Submitted by
Ian Hazeltine
a Downhiller
from Scottsdale, AZ
Date Reviewed: April 7, 2003
Strengths: It is strong, plush, reliable, and awesome bike. I havn't had any problems with it.
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
I love this bike. I bought the frame used for 600 bucks and nothing was wrong with it. I won my first downhill race on this bike and have loved every ride on it. Unfortunatly I have put some nice sized dents in the frame but this tank of a bike still takes 10 ft drops like nothing. The weight is really great and I can throw it around like a hardtail. I got a great deal on this bike and would buy another one if anything happens to happen to this one. THe
Strengths: strong, stable, adjustable (the seatpost is 2 position capable, fits many rear shock length, the s.a. has a regulation for the shock lenght and offset), agility. It absorbs the bumps very well. very easy to pedal. best looking.
Weaknesses: don't fit 26' large rear tires. the pre-2003 version can't fit long shox
Bottom Line:
I love this bike. In downhill it's the best! Stable, and it has an agility.... And... It's strong! Look at it, it isn't a bike, it is a motorbike! The seatpost is adjustable (and if you want to pedal very well with the san andreas, keep the subframe in advanced position, use a seat with long travel regulation, keep it advanced, and you can pedal like a xc bike). the monoshock suspention is simple, strong and works well. on uphill it works very well.
If you have problem to fit large 26' rear tires, try a 24' rim. on my s.a. couldn't fit a 26x2.1 tires (it touch in the derailleur) but whith a 24' rim, i can use a 2.7 (!) rear tire.
If your friends in dh are too fast for you, try the san andreas!
Bike Setup: san andreas DHS frame, aftershock rear shox, bergman the beast 165 mm fork, xt-lx, 26' mavic 321d front rim, sun doubletrack 24' rear rim, time Z pedals, gazza 2.6' front, specialized 2.7 or gazza 2.6 rear tires, hayes 203 mm front, grimeca 8 rear.
Strengths: Strong Stiff Balanced Design and Attention to detail eg.V.P.S.+ Fork Stop. Handles like no other.
Weaknesses: The Fox Vanilla R/Stratos Helix Pro shock just will NOT do. We DEMAND Avalanche or Romic.
Bottom Line:
This bike is really really nice.I wrote a review on the Framesets page when I had a totally different kit on it but things have become more DH orientated as of late.And since it has the bike has really come into it's own.It handles so well at speed and in the air,on slow twisty technical stuff and flat-out rutted rock garden sections.The bikes main plus is its strength and stiffness.It feels so solid it makes so many of the big company production bikes feel very strange,a bit pale by comparsion.
Would I buy the bike again?.Absolutely,without hesitation.This truely is one of the nicest bikes ever made. I've become a huge fan of the company since buying the San Andreas DHS.
Bike Setup: Monster T's,8" Hayes,Turbine LP's-2 rings and a bash guard,321's on Aireal hubs.
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Submitted by
happy to be
a Downhiller
from America
Date Reviewed: September 4, 2001
Strengths: very well made stiff plush steering stop single pivot adjustable shock mounting adjustable subframe easy to pedal
Weaknesses: front derailleur is difficult to adjust. if you replace the adjuster screws with allens the problem is cured.
Bottom Line:
the rear end has no stiction or flex and reacts to every little bump while soaking up big hits without any harshness. with the adjustable shock mounting, you can change the geometry to accomidate different forks or riding areas. the bike flies and turns flawlessly, and with a dh setup weighs around 38lbs. the frame is extremely well built and the customer service is excellent, if you buy one you will not regret it.
Submitted by
Zoom
a Downhiller
from Many Towns, USA
Date Reviewed: May 19, 2001
Strengths: Hercules strength, sexy design, awesome thru the technicals, easily controllable on the fast decents.
Weaknesses: Absolutely none. Okay, it's kind of a mother-in-law to adjust the front derailer if you decide to run a triple. But just take out the high/low screws and replace them with allen bolts, then cut an allen key so you can make adjustments more easily.
Bottom Line:
Okay, this is the review most of you perspective buyers are wanting to see: someone who has had the bike for a while. I've had mine for three years and let me tell ya, it's as good as it was the first day I bought it.
I'm a 220 pound DH'er and I love to do drops! The pivot has absolutely NO play, NONE!
The suspension is so incredibly perfect! Plus, you can adjust the seat tower to accomidate different riding styles.
And as far as the company itself goes, they're very pro all the way. Give'em a call, ask'em all the questions you want, see the light, go toward it!
I've ridden this bike in both extremes, XC and DH. As an XC bike in the 4" travel mode I got the weight down to 27 pounds. In the 6" setting with Sun Doublewide rims it's only 40 pounds. It's also very controllable in the air, too. Alot of DH bikes get a little squirrelly when you launch them. The San Andreas is not.
