH | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | This is an update after a year of bad luck with the bike. It's hard now to give much credit to this bike after all the breakdowns. It does climb well, better than any bike I have owned. It is fairly light. Brakes are good. | | Weaknesses: | Very weak components on this year's bike. They were improved the next year but I don't know if it's right yet. After my bike's drive train all broke (see reviews below about it) they replaced it with the next year's components. The frame also broke in the main section on early production runs (see other reviews and confirmed by shops). My frame just broke (just before it's first birthday) in the rear triangle. Not good. The stock tires were worthless. After much tire experimentation it now goes down difficult single track pretty well, just about as good as my $1,200 hard tail. I couldn't get the vibrations out of the handlebars until I changed the bars and the tires. Rear clearance is just a bit tight for the bigger tires. And oh yes the damned squeaks. | | Similar Products Used: | I have several bikes in the quiver now, none have broken down and left me stranded as much as this bike has. | | Bike Setup: | Gary Fisher upgraded the entire drive train to 2001 and I've had less problems. I changed the tires to get more grip with a huge improvement but with a weight penalty. It took a lot of tires to get the right combination for me and that bike. Carbon bars to reduce the high speed vibration, which it did. Thomson seatpost because the stock one is a bit short. | | Bottom Line: | One year update. I totally regret buying this bike. Really. I started out loving it. The bike really feels great when it is working right, so I totally understand all the great reviews. But the bike as built is way too fragile for NH single track trails. After all the drive train problems and broken parts, they replaced the entire drive train. That helped a lot. I thought I was going to be riding trouble free but no, the frame broke. The frame broke in the rear triangle on the drive side where the chain stay ties into the main pivot. Lovable bike that loves to climb but just doesn’t hold up.
I am hoping that with all the components changed and now the frame replaced, that this bike will be everything it should have been in the first place.
Sorry Gary Fisher I can't give a good review after all the problems I've had. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Daniel Richardson
a Racer
from San Diego, CA, US
Date Reviewed: April 29, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Single Tracks | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1800.00 | | Purchased At: | UC cyc | | Strengths: | The Frame is very light and worthy of being a full prest Cross Country Racer. The rear suspention is great, the XTR deralers are wonderful and the stem and handlebars are farly strong. | | Weaknesses: | The rims quit weak and the front sid RS is like tweaked medel(it sucks). Most of the other minor/major parts from the seatpost to the crank and hubs are not to impresive. | | Similar Products Used: | Giant NRS DS1 (Wonderful Bike)
A few others not worth speaking of! | | Bike Setup: | I set the bike up with all XTR components like Deralers, Casset, Crank, Hubs, Chain, Shifters, ect.
Bontrager Rims(very strong) 15G 24/28. (beautiful)
RS sid Race (nice)
Race Face stem, handlebars | | Bottom Line: | This is a strong, fast, and solid bike. Some minor problems with componant selection. The geometry of the frame just makes me want to stare at it for hours.
Overall I think this is a good bike for someone that wants to get into serious riding and maybe make a comitment to racing.
MY VALUE RATING: FOR STOCK BIKE
MY OVERALL RATING: FOR THE FRAME ONLY | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave
a Cross Country Rider
from Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Date Reviewed: April 25, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Elbow loop | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$1800.00 | | Purchased At: | Salt Lake City shop | | Strengths: | I love this bike. I've been using this bike for a full year now and enjoy riding this bike. I moved from my Homegrown hardtail to the sugar 1 and do not regret the switch. The bike is rock solid and very responsive. I find that my riding has improved noticeably; I'm less fatigued with the added suspension. For some reason, I find that I can climb better with the sugar than I did with my Homegrown. This is an awesome XC full suspension bike and would recommend it to anyone. | | Weaknesses: | None - after some changes are made to the initial setup (see below) | | Similar Products Used: | First full suspension bike and lovin it. | | Bike Setup: | I'm not experiencing any of the problems that have been discussed in this forum at all. Mainly due to the fact that I purchased the bike without the front fork and the wheelset. Instead I added a '99 Marzocchi Superfly front fork and a Mavic 517 wheelset with XT hubs. I added all XTR componentry and put a Chris King headset in. The bike performs admirably. I can't find a fault with it. I highly recommend the Marzocchi fork, it's absolutely amazing. | | Bottom Line: | The bike is amazing. I wouldn't hesistate to recommend this bike to any serious rider. Granted I poured extra cash in upgraded some of the components but every penny was worth it. I'm heading down to Moab in May and I'm itching to ride it down there. Can't wait. Switching from a hardtail to this bike has made me a better rider. I can go faster on the downhill with less chance of being bucked off. The rear suspension SID shock is awesome. You can dial it to any level you want. I also love the Time pedals. My previous pedals were shimano 747 and I love the Time pedals way better, especially when it gets muddy. Good choice GF! But I would have to agree with some of the other opinions in the forum, that for the price that you pay for this bike, some higher end components should have been included. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ray
a Cross Country Rider
from Victoria
Date Reviewed: April 17, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Milstream | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$3000.00 | | Purchased At: | russ hayes | | Strengths: | -it's light
-it's a good climber
-I could actually sell mine | | Weaknesses: | -lame suspension quality
-weak descending skills
-not a very good technical climber
-not built very well
-expensive for what your getting | | Similar Products Used: | 1999 kona king kihuna totally tricked out ( xtr,atom bomb race face- I'm super happy I kept it ) | | Bike Setup: | stock except for a mars cl, and an easton ct2 riser ( 1" ) | | Bottom Line: | I bought this bike for typical xc usage, I regret ever buying it. I though it would handle descents better than my kona ti bike but it dosen't. I think G F was hitting his pipe a little too hard when he came up with this geometry. It totally sucks it hampers your ability to climb technical trails and it weights you funny so your every descent it sketchy. I also hate the rear suspension it's very harsh and dosen't do a lot on the DH and dosen't help with technical climbing. My intent when I bought this bike was to keep the weight close to my old kona ti and adding a little extra suspension for added confidence, I didn't accomplish any of those. I recently sold it and am now spec'ing an intense tracer with a local bike shop. I'm now a firm believer that all those mtb magazines out of SoCal haven't a f#ckin clue about how a bike should be. They only ride bikes on lame xc trails and fire roads I think they should move their testing grounds to real trails then start giving reviews because they liked this sugar 1 and said it's one of the all time best, yah I'll add this bike to my list of $hitty products. this bike has no place anywhere north of the boarder. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from Westminster, Colorado
Date Reviewed: March 27, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Walker Ranch | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$900.00 | | Strengths: | Climbs fantastic, descends quickly and confidently, light frame; low bottom bracket height (I can dab like on my hardtail) | | Weaknesses: | Only one water bottle mount | | Similar Products Used: | 1995 Specialized M2, 1998 Schwinn Factory Homegrown | | Bike Setup: | XTR-shifter/brake, rear derailleur, hubs, cassette; XT-front derailleur, cranks; 517s; Thomson seatpost; Flite;
'98 Judy SL; Salsa skewers; Conti Exlorer Pro front, 2.0 Cross Country rear; Cane Creek AD-10 | | Bottom Line: | I bought a 2000 Sugar 2 frame-my LBS built it up with all the parts from my previous f/s bike. I think it's spec'd better than a Sugar 1. First ride I climbed everything two cogs higher and descended faster and smoother. Being able to dab and get back on my bike like my hardtail was a new-found revelation--I'd forgotten how much I missed that! So-that's what I wanted and got--a hardtail with cush when I need it. I reversed the 5 degree stem so I have a seat/bar 2" difference. 24 3/4 lbs. Rear shock never loses air, never bottoms out. I don't do big air, but I love everything about it's cross country abilities. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
crazy mofo
a Weekend Warrior
from sterling heights, mi usa
Date Reviewed: March 3, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | highland | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$2800.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Looks pretty, nice bike to have for commuting around town, the non-Trek owned components (RS SID, XTR). | | Weaknesses: | Well, its a Trek. Overpriced piece of sh*t. It's everything a wannabe mountain biker looks for in a sh*t bike. | | Similar Products Used: | Owned a bunch of other Fisher and Trek garbage. Santa Cruz Superlight, Ellsworth Truth, Titus Racer-X. | | Bike Setup: | Stock | | Bottom Line: | Overall, this bike sucks for the money. I don't know what the hell I was thinking when I purchased this bike. The incestual componentry has to go. The Bontrager components are garbage. The chain liked to jump out of the middle ring to the small ring. The first time out with this bike was fine until decending and hearing the rear end snap. My LBS said to expect that from the carbon in the swing arm "settling." I can go on about all the other tedious problems which is normal for $700 bikes. This isn't a effin house, it's a bike. For nearly 3 grand it's overpriced. Over half of the bikes components are owned by the Trek family. It should be discounted somewhat. Not only that the rear swingarm is shared between three different bikes (Fuel, Adept, and this hunk of dung). For this much money, it should have RaceFace, King headset, a better wheel package, etc...
If your in the market for a new ride and considering purchasing a Sugar, have your good buddy kick you in the nuts really hard. For less money, you can build/buy a Santa Cruz Superlight or Aeon Isis that will put a Sugar to shame. I should have spent the extra money and purchased the Ellsworth Truth I had initially wanted. Thank God I sold this bike and ordered a real bike. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mike
a Weekend Warrior
from charlevoix
Date Reviewed: February 11, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1500.00 | | Strengths: | light cross county bike, takes the edge off, can ride longer | | Weaknesses: | none yet | | Similar Products Used: | schwinn rocket 88 II,diamondback xr-8,gt-xcr-2000,jekyll | | Bike Setup: | stock,with monkey bars | | Bottom Line: | great handling bike, screaming down cross county down hills without any worry. takes a little time to get used to from a hard tail, stiff rear. But I wouldn't go back to a hard tail. overall best full suspension I've tested. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Paul
a Racer
from Texas
Date Reviewed: January 17, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$3000.00 | | Purchased At: | Local Bike Shop | | Strengths: | Makes you faster. Beleive it or not you will be faster than on your hardtail. | | Weaknesses: | A bit too much flex in the front wheel/fork. | | Similar Products Used: | Cannondale FS and hardtails, Trek hardtails, demoed various FS bikes before settling on the Sugar. | | Bike Setup: | Stock. | | Bottom Line: | It is tough to beleive but this bike will make you faster unless you just ride pavement. If it is setup correctly you will not notice the suspension working but at the end of your ride you will realize what you have gained. This is the best bike I have ever ridden. The only improvements would be to upgrade to XTR drivetrain/shifters. It might be a good idea to have the front wheel relaced to stiffen it up a little. I through on my Chris King wheelset and that fixed most of the front end flex problems. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a Cross Country Rider
from Oceanside CA
Date Reviewed: January 2, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1750.00 | | Strengths: | Geometry, smoothness, ability to make me look good without asking for anything in return | | Weaknesses: | started out with "The Squeak!!" but it got fixed really quickly - read on. Otherwise, there isn't a single thing I'd change (hold on - maybe I'll move to an XTR crankset later). | | Similar Products Used: | 1994 FSR | | Bike Setup: | stock | | Bottom Line: | I used this review area to copy many of the messages about this otherwise incredible bike's squeaking problem. After 3 weeks and about 200 miles, I took the bike in for it's first tune up and the squeak dissappeared completely. On MY bike, the squeak was coming from a bad bushing at the main pivot point. It was squeaking as a result of metal on metal. If you still have a squeaky Sugar 1 have your shop check the bushing - it might work for you too! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
patrick desnoyers
a Racer
from carignan,qc,canada
Date Reviewed: December 30, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | bromont | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | dm cycle sport | | Strengths: | great working rear suspension. thanks in part to the sid rear shocks adjustibility. stiff rear end. racer cant ask for more......yet. | | Weaknesses: | the drive train...everyone complains about the crank and the front der adjustment. the reason its so poor is because the crank is way too flexible.i put a full xtr gruppo and have yet to experience any problems | | Similar Products Used: | spec fsr | | Bike Setup: | spinergy spox m1 and a full xtr gruppo with easton carbon bar and seat post and syncros stem | | Bottom Line: | buy the frame and build it. note....value rating is for complete stock bike and overall is for the frame. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
tedman
a Cross Country Rider
from east windsor, ct
Date Reviewed: December 27, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | benidorm | | Strengths: | great ride, climbs superbly, after mods. rocks DH too. | | Weaknesses: | stock, some components don't match capability of frame. | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | sugar1 w/mods | | Bottom Line: | this is a great bike, which has helped me ride faster and longer than the hardtail i had before. i have a calcifying disk in my lower back, and on my hardtail would be in agony after 20 mins. now i can ride for 2 hours withour pain, and i climb just as well, am faster downhill and in wet/rocky/rooty conditions typical in the northeast. the bikes capabilities are held back by some of the less than ideal components:
the bontrager cranks flex excessively and shift poorly, and contributed to premature chain wear and breakage. i put on xt hollowtechs and have gotten improved shifting and power transfer and have had no new chain problems.
