Submitted by
Jan
a Weekend Warrior
from Switzerland
Date Reviewed: October 4, 2004
Strengths: Strong frame, looks, offers various ways to upgrade when one is ready to do some bricolage
Weaknesses: For the price, none really.
Bottom Line:
Awesome frame. The frame is so much better than the rest of the original components. With the shock-upgrade (front and rear) you get 150mm rear-travel and 130mm front. The XT-brakes stop on a dime. I dropped with it, used it on dirt jump trails and for cc-touring and apart from it's weight (16.5 kg with the above setup) it works great for all of it. I won't give it away anymore. Rating for frame only.
Strengths: The best part about this bike is its strength to price ratio. To get a virtually indestructible frame at $400 is an awesome deal. K2 has excellent customer service, and I think the bike looks really tuff.
Weaknesses: Although I upgraded the rear suspension, when I first purchased it the rear end didn't have enough travel.
Bottom Line:
Great bike for the price. Probably the cheapest/strongest freerider you can get. If you get serious enough with the bike, you'll want to upgrade the rear shock-- I went with a fox vanilla rc and that changed the bike completely. More travel, more adjustability and plushness--- the bike itself is rock solid. The pivot is maintenance free needle bearings. K2's customer service is respectable. I bought this bike as a cross country rider trying something new, and after a years worth of riding, it has transformed me into a freerider. Now I want to move onto more travelll!!! BOTTOM LINE: This is a poor mans Bullit/Joker!!!
Strengths: Pretty beefy frame, and with minor modification, you can fit a 2.75 in. stroke shock to it = easy 7+ inches of travel
Weaknesses: Color, if you don't like it. Mine grew on me.
Bottom Line:
Good product at a great price, I like the way it rides, and it is great with the new shock. If you are an aggressive or just plain heavy rider on a budget, this is a good choice.
Strengths: Strong and stiff as hell, hot paint job, rims can take one hell of a beating, disc brakes work very well and are easy to adjust, good geometry, plush travel in back, nice stiff cranks, no chain stay to smack the chain on, good customer support, damn good value
Weaknesses: noleen mega air shock doesn't stand up to the hardest punishment, front derailer hard to reach, THE Front Fender is funky, and it hit the tire with the new fork, so its just sleeping in the garage.
Bottom Line:
The bike is a hell of a lot of fun. I take it everywhere from downtown atlanta to the bmx tracks and of course any trail i can get to. The brochure for the bike shows a guy doing something like a fifteen foot drop-off, so i would expect the frame warranty to cover anything. The legs of the noleen fork push through the crown when riding big dropoffs(over 7 ft), but so did the manitou x-vert DC, which should be indestructible. I have done everything to the bike twice and it shows no signs of breaking, any weaker bike would have cracked by now. i think k2 has great deals on the bike, so if your shop has one in stock, don't wait, if not get a used one, that frame is still gonna be in good shape. If you are looking for a bike that can take a lot of SHlT without breaking, then here it is. if you are going to do some serious downhill racing, look elsewhere. if weight is a big concern, stop eating and get a k2 razorback. If you are like me in that you want a bike you can ride pretty much however you want without breaking it, then here is your ride, you will break first!
Bike Setup: 2001 Disco Monkey, Switched noleen for a 2000 x-vert dual crown, threw on a truvativ chain retainer up front and threw away that silly front derailer and those extra rings,
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Value Rating:
Submitted by
KEVIN PITTMAN
a Weekend Warrior
from ALBEMARLE, NC, USA
Date Reviewed: March 13, 2001
Strengths: HANDLES LIKE A MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE BIKE THAN IT IS.
Weaknesses: TIRES!!! IT'S A GOOD THING FOR THE SUSPENSION, BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO KEEP THE TIRES AT MAX PRESSURE. WAYBIG (MINE) IS HUGE! HAD TO BUY A SHORTER STEM SO I COULD REACH THE BARS, AND I'M 6'0". FRAME IS LABLED AS "DISK BRAKE READY", BUT IF YOU HAVE TO ADD DISKS TO A LOWER END MODEL, BE PREPARED TO FORK OUT THE EXTRA 50 BUCKS FOR THE REAR DROPOUT ADAPTER. REAR DROPOUT IS DRILLED AND TAPPED TO ACCEPT THE ADAPTER, WHICH SEEMS KINDA DUMB. WHY NOT JUST MAKE A DIFFERENT DROPOUT?
