Weaknesses: Broken rear frame at the chainstay.I only weigh 140 pounds. Fortunately, I was doing a bunny-hop, and not a wheelie- drop.Oh yeah, the front Smartshock died on a rainy day ride. It was all fixed under warranty.Hoo Yah!
Bottom Line:
I ride hard, and have fun. This bike has taken me on many nice rides. I now have a 2001 Team Razorback with disk brakes,King headset, and a lock-out rear air shock. Ride on!
Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from Dalls, TX, USA
Date Reviewed: October 18, 2001
Strengths: Great geometry - especially for climbing and sprinting, simple design provides low maintenace and great stiffness, lightweight.
Weaknesses: Frame breaks every race season! 1st break on upper swingarm, 2nd break on chainstay. I'm waiting for the seatpost to go next!
Bottom Line:
My "way big" Razorback is very light. That may explain why the FRAME ALWAYS BREAKS! It's a real bummer to train for months only to have the one part you can't replace break at the beginning of the season. I want to like this bike because it rides great, but it's hard when K2 has it more than I do. I would not recommend buying this bike if you are a big guy. I'm 6'2", 200 lbs. I ride normal cross-country, not agressive. I've heard of many others who've had this problem. It's a serious flaw from K2.
Bike Setup: Stock, which was nice as hell. All XT except for front derailleur. Manitou X-Vert
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Submitted by
kak
a Cross Country Rider
from escondido, ca, usa
Date Reviewed: July 20, 2001
Strengths: bullet proof frame and components,noleen mega air never makes a mistake, smooth riding, makes u feel incincible
Weaknesses: my bel air seat made a loud squeak and took about 2 weeks of riding to break the rails is, the mac strut in the rear needs more ajustibility, paint chips down to white powder coat easy, i dont think thats a bad thing
Bottom Line:
if u can find it for less than a grand in good condition but it. low maintence, dependable. go get one.
Similar Products Used: schwinn mesa 98, lol i know it is a sad bike
Bike Setup: avid 3.0, deore xt though all, noleen mega air fork, noleen coil in rear.
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Submitted by
pat
a Cross Country Rider
from sparwood,b.c, canada
Date Reviewed: April 13, 2001
Strengths: -lightweight full suspension -awesome hillcimber -precise steering -unique suspension
Weaknesses: -tad expensive -frame broke -cannot upgrade travel for rear pull-shock? -noisy seatpost/clamp -cables wear through paint and frame -color scheme -low bottom bracket
Bottom Line:
The k2 razorback rs intentions of being a lightweight full suspension race ready bike is very true. It rips up the singletrack like a rabied hog, and climbs like a d10 dozer. Since my type of riding has changed to more freeriding/crosscountry, i've changed the geometry to a more upright position with stem, and bar. climbing is alittle trickier, but downhills are more stable. the weld broke near the rear chainstay. It was not caused by big air, but faulty welding. K2 did respond quite quickly with a new chainstay thanks to peddlehead bike shop. The bottom bracket seams to be alittle low when carving around corners, and the seatpost drives me nuts with that anoying squeek. The cables also rub on the frame, actually making indentations were they come in contact. Enough of the negatives.....overall this bike handled exactly what it was intended to do, rip up the singletrack with lightening speed, it is not intended for big air or ex. downhills, so what you see is what you get, so i still will give it 5 chilis
Bike Setup: -xtr rapidfire shifters -xtr rear derailler -vp 136 peddles -roox freeride handlebar -f.u.n.n. head huncho adj. stem
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Submitted by
Ryan Nasaau
a Cross Country Rider
from La Habra CA.
Date Reviewed: March 9, 2001
Strengths: This is one nice bike!! It's very light for a FS bike (24 lbs). Very little rear sag while peddaling. Excellent climber with or without the rear lockout on. I love the fact that the thumb activated rear lockout is located right on the handlebars. The Nolleen Mega Air fork is terrific, extremly plush and light. I'm glad K2 is the only manufacturer to carry Nolleen, it gives their bikes some uniqueness. The Mac-Strut type shock is not going to win any downhill races, but it eliminates most small to mid size bumps. This bikes a blast on single tracks. Recomended for trail riders and XC racers who like the response of a hard tail, but want the benefits of a full suspension bike.
Weaknesses: The only weakness I could think of is that the fork had a slight air leak, but the problem was fixed after a little bit of adjusting. I would recomend putting wider tires on if you don't expect racing every weekend.
Bottom Line:
The bottom line is, this bike is a work of art. Climbing, desending, it does it all. Five flamin' chiles for the guys at K2.
Submitted by
Reyk
a Cross Country Rider
from Bochum / Germany
Date Reviewed: December 28, 2000
Strengths: light bike
Weaknesses: The support in germany is no so good. Technikal the bike is ok.