the sid sl fork is too flexible and has limited shock absorption for new england conditions. i put on a zoke atom 80 and have enjoyed a plusher, better-steering, faster ride ever since.
it took some time to properly tune the sid rear shock, but its now dialed in and works great.
this is a fine cross-country bike, and is light and quick enough to be used for racing. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Gene
a Cross Country Rider
from Jersey City, NJ
Date Reviewed: December 5, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | South Mtn. | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | Roy's Sheepshead Cycle | | Strengths: | Rides faster than anything I've ever tried. As light as a HT. Very comfortable. | | Weaknesses: | None. It's the perfect XC racing bike. | | Similar Products Used: | Almost everything over the last 10 yrs. | | Bike Setup: | Stock, except for Easton carbon bars and seatpost. | | Bottom Line: | I was about to buy the Specialized FSR S-works, but the dealer asked me to try the new Sugar. I was hooked. It is so sweet. I can't imagine a better riding/handling bike. If you're looking for a HT, stop and ride the Sugar first. If you are looking for the best XC FS this is it. Don't get it if you're a DH nut. Everybody else, this is IT!!!!!!!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tony Lyons
a Racer
from Tampa,Fl.
Date Reviewed: December 2, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | ALL!!!!!! | | Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only | | Price Paid: |
$2800.00 | | Purchased At: | Thrifty Cyclery of Tampa | | Strengths: | Well what can i say! I am a diehard Proflex man and so is my partner Walt, but the new K2 Pretty much shafted him on warranty on his proflex which should have been warranted.
Well to the sugar 1, which Tom, ED and I talked him into trying out. He was reluctant at first but after riding it, BOY did his mind change. A bike that weighs as though it were a hardtail but had the suspension all the way around.
Lite very comfortable and handles like a sportscar. | | Weaknesses: | Weakness? WHat weakness it has none. The bike was designed to ride like a hardtail, which it does but when the rough rode ahead comes,it does it's job and does it well. WHEN IT COUNTS. So for all you people who say it rides hard in the rear, well guess what, it's suppose to.Gary Fisher does need to work on the price it is a tad bit high. | | Similar Products Used: | K2, Specialized FSR, Cannondale, Shcwinn and many others. | | Bike Setup: | This bike is just as it came from the factory XTR rear der., XT front der. and shifters, with avid V brakes and levers. RockShox SID SL fork and SID in the rear. The rest is mostly Bontrager The only thing to change is the cranks which are race face carbon reinforced. And of coarse Race Lite wheels. | | Bottom Line: | Well the bottom line is that i was more excited about my partner getting this bike than he was, so that has to tell you something. This bike is the bomb and whoever says it's not, well, well all i have to say is ride one to believe in one. We as riders and racers design oursleves around the bike we ride, it does not design itself around us and we all know that for the most part it's not the bike it is who is riding it.
So the bottom line is that the sugar is one hell of a bike, and remember i ride a K2, i just hope it dosent break i would hate to be treated like walt and now what is he riding? THE BOMB! Gary Fishers Sweet as sugar, the sugar 1. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Guy
a Racer
from Quebec City
Date Reviewed: November 11, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Mt Ste-Anne | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Light, efficient, geometry, good suspension, Time pedals. | | Weaknesses: | Bontrager components. | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized FSR | | Bike Setup: | CrossMax UST, XTR crankset. | | Bottom Line: | This bike made me a better rider/racer. Both suspensions have been very reliable and the geometry works very well for me, specially in technical sections. With the Tubeless tires at 30 psi, I clear sections that I had to walk before. I am lucky, my bike is not affected by the "squeak".
I choose the Sugar 1 over the S-Works because I was concerned with the reliability of the Mars fork and the Fox shock on the Specialized. The SID fork and shock have been 100% reliable all summer.
The stock Bontrager crankset was useless on that bike tough. I just could not adjust the front derailleur to work properly. I switched to the XTR crankset and now this bike shifts as well or better than any bike. (An XT crank would work just as well but the XTR was on sale at Performance...)
(I installed the Bontrager crank on my wife's 8 speed bike and it works just fine in that application. (Recreational rider) It's much lighter than what she had.)
Bottom line: This was the best full suspension XC race bike available in 2000. I expect the Trek Fuel (similar design) to be a strong contender for that position in 2001 but we will see. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
D C
a Racer
from Frederick MD
Date Reviewed: November 3, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | watershed | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$2400.00 | | Strengths: | This is a follow up posting. I have raced the bike now for the last several months. Strengths: once the suspension is dialed in the bike performs like a champ. I can tell that I give up some climbing efficiency to the hardtails but I can more than make up for it on a downhill section (providing there is room to pass !!!!) The geometry works great for me too, the position is a little less efficient for climbing but works well for open terrain or downhills. Weight is very reasonable for a full suspension bike, has not been a factor. | | Weaknesses: | Here is the disappointing part. I agree with the previous postings on the drivetrain. I have had a @#$%% of a time with the shifting. Gary- whats up with this ???? It is pretty humiliating, and #$%^^& frustrating to be putzing with gears on your $2500 bike while others are passing you. Adjustments have been made, and it continues to happen. That sucks. My chainrings continue to come loose and the *&*&(* squeak is everpresent. I have read all the tech tips from the "experts" and have not been able to knock out the problem. For the incredulous and condescending sugar owners who have not experienced it and think we are making this up or are otherwise mechanoputzes, consider yourselves fortunate. It may be a function of design or it may be a function of assembly, who really knows. No one. Lastly, the tires really do suck butt as previousely described. They grip on nothing but asphalt. Bite the bullet and change them ASAP before they cause you to take an unnecessary tumble. | | Similar Products Used: | various hardtails and FS bikes | | Bike Setup: | stock, but dialed in | | Bottom Line: | Fisher/Trek needed to spend more time in product development and testing with their component choices, that much is obvious. I still love the bike and think it is a great XC race bike. For the money,however, I do not expect to have any of these problems. The six month review brings the bike down to 3 chilis. The potential for 5 chilis is still there, but I can see that it is going to cost me even more $$$$$. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
SS
a Racer
from Hammond, LA
Date Reviewed: October 22, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Awsome handling, hardtail like feel, nice groupo, 23 pounds stock, race ready. | | Weaknesses: | very little-Broke chain on very first ride (it was a race and I was hammering on it though) Replaced chain, no problems since | | Similar Products Used: | supercal | | Bike Setup: | stock for now | | Bottom Line: | Its just bad ass. The ride is incredible, so much like a hardtail, but it takes the hits you need it to. I ride only a tad bit faster than on my hardtail, but I can ride many more miles. Its just a great bike to ride and race on. However, some of the posts about failing drive trains do scare me. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
George
a Weekend Warrior
from Merrimack, NH, USA
Date Reviewed: October 19, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | FOMBA in Auburn, NH, USA | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Great fundamental design. Very Fast uphill and cross country and quick down hill too, provided the drive train and the shifting holds together. | | Weaknesses: | Update: I see a common thread with several other Sugar 1 owners who have written here. We love the bike a lot, a whole lot, but it's not holding up. I wonder how many others out there are having drive train problems but not writing. The drive train has real problems after you ride it a while, like a couple of months for a weekend warrior like me and clearly much sooner for some of you racers. I've had nothing but troubles just like the guy that wrote the article before me. Chains breaking for no reason. Front shifting horrible, off inner and outer rings, and can't adjust it right (seems ok in the shop but shifts off again after riding). Chain ring bolts coming lose and breaking. Bad shifting in the rear cassette. Bad rear hub bearing, premature failure needed to be replaced due to too much freeplay or wobble. And now my freewheeling in the hub locked up. I had to walk an hour out of the woods and at night in the rain. Not happy. Thanks to all you writers, I see there are common problems. I shared the articles with my shop. My shop has been wonderful. They are backing me all the way and have fully guaranteed everything, parts and labor at no extra charge. But I'm still very unhappy. Sadly I love the Sugar 1, BUT it's been the most unreliable bike I have ever owned. Maybe it's just not durable enough for New England.
