Submitted by
Shane
a Weekend Warrior
from Salt Lake City, Utah USA Date Reviewed: July 1, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Porkypine rim Moab
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$1150.00
Purchased At:
Highlander
Strengths:
A terrific bike. I have ridden this bike for 13 years. After a Moab trial, I am the only one w/o a sore butt. Very comfortable climbing, XC or downhill. I have ridden it at the tops of the Rockies and on the desert. If you haven't used it for your main bike, you can't honestly comment about it.
Weaknesses:
It's only weakness is adjusting the seat height. Take an allen wrench with you and problem solved.
Similar Products Used:
mountain cycle
Bike Setup:
carbon fible beam with upgraded components.
Bottom Line:
I've ridden a lot of miles and this has been my favorite bike.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Logan Harman
a Weekend Warrior
from San Clemente, CA, USA Date Reviewed: July 27, 2001
Favorite Trail:
None
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$800.00
Purchased At:
Softride
Strengths:
Great for climbs, mud, uneven trails. Very comfortable on road also. Great for long rides.
Weaknesses:
I've had a lot problems with my gears(but that's Shimano's fault). People stealing parts off it. Thiefs like to zero in on this bike.
Bottom Line:
This bike is much better than people say. You can't truly review this bike unless you have ridden it for more than just a demo trip. Your first ride will not be fun. But once you adjust and get used to how the bike rides, you will never want to ride anything else. And unlike what one of the other reviewers said about the bike being on the top 10 worst mountain bikes......he may want to recheck his info. Bottom line: If you have the money to shell out, seriously consider this bike. You won't find a more comfortable ride for sure.
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Submitted by
HENK
a Racer
from CANADA Date Reviewed: July 20, 2001
Favorite Trail:
FAST SINGLETRACK
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Strengths:
I thought that this bike was really good for hammering on singletrack, climbing and taking the edge off of small bumps. I felt better on the bike as the race went on and I had better race results on this bike than anything else before or since. I actually liked the way that the stem performed and I found the bike to be light and efficient. It didn't ever require suspension maintenance and it was durable.
Weaknesses:
Not the bike for super rough terrain or really technical riding. I found it difficult to get off the back of the seat on steep technical downhills.
Similar Products Used:
Pro-flex fs bikes, Hard tail steel bikes.
Bike Setup:
Mine had grip shift and an Xt drive train. My bike was a 1995 Sully.
Bottom Line:
I thought that this was a really good bike especially for racing. It would be a great choice for people who value a light bike that is efficient and easy on their body. I don't think that it's a great bike if you are into really technical riding or if you want to take big drops. These bikes are also low maintenance. The Softride website states that they feel that this bike is best for fast single track and jeep-road type riding, I agree. If your riding consists of longer rides or racing on this type of terrain then this would be a very hard bike to beat. I sold my frame because it was one size too small and because I had a new racing sponsor, however I would buy another one of these without hesitation. I'm giving five chili ratings for this bike because I thought that it was great for my kind of riding and I never had any problems in two years of riding and racing.
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Submitted by
Jim Smith
a Cross Country Rider
from LA Date Reviewed: June 27, 2001
Bike creaks, cheap parts, felt like a human catapult, rigid fork
Similar Products Used:
FSR XC, Fisher Sugar, Intense Tracer
Bike Setup:
Not worth mentioning
Bottom Line:
The bottom line is don't buy this bike. If you want a good dual suspension mountain bike, spend your money elsewhere. If you haven't heard, the Softride is rated as one of the top ten WORST mountain bikes ever made. Anybody who gives this bike good reviews are just fooling yourself. You should suspend the bike and not the rider. Horrible design. Go out and spend $1200 on an fsr xc and you'll be much happier. How come I can't give it 0 chillis?
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Submitted by
Brian Hancock
a
from Kaysville, Utah Date Reviewed: June 1, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Any thing that goes up
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$1300.00
Purchased At:
Pacquets Cycles
Strengths:
This thing can climb. Comfort which means I can ride longer (Stiff rear triangle). The beams is incredible. I've had zero problems with this bike and have enjoyed every mile.