Bottom Line:
MINE IS ACTUALLY A 99 MODEL EVO, BUT I GOT MY HANDS ON A NOLEEN MEGA AIR FORK FROM THE SHOP. I'VE ALSO GOT THE SAME WHEELS (VUELTA FREERIDES W/ FORMULA DISK HUBS), BUT ADDED AVID MECHANICALS. I BOUGHT THE BIKE NEW ABOUT 7 MONTHS AGO, AND JUST FINISHED SWAPPING ALL THE PARTS OUT. THE MEGA AIR FORK IS AWESOME!! THE STOCK FORK (RST)WAS PRETTY MUCH USELESS, UNLESS YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO NEEDS A BOAT ANCHOR THAT SQUEAKS. FOR ANYONE WHO'S WONDERING, AVIDS ARE A GOOD CHOICE REPLACEMENT FOR THE STOCK DISKS. THEY'RE EASY TO SET UP AND ADJUST AS THE PADS WEAR. I'VE HEARD SOME COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE NR2 REAR SHOCK, BUT I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO BREAK MINE YET. OVERALL, THIS IS AN AWESOME BIKE FOR THE MONEY.
Submitted by
Brian Eder
a Weekend Warrior
from longview wa. usa
Date Reviewed: October 29, 2000
Strengths: beefy frame,fork,rims beefy everything pice is good color combination the fact that it comes with disk brakes but the stock brakes suck xt rear derailer
Weaknesses: bad tires its a freeride bike with a crosscountry fork extremely sh*ty disk brakes
Bottom Line:
i bought this bike as a demo bike so it was aready pretty trashed but latley this monkey is lookin much bedder this bike rides like a dream its very smoothe over all its the very nice bike if your a rider with no guts and dont ever plan on having them and use your bike as a crucht the dont waist your money
Bike Setup: k2 disco monkey stock exceptrst delta hl 5"travel specailized seat deore lx rear derailer primo bmx pedels dirt diggler fender gremica hydro disk brakes front and back
Strengths: good amount of travel for a freeride bike. wild paint. beefy frame.
Weaknesses: not a lot.
Bottom Line:
sweet bike when built up custom. i wish that i would have just a little more travel now that my skills are pushing the bike rather than the bike pushing my skills. K2 guys are great with customer service, it also helps to live on Vashon, home of K2. i blew my rear shock and there was a new one on it in 3 hours, not bad huh???
Similar Products Used: KHS Dominatrax. RM6. Cannondale.
Bike Setup: i just bought the frame, so i cant attest to any of the stock spec'd. hope 04-dh disk brakes, marzocchi z-1 cr w/ 5" upgrade, raceface cranks, RF stem. RF bb. marzocchi saddle. xtr der. xtr shifters. canecreek head set. fir and bontrager rims. kore bars. intense tires.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Nick
a Weekend Warrior
from New Zealand
Date Reviewed: October 20, 2000
Strengths: Good climber for the weight Reasonable suspension action Adjustable seat height for up + down Component mix for the price
Weaknesses: Frameset seems a little lightweight for the application Original forks Brakes brakes brakes 9 speed Average paint job
Bottom Line:
Was a good buy here in NZ where our dollar is weak. Other manufacturers at the same sort of price point offered poorer components and/or no adjustability in seat-post height, which can reduce ride comfort on longer missions and bugger your knees. Problems? Original 2000-model Noleen fork went the way of others I have read about, stanchion on one side pushed up through the crown after 3 rides. Very good service from K2 rep in town (thanks Kev) + local shop Bicycle Business, had a 2001 model fork within 2 days of them hearing about the problem. The diatech brakes are proving a mixed blessing. Front one works fine, rear is difficult to set up to deliver much power due to long cable, and the caliper is now sticking on the pins it is supposed to float on, despite copious quantities of grease. Back to the shop... Have managed to ding the frame somehow, feel a bit robbed as I don't recall a crash good enough to warrant some frame damage, possibly not quite industrial enough. Nice welds though and made in the US if that's important to ya. Good points? Discs are great in the wet and the front one provides nice modulated powerful braking. Not comparable in terms of power to hydraulics, but then you won't pull the hose out either...(and I have) Rides much "lighter" up hill than you'd expect (until you get off to push, then it's a pig), doesn't bob much unless you stand up, and is fun on technical singletrack as long as you don't expect to ride in middle ring all the time. Inertia's a bummer I guess...especially coming from a ti hardtail! It's an experience going down though, may have to invest in some padding eh! Good hoops and suspension action and the rear shock seems well damped for me (150lb). It's probably not as active through corners as a 4bar type design, but may prove more durable. Just plain good fun down hill. Front forks are surprisingly light (~3.0lb), more rigid than bombers, and easily adjustable. Who should buy it? If you're on a budget and want to try the "freeride" thing then its a good buy. I can't really see what a further $2000 for some of the other manufacturers offerings would have got me aside from kudos and more interest payments, but I'd suggest swapping the brakes (I hear the avids are good) and tyres. Not really for the XC set, or the DH purist either, but for all-round fun times it's a great deal.