Belive it or not, when new it shifted the smoothest of any bike I tried. But it just didn't last. | | Bottom Line: | The Sugar 1 is an incredible bike but the drive train components are lacking for durability for sure. I will post after my shop and Gary Fisher gets this bike operational again. I hope Gary Fisher improved the drive train components for 2001 bikes. I have dropped my rating of this bike. I'm miserable that most rides I lost time due to bad shifts and several times now without bike, in the shop. Not good. So I dropped my rating to 3 flamers. If the bike delivered as one would expect I wouldn't have to keep making entries here. Feel free to email me if you have similar issues. If the factory upgrades the components for me like they should do then I'll improve my views. A bike this expensive shouldn't be so fragile. Let's see what the factory does. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mtbrcr
a Racer
from Neenah, WI
Date Reviewed: October 16, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Anything in Kamloops, BC | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Infinite suspension adjustability, super plush feel for 2.5", excellent handling, a great x-country setup. | | Weaknesses: | Sorry Gary Fisher here goes: The whole stinking drivetrain is wacked! Chainrings worked loose right away, then they wore out after ~400 miles, they were replaced with a different brand crank by G.F. which was cool. Frame snapped at the main tube weld above bottom braket again at least G.F. replaced it. Hugi hub had to be rebuilt at 24 hours of 9 mile. At least it was a fisher sponsored race (Gary was even racing) and they could do it on site. I have snapped 4 chains in a year (Sachs and Shimano). That's more than my whole life (I'm 27). The last one cost me cash as it happened during an important race and left me with a nice facial scar as I was sprinting out of saddle and the broken chain sent me over the bars. I am pissed at this drivetrain. Is it the Sugar? Is the weaker 9 speed chains? I wish I knew. All I know is I have almost 3 grand tied up in a bike that has screwed me in three races this year and that sucks. My G.F. paragon hard tail was super dependable but I went to the sugar for the plush ride. | | Bike Setup: | New crank, replaced cassette and chain (tried shimano and sachs, teflon shifter cables, anything to improve shifting. | | Bottom Line: | Suspension is stellar, I mean freaking awesome, and I hate to slander but Gary Fisher let this bike out with a lot of bugs in it and I have paid the price. They were cool enough to replace everything and do it promptly but I am sick of breakdowns. I can't isolate if the broken chains are related to the Sugar or 9 speed but my next step is to put an 8 speed drivetrain on the bike. Oh yeah, those tires suck butt, WTB makes killer grips but their treads blow! 5 stars for everything but the drivetrain, negative stars for the drivetrain, average the two for three stars, because you shouldn't have to replace the drivetrain after you spend 3,000 on the bike! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steven Markin
a Cross Country Rider
from Armonk, NY, USA
Date Reviewed: October 14, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Minnewaska | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$2700.00 | | Purchased At: | Cycle Dynamics | | Strengths: | This bike makes a bad rider good. It's light, a great climber (no bobing), handles technical trails like a hardtail and instills confidence. It feels like a hardtail without the pain and strain. | | Weaknesses: | The original Bontrager Race Lite Crankset is just awful. It would shift slowly or not at all, squeaked, loosened the chainwheel bolts and, I think, flexed. Fisher stood by its product and swapped in a Bontrager Race Elite Crankset, that seems to have solved the problems. The problem was in the diagnosis, once discovered Fisher swapped parts with no wait, no fuss. The bike has big-time chainsuck. The wheels are fine for flat, mild conditions but for the mud, rocky and loose stuff I'd stick with Mythos. You can play with the tire pressure on the WTB's and improve traction but... | | Similar Products Used: | Moots (hard and soft-tail), Jekyll, my good ole standby Cannondale hardtail all "tricked up" | | Bike Setup: | stock except for Mavic 517 wheels w/Mythos tires, Race-Lite bar ends, and of course the new Bontrager Race Elite Crankset | | Bottom Line: | I'm a 190 pound cross country rider wrestling with the mud, rocks, logs, roots and hills found in southern New York and Conneticut. If your a downhiller you probably want a bike with more travel and wouldn't appreciate spending all this money for the lightness of the Sugar. This is a great cross country ride. To me a great bike makes you ride better, longer and more frequently. It just makes the riding feel better, more comfortable and simply more fun. This bike does all that. It's really unfortunate that the initial experience was tainted by loose chainwheel bolts, incredibly lousey front shifting, sqeaks and creaks. It's really fortunate that Fisher stands behind its product and fixed the problem. I haven't mentioned the suspension because when you ride, you just don't know its there. It soaks up only the harshness allowing you to feel the trail as if you where on a hard tail but without the pain. It doesn't rob your power or feel. It does provide better control and traction. You'll only really appreciate it after riding the same trail in a hardtail or a bobing full suspension. If only they could fix the chainsuck, it would be pretty close to perfect ;-) | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David Passmore
a Racer
from B'ham. Ala.
Date Reviewed: October 12, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Oak mtn. red trail 17mi. of exctasy | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$2800.00 | | Purchased At: | Bikelink | | Strengths: | Quality parts through out best of the best lightest of the light simplicity at its finest | | Weaknesses: | not the perfect out of the box bike for just anyone takes some dialing in for fit , and handling | | Similar Products Used: | Mongoose VRS full susp. custom parts galore to much to list | | Bike Setup: | I've changed the stam still using monkey lite riser bar yeti grips changed to bontrager tires easton carbon seatpost crossbow seat world class ti-bottom brkt. frog titanium pedals 11/32 rr. cassette | | Bottom Line: | Okay it's been a year now and I've played with it alot here's the deal I got the bike and actually bought a brand new certified scale to weigh it before I even got the bike. out of the box it weighed 24.5 lbs. with out spending any money it was down to 24.0 lbs with spare parts and removal of reflectors after modifications it was down to 23.25 lbs. I tried some kenda cosmic lites and it went down to just over 22.5 lbs. but those tires are almost unrideable. After riding and racing for one year it has not given any trouble rides as good now than ever. I keep it clean and lubed (after spending that much money I'd be crazy not to). It looks just as beautiful as when I bought it. I love this bike. I use it only for the good rides. I still like my other bikes and do all my playing on them. If you're a seriuos rider or racer and want great all round bike it's a good choice. If you take care of it it will take care of you. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
andrew bernard
a Cross Country Rider
from uk
Date Reviewed: September 27, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | La Barillette | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$30000.00 | | Purchased At: | Richmond Cycles | | Strengths: | Climbs so well in the rough, gears and brakes excellent | | Weaknesses: | Tyres, yes even when deflated a bit | | Bike Setup: | Roox bar ends, Velociraptor tyres, XTR shifters, new Shimano XT clipless pedals | | Bottom Line: | As a follow up to an earlier post, I thought I'd pass on my experience so far;
Cut bars down by about half an inch each end - don't think they need to be so wide, what you gain in leverage you lose in your arms being splayed too wide.
Put on some dinky little Roox one piece bar ends as it just didn't feel right without them. Can now power up climbs much harder.
Ditched the tyres as just did not get on with them. Feel much more secure with a more meaty tread, and the Velociraptors grip well. Thought standard tyres would be really light but my scales said no. The Vraptors only add a few grams.
Upgraded to XTR shifters and the shifting is sweet as a nut!
Didn't even bother trying the Time pedals as I'm used to Shimano.
Being a bit of a X-Country hound, I initially set up suspension hard, but it actually works much better a bit softer and the back end still doesn't bob. The front was kicking up over bumps before, but now it's much smoother. Don't be afraid of the suspension - let it work for you.
I would quite like a 46 tooth main ring - the Bontrager is only 44 - can you get a 46? The bike can handle more speed downhill!
Did a 16.5km race recently up a mountain - vertical rise was 1000m. Extremely tough, but my hardtail would never have climbed so well. It was quite rough rocky terrain, and the back end just stayed planted. The 2lb weight penalty over a good hardtail is easily made up for by lack of wheelspin and bounce at the back. Coming down, afterwards is something I will remember for a long time. Sublime!
I reckon we should be exchanging ideas on suspension set up - this is the ideal forum, and it's not easy to get right, what with rebound, compression, preload, sag, etc.
Still haven't yet weighed my bike but a friends Sugar 2 was 24.6lbs so 23.5 sounds about right.
One last tip - you can save quite a few grams by swapping the two bolts that hold the seat to the post with aerospace alloy allen bolts (lighter than Ti) instead of the heavy steel ones that are standard. the weight difference is quite amazing. Also change the bolts in the stem.
Overall what a wicked bike. I can't wait to get out again. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris
a Cross Country Rider
from Boulder, CO
Date Reviewed: September 26, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$2300.00 | | Strengths: | This bike is by far the best XC full suspension on the market. Amasingly light and easy to maneuver. | | Weaknesses: | SID SL, it flexes too much when you're going fast and rally it into big rocks. | | Bike Setup: | Stock except Hayes hydro on front, Chris King Disco front hub w/Mavic 317, and Easton Monkey Lite riser bar | | Bottom Line: | This bike is awesome. As for all you people complaining about squeaks and other nonsense, have a real bike tech put it together! I've ridden my bike to the limit and haven't had it tuned since i bought it. I've heard no squeaks and have had no problems.
I had to add a disc because i was killing all my friends on the uphills. This bike climbs better than a hard tail because the suspension keeps the tire on the ground. Add a disc and it makes it fell like a downhill bike.
As for the carbon fiber triangle. It makes the bike light, but i've taken a few chunks out of it. My remedy was to wrap the damaged area with electrical tape and it seems to be just fine. This bike is an amasing XC bike! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
corbett mortensen
a Racer
from omaha, nebraska
Date Reviewed: September 21, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Platte River State Park | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$2800.00 | | Purchased At: | True Wheel | | Strengths: | Great for racing. Lightweight and responsive. Genesis geometry. Climbs very similar to my hardtail. Much better than a Y-50. The wheel is right under your seat. | | Weaknesses: | Not as plush as a free ride bike, but hey. It's a racer. | | Similar Products Used: | Trek Y-50 | | Bike Setup: | Stock except I'm using Ritchey pedals cause I was too lazy to change my cleats and use the Times that it came with. | | Bottom Line: | I've loved racing it this year. The geometry was a bit weird at first, but now I love it. You could lighten it up by about a pound. It's really not a bad price either. Good spec on it as well. Nothing has broken or worn out yet.
Check out the following link and listen to the song I wrote about it. www.mp3.com/finn. It's called Sugar. Bikers will know it's about a bike. Others will think it's about a girl. Fisher sent me some cool swag for it. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
George
a Cross Country Rider
from Merrimack, NH, USA
Date Reviewed: September 14, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | NH cross country in the deep woods | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$2500.00 | | Purchased At: | Local dealer in NH | | Strengths: | A follow up. I finally figured out the creaking sounds and fixed it!
I love this bike all around. Climbs wicked! Downhill screams! | | Weaknesses: | The rear wheels are cross laced on one side and single laced on the other (I presume this is just a part of the magic that makes this bike so light). The point at which the spokes cross is the source of all the noises. I put white lithium grease in between the crossed spokes and the noise is gone, completely. Ah Silence!
But while looking for the source of the noise I took apart the rear cassette. I was dissapointed to find the nut holding it all together was loose. When I got all the three rings and rear cassette assembly off I found that the splines on the surface of the rear hub (under the cassette) to be dinged. Likely caused by the loose nut and resulting outer three smallest rings moving around. This is adding to my list of things that I found loose. Earlier I found the front chain rings almost falling off as all the bolts had backed out. The only other mystery is my stock chain blew out very unexpectedly. That's my total list of beefs. If they had checked all the bolts and put a dab of locktite, this bike would have had to have been made in heaven because I love it still. I hope sharing all of this helps other owner/ riders because neither the dealer nor Gary Fisher seems to have answers.
The tires don't have big knobs but careful adjustment of the tire pressure makes a huge difference. They roll fast and with the right pressure go over anything. | | Bike Setup: | Stock, except I extended the handlebars out just a tad and I had to replace the chain. | | Bottom Line: | Incredible bike, love it more and more! I never want to stop riding. I want to ride it every day. It just keeps getting better. I know I am much faster and better rider. I go downhill and uphill with way more confidence, speed, power and joy. I now feel it is worth every penny I paid.
I wish Gary Fisher would have made sure all the bolts were tight before shipping to dealers (or had the dealers locktite them there). Also they should advise us to put a dab of thick grease in between the crosses of the rear spokes or even better if they found some other way to rid the weird noises from those spoke crossings.