Listen, I'd talk more about this bike but I have to go ride.
Similar Products Used: M1, Foes, Cortina, Cheetah.
Bike Setup: Think of a bike that gives you a visual orgasm, that's mine!
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Submitted by
Chris Brattle
a Downhiller
from Birmingham, England
Date Reviewed: May 5, 2001
Strengths: Classic, Unique Design and Beautifully Made Strong enough without Weighing a ton Simple design, (Multi-pivot designs are evil!) Fully Sealed Gear cable routing. Integrated Fork stops (no more bits of grip zip-tied to the uppers!) Customer Service "The Love"
Weaknesses: Can't Fit a Piggyback shock (Fox RX) Rear Tyre Clearence Not disc specific, unused canti-mounts look crappy.
Bottom Line:
I'm not rich, It's a rare day that I get a new bike, my ancient, chopped and modified Super V was literally falling apart at the seams before I decided to get a new frame, It had to sport at least 6 Inches of squish, it had to be single Pivot, it had to be a proven design, it had to a little different and it had to have been made in the free world by people who care, The Mountain cycle furfils all these criteria. I must say I have no regrets, as all the purchasing arrangements were made online I was very careful to do my reasearch, I sent Mountain Cycle a long, exhaustive list of questions about the frame, I got an equally exhaustive ans detailed set of answers the very same day from the very dude who actually designed the San Andreas back in 92' that's customer service, It was parcially on this show of concern of customer care that puersuaded to take a chance. I haven't been dissapointed, the bike handles like a dream,and eats everything I throw at it, I was even stupid enough to lend it to a mate, who immediately (partly due to a bit too much Dutch Courage) over shot a ten foot staircase,landing very hard several feet past it, he stacked, minced himself, the frame just lay there as if to say "Is that it?"
The only complaint I really have is the rear tyre clearence, I couldn't fit my old Tioga 2.3's and had to get some hutchinsons which I'm not half so keen on in order tol get a modicum of mud clearence. (For any californians reading this, mud is something we English use for destroying our bikes and making our favourite trails almost unridable for 11 months off the year while we're waiting for the next bout of foot and mouth)
In conclusion the Andreas DHS is a beautifully constructed (just run your finger along the top of the sub-frame, that join is the smoothest, most even bit of welding this side of a cannondale) strong and simple frame for the Freerider who wants something a bit more brutish then the majority of so-called 'shore' bikes the big companies are touting or the downhiller who doesn't want a hernia everytime he tried to turn the peddles. I love mine so much we're off to the Alps together this summer for some proper mountains. Ride Free, Chris
Similar Products Used: Cannondale Super V (Long Travel Upgrade), Every Marin FS Under the Sun, Foes Weasel,Various GT IDrives, Santa Cruz Bullit, Specialised Bighit FSR, Giant Atx 990, Orange Patriot, Your Mum!
Bike Setup: MX6's, Hope DH4's (The best, Hayes just blow!) Mr Dirst Gizmo, BMX Cranks, ancient but much loved Sachs drivetrain, NO SHIMANO (Slay the Corporate Devil!)
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Submitted by
Greg Oliver
a Downhiller
from Coventry in the U.K
Date Reviewed: March 10, 2001
Strengths: Looks, weight, agility, adaptability, design, speed and performance.
Weaknesses: still looking.
Bottom Line:
If you read any magazine reports they all say the same, the frame is just amazing. This design is over 8 years old the only thing Mountain Cycle can do is add minor adjustments. If you haven't you need to ride one off road and give it some pain and see for yourself how well it can take it!. Since I bought mine in Oct 2000 I've ridden it 6 times cause I broke my leg in 5 places skiing, "great". I just can't wait to get back on my machine to give some trails a good goin over. The only thing which does let it down is if your trying to fit a front mech which I can appreciate being difficult but I dont use one so it doesn't bother me.
Bike Setup: Yellow and orange team fade colour, White Bros FR3,Ti bars+bolt on stem, Chris King head/set + Discotech hubs, hope DH4, Middleburn cranks, XTR cassette r/mech rapidfire, ringle seatpost.
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Submitted by
Clement Chia
a Downhiller
from Singapore
Date Reviewed: January 29, 2001
Strengths: it is a damm good bike to ride,with gd pedaling power,the pick up of this bike is like a ferrari man!!!! It rules!!Gd control over terran and DH,the bike is light for a DH,lots of bomb power,great looks/design,simplicity long lasting beauty.
Weaknesses: stupid front d position,very difficult to tune.