Similar Products Used: First "freeride" bike, have owned DBR "XC"-type fully sus before
Bike Setup: Pretty much stock, swapped tyres for conti survivor pro and maxxis swamp thing, added a fender for winter, swapped "K2" bars for Roox freeride thingees with ergo bends (great by the way), and placed appropriate Kawasaki stickers given the paint job
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
BigEd
a Cross Country Rider
from FOUNTAIN HILLS AZ.USA
I BOUGHT THE BIKE BECAUSE IT REMINDED ME OF A JOHN DEERE TRACTOR!!! AT 6'2" 265LBS. I WANTED A BIKE I FELT SECURE ON. AFTER LOOKING AT YETI, SPECIALIZED, WHEELER, GT, GIANT, CANNONDALE AND HARO, I WENT BACK TO THE MONKEY. IT JUST LOOKED LIKE IT WANTED A BEATING! MY ONLY COMPLAINT IS WITH THE SHOP THAT SOLD IT TO ME. I DON'T THINK THEY DID THE CHECK LIST SENT WITH THE BIKE. WITHIN 2HRS. OF RIDING THE FRONT SHIFTER BROKE. THE SEAT HAD A 2" RIP ALONG THE SEAM, A RUBBER BOOT SPLIT ON THE DISC BRAKES, AND AS FAR AS I KNOW THE LEFT FORK NEVER HELD AIR. AND TO TOP IT OFF, SOMEONE PUT THE WRONG FRONT BRAKE BRACKET ON MY BIKE ALLOWING ONLY HALF THE CALIPER TO GRAB DISC! AFTER HAVING THE BIKE FOR ONLY A WEEK, IT SPENT THE NEXT MONTH IN THE SHOP!! WHEN I FINALLY GOT IT BACK, THEY LET ME WALK OUT OF THE SHOP WITH THE WRONG BRACKET STILL ON MY BIKE!!! HOW STUPID IS THAT?!? THEN I FIND OUT BY COMPLETE ACCIDENT THE BRAKES (DIATECH) HAD BEEN RECALLED! DIATECH WAS VERY RESPONSIVE TO MY CALL. I GOT MY NEW BRAKES IN 3 DAYS. K2 WAS ALSO VERY HELPFUL IN GETTING THINGS DONE WHEN THE BIKE SHOP DIDN'T. I LOVE THIS BIKE!!! JUST WISH I'D BOUGHT IT SOMEWHERE ELSE.
Bike Setup: FACTORY EXCEPT FOR KORE LITE 3 STEM, SHIMANO 636 PEDALS,GEAX WARP&HOOK,KORE Ti SKEWERS
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Maniaco
a Cross Country Rider
from Phoenix, Az. USA
Date Reviewed: August 8, 2000
Strengths: Price was nice at $1,100 bills, I love what I got for the money, cool color and decent components. the brakes seem fine to me you just have to get used to modulating them because there on or off at first. once there broken in they work pretty decent.