I still love it lots, it is worth it. Well worth it! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Greg
a Cross Country Rider
from Pottstown, PA
Date Reviewed: September 10, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | French Creek, Jim Thorpe | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$3000.00 | | Strengths: | Hype is deserved, for the most part. Light, handles great, accelerates, melts through rock gardens like, umm, butter? Sugar? | | Weaknesses: | Some chain suck, cheesy Saab logo, maintenance follow-up. | | Similar Products Used: | Traded up from a Trek 6000 when I decided to start racing XC. | | Bike Setup: | Stock Sugar 1 set-up so far. | | Bottom Line: | Did the research, saved the money, even went halfway across the country to find an XL frame (betraying my local shop). Bike itself is a dream, although the chain suck I and others have experienced looks like a fairly straightforward design oversight. My major beef is with repair. My rear hub blew out, and while I can understand the trade-off with top end lightweight components, getting it repaired has been a nightmare. My local mechanic is first-rate, and he's been getting the runaround from WI and CO. Bottom line is I've owned the bike 3 months, and have only ridden it for the first two months, which stinks. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
MICHAEL PATRICK
a Racer
from MILFORD CT USA
Date Reviewed: September 8, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | TRUMBULL CT (VALLEY) | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$2700.00 | | Purchased At: | TONYS BIKES MILFORD CT USA | | Strengths: | UNBELIEVABLE SUSPENSION DESIGN, NO BOBBING, NO POWER LOSS, TAKES THE EDGE OFF HRASH BUMPY RIDES WITHOUT ABSORBING MY ENERGY. SPEC'ED OUT WELL, ONLY WEIGHS 23.5 LBS.(MEDIUM) EXTENDS THE AMOUNT OF TIME I CAN RACE AT A TRULY COMPETITIVE LEVEL. LO0OKS PRETTY BOSS TOO ! FORK IS GREAT AS WELL. | | Weaknesses: | WHAT WEAKNESSES? | | Similar Products Used: | GT TEAM RTS, OLD STYLE SPOOKY MOTHERSHIP, SPECIALIZED FSR. THIS BIKE KICKS THEIR BUTTS! | | Bike Setup: | I KEEP MINE SET UP A LITTLE ON THE STIFF SIDE FOR MY WEIGHT(135 LBS) JUST ENOUGH SUSPENSION TO TAKE THE EDGE OFF. BIKE IS PERFECT OF THE SHELF, NEEDS NOTHING! | | Bottom Line: | THE BEST CROSS COUNTRY BIKE I HAVE EVER RIDDEN HANDS DOWN, HARDTAIL OR FULL SUSPENSION. I AM IN THE PROCESS OF BUYING A NEW ONE FOR NEXT YEAR ALREADY. I WAS GOING TO STOP RACING CROSS COUNTRY UNTIL I RODE THIS BIKE EARLIER THIS YEAR. I HAVEN'T HAD ANY TIME TO TRAIN THIS SUMMER AND STILL MANAGED A NINTH PLACE AT MASTERS WORLDS(SECOND AMERICAN) WITH IT. BASED ON THE TERRAIN WE RODE I WOULD DEFINITELY GIVE PROPS TO THE BIKE. FISHER DID A GREAT JOB HERE WITH THIS. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jason
a Cross Country Rider
from Illinois
Date Reviewed: September 7, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | fast, light, great climber | | Weaknesses: | color and ugly stickers | | Bike Setup: | XTR DRIVETRAIN, RACE FACE BB(TI), HEADSET, CRANKS, AVID MAG BRAKESET, MAVIC/XTR WHEELS, '99 ROCK SHOX SID XC, TIME ATAC CARBON, RITCHEY SPEED MAX(fr), ZED PRO(rear) | | Bottom Line: | THIS IS ONE GREAT BIKE! NOT ONLY HAS IT IMPROVED MY RIDING AND RACING, IT HAS RENEWED MY MOTIVATION. THIS BIKE IS NOT FOR EVERYONE THOUGH. ITS NOT A DOWNHILL BIKE, 2 1/2" OF REAR TRAVEL SHOULD TELL YOU THAT. IT IS HOWEVER A GREAT XC RACER. VERY FAST AND AGILE, AND CLIMBS AS BETTER THAN MANY HARDTAILS. IT CAN BE COMFORTABLE ON THOSE EPIC RIDES WHEN YOU GET IT SET FOR YOU. A BIT EXPENSIVE FOR MOST, LOWER MODELS MIGHT BE WORTH LOOKING AT IF COST IS AN ISSUE.
MY SUGAR HAS A FEW CREAKS BUT SO DID MY HARDTAIL, I WILL LIVE WITH IT IF I CAN'T FIX IT.
OVERALL I LOVE THIS BIKE, AND I CAN'T SAY THAT ENOUGH. IT'S LIGHT (23.5 LBS, I WEIGHED IT, MINES NOT STOCK THOUGH), FAST AND A LOT OF FUN!
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
George
a Weekend Warrior
from Merrimack, NH, USA
Date Reviewed: September 7, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | New England | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$2500.00 | | Purchased At: | Local Bike Shop | | Strengths: | This is a follow up to my earlier posts.
Brakes are Excellent. I finally changed my fist set of replaceable pads. They last a pretty long time and work well in all conditions I've tried so far. On the ceramic wheels these things (pads) stop extremely well. I don't see a need for discs for any cross country application. Also the cables don't do anything wrong, don't stretch. And the brake cable adjustment is a nice mechanism to work with. All the parts seem to be well made.
I finally figured out the tires. While not the best in New England muck, if you drop the pressure just exactly right they ride much better. I'm flying now! Suggest you work the tire pressures with accuracy and try different settings carefully, they change behavior more than any tire I've previously run. Too hard and they slip slide and bounce off of everything, they seem horrible. But if you soften them just a bit, the ride is incredibly improved.
Nothing has broken and I'm riding it extremely hard and often and I weigh 215 lbs. I've gone straight down granite block (steps?) off a mountain meant for hikers, pounding all the way. Everything seems OK still.
It's a wicked good climber and now I'm flying down the hills as well.
I've hit bumps wicked hard and the rear shock has bottomed out hard quite a few times but hasn't been a problem that I know of. It seems to stay glued to the ground all the time.
What a climber, did I say that? This bike still instills confidence in me. | | Weaknesses: | Still creaks. Very annoyning and the tech reps are not guiding my mechanic properly. They thought it was teflon in the pivots getting dirty. I brought it back to the shop twice. They worked the bottom end and every pivot but not the rear end hub and other stuff suggested by an earlier reader. I'll have them do that next. If it is the teflon, then it gets dirty way too easy. But I think it's in the rear hub/wheel area now. | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized: Stumpjumper M2 Comp hardtail, FSR groundcontrol FS; old Cannondale hardtail. | | Bike Setup: | Completely stock Gary Fisher Sugar 1, year 2000. Except I just moved the bar out just about 3/4 inch forward with a new piece. The guy who felt crowded in the cockpit should try this, especially with a smaller frame. I have a large frame and still felt a bit tight. I wouldn't buy the xlarge, it was just too big all around. | | Bottom Line: | I still really love this bike. Incredible in all cross country. Uphill climbs like anything. So light and nimble. I love it, did I say that already. Get rid of the squeeks and creaks please and then I'll stop complaining. I feel silly on a $3,000 bike making squeeky noises. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rich
a Weekend Warrior
from Milford,Michigan
Date Reviewed: September 4, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Highland | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | Macomb Schwinn | | Strengths: | This bike is a great all around trail/cross country bike. It's geometry is perfect for great performance and handling.
The adjuxtable suspension is perfect when dialed in to your needs. It's lightness is unbeleivable and very quick and nimble. | | Weaknesses: | Reliability. Busted spokes, broken teeth on cogset, snapped chain, annoying creaks/squeaks/chirps, poor paint coverage, Time Atac pedals are not for me. | | Similar Products Used: | Joshua,Schwinn rocket | | Bike Setup: | Stock except for Speedplay pedals | | Bottom Line: | This is a great bike, but I think that it has quite a few bugs to be worked out still. I'm a singletrack rider about 4 times a week and an occasional racer. It's been in the shop at least 10 times for something or another but mostly the annoying creaks. The G.F. rep has loaned me his Sugar 1 so it has taken out some of the frustration but for a top of the line expensive bike it's been less than pleasant. I've been waiting to write this because of the ongoing nature of trying to fix all the problems but it seems that it will never end. I could write a book on what the rep has done to try to get rid of the noises and right now it's the quietest it's been, just a little spoke rubbing. (I think) The bike shop has been great and so has the rep, but the product needs work. I can't give a great rating to problems as annoying as these, even though my bike shop has eased the frustration. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike D.
a Cross Country Rider
from Amherst, MA
Date Reviewed: September 1, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Metacomet & Manadnock (M&M) | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1100.00 | | Strengths: | "Genesis Geometry", stiff and efficient drive train, light weight | | Weaknesses: | I cracked it!, specifically at its welded seat tube/main pivot junction. | | Similar Products Used: | Proflex 855, GT LTS1, Specialized S-Works FSR XC | | Bottom Line: | Note: The following review applies only to the Sugar 1 frame, which I purchased for $1100.
The good news; I think this frame is the answer to anyone who thinks that hardtails just don't cut it in the rough stuff. The terrain I like to ride on, and actually don't
have a choice, is the awesome, root-infested, typically loose, really rocky, off-camber trails of New England mountains. I've never enjoyed my old hardtail as much as a
previous full suspension I had, but the Sugar 1 was the in-the-middle answer I was seeking to the super efficient climbing ability of my hardtail combined with the
bump-eating prowess of my dual suspension. I decided to sell both and I bought a Sugar, and for almost three months I loved it to death.
