Submitted by
steve holcomb
a Weekend Warrior
from tampa, florida, usa
Date Reviewed: March 30, 2007
Strengths: This a a follow up from my first review. I have owned the bike since Mar. 2002. The Tasli is now 5 yrs old. I notice no difference, frame rides like new, the xtr components still are working great. I have only had to replace the front derailleur cable. Rims (mavic517) still true, chris king hubs have only been adjusted one time. The easton bars, stem and seat post are like new. Basicly, its performs like its just off the showroom floor.
Weaknesses: The rockshox sid xc rear just started (mar. 2007) to leak alittle air in its negative chamber. I tighten the value, and now it leaks much much less. The positive chamber holds air fine. (the front sid xc fork still performs fine, but I have notice alittle "clicking" when I depress the shock, it is probably showing alittle signs of wear over the years.)
Bottom Line:
I'm 57, this bike will last me the rest of my riding days, which I hope last intil I'm in my 80's. Note: if I could "repurchase" a quality bike like this again, I would NOT get a frame with a rear shock. I would purchase a hardtail frame, and use a suspension seat post. Why??? What going to happen if and when I cannot find a rear replacement shock for this frame? Then the frame is useless..............this is something to remember before purchasing a frame with a rear shock, its only good, if you can find a replacement shock.
Similar Products Used: vitus 1987 w/campy super record. still going strong!
Bike Setup: xtr,easton monkey lite bars, easton stem, easton carbon seat post. chris king humbs (man, they are the best), avocet seat
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
steve holcomb
a Weekend Warrior
from tampa, florida, usa
Date Reviewed: March 30, 2007
Strengths: This a a follow up from my first review. I have owned the bike since Mar. 2002. The Tasli is now 5 yrs old. I notice no difference, frame rides like new, the xtr components still are working great. I have only had to replace the front derailleur cable. Rims (mavic517) still true, chris king hubs have only been adjusted one time. The easton bars, stem and seat post are like new. Basicly, its performs like its just off the showroom floor.
Weaknesses: The rockshox sid xc rear just started (mar. 2007) to leak alittle air in its negative chamber. I tighten the value, and now it leaks much much less. The positive chamber holds air fine. (the front sid xc fork still performs fine, but I have notice alittle "clicking" when I depress the shock, it is probably showing alittle signs of wear over the years.)
Bottom Line:
I'm 57, this bike will last me the rest of my riding days, which I hope last intil I'm in my 80's. Note: if I could "repurchase" a quality bike like this again, I would NOT get a frame with a rear shock. I would purchase a hardtail frame, and use a suspension seat post. Why??? What going to happen if and when I cannot find a rear replacement shock for this frame? Then the frame is useless..............this is something to remember before purchasing a frame with a rear shock, its only good, if you can find a replacement shock.
Similar Products Used: vitus 1987 w/campy super record. still going strong!
Bike Setup: xtr,easton monkey lite bars, easton stem, easton carbon seat post. chris king humbs (man, they are the best), avocet seat
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
EndoPotential
a Cross Country Rider
from Portland, OR
Date Reviewed: September 5, 2005
Strengths: Incredibly light for a (nearly) full suspension bike. A fast, nimble ride; climbs like a bat out of hell; well mannered enough for most gnarly descents.
Weaknesses: Probably a bit heavier than a comparable Unicoi or Moots YBB, but how you could you pass up that gorgeous beefy downtube? Expensive frame, but how much happiness do numbers on a bank account statement really bring you?
Bottom Line:
Ditto to all the rave reviews on this board! I absolutely love this bike. It's so incredibly fast and smooth that it's totally changed my perspective on mountain biking. If I ever took my road bike on singletrack and survived, I imagine this is what it'd feel like. Perhaps not the optimal bike for hard core downhilling off boulders and trees, but otherwise I couldn't imagine a better bike. If you can get your hands on one, I'd definitely recommend it. I promise you'll be grinning from ear to ear by the end of your first ride.
Similar Products Used: Merlin road bike; GT STS-1000 thermoplastic; Ellsworth Truth
Bike Setup: Standard XTR package and SID SL shock; swapped the RapidFires for SRAM Gripshifters which I find so much more intuitive; the softer red coil spring made a huge difference for this mid-weight 155lb rider; a carbon seatpost and Selle Italia Prolink saddle - amazing how these two additions have taken the edge off of high frequency chatter and vibrations that the rear coil doesn't absorb.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
steve holcomb
a Weekend Warrior
from tampa
Date Reviewed: July 18, 2004
Strengths: Great Ride.........smooth........XTR works great even 2 years later.....chris king hubs and headset are great. easton bars and seatpost are lite and forgiving
Weaknesses: the only thing I dislike........the XTR pads......sometimes they feel like "sand paper"....good thing there are no hills in my area.......they would ruin the mavic 517 rims.
Bottom Line:
I don't ride off road, so I cannot comment on off road ability. I have the bike set up for city riding. The frame is very forgiving....you do notice a slight bit of "flex" in the rear tringle when you "stomp the pedals". I don't think it climbs very well...probably due to the rear shock set up and hence the slight bit of movement in the rear triangle. I have had NO problems with the rear Rockshox Sid or the Rockshox Sid front fork........and from reading other reviews.......i am amazed.....but this might be from the fact that I only ride the city streets and never go off road.......It is a great bike for the City.