Weaknesses: My forks are leaking air from the rebound leg and I cant get K-2 to return my call. I know its fixable so other then that the bike is sweet
Bottom Line:
I was looking for a fairly inexpensive bike to trash on some downhill action. I know I have found it after riding the monkey. It handles very nice and the weight dont bother me at all going across flats and up short hills. I'm not a real big k-2 fan , but the monkey has given me reason to change my attitude. 5 and 4 fire farts till the forks are fixed
Strengths: What a great toy...this bike looks so sweet,a blast to ride. Great color, GREAT fork.
Weaknesses: Thos crappy cable disc brakes...I changed those to Hope hydraulics.
Bottom Line:
Great freeride bike, loads of fun, gives you extra courage to do the stuff I wuss out on on my cross country bike. All my friends are jealous and want to ride it, and it's so pretty to look at.
Weaknesses: Poor factory assembly/adjustment, a bit heavy
Bottom Line:
My first high end ($1000+) moutain bike. I am 6'3" and therefore purchased this bike in the Way Big size. Overall, I'm very pleased with the puchase. However, there are a few gripes: First, K2 needs to do something to improve their packaging material for shipping. My bike arrive with several fairly deep nicks and scratches to the left side of the swing arm. After a bit of research, I have found this to be a common problem with the K2 EVO framesets. The front wheel skewer is packaged so that it rubs on the swingarm in shipping. Lame. Also, my bike came with a stripped stem. I had to replace this item before the first ride. Under most circumstances, this would probably be replaced by the dealer. However, in my case, I bought the bike from out of state because the local dealers were all sold out of Way Big Disco Monkeys. The arrangement was made for me to purchase the bike from Sun Cycles in Phoenix, and take delivery from Bicycle Outfitters in Kirkland, Washington. Due to this arrangement, Bicycle Outfitters will not support me (they didn't make any money on the deal). Buyer beware. The assembly quality is only OK. Headset was loose, deraillers close, but not quite right. The disc brakes take about forever to break in. I was very disappointed with them at first, but they do improve with time. Personally, if I could do it all over again, I probably would not buy these brakes. Spend the extra for hydraulic. So much for the negatives. The suspension works great. No complaints about either end. The Way Big size is, well, WAY big. If you are 6"2 or less, I would recommend the Large. My friend bought a Large Flyin Monkey, and it feels good to me, except that I can't put the seat up quite as high as I like. But, it is lighter and feels more maneuverable through the tight stuff. Overall, this bike performs very well, looks great (lots of attention), and is reasonably affordable. Minus one chili for the nicks in the paint and the stripped stem.
Similar Products Used: Santa Cruz Heckler, Cannondale Jeckyl, K2 Flying Monkey
Bike Setup: Stock, except as described below.
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Value Rating:
Submitted by
Nate Schnase
a Weekend Warrior
from Billings MT USA
Date Reviewed: March 30, 2000
Strengths: Proven Frame design, Price, Components, Looks, can be used for high speed desents and fast single track as well as free rides and xc trails
Weaknesses: Brakes are hard to set up, Geax tires fold to the side if you dont keep them pumped up Very very hard
Bottom Line:
This bike has become better since I first started riding it. It is an all around bike that beginners can afford and still learn on while old pros can take it out and thrash it none the worse for wear. It performes like bikes costing much more. The only problems I have encountered with it were the tires and the brakes. The brakes require a lot of time to break in. two or three rides at least, and you must make sure the tech who installed them did it right. Mine came installed like you would a hayes, on adjusted to the feel and weak as hell! I had to take them apart and read the included manual to get them on properly. Once that was done Holy amazing stoppers! The tires, if you can dump them for some Tioga's or Intense DH's that will fit! The Geax are two thin and require high pressure to keep them working right. If you cant replace them make sure you put in tire liners! Slime will not work. This bike is made for those people who want a bike that will perform good to very good in all situations.
Similar Products Used: Schwinn 4 banger, trek Y 33, Giant warp, K2 Beast, K2 4000, K2 900
Bike Setup: The bike comes stock with a new Noleen Mega Air 100 fork (very Ridgid) Truvativ cranks and rings LX shifters and front Derailer, xt rear, Formula hubs, and Vuleta free ride rims, Diatech Spiral stop disk brakes with avid 1.9 levers. SPD 636 pedals