The bad news; I loved it to death. I cracked mine, as described above. And yep, "I was just riding along", or something like that, as I'm no "free-rider" or anything of that sort. On August 31st I went for my typical New England ride. When I did my post ride cleaning/maintenance ritual I discovered the crack (just like "truth betold's" review below mine describes). I went to the bike shop of
purchase today, September 1st, and Fisher Bikes informed them that they'd send me a new one in a week or two as soon as they painted it. Painted it! I just hope it might be a
2001 Sugar 1 running a reinforced weld at it's main pivot. It's too bad this happened because I loved this frame. It's what I thought any minimal mountain bike should be; something with real rear wheel travel, since I don't really enjoy hardtails, and I don't think "softails" are the answer". Supposedly, Trek and Klein will be making a similar bike available for 2001. I just hope that they've learned from the problem that the current Sugars face. Overall, the Sugars are awesome and I'm hoping that Fisher Bikes will solve my problem quickly and effectively. I like the frame, but I'm crossing my fingers that I'll get an appropriate replacement. So, maybe the 4 flamin' pickles I'm gonna give are just too high though, No? | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
truth betold
a Downhiller
from littleton
Date Reviewed: August 30, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only | | Strengths: | it's yellow | | Weaknesses: | the frames break. i work at a shop and have seen two frames separate completely at the main pivot. both of the bikes were only a couple of mothes old. i am not even an engineer yet and i know that a but weld is going to fail. i don't know what kind of monkeys they have working at gf, but they need to put out a real bike. they need a real pivot near the dropout to tame the super fast rebound. and put some inches on it to make it worth while. | | Similar Products Used: | super 8, spec fsr elite, giant hardtail. | | Bike Setup: | platform pedals on all cross country bikes | | Bottom Line: | skip the sugar and eat something fatty. add a pound and get some quality. go with yeti, titus, intense, or the like. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
JM
a Cross Country Rider
from Wayland, MA
Date Reviewed: August 28, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Vietnam, Callahan | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | No bobbing on climbs and mega-adjustable rear shock allows you to set up for a hard-tail to free-ride type ride. Genesis geometry will change your confidence on descents. Sid SL is a fabulous air shock. Avid Mag brakes great. Never thought I'd say this but the seat is the best. | | Weaknesses: | Wheels and tires, crankset (see below). | | Similar Products Used: | tried K2 Razorback, Santa Cruz Superlight, etc. Sugar 1 was by far and away the winner | | Bike Setup: | Upgraded to XTR drivetrain, Salsa post, Bontrager Race Lite Bar Ends. Michelin Lite S 1.95" tires and Torrelli Ultralight tubes. Large frame with this set up weighed in at 24.75 lbs. | | Bottom Line: | Great bike -- made a huge difference in my race results (as compared to the 30 pound hardtail I was riding ;). No bobbing on the climbs, great rear shock performance and adjustments. Suspension took the edge off of long rides and races while speeding climbing performance -- more tire on the ground. Weaknesses are the wheels, tires and crankset. Read the reviews on MTBR on the Race Lite wheelset or on Hugi hubs. Bontrager spec'd King hubs on these wheels but then a purchasing manager at Trek decided that all Trek-built wheels (Bontrager, Rolf, etc.) should all have the same hubs -- Hugi won out. Hugi rear hubs stink. Mine failed after two months of riding (when your freewheel fails, you're walking and in my case I was walking a miles) and then failed again within 24-hours of being serviced. Warranty took care of it, but Hugi hubs turned this from a great wheelset to a lousy one--bring back the Kings! Tires aren't good at all for New England rocky/rooty singletrack -- they won't hold a line on anything buy SoCal hardpack. Bontrager house cranks not as smooth shifting as Shimano -- trade 'em in at the shop. Expensive bike, but definitely worth it. Buy this if you are into racing or riding the trails at speed -- you won't be dissapointed. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dan
a Cross Country Rider
from Maryland
Date Reviewed: August 23, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | I like em all too. | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | The bike is fantastic. I used to race motocross as a teenager. My first bicycle experiences this summer left me underwhelmed and anatomically abused. The sugar 1 has changed my mind. It performs as expected. Light, fast, maneuverable, shock-absorbing. It rocks. | | Weaknesses: | My bike has developed the squeak. Its annoying and it seems to come from the crank. | | Similar Products Used: | Fisher big sur. Good bike, great geometry, but... after a while your butt and back are shot, party over. Thudbuster post added with Bontrager FS 2000 saddle. Worked wonders, but not enough. | | Bike Setup: | Stock | | Bottom Line: | Im 36, weigh in at 174 lbs.(79kg for the rest of the world) and in very athletic shape. The sugar 1 has allowed me to attack the trails hard. I could do it on the hardtail with the thudbuster post and saddle upgrade, but not for long rides. With the sugar 1 I also have been able to make a lot of climbs that I couldn't make on the hardtail, probably because of the weight/suspension combo. I havn't experienced any bob with the suspension. The price is high, no question, but the bike delivers true performance. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
andrew bernard
a Cross Country Rider
from geneva
Date Reviewed: August 11, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | richmond park | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Light weight, very little bob from rear suspension, stiff where it needs to be, quality components, brakes excellent - discs are pure overkill, looks the business! | | Weaknesses: | fork quite 'stictiony', tyres do not inspire confidence, bar a bit too wide, no bar ends. | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | swapped XT shifters to XTR, swapped Time pedals for Shimano 858's, not played with shock settings yet. | | Bottom Line: | Did not rate FS bikes until I tried this one - very little energy wasted on rear shock, but big hits absorbed well. Will definitely be faster than my DBR hardtail on all but the smoothest surfaces. Could lose more weight in BB (Race Face Ti?) and saddle, but feel that bar ends are an essential addition, as otherwise cockpit feels too small. I have a medium, am 5'8 1/2" and weigh 60kg. Any shock set up advice welcome! Have cut bars done by 2cm overall as feel they are a bit too wide - and I saved 4 grams! The tyres are really not good, and I would welcome anyone who thinks otherwise to explain when and where they are good, before I order a new set. Any recommendations? Fork is a bit sticky - maybe it needs to bed in, or perhaps a quick spray of lube before a ride might help. Has anyone actually weighed their bike? Is it really 23.5 lbs? | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
ron keulen
a Cross Country Rider
from the Netherlands
Date Reviewed: August 3, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Are Sweden number 7 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Genesis geometry together with B-link rear suspension. Bike is fast up and downhill, fast steering bike, light as a feather, no energy loss from B-link, very good rear and front transmissions (XTR-XT, Better V brakes then ever found before, also due to the special wheels. Excellent rear shock SID, front suspension a little stiff (SID SL) | | Weaknesses: | no possibility for mounting Magura Louise or simular disk brake at the rear!(braking with the rear you can steer, braking with the front you go...). Just read that diskbrakes can be mounted on 2001 models...... The tires from the set-up are no good except for the road! They have no grip! | | Similar Products Used: | paragon | | Bike Setup: | new shimano 900 series pedals, tires changed to Mythos XC 2.1. I weight about 58 kg, so the front and rear shock are adjusted for my weight | | Bottom Line: | tried this bike in Holland (in the sand and clay) took it to sweden (forest roads, cross county ski paths, in the wilderness and in Are on every track of the WC XC. I am convinced that this bike is the solution for faster driving on difficult grounds. The B-link system works very well in combination with the genesis geometry. Absolutly recommened for technical terrain. It's a lot of money for me (special thanks to my bike shop!)it's very much worth it. Thanks also to Fisher who gave my data on the rear shock pressure.
Who should buy this bike? If you want the top of the line in XC biking this bike is simply your choise? If you don't want to spend this much, look at the other Sugars (same priniple other set-up) | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rami Boneh
a Cross Country Rider
from Israel
Date Reviewed: August 3, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Light,fast,comfortable. | | Weaknesses: | Have somtimes little squeaks. Problem to fit on a car bike carrier. | | Similar Products Used: | Gary Fisher Hoo Koo E Koo | | Bike Setup: | Standard with bontegar bar ends | | Bottom Line: | Great bike. Very fast, very light and for such are very comfortable. Also great to ride on the road (to improve my endurance)which is surprising for a full suspension XC bikes. Since I bought them I'm 5 km/h faster and the joy of the ride is much greater then a hard tail. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Justin
a Racer
from Boise, Idaho
Date Reviewed: July 30, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | #4 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Climbing, descending, hammering flats...everthing. This bike makes hardtails obsolete. | | Weaknesses: | **ATTENTION* those with squeaks/creaks** | | Bike Setup: | stock | | Bottom Line: | This is a great bike! I have raced it all year and loved it on every course. The frame and suspension are spot on for XC racing, training and playing (if you take the time to set it up correctly). The WTB tires are very fast rollers and work great on hardpack but as with all tires, aren't great in all conditions. The chainrings are not on par with Shimano for smooth shifting.
*ATTENTION* If you have a squeaky/creaky sound under power, there are several possible culprits (maybe combined): 1)A dirty/dry seat post. Take it out, clean it and the seat tube, grease the inside of the seat tube and reinstall the post. 2)The contact area between the cog set and freewheel is dirty/dry. Remove the cog set, clean all surfaces, grease the inside of the cogset carrier and reinstall the cogset. 3)One of the bearings in the rear hub is binding or twisting slightly. Disassemble the rear hub and be sure that each bearing is seated properly and rolling freely. On the Hugi 240 rear hub the non-drive side bearing tends to losen up and "wander" around. Remove the bearing, clean it and the contact inside the hub, put loctite on it and press it back in. Be sure that it is tight against the shoulder (use a socket and light taps with a hammer if you need to). 4)The spokes are rubbing each other. Race lights have fairly high tension so they are tight against each other where they cross. When you put power to the cogs it "pulls/pushes" the spokes against each other. Put dry lube (Ice Wax) on each spoke cross and flex the spokes slightly to get the lube between them. 5)A dry/dirty bottom bracket. Remove it, clean it and the threads in the frame, grease the threads (heavily) and reinstall it tightly (use a torque wrench if you have one). Try these one at a time so you know which one it is once you fix it. My guess is the cog set/freewheel interface. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Curtis Bayer
a Cross Country Rider
from Lake Arrowhead, CA
Date Reviewed: July 28, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Gooseberry Mesa, UT | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | All I've mentioned before.
| | Weaknesses: | Carbon chain stays | | Similar Products Used: | As mentioned before. | | Bike Setup: | Same as before, although I've put some bar ends and some Panaracer Fire XC Pro 2.1's on (theses tires rock, by the way...) | | Bottom Line: | A potential weakness. "I was just riding along when....." I was negotiating a downhill hairpin through rocks at Rim Nordic Race Course. I ended up dumping the bike and found that a rock had left a nasty gash on the carbon stay. My experience with carbon in golf club shafts is that it likes to unravel as you flex it and it quickly loses strength.
Fortunately, I had some duct tape and slapped it on the wound to keep the fibers in place. When I got home, I checked for integrity and figured the walls were thick enough for the abuse. I filled the gash with some clear epoxy, and have had no problems since. Still, beware of the potential for this happening.
Other than that, this bike ROCKS! I've raced it, ridden it on 6 hour rides, beaten it at Mammoth, and it still is the best bike I've ever thrown a leg over. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
joe shmoe
a Cross Country Rider
from MA
Date Reviewed: July 26, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | I like em all | | Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only | | Bottom Line: | This is simply an observation against a comment made by
a previous reviewer. They complain about the use of the
carbon set stays saying that it doesn't make the bike
lighter, just more expensive. The point of the stays is
not lightness. It is to allow flex. While the sugar's
suspension is not pivotless, it is missing the pivot at
the drop-out. For the suspension to actuate, either the
chainstay or seatstay must bend a little. Carbon fiber
has excellent fatigue resistence and its flexibility can
be directionally controlled (i.e. stiff in one direction,
flexible in the other) depending on how the fibers are
aligned. It you tried to make this out of aluminum, it
would break in short order. The only other choices of
materials would be steel or titanium (steel would be
heavier, and titanium I'm guessing would be more expensive).
This is why you don't see pivotless soft-tail suspension
bikes made out of aluminum. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jim
a Cross Country Rider
from Santa Barbara
Date Reviewed: July 26, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | romero canyon | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | This is a reply to George with the creaking sound somewhere on his bike. My Sugar is holding up great so far but I'm also getting a creak on my bike too. I find that the WTB tires are working out great for me for pretty much all conditions (So Cal). You can drop the pressure down on them without to much worry about pinch flats because of the volume size of tires (unless you are a 250 lb dude. They also roll great on flats- better than my standby IRC Mythos hoops. Also, I love the avid brakes. The ceramic on the race lites and the avids work well together- why need disc's? | | Weaknesses: | I'm geting a similar creak also. I suspect it's the crankset and I'm going to replace it with an XT hollowcore. I've had absolutely no problem with an XT hollowcore crank on my K2 and I'll post again and let you know if that solves the problem. | | Similar Products Used: | K2 Razorback, Specialized FSR, Giant full susp. | | Bike Setup: | Stock except for Easton CT2 handlebars | | Bottom Line: | Still appreciating this bike day by day... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
George
a
from Merrimack, NH
Date Reviewed: July 25, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | This is a quick update to my first post below. I wish to update on the sound it is making.
Still an incredible climber. I still love it in any cross country ride. I still recommend it. | | Weaknesses: | The sqeaking I observed when pedalling uphill is NOT the shoes rubbing on the pedals. It sounds more like boards of a floor creaking. It makes the sound even without shoes so it's not shoes and it doesn't come from the pedal area. It is also not the bottom end, the mechanic took the bottom all apart and reassembled it, yet the noise is still there when pedalling and delivering stress to the rear end and suspension. It appears to be coming from the rear end area. The shop mechanic where I purchased the bike talked to the Gary Fisher rep and I have to bring it in again so they can look at something else in the suspension joints. I suspect the suspesion or even the spokes of the rear wheel. I will post once it is fixed.
I'd also like to add that it frequently has shifted off the chainrings in both directions, off the large and inside off the small ring. Even after shop readjustment it continues to do this. In reading other reviews I'm beginning to believe these are not the best chain rings. That will be cured soon enough as chain rings geneerally don't last very long anyway. To my surprise the stock chain fell apart on one ride I was on. Not a hard ride and the bike is very new. I had to take a link out in the field to complete my ride. I will soon replace the chain too. Is that a freak break or the chain's fault, I don't know. | | Similar Products Used: | Cannondale, Specialized Stumpjumper M2 Comp. Specialized FSR Ground Control full suspension | | Bike Setup: | stock 2000 Sugar 1 | | Bottom Line: | This is still an incredible bike and I still love it. I believe the problems to be minor and they are more minor than problems I've experienced on other bikes. The sqeaking / creaking is irritating but I hope it will be soon fixed. So far the shop hasn't charged me a dime and it's good to note they are incredibly responsive when I show up with my Sugar 1, they all think extremely highly of it as well.
