Bike Setup: All Deore components, Rocks Shox Judy front fork, clippless pedals, avid juicy disc brakes,Veulta Anti snake bite wheelset.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Chad Thomas
a
from Lancaster, PA, USA
Date Reviewed: September 9, 2005
Strengths: Rolls over logs and rocks with ease. Great product spec. for the price. Comfortable geometry. Magura Julie brakes are amazing. Rear suspension stays pretty well locked out on climbs. Pretty good weight considering travel. Looks pretty sweet once the fenders are off, and you throw some clipless pedals on it.
Weaknesses: Low bottom bracket height, Crappy seat post, looses traction easily on loose terrain. Front suspension bob on standing climbs.
Bottom Line:
I Bought this bike because after hours of reading reviews I found it to be the best all around bike at a price I could afford. Great all around bike; xc, downhill, technical, and even light freeriding. Rolls over logs and rocks like a monster truck! Seriously, this makes riding technical terrain so much fun I almost pee my pants some times. I bought a new bike mainly because I wanted disc brakes, and I can't over-emphasize how much I love them. I can lock up my wheels on even the steepest downhill, they perform well in all conditions, who cares if your rims are a little out of true, and they are pretty much maintenance free. Frame seems to be really solid. Most components are very high quality for this price range. The biggest problem I have had is with the peice of junk seatpost (30.9 mm diameter so you can switch it out) on this bike. Works okay if put the saddle center rails, and crank down, but otherwise it keeps shifting around, and you have to stop every 5 minutes to re-tighten it. The other main problem I have had is with loose terrain. While this bike does climb pretty well for the amount of suspension it has, and a relatively heavy weight (somewhere around 28 lbs.), it fails in loose pack terrain. Don't even consider getting out of the saddle on climbs either. I also found that it decends very well, but not on loose terrain (i.e. stones or loose dirt). This leads me to think that the problem may be the tires, which don't seem to have very good reviews, and not the actual bike. I may switch them out soon, even though they are in good shape. The front suspension also bobs considerably while climbing standing, but you shouldn't really do that anyway unless you are on the road. To be fair though, it is 4" of pretty plush travel, so it's going to bob a little. I have had no problems with blowing seals on the fork, and I've taken it over some pretty gnarly terrain. Lastly, and very importantly, THE BOTTOM BRACKET HEIGHT IS VERY LOW. This shouldn't be a huge problem if you know how to ride well, but I do smack my pedals on rocks considerably more than I did with my old bike. I'm told the bb height was even lover on 2000 models. Despite the negatives listed here I have had a blast with this bike. The difference in suspension in imcomparable to my last bike, and the braking power makes a huge difference. I've cleared sections that I never would have cleared on my old bike, and this bike does very well as a good all around bike. Who really rides only downhill anyway? Where I come from when you go down a hill, you need to pedal back up it. This bike makes a joy of both. The geometry is super comfortable, and while my front end does lift off the ground (completely screwing up my climb, while climbing steep climbs in a low gear), this bike still climbs pretty well if you just put a little extra weight over the front tire on steep climbs. I'm able to ride this bike for hours, and not expereince near the fatigue that I'm used to, due to it's extremely comfy geometry, and riser handlebars. Overall an awesome bike, and I am very happy with my purchase. I find myself riding more than I ever did, and you can't beat this bike on the rocky, rooty, technical terrain of the Northeast US. The only bike I would buy before this one, since they have come down in price considerably is the Mountain Cycle San Andreas. It's reviews are nearly flawless, and this bike has stood the test of time. It can be purchased at adrenalineproshop on ebay new for under $1,400. All things considered though, buy this bike and you'll never want to leave the trail.
Bike Setup: stock, except for thompson elite seatpost
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
timish horbay
a Downhiller
from edmonton alberta canada
Date Reviewed: August 9, 2005
Strengths: not a bad climber and the components are good for the money. the brakes were excellent even after 2.5 years of thrashing.