Bottom Line:
This is a bike whitch is good to drive and it is very light. No problems with the weight= 11,5 Kg. But not for downhill > only soft downhill trials. Keep the rear suspension hard and the bike will fallow your power in your legs. You can drive very fast and it rocks. This is a tipical light full suspension. For people who like to drive XC or long Marathons.
Bike Setup: LX/ESP 9.0 - Judy SL - avid breaks and levers - Titec steam bar and seatpost
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Submitted by
Alex Stockdale
a Cross Country Rider
from Knoxville, TN, USA
Date Reviewed: December 15, 2000
Strengths: This bike is very handsome. I have the original paint on mine, red and white. I don't really care for the later model red, white, & blue paint job. The bike is a very predictable, viceless handler, good climber, and offers excellent accleration. I really enjoy the excellent standover and simple rear suspension design.
Weaknesses: The suspension front and rear can be noisy. The paint chips too easily. I didn't have any of the BB problems others have noted because I immediately upgraded the drivetrain, crank, and BB to XTR. No problems there in over 2500 miles. I am worried about the frame problems some are having, but so far have had no problems there. Better go check the bike.
Bottom Line:
I love this bike. It's not as cush as many other full suspension bikes but has just the right amount for me. I am 6'3" and 195, so no lightweight, but have seen no problems with frame durability. This is something that I am sensitive to since I have had 3 other maker bike frames break under me. This bike will help you be the first one to the top of the tough climbs and will keep you with the leaders on fast technical descents. However, if you ride really gnarly technical single track it's probably not the best choice.
Weaknesses: front heavy- doesn't track well weak frame feels like you always have a flat
Bottom Line:
today i just broke the frame after 1year and 3months of riding, i've ridin this bike fairly hard and i've had problems with it since i first bought it. what ever you do do not put disk brakes on one of these, they can't take the stress. mine broke right next to the disk brake mount.
Submitted by
Mark
a Cross Country Rider
from Napa, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: October 9, 2000
Strengths: Design. The Turner design works very well. K2 was smart to license this design rather than try to reinvent the wheel. The Noleen link fork looks strange but performs extrememly well for technical riding. It tracks straighter than any fork on the market, bar none.
Weaknesses: Product spec. The World Class BB had to go. The new Race Face BB w/ chromoly axle got rid of the creaks and groans. Not real happy with the Easton seatpost either, and Interloc Designs repalced it.
Bottom Line:
I really like the way this bike handles. I rode a stiff aluminum hard tail for years and this bike is just a cushier version of the same. I like climbing and technical riding, this bike and fork serves me very well. It is not a plush freeride or DH bike in any sense of the words. But for someone looking for a great technical bike that climbs and handles very well, this one is worth the dough. I just completed riding the entire White Rim trail in Canyonlands National Park in Utah. Pretty rough terrain and the bike performed flawlessly. I was riding with several other folks on hardtails who were offering me money by day 3 to ride my bike..... once they caught up with me that is...
Similar Products Used: Klein Pinnacle, a stiff, quick handling aluminum hard tail.
Bike Setup: New Race Face BB, scrapped the World Class Ti BB. WTB Veliciraptor tires front and rear. Speedplay Frog pedals. Zip-tied a piece of old inner tube to right chain stay to protect it from tons o' chain slap. Changed seatpost too.
Strengths: climbs like a mother doesnt kick my ass handles good
Weaknesses: weak swing arm seat post at max and still not enough paint looks like hell after a year
Bottom Line:
I just cracked the swing arm between main pivot and chainstay on the weld but its covered under warranty cant really complain to much the bike has 5000 miles in a year of me beating the balls out of the poor thing so if you want to go fast over almost anything while staying seated get this bike and get fitted for the right size by the way im selling this bike soon for a bigger size give me $2000 and its yours
Bike Setup: race face cranks and bb easton carbon fiber post and bars sun rpm wheels xt ringle stem and headset crosslink fork
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Submitted by
Rod Munch
a Cross Country Rider
from Santa Rosa, California
Date Reviewed: August 5, 2000
Strengths: Looks Great (I admit it...that mattered], excellent price at Bikesale.com (or other outlet), great XC design, solid spec, fully active suspension
Weaknesses: "Smart" fork design flaw/broken at 4 miles, 1/4" rear triangle lateral slop at 22 miles.
Bottom Line:
Great ride tonight. I'm IN the FS camp.
Just replaced my '93 M2 Stump. I was planning to buy a new bike in '96, but due to wear & crashes the only thing stock on my bike were the frame & seatpost. But after my EFC legs suddenly snapped off last weekend, I figured it was time...
I got my RSX from Bikesale.com for $1185, I feel a great deal. They set it up & packed it well, and after work one evening I put it together and was just able to get in a 4 mile ride before dark. To my surprise, that ride killed the "Smart" fork (see review there). There's also a lot of lateral slop in the rear suspension. I hope to dial that in & loc-tite the pivot bolts to solve that.