I still love this bike and I love it more with each ride!!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Paul Szever
a Cross Country Rider
from Kitchener
Date Reviewed: July 23, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Hydro cut Waterloo | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Weight, geometry, fit and finish.This bike is made for someone who wants all the benefits of full suspension without the negatives. | | Weaknesses: | none that i can think of yet.Yes it,s alittle pricey but you can always buy a Sugar 2,3 or 4 save some cash and still have blast. | | Similar Products Used: | FSR,AMP B5,Devinci Bansai | | Bike Setup: | med Frame XTR brakes,shifters,levers,crankset BB. Crossmax wheelset,easton carbon Monkey lites,Thompson elite seatpost,Marzocchi Z2 Atombomb | | Bottom Line: | My first ride was a great, everything fell right into place. I rode a stock Sugar 1.But my friends at my bike shop Spokes and slopes in Milton were able to get me a frame with a sid rear shock.From there i was able to build this sweet(get it)ride.Im able to blast hills I either grunted up or ended up walking (I hate walking).I love this 24 lb bullit.Think I,ll go for another ride. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Guy
a Racer
from Quebec City
Date Reviewed: July 17, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Mt Ste-Anne | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Light, Handling, Genesis Geometry, SID fork and shock. | | Weaknesses: | Bontrager components... | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized Ground Control FSR Comp. | | Bike Setup: | XTR Crank, XTR-Mavic Rear wheel... | | Bottom Line: | This is a follow-up of my previous post. I installed the XTR crankset and it is light years ahead of the Bontrager in terms of stiffness and smooth shifts. I could never get the Bontrager to shift smoothly. If you go for the same upgrade, you need the XTR bottom bracket with the 116 mm spindle.
The Hugi hub in the Race Lite rear wheel let go after a month!!! According to the reviews in the Hugi 240 hubs section; mine is not the only one. Good thing I had a spare wheel.
Also regarding shock set-up I got the following information from Gary Fisher technical support:
Sugar Shock set-up
100-130lb rider 30-60psi
130-160 60-90
160-200 90-130
200+ 130-150psi
Set up shock with 5-7mm sag
For negative spring pressure, set at ½ of positive as a starting point.
Then tune accordingly to personal preference.
Keith Meyer
Tech Guy for,
Trek, Fisher and Rolf Wheels.
Overall, I am still very pleased with the bike.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jim
a Cross Country Rider
from Santa Barbara,CA
Date Reviewed: July 17, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Handling, weight, wheels, suspension | | Weaknesses: | Cranky crank...Sticky pedals | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized full suspen cross country,K2 razorback | | Bike Setup: | Stock except for Easton carbon fiber bar and also barends... | | Bottom Line: | Coming off a full suspension K2 4000, the Sugar feels more like a hardtail without the sting. The change to air shocks has definitely lightened up bikes in general and the Sugar weighs about 4 lbs lighter than my ole K2. The weight factor means less fatigue in a race or a 30 mile backcountry excursion. I went up to Big Bear and came in 3rd in my category, and the following weekend did the Flume trail in Tahoe. I'm impressed with how the flex free back end doesn't pogo when standing up and pedaling yet absorbs terrain on downhills and flats.
The only complaint I have is the parts pick. I'm having problems with the stock crank in that it tends to misshift and pop off the chain occasionally- not alot but enough to make me consider an XT Shimano hollowcore crank which I had on my K2. Also the Time pedals are a bit of a learning curve for me. They are great for feeling secure on the bike in races, but if you are doing technical single track and lose momentum in a rock garden you can't dab out as quickly as SPD's. I'm getting tired of donating skin to the landscape. Speedgoat has some "shaved" cleats and I'll try
these first before going back to my Girvin Mags. By the way the "squeaky" sound that the prior reviewer noted is the rubber on the bottom of the shoes rubbing against the pedal.
I recommend this bike for any cross country rider. It is not as plush as a coil sprung bike but you will be able to put in the miles with less fatigue. If you can fork over the bucks for the Sugar One- and do shop around, I think the bike doesn't need alot of upgrades. I planning on a XTR cassette, XT crank, and maybe different pedals eventually.
Happy kick ass trails...... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
George
a Cross Country Rider
from Merrimack, New Hampshire, USA
Date Reviewed: July 17, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Wonderful climber. For me, that is it's top strength. It is so very light and easy to move around. So much power goes efficiently and effectively to the ground. So much that I am amazed each time I ride it. I am 6 foot one and about 215 pounds. I need every bit of help I can get climbing and the Sugar 1 delivers. The components for the most part work quite well. In difficult technical parts it seems to be easy to handle and recovers very well from my mistakes. It actually has made me over confident. It gets me through very technical climbs I could never do with any of my other bikes. That is a real strong compliment to Gary Fisher's Sugar 1 for doing cross country technical single track. I feel no negative effects of the rear suspension in any climb.
I admit I fell in love with it in the showroom, it fit perfectly. Nothing fits me perfectly because of my tall frame and long torso and arms. I test rode it and I was history. Now, after a dozen rides, many gruelling to me, I still love it and look forward to the next ride. | | Weaknesses: |
My front chain rings fell apart. The bolts just don't hold together. They need locktite or something. Is this a poor design? I never had that problem with any of my other bikes using other chainrings. I find the adjustment of the shocks to be difficult. I had it out once and the washboard surfaces came right through the handlebars, worse than my other bikes. I hope it's just adjustment but again it's really hard to dial it in just right. I wish Gary Fisher provided a tuning manual and tuning tricks. The manuals are not useful there. Sometimes the front end jars me just too much. I will continue to try to dial it in. The tires are just awful. I actually get scared on them and never experienced that before on any other tire. The worst is on a road with crushed stones. I was riding that tire on the road, chasing my racer buddies and felt like I was going down the entire time. The tires have no tread to speak of and the little stones have no place to hide but to move the tires all around. The tires also were not as grippy in the muddy surfaces I often encounter so I slip more than I used to. The only other technical problem I encounter is a weird squeeking sound when I peddle up hill, sounds like bottom crank but the mechanic can't find it, even after disassembling. It sounds like a floor squeeking with each push of my pedals. I'm guessing suspension joints or maybe even rear tire or hub. I can't find it.
Uphill I don't want any other bike, no matter how steep and no matter how technical. Downhill on really rough terrain I'm not so sure. I used to recklessly run down technical stuff on my Specialized M2 Comp and it would just find a speed that it loved and I was very confident. I haven't felt that way yet on the Sugar 1. I can't seem to find it's natural ressonance where it absorbs it all and just flies downhill over rocks given it's suspension components and my weight. Maybe I just need more time on it. I chose a large frame. With my long torso and long arms I might want to move the bars out a bit more than stock. Otherwise great fit off the rack.
| | Similar Products Used: | Old Cannondale hard tail; Specialized Stumpjumper M2 Comp hard tail; Specailized FSR Ground Control full suspension | | Bike Setup: | Stock Sugar 1, year 2K. Large frame size | | Bottom Line: | Best bike I ever rode, especially best uphills and in technical climbs. I was outperforming some good racers in those conditions and I'm not all that good. Could use different tires and the chainring bolts need locktite or something. Tricky to dial in the shocks, I wish Gary or someone would send all of us owners a cheat sheet. I'm not going as fast as I'd like downhill yet. Not sure if I blame the bike yet. All in all it is worth every penny. Did I mention it looks good?
It is pricey. This is my first bike at the $2,500 cost.
This is a serious bike for the serious technical climber or for the aggressive rider who wants to let technology and money help them get through tough uphill sections better and more efficiently, not a plush rider, innovative geometry, wonderful feeling to riding it uphill.
I just love this bike. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Guy
a Racer
from Quebec City
Date Reviewed: July 7, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Enduro Sud, Mt Ste-Anne | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Light, No Bobbing, Components selection: SID SL, Seat, Time Pedal, Wheelset, Headset.... | | Weaknesses: | Crank and chainrings | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized FSR | | Bike Setup: | Stock except the tires | | Bottom Line: | This is an excellent bike. I have been riding for the last 3 years on a Specialized FSR Comp that I got down to 25.5 lbs with XTR wheels, Minautor 380 tires, XTR components, etc.. The Spez was also a great bike but the Sugar is really superior.
There is no bobbing of the rear suspension at all! I did this test: I pushed the O-ring on the SID shock against the body while riding on the street. Then I stand up and hammer the pedals, when I checked, the O-ring had not moved. However, the suspension is quite supple to bumps and absorbs them very well for it's limited travel. (Better than the Spez which had only bushings in those days and much stiction).
It weighs 24 lbs stock and with Performance Lunar Light tubes and Maxxis Minautor Tires, I got it down to 23.25Lbs. (The handling get quite squirelly with the Minautors tough, it's steering better with IRC Mythos)
I was considering the Specialized S-Works FSR but the fact that it comes with a Manitou Mars (All the one I have seen at local races were blown, the one at the local dealer leaked real bad.) a cheap seat and Specialized pedals convinced me to go with the Sugar which was also less expensive.
I have some problems with the Bontrager Race Light crank and chainrings. They do not shift smooth and the bolts holding the rings were coming loose. I had to locktite them in place. (XTR crank on order, that will fix it!) I also had to tighten the spokes on the wheel about 1.5 turns.
Very light and nice handling bike; the Genesis Geometry really works. I'm 5 ft 8", 145 lbs. and the Medium size fits me perfectly. As recommended by Gary Fisher tech. support, I run 90 psi in the main chamber and 45 in the secondary. I run the damping adjuster on the rear shock about 1/3 of a turn from fully in. I followed RockShox recommendation on the front fork.
I recommend this bike for racers and fast XC riders.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dan
a Cross Country Rider
from Manchester, NH, USA
Date Reviewed: July 5, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Fire Line | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | weight, no bobbing, wheelset | | Weaknesses: | tires, price, chainring rub | | Similar Products Used: | Trek STP, Bridgestone MB-0 | | Bike Setup: | stock | | Bottom Line: | As a former X-C racer that has ridden a hardtail for ten years my goal was to find a more comfortable ride that didn't suck energy by bobbing and that didn't weigh a ton. As I looked for a new bike over the past couple of years, every full suspension bike I rode (Klen Mantra, Trek Y, Pro-Flex, Cannondale Super-V) suffered from unwanted travel or excess weight.
When I rode a softtail (Trek STP) I was impressed with the ride but unimpressed with the travel (too little for the $$).
The Sugar has been the best compromise for comfort and weight that I have found. I have long arms and love the Genesis geometry, but it does make the tight singletrack here in New England a little trickier. It descends much better than my hardtail due to the stretched out geometry and climbs just as well due to its low weight.
The tunability of the SID adjust is awesome. If you want a plusher ride, it's easy to bias up the negative spring pressure. Beware though, you get limited travel with this bike - it's definitely not the right bike if you want to do big drop-ins and race downhill.
The only technical complaints I have are with the chainrings and the tires. With the chain in the smallest cog and the middle ring, the chain rubbed on the shifting ramps of the large chainring. The fix was a spacer in the bottom bracket to move the crankarm away from the BB shell. Though the bike shop told me that that they had received no other similar complaints, my girlfriend's Suger 2 had the same problem. In any case, the fix was easy and quickly done by the shop.
The tires pretty much suck in the terrain I ride. Roots, wet soil, off camber trails are all problems for these tires. They are not so bad as to be dangerous, but you definitely have to weight them correctly to get traction in all conditions - no sleeping allowed.