Weaknesses:
Seat can be hard to adjust and zero in. Does OK on single track downhill but for hardcore downhilling look else where
Similar Products Used:
Trek full suspension
Bike Setup:
1999 Softride Power Curve, XTR deraillers, Truvativ Stylo Crank, Softride Aluminum Suspension Stem, Avid 25 Brakes, Nuke Proof hubs w/ Sun Sub IV rims.
Bottom Line:
I had to submit a review to off set the poor reviews given. I can't speak for the other reviewers, and bad experiences happen. However, I have had nothing but a great experience with this bike and wouldn't trade it for anything. I use this bike for Mountain and Road riding (two wheelsets, one with slicks and road cassette) I recently did a 25 miler and averages 20 mph. On the mountain this thing is great for hills and all around x-country riding. The Beam works great and the Stem is sufficient for all the trails I've ridden in the wasatch front mountain range. I highly recomment this bike. Everyone I know who has given this bike a serious look and ridden for a significant period of time has fallen in love with this bike. Plus, my body feels great after a ride, no stiff back, hands are not totally fatigued etc.
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Submitted by
SJ
a Weekend Warrior
from Upstate NY Date Reviewed: November 27, 2000
Duration Product Used:
Tested or demo'ed only
Strengths:
-Clever concept,in theory anyway -Rides very nice--in parking lots!!!
Weaknesses:
-WEAK!!!Heaps of lateral flex! -Lousy components for $1800 -Rigid fork! -Not designed for real-world off-road use -The Softride stem is a friggin' joke(remember the Girvin Flexstem?!Is it any surprise these pieces of crap left the mainstream market?)
Similar Products Used:
None,really;this P.O.S doesn't really fit in with other real suspension designs.After testing it,I'd say it falls under the category of "waste of money" and "weak-ass design"
Bottom Line:
I tested one of these in a bike shop up north.Let's face it;This piece of over-engineered junk is obsolete right out of the box.Active suspension is here to stay,and the Softride beam/stem "suspension" combo wasn't the greatest idea to begin with!It doesn't ride much softer than a regular aluminum hardtail with a 3" suspension fork--plus it flexes!!As in SERIOUS FLEX!!As in fly-off-the-trail-and-land-on-your-ass flex!!
The result of the frame flex,combined with a Softride stem and rigid fork(lots o' monkey motion over any bump!) means that handling and steering precision are non-existant!!Which results in A LOT OF BAND-AIDS!!Also the frame and Softride beam are WEAK!Go big over anything and plan on kissing it(and your ass)good-bye!This happened to 3 of these bikes,which were sitting behind the shop in a mangled heap.DON'T PUT STOCK INTO THIS DESIGN!!It WILL break!
To add insult to injury,the components are lousy for $1800.There should be at least SOME XT here!!
This is one of the worst suspension bikes of all time!Face the facts--Softride bikes went out of popularity with Biopace and cantilever brakes.This thing deserves NO chilis! Buy a good active FS design,or get a good hardtail!!It will be better than this bike!
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Submitted by
Timothy Harkier
a Cross Country Rider
from Antonial, Arizona, US Date Reviewed: October 30, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Busted Balls Rocks
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$1600.00
Purchased At:
Sup'r Bik'r Store
Strengths:
none
Weaknesses:
This bike is so bad... the components all suck horribly and everything will break on you... guaranteed. The frame sucks.
Similar Products Used:
none... none this bad
Bike Setup:
stock
Bottom Line:
This is the worst bike I have ever ridden. The first day i rode it on the trails, the frame broke! I couldnt believe it. The head tube snapped. I just stood there in the middle of the trail looking at my new, broken, 1600 dolalr bike. I took it back to the store that week and the manager said that there was nothing he could do. He said the warranty had died when I "mishandled" it. I did nothing if the sort. I rode it easily as a matter of fact. I lost a good 1600 dollars. Al the components were creaking from the second i mounted the bike. I can't believe it. Don't ever buy this bike. You're throwing your money away.
$ 1499.95
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