Weaknesses: rear shock was a little harsh as was the fork. both blew out after a year and i got a romic in the back and a black (manitou) in the front. limited seatpost adjustments
Bottom Line:
a great starter bike! i used mine for xc for a year and then after swapping the shocks, i was actually able to use it as a freeride/ jump bike (by that point i had outgrown it a little!) beyond the cheap suspension this is an excellent bike. i regret selling mine and wish specialized would bring a similar one back!
Strengths: Super sweet climber, narly descender, and with the right components... very light
Weaknesses: 3.6 inch travel setting leaves small amount of pedal clearance
Bottom Line:
this bike is dope,it is very easily comparable to the stumpjumper in every way. the old cross country style frame is sweet... Specialized should have kept it. this bike is solid all around. Super dependable. everyone who doesn't like it is a harcore masher.
Bike Setup: XT everything, carbon bar, WTB wheelset
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Johnny Brouwers
a Weekend Warrior
from Wouw, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands
Date Reviewed: August 25, 2003
Strengths: - great bang for your buck - 4 bar linkage rear suspension - adjustable head angle - perfect trailride bike for me - strong frame - stiction free, almost maintainance free pivots - looks good - Smooth suspension front and rear. Front suspension easily adjusted to riders weight. - front tire - very good stock rear shock with rebound adjuster - comfy saddle
Weaknesses: - tire clearance - Crappy seatpost quick release. My seatpost is going down every ride. I broke two of those quick releases. - Rear shock should be mounted the other way, with the rebound adjuster on top. This way it doesn't eat metal out of the link when adjusted to the slacker head angle setting. - I can't use a the 2,2" rear tire I have now with the slacker head angle setting. The tire wil hit the rear shock. I want to ride it in the slacker head angle setting, but do not want to change to a less taller (and less wider) rear tire. - stock stem is too long - Stock seatpost is not strong enough. I have bent it. - stock saddle has really weak rails. I have bent those too. - Stock rear tire has the most weak side walls I have ever seen. Watch out for snakebites! I've had several of them with the Team Master. - I don't like the shape of the stock brake levers - Stock headset sucks. I lost my seals at some point. - The seal of the stock rear hub makes a terrible noise. It doesn't stop when 'serviced' the hub. - the forks should have a rebound adjustment - lower shock bushings wear too fast
Bottom Line:
I weigh a bit more than 200lbs and I am a hardcore trailrider. This is the perfect bike for me! Upgraded everything (except front derailleur ;)). Very good on technical sections.
Weaknesses: lower end parts spec; 27 inch riser handlebar, 30.8 pounds stock; numerous pedal strikes; the shock needs to be inverted so the rebound adjuster is up in the seat mast, otherwise the shock contacts and chews up the suspension linkage in the 4.6 inch 69 degree setting.
Bottom Line:
I really like this bike. I bought the bike and parts on sale so it didn't cost that much to upgrade. The suspension is great, and it climbs and descends well. It is now light enough to race XC in the sport class, but the longer travel makes it a good all-rounder. I'll be keeping it for a while.
Disk brakes would be nice, but would add to the cost and weight. When I have to replace the wheels for some other reason, I'll get some then.
Stock, this is a great full-suspension bike for the money. Carefully upgraded, it is better, and still a good value.
Similar Products Used: None. My other bike is a 10 year old Kona hardtail with Rock Shox Quadra.
Bike Setup: My bike is the 2001 Enduro Sport, with coil-over shock, Z5 air fork, low-end Specialized crank with steel chainrings and Pro-Max V-brakes.
Parts Changed: 24 inch flat bar; Selle Italia saddle; Bontrager Race-Lite ISIS crank and Bontrager BB; Cane Creek AD10 shock; Avid SD Ti brakes, XT wheel skewers. No fenders or chain guard. Stan's no-tubes sometime in the near future.
My bike is now under 28 pounds (medium-frame) with stock tires and tubes.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Chance Richie
a Cross Country Rider
from Saratoga Springs, NY
Date Reviewed: September 26, 2002
Strengths: Tough, fast, and agile. A great bike for the money.
Weaknesses: None so far. I haven't had any problems with the front fork, but we'll see.
Bottom Line:
This is the first mid to upper range bike I've had and I love it. It is faster, climbs better, and gives me more confidence on the rocky single track of NY than my Rockhopper did. I am not sure if this would be the case with any bike >$1000, but Specialized has always worked well for me.