Also, the bike is expensive, but I didn't want to spend the time and hassle trying to get light weight by rebuilding the Sugar 2. If money is an issue, buy the Sugar 2 and replace the heavy stuff with light components as they wear out or break. I knew the price going in and have no regrets, make sure you do the same.
If you want hardtail performance with a bit more comfort, this is a great bike. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris
a Racer
from Toronto, ON, Canada
Date Reviewed: May 19, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | 3 Rocks | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Suspension design,weight for a full suspention bike,Genesis Geometry. | | Weaknesses: | A little more XTR would have been nice, Not completely sold on the Bontrager RaceLite crank and rings. Cannot mount Disc Brakes on rear Triangle. | | Similar Products Used: | Giant XTC DS-1 and XTC Team (with NRS suspension), Specialized FSR XC, Cannodale Jekyll 900sl | | Bike Setup: | Stock with Selle Italia Flite Gel saddle and 858 pedals. | | Bottom Line: | Excellent race bike and very fast. The suspension is the best feature on this rig. With the rear sid adjust you can fine-tune your ride to most types of terrain and uses. The sid up front works well with the rear and the 25" bar adds that extra bit of control. Overall a great riding racer. For the price there should have been more XTR components, at least the shifters and the cassette. The Bontrager racelite wheel set is great and help with the speed of the bike but I tend to feel weary at times over rough terrain. This should wear off over time as long as these light wheels keep going strong.
The real bottom line is that this bike can cut your race times significantly and improve your speed and handling. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeff Barrett
a Racer
from Cedar, Michigan, US
Date Reviewed: May 11, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | VASA unmarked singletrack | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | weight for FSR, geometry, wheelset, lateral stiffness, | | Weaknesses: | $$, does anyone wonder about the SID SL fork? | | Similar Products Used: | Santa Cruz Superlight | | Bike Setup: | stock except xtr front derailier, Continental tires, 747's | | Bottom Line: | This is an outstanding bike for its purpose as a short travel full suspension XC racing bike. You can make lots of suspension adjustments to meet rider needs. It gives the rider a lot more confidence in descending than on a hardtail because the rear wheel maintains contact with the ground. The bike climbs as well as my hardtail when sitting and spinning,but I think you lose some efficiency when standing and hammering. The wheelset is sweet (light yet strong). My bike weighs 23.5 and can get lighter. The only draw back is cost, but if you have the bucks, race XC and are looking to eliminate lower back pains this is the best bike on the market right now. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Curtis Bayer
a Cross Country Rider
from Lake Arrowhead, CA
Date Reviewed: May 5, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Gooseberry Mesa, Utah | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | •Sid SL/Sid Rear combo •Frame design and weight •Love the WTB saddle | | Weaknesses: | Price, if you pay MSRP | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized S Works FSR XC, Trek Y bike, K2 | | Bike Setup: | Purchased with Mavic 517 ceramic's on Chris King's, Chris King H/S, Gripshift 9.0sl w/derailleur, Bontrager pedals. | | Bottom Line: | I purchased my Sugar through MTBReview's own daily market and got a 1 month old bike in brand new condition for a LOT less than retail. I was wanting to go with a racing F/S design because the 3 hour rides were starting to take their toll on my lower back. After doing several rides on known trails, I can tell you that the Sugar is (1) Faster than my old Trek 8900 (2) More comfortable than I could've dreamed, and (3) lighter to boot!
Suprisingly, the long top tube/short stem combo makes for a real responsive machine. It is almost intuitive when negotiating singletrack. The Genesis geometry works well for my physical stature and lets me keep traction on technical ascents. On downhill, it flat out flies!
The Sid combo handles the rough stuff in a big way. Once you dial in the front and rear, the only thing you notice is the lack of pounding your'e taking. I'm a masher and I still get very little bob, even when out of saddle.
For a racer, particularly if you are a part of the 30+ age group, the Sugar is what you dream a bike should be. It'll do the long epic stuff, and show up on Saturday at the start line ready to go. Overall, I am very pleased with the way this bike treats me on the trail. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Moses Fisher
a Racer
from Vienna, Austria,
Date Reviewed: May 2, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | alps | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Great frame the link is very stiff.Very solid...no unwanted flex anywhere. Super-adjustable. Lightweight. Simple...easy
Very solid...no unwanted flex anywhere. Super-adjustable. Lightweight. Simple...easy maintenance.
| | Weaknesses: | no | | Bike Setup: | XTR, Sram 9.0 Brakes, Ritchey, Mavic, Manitou CL, SID rear, | | Bottom Line: | A great bike for a race, especially a long, rocky one.You can't fit much bigger than a 2.1 on this frame.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Curtis Bayer
a Cross Country Rider
from Lake Arrowhead, CA
Date Reviewed: May 1, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Gooseberry Mesa, Utah | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Frame design. Sid's front and rear. Weight (23.89lbs). Bontrager parts(never broke one yet). Handling. Love the WTB seat w/gel insert. | | Weaknesses: | Could use some bar ends. | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized S Works FSR/XC, Y-Bike, and a host of hard tails. | | Bike Setup: | Stock except wheelset is Mavic 517 Ceramic's w/King hubs. Gripshift 9.0sl shifters and derailleur. King headset. Bontrager RE-1 pedals. | | Bottom Line: | I purhased my bike from MTBReview's own daily market and got the setup as described and paid a lot less than retail for a bike that is basically brand new (thanx, Greg). I've logged about 120 miles of trail riding on the bike and it is so superior to my old hardtail that I can't believe it!
The suspension design is great; I watched the rear give maybe 1/2 inch in travel during hard, big ring mashes. But, when seated, it would absorb bumps and clatters with aplomb.
Obviously, it rocks on the descents. The suspension is part of the reason, but the long top tube with the shorter stem make for a quick steering machine. I was suprised at how nimble it is. I'm sure that has to do with its light weight as well.... My large frame set up is 23.89lbs. That was measured on my police department dope scale (hope it's accurate, or there goes some cases!)
On climbs, the rear tire stays glued to the trail. Also, I noticed my legs were fresher after descents and it translated into a bigger gear going up.
Overall, the Sugar 1 is clocking quicker on known trail times than I've ever done before. My lower back is not shot at the end of a 3 hour ride; and best of all, it injects alot of the old fun back into hard core cycling. I can see why they named it Sugar because it's suuuweeet! I can't wait to show up at the start line for the 2000 race season!
Buy this bike if your'e looking for comfort without sacrficing performance or weight. And you don't have to race to appreciate the quality of this great ride! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tyler Hester
a Racer
from San Anselmo CA
Date Reviewed: April 30, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | porcupine rim | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | This bike is a cross country machine. The easily adjustable suspension does not allow for anyone to say that it bobs becuase the suspension can simply be pumped up. That is one of the main worries with a dual suspension bike that people should not concern themselves with; however, even when I had the suspension without much pressure there was very little bob simply becuase the geometry of the bike does not promote bob. The components are all high quality: race light is da shiznit, XT and XTR is nothing to change. | | Weaknesses: | The only weakness that I have found with the bike is the annoying little rear brake cable that sticks out and thwaks my leg. I simply put a zip tie around it and the problem was solved. I have already taken this bike on a hardcore trip to Moab, Fruita, Mt. Tam, and a race at Boggs mountain and that is the only weakness that I have found. | | Similar Products Used: | I work at a bike shop and so I see most all of the cross country D/S racers and this one is far and away the most efficient. The trek D/S racers don't give enough suspension and you might as well buy a hardtail, the superlight is another good option to consider; however, it has four inches of rear travel and that was just too much for my liking. | | Bike Setup: | I added an XTR front derauller, and XTR shifters. The reason that I did that is because I got a good deal on the bike and I could afford to put a little extra money into it. Otherwise the stock setup would have been great too. | | Bottom Line: | As I mentioned before, today I got back from an intense week of riding in Utah and Colorado as well as a race and I have yet to find something that bothers me.
Climbing:
While on the trip I ran the suspension a little easier and noticed hardly any bob. For the race I pumped up the suspension and couldn't feel any bob even if I tried. The suspension helps but the geometry is brilliant.
Decending:
During the trip I did some really knarly downhill (portal, porkupine rim, amasa back) and the suspension gracefully took the sting out of big hits and evaporated the smaller bumps in the trail. This is not a downhill bike but it surely makes downhill more friendly.
The bottom line:
Right now there are a few options to choose from in terms of the full suspension cross counties. I think that the sugar 1 is the most reasonable and efficient one on the market.
Some that I have talked two have been a little upset with a nearly 3 grand price tag but I believe that anyone seriously racing and set on winning has got to invest in their bike. Other products that are comparable are all more expensive.
This bike has my full two thumbs up!
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mikr
a Racer
from Wolfe Gap, Virginia
Date Reviewed: April 23, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only | | Strengths: | Light, No bob, plusher than an STP | | Weaknesses: | No disc brake tabs, Can't fit big tires, Carbon stays do nothing but raise the price | | Similar Products Used: | STP, Y-Bikes, Moots YBB, I-Drive | | Bike Setup: | Stock | | Bottom Line: | Fisher designed this bike for racing. Their is little energy lost when climbing, the bob of other suspension designs just isn't here. Much more plush than a pivotless design. A great bike for a race, especially a long, rocky one.
Drawbacks: Carbon seat stays, come on, they don't save any weight, all they do is add price. Any weight saved by usign carbon is lost when the carbon is bonded to the Al. No disc brakes tabs. In an effort to save weight, Fisher left these off. Rumour has it that tabs will be on next year's addition. And my biggest complaint. Fat tires do not fit in the frame. Downhill tires are fun, no way about it. Pump up to 20psi and they don't flat. Unfortuantly you can't fit much bigger than a 2.1 on this frame.
Verdict- I would love to have a sugar to do nothing but race on, but as it is now, the sugar is too limiting to warrent sinking that much money into. Look for revisions next year. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
corbett mortensen
a Racer
from omaha, ne 68133
Date Reviewed: April 12, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Platte River State Park | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | It TRULY responds like a hardtail where you want it to. It is a brilliant climber. | | Weaknesses: | Could have had a better part spec for the money. | | Similar Products Used: | Trek Y-50 | | Bike Setup: | Standard although I'm probably going to put a Monkey Riser, Thompson Elite and XTR Ti cog. Oh yeah, I have Ritchey pedals cause I was to lazy to set up the Times that came with it. | | Bottom Line: | I'm really happy with it so far. It is nearly as plush as my Y-50 (feels like about 90%). It weighs 23.5 pounds on the nose with all stock parts except my Ritchey pedals, (medium frame). I'm a big proponent of racing with full suspension. Your legs are fresher for climbs, now the suspension doesn't suck my energy on the climbs. Seriously it climbs almost as good as my Trek 8900, (97%). Another plus is that it has the same geometry as the Fisher hardtails which means it short and handles well. After riding this, I realized that the Y bike is really long. Even with it's suspension locked out, this climbs better, (might be the weight).