The bike is great. Its not a Superlight, but it is "Burlylight." Frame tubes are big & stiff, as is the fork, Titec Big Al stem & most everything else. The only spec'd cheese was the Sella Trimatica saddle, which will be donated to Goodwill. I didn't enjoy my first ride. My 1st impression of FS was "heavy & slow." The Fire XC tires didn't help either. They make climbing feel like running on sand. But once I summited & turned the bike around, everything fell into place. The tires grabbed like politicians at lobbyist money. The short, tall stem that I wasn't used to felt quick & nimble descending. The suspension balance was great, and I feel the extra weight of the coil springs (over air) is a fair trade off for better feel throughout the travel range (uh, "plushness"). Once I got the suspension set up to my liking, I could jump better than I could my hardtail. Spring into the air, and it almost doesn't matter where you land...cushy. I found myself flying down familiar descents at speeds I couldn't approach on my hardtail.
Hopefully K2 will provide quick & true relief from their faulty fork design, and hopefully the rear suspension, once tightened up, will stay that way. If that happens I think I will love this bike. I'm going to slap on a pair of Mythos tires, shed some weight from the bike.
I'll post another review on K2's warranty process. For now, 5 Value flamers for potentially a great bike at a great price, 3 Overall until K2 steps up to bat. Congrats & applause to their component spec'r.
Bike Setup: Stock for now... planning on an XT cassette & BB (shave 100 grams each), new crankset of some sort, maybe Avid Mag brakes & levers... not many other places to shave...
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Submitted by
Steen
a Cross Country Rider
from Kalispell, MT
I bought the frame and equipped it myself so consider this a review of the frame.
My frame is a way big size but I haven't had any of the problems mentioned below. Maybe my long bontrager post sticks down deep enough to offer enough support. Most trails here in northwest Montana are rough and rooty so the bike gets banged up pretty good on every ride. So far no cracks anywhere in the frame.
The used macpherson strut system is much simpler and cleaner than most rear suspension systems which makes for a durable low maintenance bike.
The razorback gets top ratings from me. It climbs like on rails and does a real good job anywhere else considering the limited travel.
Bike Setup: Z2AtomBomb, XTR rear der & casette, XT BB & front der, LX cranks & hubs, Avid arch brakes, Sunrims w Panaracer Fire, Bontrager/Kore/Terrys cockpit, K2 mag pedals
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Submitted by
rich pierce
a Racer
from St. Louis, MO, USA
Date Reviewed: June 9, 2000
Strengths: I built it from a frameset with the Ti coil-over rear shock. So it's not stock. I have a manitou SX-Ti front shock on it, and an XT/LX/Avid mix of components.
Handling is excellent. For me, it's instinctive. I've never had a bike that corners this well or is this stable. The lower BB height probably contributes to this.
The bike climbs well. The rear tire hooks up better than my hardtail. I sense no bobbing, even tho I know it bobs a bit.
The travel is enough to keep me seated more and to float me over sections that would have me standing with my hardtail w/suspension seatpost.
For a full-suspension bike, it is reasonable in weight.
For a "designer" frame (Turner Stinger license) this is cheap. I paid $450 for a frame and rear shock raced one season, so it was a bargain for me.
Weaknesses: The paint chips easily.
The low BB height that helps stability, also causes me to strike my pedals on rocks more often.
The bike is heavier than my Ti hardtail- but what isn't?
I had to use a really long seatpost for the fit to be right, using a Large frameset. I'm 5'11 and didn't think I needed "Way Big". But I need a 400 mm seatpost.
Bottom Line:
This bike has taken my racing to a higher level. I am MUCH more comfortable and confident on downhill runs, in rock gardens, hardpacked corners, loose corners at speed, off-camber stuff, etc. I am less beat up after races. I will keep this bike forever unless it breaks. Will need a new paint job, tho. How about midnight blue?
I don't know if it gets better than this for my style of riding and the trails I ride (midwestern rocky trails, with a combination of hardpack, twisty, ledgy, and loose stuff, as well as woodsy, loamy, "veggie tunnels", with stiff but not long climbs and descents.
I can't give 5 chilis because I haven't seen how durable it is yet. That's the only remaining question. if it lasts, 5 chilis, and I'll toss in the tortillas.
Similar Products Used: This is my first full suspension bike. Been a hardtail man, but now I'm converted. This bike is all-around faster for me on trails with climbing and rocks or twisties, even tho it weighs 3 pounds more as set up than my hardtail.
Bike Setup: manitou SX-Ti front shock Power Tools stem and bar (BEEFY!) American Classic Wheelset w/Velocity Aeroheat rims Avid Arch Rival 50 brakes, SRAM 9.0 levers. LX shifter pods, cranks and front derailleur Un 72 BB XTR rear derailleur.
