Submitted by
Eric Morin
a Weekend Warrior
from Santa Barbara CA USA
Date Reviewed: January 12, 2003
Strengths: Strong nice ride
Weaknesses: makes a lot of noise........we have had it fixed a lot real pain in the a#$ but its okay its good fun
Bottom Line:
good bike nice to ride dh/free ride....you can use it for minimul urban (or atleast what i do) I had a hanabrink and it sucked took 3 months for them to fix it so we got the monster t.......HANABRINKS are possibly the worst things in the world!
Strengths: -Built like a tank, but doesn't weigh like one. -Cleaver engineering and well thought out suspension system. -Adjustability (Sub frame, dropouts, suspension setting...and the future products coming in the future). -Mountain Cycles amazing after-purchase tech support.
Weaknesses: -Very LOUD frame, creaks like crazy if you don't keep the BB, cranks, subframe joint clean and lubed at all times -Suited for tall rider, I'm 5'6'(30" in-seam)and standover hieght BARELY suits me (this is not really a weakness, just a personal gripe) -Thats really about it.
Bottom Line:
Bottom line is, shock is without a doubt a world class DH'er. Yeah, M-1's, DHi's, DHS's get alot more press because more sponsored guys ride them, but the Shockwave certainly performs with the best of them and beats alot of them in many catagories. This one has been the best petaler out of all of them. First, the SW is a super stable bike at all speeds. It's constantly begging to go faster and soaks up anything that comes it's way. Very confident inspiring bike as long as you have the suspension setup properly. And you cannot beat the adjustability of the frame. The bike needs a front fork with at least 6" of travel. Even though you can add a front de, and go freeriding or XC'ing with it...this isn't really the bike for that kinda stuff. And for my personal gripes... It is a big bike, not really suited for the smaller rider..but I'm 5'6' and works for me (even with the standard subframe...just gotta have the seat pushed up forward). The mono frame really amplifies every sound in the bike. So if you want to try keeping the bike as quiet as possible...you gotta keep the BB/crank area clean and lubed, same goes with the subframe joint area. Or else, you will hear the embrassing creaking and crackling noise all ride long. Other then that...thats really about it. Support of MC after the purchase has been nothing short of outstanding. I have received e-mails from just about everyone including the engineers, in tech support questions. With that said, if I had to do it all over again, I'd buy this bike again...or any MC product. I've never ridden a San Andreas, but from the reviews I've seen...looks like that is worth a look for a XC/freeride machine.
Strengths: Everything. I bought it as a frameset but for a downhill bike it is light. It's adjustabiity is great and the frame and pivots are very rigid
Weaknesses: Maybe the price, but it's worth every penny
Bottom Line:
This is one of the best downhill bikes I've ever ridden. The frame and pivots have very little flex even after a year of hard riding. Also this is a pleasant bike to pedal uphill (for a downhiller). If you are an extreme freerider or downhiller who is satisfied with 8 inches of travel this bike is for you
Bike Setup: Fox vanilla RC rear shock, risse bigfoot fork, Modo rims, Nokian 3.3 inch tires, Hayes Hyd. Disk brakes w/ 8 inch rotors, raceface DH stem and crank, Shimano Xtr shifter+lever, MRP chainguide, fender and bashguard.
Strengths: Nice to have those grease ports on every movable part, 6-8' of travel, the only dh-frame i've tested with a really good Seatpost solution (yes, you can push your seatpost down all the way, and no, it does crash into the rear shock ;o) !!!)
Weaknesses: Weak screw's ! Damn, i twisted every screw that is fixing a movable part (rider weight 80 kg). I suggest MC to redesign those areas and fix it with some stronger axle's. (Well if you'r a hard rider check your screws on a regulary basis so you can replace the screws when they still come loose (i hate to drill them out !!!))
Bottom Line:
If you are looking for a good working machine that can handle a wide area of targets then go for it. Every bike has it's weakness. I can live with the replacement of a few screws every year (compared to problems of other frames). And don't forget the eye catching look you will get for the low price tag !!!! ;o)
Favorite Trail: everything steep, rough with lots of drop offs and jumps
Duration Product Used: 1 Year
Similar Products Used: San Andreas, San Andreas DH, Rockymountain RM9, Intense Uzzi DH ...and many more
Bike Setup: Trixxy 7' wetbath with srew on stem, XT, Purple Hays, Sun double wide rims (front 26', rear 24') Arrow 3' tires, Razor Rock dropouts with 20mm axle.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Tico Kinkade
a Racer
from San Diego, CA
Date Reviewed: June 6, 2000
Strengths: Excellent design, great shock choice(vanilla RC), great travel feel(8 inches), Easy to Pedal (yes uphill too), great in corners and drops, good jumper. Low price
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
The best downhill frame in the market today, Inexpensive and reliable, PLUSH.
Strengths: EVERYTHING.....IT IS QUIET,PLUSH,ADJUSTABLE, AND WELL THOUGHT OUT.IT FEELS COMPLETELY SOLID AND I LIKE THE FACT THAT IT IS A CANTILEVER DESIGN..(THAT MEANS THAT YOU CAN CLIMB WITH IT IF YOU HAVE TO)I HAVE A HANEBRINK LT8 ON MINE AND IT HANDLES PERFECTLY WITH THE FRAME GEOMETRY.
Weaknesses: ONLY TWO COLOR OPTIONS....AND I WOULD USE TEFLON GREASE ON THE PIVOT POINTS SO YOUR NOT ALWAYS SERVICING THEM
Bottom Line:
THE BIKE IS PERFECT FOR ME BECAUSE I CAN RUN A TRIPLE RING FOR FREERIDING,OR I CAN PUT A CHAIN GUIDE ON FOR TRIPS OUT OF STATE. IT DOES THIS WITHOUT EVER FEELING LIKE A COMPROMISE.
Similar Products Used: I OWNED A SAN ANDREAS DHS FOR 3 OR 4 YEARS..TRIED MOST OF EVERYTHING ELSE
Bike Setup: HAYES,HANEBRINK,ETC..AND RHINO-LITES FOR AT HOME/DOUBLEWIDES FOR DOWNHILL
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Sam T
a Downhiller
from Auckland, New Zealand
Date Reviewed: April 13, 2000
Strengths: Everything. This bike is really, really, REALLY good.
Weaknesses: Price - but then, you get what you pay for eh?
Bottom Line:
If you're in the market for a new frame that does everything REALLY well - this is it. The boys/girls at MC have done a huge amount of work on this frame and it shows. There are all sorts of excellent little features (not gimicks, features) that make this frame shine.
Oh yeah - customer service.... Mountain Cycle are fantastic - I've had a few bikes over the years and know from bitter experience that some Manufactures (Hi Giant - how's it going) really don't give a sh*t once you've forked out your $$ and left the shop - MC have been around for a long time (remember "suspenders" anyone?) and have always been pushing the envelope.
Make sure you get the '00 (or late '99 I think) that has the integrated steering stop. And if you like a slack head angle go for the DH dropouts - even with a long travel fork the standard ones just don't do it for a DH bike...
Over and out - ps; I don't work for MC, I honestly rate this bike above anything I have ridden. Buy this frame - you will not be disapointed.