Bottom Line:
IT IS THE BEST BIKE I EVER OWN,ALTHOUGH I HAVE JUST OWN IT, IT WILL BE THE LAST DH BIKE I OWN.PEOPLE WHO ENJOY THE SIMPLICITY OF FULL SUSPENSION SHOULD DEARLY LOVE THIS BIKE,IF YOU DUN BELIEVE,TRY IT YOURSELF!!!!!
Bike Setup: 2001 MOUNTAINCYCLE SAN ANDREAS,SHIVER DH FORK,STRATOS REAR SHOCK,CHRIS KING HEADSET,XTR DH CRANK WITH MRP,HAYES DISC BRAKES WITH HUBS,IRC TUBELESS TIRES/RIMS,XTR REAR D WITH SHIFTER,THOMSON SEATPOST,KORE ELITE STEM,WHITE BROS Ti DH BAR,DX PEDALS,FUNN SEAT
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Submitted by
Peter
a Weekend Warrior
from Hong Kong
Date Reviewed: October 24, 2000
Strengths: Stunning looks, Great Geometry, Weight, Handling, Ridgidity, Plushness.
Weaknesses: Front derailleur positioning. Rattliing sound from the Pro Stop floating disks can be a tad annoying at times. Chain slap is amplified due to monocoque design - use lizard skin to rectify.
Bottom Line:
I've owned and ridden a fair share of bikes out there and found it difficult to find a bike that is so balanced in all catagories. It would be easy to find a downhill bike that would excel at it's discipline - and weigh 40+ lbs making it impossible to ride uphill for long. It would be just as easy to find a hardtail or light x-country bike - but it just wouldn't be able to take repeated abuse for too long (I ride at least 180km a week, rain or shine, up and down.). The San Andreas is almost perfect for my needs because it handles both disciplines with flair, has the looks and the performance to match it. I'm seriously thinking of giving the Moho a shot though cause I heard that was even better than the San Andreas. Pure fun from a maintenance free and reliable bike. No probs at all.
Similar Products Used: GT LTS, Intense Uzzi, Trek, Mongoose
Bike Setup: Sram 9.0 Front and Rear, XTR Crankset, Rings, Cogs. Boxxer up front and Terminator at back (prefer the Stratos though), Pro Stop hubs and disks, Mavic 521's, Panaracer 2.3's DH, Chris King headset and Icon seatpost (so so).
Strengths: You name it the design, the innovation, been around for 10 years and just now other bike companies are trying to copy the design. Light enough to climb with, but still enough suspension to bomb the downhills.
Weaknesses: 0
Bottom Line:
It is a good bike that charges on the downhills, but still light enough to climb up them. Very stable at high speeds with its sweet geometry, and the Pro Stop brakes complete the package.
Strengths: One of the biggest hits with the San Andreas is that there is total beauty in simplicity. This frame is the definition of "tried and true." It's been around for years and it has changed very little and it's still hangin with the best of the best. That tells you something most others can't: Experience rules!
Weaknesses: Okay, front derailer set-up. A real pain in the ass. Here's my suggestion: Whatever front derailer you go with, remove the high/low screws and replace them with equally sized allen screws. This enables you to make adjustments without having to completely remove the rear shock and compress the swingarm. Look at the close-up photo of the San Andreas at www.mountaincycle.com and you'll see what I'm talking about. However, once you switch the screws, voila! No more ass pains! Now just cut an allen key to fit between the derailer and the bottom of the swingarm and you're set to jet!
Bottom Line:
This bike really rides well. I live in Kansas and race XC here and then turn around and do the DH circuit out west. On vacations I ride New Mexico and Colorado. This bike handles it all! Really. I've had absolutely no problems with it. I don't care what anybody says about FS bikes not being able to climb, the San Andreas climbs like a fu#ki@g mountain lion! And as far as the decents go, hold on and let your adrenaline rush. The faster you go, the better the bike handles. So far, I've pushed it to 64mph on the Kamikazi run at Mammoth and my San Andreas held its line like a champ. When you throw a leg over this and head down the hill, just think, "aim and shoot!" It also handles very well on the big air jumps, too. It stays very well balanced and won't surprise you when you're high.
Similar Products Used: Intense UZZI, Ellsworth and a Foes
Bike Setup: RaceFace cranks,post & stem. Basic XT/XTR comp's.
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Submitted by
sean gates
a Weekend Warrior
from riverside
Date Reviewed: March 21, 2000
Strengths: light weight, big hit, rolls over everthing, can be riden uphill with lockout, execellent high speed handeling.[27.5lbs.6.5 inchs]
Weaknesses: without a doule crown forkstop, dented head tube on small crashes.
Bottom Line:
a great bike that gets you to the top so you can shread all the way down.this bike is for anybody who want's to have fun.chumps need not apply, if you dont need six inches of travel on the way down and a lockout on the way up dont wast your time or money on the housepro trial