Submitted by
Lance Starling
a Downhiller
from St. George Utah USA
Date Reviewed: September 15, 2002
Strengths: This Bike has a great back suspention, I can never bottem out with it. Its the best bike for the money. Turns like a dream.
Weaknesses: The front suspention sucks! I was riding down some single track, and the stupid thing exploded on me! If i were you i would go for Marzocchi. Get some Metal Brake levers!
Bottom Line:
This is Bike is so rade if your jest starting to freeride, its a great bike for XC. If your over a year of freerideing, get a bigger bike.
Similar Products Used: 2001 Cannondale super v 500
Bike Setup: Just like the photo at the top, but I put a Marzocchi Z1 Freeride on it.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Jet Downhill
a Weekend Warrior
from Livermore, CA
Date Reviewed: September 1, 2002
Strengths: Excellent handling. Excellent rear suspension. Good climber. Corners well.
Weaknesses: Stock components-brakes, shock, crankset, and seat.
Bottom Line:
This bike has the sweetest rear suspension around! The four bar linkage is no joke. It stays fairly firm under hard pedaling and sucks everything up at the same time! You can shift, brake, and pedal over anything. No ghost shifting or rear suspension jacking under hard braking. This thing also corners better than any full suspension 5-inch travel bike i've ridden. It simply rails corners and makes trick corners seem too easy. If your looking for a good "freeride" bike that is more XC oriented, get this one. It's just fun, fun, fun!!
Similar Products Used: Cannondale Jekyll, S.C. Superlight, Cannondale Super V.
Bike Setup: Fox Vanilla RLC 125 fork, Fox Float shock, Mavic 223 rims/Xt hubs, Avid Mech Discs, Easton M.L. bars, Larsen TT's.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Akky
a Cross Country Rider
from New York
Date Reviewed: July 23, 2002
Strengths: Great frame, brakes, components mix
Weaknesses: Low bb height, seat, handlebar was replaces after the first ride.
Bottom Line:
For it being my 1st mountain bike, I can't complaint, I haven't taken the bike close to it's limits yet, so I guess I'll be keeping it for a while. Will upgrade parts as they break, and would prob add tubeless tires in the near future. Very happy with the purchase. Could be use for some light freeriding, but I don't think it could handle major downhill, least not with that fork.
Weaknesses: Forks, tires, forks, seat, forks, bars,forks, stem, forks. (Manitou SX100) Replace forks as soon as possible, unless you like going over the bars!
Bottom Line:
Great all around bike. Light DH & freeride, XC, just crusing with the seat all the way down at the beach bike paths. This is the best bike for the money. The stock forks are the only real weakness. I ride this bike as a cardio builder, trailbike and urban thrasher.
Strengths: The strenghts of the bike shine through every time i ride it, along with the outstanding strenght of the frame, it with-stands anything i throw at it, I have recently purchased a new Fox rear shock, so that it is now capable of more devilish drops. I actually own and Enduro Sport FSR, but there the same Frame, just without the disc's.
Weaknesses: There are only a few weaknesses as i can see, the rear end of the 4-bar linkage on the FSR frame becomes very loose and wobbly, allowing the wheel to becom looses and look slightly buckled, but all in all the rest is extremely good, also the saddle does not have good enought mountings, and moves every time i land on it, allways sounds al if the suspension has Snapped, Scary!!!
Bottom Line:
All in all, this bike is one of the best bikes ive ever ridden, It is the easiest to control, and has a fantastic Position when seated, It will never let me down, and if i was advising anyone, i'd tell them to get a specialized FSR, wither Enduro, which isnt really for drops or downhill, but ive converted it for my races, or a Big Hit.If your into Long distance riding Or just Freeriding, this is the Bike for you, it caters for everyone! :)
Favorite Trail: Anywhere Where there are Extreme Drops
Duration Product Used: 3 months
Price Paid:
$1000.00
Purchased At: www.evansctcles.com
Similar Products Used: Ralight Bandicoot, BIG MISTAKE, nothing compares to the FSR, GT i-drive, Rocky mountain 9, Caondale, and a big hit, NOw thats a bike!