I'm completely satisfied. I'd absolutely recomend it to anyone. By the way, the Sugar 2 is nice as well. My friend bought it and for the money, that's a great deal.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tortuga
a Cross Country Rider
from Rockville, MD
Date Reviewed: April 1, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Frederick watershed | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | climbs like a mother f_cker. insane on downhills. love the geometry...it's almost an unfair advantage. racelites are awesome. | | Weaknesses: | original setup. what's up with the mini stem? | | Similar Products Used: | santa cruz superlight-xtr | | Bike Setup: | xtr-derailleurs & shift/brake pods.thompson seatpost. easton monkeylite riser bar.chris king headset.race face stem.all else stock. | | Bottom Line: | puts a smile on my face every time i ride it...it's the bomb. took me a couple of rides to get used to the geometry, but now...LOOK OUT! It climbs like Spiderman on crack, descends like i'm running from the law. i was afraid to switch from my old hardtail, but this bike feels and acts like a hardtail in almost every way...no bobs on the climbs either. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Graham
a Cross Country Rider
from Dillon
Date Reviewed: March 31, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | West Ridge Loop | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Rear Suspension??? What rear suspension? If you don't look at, it you'll never know its there. Except for the fact that your 2 hour rides now take about 1 hour... Super fast!!! | | Weaknesses: | Be aware... This bike (and the whole sugar series) are not free ride bikes. If you want a plush, bouncy, heavy, bike, look at what Specialized has to offer. They make great freeride bikes. Or check out the GF Joshuas. | | Similar Products Used: | Klein attitude, M2, GF Supercaliber (yes all hardtails because the Sugar1 should be in that catagory) | | Bike Setup: | Bontrager everything, XTR/XT, Sid Adjust Rear, and SID SL front shocks | | Bottom Line: | Just a few rides in Springtime Denver, and I can already tell my hardtail is not going to see much use this summer.
If you love to go fast this bike will let you do it with less tail bone abuse. The words harder, faster, and longer come to mind. For those looking to take less abuse in the XC race course or in an Ultra endurance event, this is the bike for you... But not a free ride bike... (if you want to feel the bounce, buy a pogo stick) | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brian Hill
a Cross Country Rider
from Syracuse, NY
Date Reviewed: March 26, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | The Bird Sanctuary | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Very solid...no unwanted flex anywhere. Super-adjustable. Lightweight. Simple...easy maintenance. Good value. GF makes 4 models now of this same frame design with different parts hanging off it at different price points. | | Weaknesses: | Expensive if you want the top of the line model that I have. Other than the cost of purchase, no weaknesses. | | Similar Products Used: | K2 Razorback, Specialized FSR, Proflex bikes, Diamondback DBR, Jamis | | Bike Setup: | I left it pretty much as it comes...I did take off the Rockshox SID SL, and put a SID XL on it (double-triple clamp), not for the travel, but for the strength, because I am big, and like to ride technical trails. | | Bottom Line: | I've been on the Sugar for 1 month now. I ride it every day, for fun, fitness, and just because it's cool to go really fast in the woods through trees and rocks and mud and water. I don't really race, but I do go to a fun race or two every year. I am big, about 6'3" tall, 260 pounds or so. I am not a parts-wrecker...I usually have enough finesse to not trash parts.
This bike is the sweetest ride I've been on in years. It seems to do everything well. It is the first bike in a long time that I have climbed well on (good climbing for me is probably like bad climbing for most of you racer-types). It handles very nimbly in technical stuff, which is my personal favorite. It also just seems to have no top-speed on DH's, and fast singletrack and doubletrack. It is extremely stable, something I attribute to Fisher's Genesis geometry. I ride an Extra Large, which is a really big frame, but it handles as well as most other brands' mediums or larges. It is just so predictable...no goofy handling surprises here.
All of the parts work well, and Fisher offers this bike with lots of option ranging from their newest version, the Sugar 4, which only costs a little over a grand, to my bike, the Sugar 1, which is over 3 grand. The Sugar 1 is the only model with the carbon stays in the rear triangle, which definitely are neat. Right now, the WTB semi-slicks that come with these bikes are a little bit not grippy enough for spring riding. I bet they'll be great once it dries up more for baked-hard trails. I'm riding Panaracer tires right now on it. REally big guys like myself might find the super-light Bontrager Race Light wheels to be a bit flimsy if they ride hard or lack finesse, but I am doing ok with them right now. I might put on something a bit stiffer in the front, mostly because I like super-solid front ends.
This bike is a perfect bike for someone coming from one of two directions...1...a guy who rode a longer travel FS bike and got tired of it's weight and lack of precision on trail. That's me...I rode a K2 last year with 4.5" rear travel. It worked great because I lived somewhere for the riding season where the trails were really rocky and abusive. 2...a guy who's on a hardtail, maybe a racer-type. This guy might be tired of being beaten up by his hardtail, and want a FS bike, without too much weight. IDEAL. This guy's gonna get on a Sugar and find it doesn't handle much differently than his hardtail, it climbs similarly, and yet it can just go so much faster/smoother on DH's. This is the wrong bike for a guy who wants a downhill bike with triple chainrings. It is an XC bike. STraight up.
I just don't have any complaints on this bike. I'm psyched to ride every time I have a chance to hit the trails. It is the best full suspension design I've been on yet. The combination of impeccable lateral stiffness and adjustability of SID suspension, shortish travel, great parts, light weight, and stability make it a bike that I can get on and ride intuitively. There's nothing I need to "think" about with this bike. it does everythign well, and without fuss.
On a side note...it's not a freeride bike. I assume that if you are looking at this bike, you are prepared for a short-travel XC race-type bike. I rode it for a few days in Jim Thorpe, PA, on vacation, where they have super rocky nasty freeride type trails...the Sugar did fine, much better than a hardtail, but for that kind of riding, something with more travel would certainly make sense. That's not a complaint about this bike...I knew what I was buying when I got it!
Feel free to email me if you want any more details or opinions. brichill@hotmail.com Get one...Ride. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave
a Cross Country Rider
from Atlanta,GA
Date Reviewed: March 5, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Tsali | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Very light for full suspension. Carves unbelievable!! | | Weaknesses: | Could use XTR components for 3 g's. I broke my frame after 3 months of riding!! Broke on the weld towards the bottom of the seat post tube. | | Similar Products Used: | Fisher HooKooEKoo with Z-1. | | Bike Setup: | Z-1 X-Fly,Ti Riser bar, Panaracer XC tires for winter.........everything else stock | | Bottom Line: | I broke my frame after 3 months of riding. I weigh 240 and pump the rear Sid up to 250. The bike rides like a hard tail. Carves like butta!! Fisher and my bike shop had me up and running in a week. Hopefully I won't be able to break another frame. Will update boards in a few months.
Overall the bike KICKS ASS!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Haoming
a Racer
from troy MI USA
Date Reviewed: March 5, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | highland rec area | | Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only | | Strengths: | neutral feeling suspension, dosnt have any noticeable bob when set-up by a medium rate shop- i had to straighten out the handlebars and rotate them myself so i could actually brake, on a 3K bike that shows some sign of neglactance on the wrench's part-
feels decently light enough, dosnt feel heavy at all- i weighted it at the shop it was 24lbs 6 OZ for a large, should have been lighter, prob because of the bad partspec that they had, you should be getting nicer stuff for 3K, even on a frame that is as nicely made as a sugar 1-
the racelite wheels are nice, the ceremic coating made me ponder wheather it was really worth it for me to go disc for xc this year, i will anyway bc im spoiled by my hope O4 xc's on my DS bike
| | Weaknesses: | heavy in the rear center, could be laterally stiffer- i was riding a little trials and jumping so i could tell
sid fork isnt stiff enough, and isnt smooth enough but i ride a z-1 QR 20 DS and a z-2 supermodified bam/atombomb so it dosnt really compare- | | Similar Products Used: | specialzed fsr-xc sworks 00 the same day, its suspension is not as active but i think its a bit better for XC than the spealized, the specialized was sub 24# though.-- | | Bike Setup: | stock | | Bottom Line: | get the frame only if u can get a hold of one, adn build it up your sell- either that or buy as complete and sell everything ex the racelite wheels adn avid mag brakes unless u want xtr's or somthign nicer- they arnt as stiff as xtr v's almost as nice though= id go precision billet vc2's- those things kick arse
the paint job also sux- alittle bit to flaming for me
id try the santa cruz heckler SL, the titus racer X, ellsworth absolute truth, and turner stinger before i would consider dropping 3k to look like alot of other rich guys though-
peaceout | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steve
a Racer
from P. Ville New York
Date Reviewed: March 4, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Mt.Snow | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Light weight, handels like no other, responds to body movement, the climbing is hard to discribe except I'm a gear higher in most climbs. It has 2.5 travel inthe back but feels like more? The first thing i did notice was the fit after a stem change (large frame with 90mm stem) I was good to go. I keep the frame fork and wheels and changed the rest. | | Weaknesses: | Some not all the OEM parts could have been better, but for the most parts as it comes out of the box is ok | | Similar Products Used: | Pro Flex/K2 for the past 5 years, they stoped there race program and it was time for a change anyway, and I liked the Gary Fisher way of thinking | | Bike Setup: | Eastern CT2 bars and seat post, Avid Mag Lites brakes and levers, Flite seat (Ti rails)Race Face Next LP cranks -chain rings-Ti bottom bracket, XTR 12X34 cass, Girvin Mag Ti lite pedals,Specelized Exstream control tires(1.7)Panaracer Green Lite tubes, Control Tech Stubby bar ends,Race Lite wheels (oem)Ti bottle cage, | | Bottom Line: | I have at long last gotten to ride this bike (flu)It has taken me to the next level. At first I thought I got a to big frame . But after changing the stem and seat post it's perfect. It's so so light 22lbs 12 oz (honest) using good race ready parts that have a good track record. This bike even feels lighter still. Even with 2.5" of travel it decends perfect, When I get a little more used to it, it should be scary fast. I am still dialing in the susp, but you can get up and sprint on this bike with little or no movement. This was somethinG I could not do on the K2. With a little more tweaking it should be perfect. I am glad I picked this bike for 2000.And I exspect anyone who buys one will fall in love!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David Passmore
a Weekend Warrior
from Birmingham,Al.
Date Reviewed: February 7, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Oak Mtn. | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Suspension feels like butter. Out of the box it weighs 24.5
| | Weaknesses: | Rear brake arch is too close to the rear tire! Stem is too short.
| | Similar Products Used: | Mongoose VRS | | Bike Setup: | Easton carbon riser bars,wtb pedals, ti bottom bracket, easton carbon seat post. | | Bottom Line: | With those modifications, the bike weighs 23.5 Climbs like a light weight hard tail. Even stiff, the bike feels soft. When I die, and go to heaven, this is the bike that will be waiting on me. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David
a Cross Country Rider
from gainsville.Ga USA
Date Reviewed: January 19, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Frame,wheels,suspension | | Weaknesses: | everything else | | Bike Setup: | Ti handelbars,speedplay,Gripshift shifters,Ti bottom bracket | | Bottom Line: | The bike is so sweet the stock components suck,the bike rides like a hardtail in everyway you want it to. For this
kind of money the bike should have weighed 23Lbs. I think
it came out at about 24.The good thing is it is easy to lighten up. I am at 22.5Lbs and can still drop more.The ride
is hard to explain,it is easy to climb with,no bobbing,It is
so,so smooth on the decents.
Last bike, Trek carbon fiber,XTR components and Sid,22LBS
with this new bike I use less energy. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
JIM
a Racer
from SANTA CRUZ, CALI
Date Reviewed: December 12, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Strengths: |
full suspension | | Weaknesses: |
poor parts selection | | Bike Setup: |
sugar 1 frame, sid race light, racelight wheels, full xtr gruppo | | Bottom Line: | tis is the best full suspension bike i have ever ridden!!!! i didn't wanna go to full suspension till the fisher rep convinced me that it was like no other and it was!!!! it climbs like a goat , descends like no ther, and i got mine down to 22 lbs!!!!!!!, what a sweet ride. | | Overall Rating: |
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