Bike Setup: Marzocchi Super T's on the Front, Mavic 321's with Hope M4's, Fox Rear shock, Massive Azonic saddle! 2.6 Kujo DH at a squeeze Tyres! Its an amazing set up!!
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Relayden
a Weekend Warrior
from Orocovis, PR
Date Reviewed: June 22, 2002
Strengths: Good price, FSR suspension, Great frame, can be improved as you kill older parts, very good foundation. Can,t beat the price was on clearance. Fenders a plus! I'm in the caribbean and when it rains youll see a lot of mud.
Weaknesses: S parts, Crappy saddle, stem too long, composite brake lever, wheels mmm! soso. rear tire 1.9, hell no!
Bottom Line:
Excellent bike for do it all,climbs very well, and goes down very fast, a little more travel as the 2002 model, wouldn't be bad, steering dramatically improved as soon as parts were swapped, fork and stem are very stiff, the black is a little too soft, the stem is awesome, wheels are holding up, magura julie brakes surprised me, good stoping power, and almost no squeal. Neverthless,I want to know if anyone has had this problem, the rear coil over shock, when set up in the 69 deg and 4.6 position, the plate holding the spring hits the link, preventing full travel and marring both surfaces had to invert the shock. Sholdn't buy if youre an xc wheight geek, should if you really like to have fun and epic rides.
Weaknesses: -poor parts spec as shipped -handlebars to wide -crappy saddle -hock that crankset asap!
Bottom Line:
This is an update from my previous post from last December. I've been riding the bike all winter in the iciest trail conditions and I've pulled no punches.
So what's the verdict? This is still the greatest ride I've ever experienced on a mountain bike. Active rear suspension, in my opinion, is superior to virtually any other design based on pure performance . So far the frame and rear shock have given me zero problems. To me that's important, big time. Also I have to admit that a few upgrades will make this bike shine like a star.
I knew that a few parts switchouts were going to be necessary when I bought it. This is the Enduro Sport after all, but considering how well the bike rocks on the dirt, it was money extremely well spent.
How's the rear end holding up? Great, so far. There's no slop or flex in the rear that I can feel. At first I thought there might be a problem at the bottom bracket pivot, but once I switched to an XT crankset I knew the flex was coming from that piece of crap Forearm II. Bye bye and good riddance! Specialized doesn't do everything right after all.
While we're b!tching here I should mention that I docked the bike one star for the lousy saddle, cow-horn handlebars and the substandard crankset. These are things that, even at this lower pricepoint, should have been taken care of. I would have preffered a Deore crankset and it wouldn't have cost Spec that much to switch it out at the factory.
Spec-wise the Oscar goes to the Z5 Air Bomber fork. This thing is actually better than a Psylo if you can live without all of the bells and whistles. This fork basically makes the front end of the bike and I wouldn't trade it for something that cost twice as much (unless it was another Marzocchi of course).
So there's my update five months later. Before you decide to go for some high end super bike like an Ellsworth or an Uzzi, give the Enduro a shot. I've tried em all and the Specialized (with a few tweaks) can go toe to toe with these frames costing more than a complete Enduro.
Bike Setup: I bought the Enduro Sport. So a few things needed to be switched out. I ditched the saddle right away for a Selle Italia. I ditched the pro max V brakes for XTs, ditched the Forearm II crankset for an XT, replaced the lower end deore shifter/lever combo for XT shifters and levers.
Strengths: brakes really impressed me after coming from pro-max & lx.this bike will offer everything you'll need for a first time full susser,good climbing,good handling.upgradable. adjustable rear shock
Weaknesses: a better fork would do it a world of good,it feels as if it might break on anything big,tires it came with.dunno if specialized new who the bike was good for,good stopping stopping power,lt,very wide bars,invites you to take it on but will the spec handle it. I have long term doubts,but sill a lovley ride
Bottom Line:
after 3 months fairly hard riding i would certainly advise a fork upgrade,they need too much attention,too regulary.on the plus side this is a perfect first time susser for someone with medium money & medium-hardish needs.I do trust it to handle most i can throw at it but for how long is a bit of a worry considering its price tag.
