Submitted by
Michael
a Weekend Warrior
from Wollongong, Australia
Date Reviewed: April 2, 2007
Strengths: It's a Specialized. Hayes Discs - more power and more feel than rim brakes
Weaknesses: Low Bb - though with experience you can ride around this. Wierd handle bar bend Standard seat Standard tyres are a bit scketchy at speed
Bottom Line:
After a long wait I bought this bike to replace a hard tail and coming from a motocross background I was keen to buy something that could handle the down hills. At the same time I'm keen to actually be able to ride to the top before enjoying the downhill raz, so a good climber was also a requirement.
At the time of buying the bike I used to ride in the bush upto three times a week. I found that on some of the more technical climbs, where I would struggle to clear the climb 1 out of 10 times on the HT, I would make it up 9 out of 10 on the FSR.
On the down hill I've hit around 80 kms.
Now days I'm 40 and still enjoy a good climb or a bit of a blast. My son is 10 and into mtb as well and we are looking forward to starting to do some riding and camping, lugging our gear into the bush on our bikes. I know the young bloke will grow out of his bike but I really can't see any reason why the FSR won't be doing the job for me for a good few years yet.
I guess a combination of the climbing / descending ability, reliability and the capabiltiy to get you through an epic ride makes this a real alrounder.
I've had the bike over 6 years now and have had to replace a range of parts as they wear. A couple of key items replaced include: - the seat with a kevlar and titanium cross country seat as this allows me to move around more than the standard. - tyres where I lean toward something with more high speed grip than standard to match the bikes capabilities. - Probably the best investment has been to replace the standard cranks and Bb with a splined FSA crank that is noticably stronger and translates more power to the rear tyre. [ believe me you can feel the difference ]
Other than that I recently destroyed the original Manitous and have purchased a set of Fox Talas as a replacement.
After 6 years I have no intention of "upgrading" to a new bike as I find it impossible to get on this bike and not have a smile on my face.
Bike Setup: Gripy tyres [2.35 on front] Kevlar and Ti seat Fox Talas fork FSA crank and Bb No rain - no need for mud guards
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Submitted by
Kenneth
a Weekend Warrior
from Sydney
Date Reviewed: September 13, 2005
Strengths: Flickability on singletrack (2 wheel slide - oh yeah!). Can go up hill. Can do Rock gardens. Can do drops havent tried past 5ft - but i am sure it will be okay.
Weaknesses: Not much, considering I have had it for 4 years and have never serviced it. The FSR linkage is really dependant on a platform shock, but seriously in my view so are all the others.
Bottom Line:
I think it is as good as my coz's santa cruz superlight.
Wish I still had the geometry of this bike to compare to the new specialized bikes......... Anyone got a link of this?
Similar Products Used: Norco Nitro 1999 - The 80mm beast that can do Grizzlies in sydney. Coiler 2004 - ?!!?!!
Bike Setup: Stock.
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Submitted by
Jordan Taylor
a Weekend Warrior
from Draper, Utah, USA
Date Reviewed: April 22, 2004
Strengths: Great Suspension! Love the lockout, makes uphill easier than ever with the flick of a switch on the fly. Beefier crank than last years model.
Weaknesses: Mud seems to collect around the front Derailleur very easily and locking it up,causing frequent stops to clear it off. Lockout switch on fork is almost a little too easy to adjust, sometimes moves on it's own
Bottom Line:
Great ride! Very versatile. Takes on the craziest stuff with no poblem. Awesome setup.
I am a tame rider with 3000 miles of mostly XC riding on this bike. It's been very reliable. It's heavy at 30 lb, but what do you expect from a disc-brake fullie? The headset gave up in the second season and I slapped a Chris King on. The cheap Specialized pedals self-disassembeld and I added Shimanos. The Manitou fork gave up after two seasons and I added the Psylo XC, a very cool, if heavy solution. I switched to Conti 2.3 tires for flotation, no down side there. Both cheesy plastic fenders failed and I replaced them. Some of my problems may be due to wet conditons here in the pacific NW. I wish the rear suspension locked out, but hey, all it takes is money. The rear brake cable should be routed along the down tube instead of the top tube-- Specialized has since changed that. The Hayes brakes feel awesome but tend to howl when they get hot and have occasionally been fussy about rubbing the discs. Awoo.
Bike Setup: Stock plus: Shimano SPD pedals, Rock Shox Psylo XC fork, Chris King Headset.
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Submitted by
Lee Kreutz
a Cross Country Rider
from Savannah GA U.S.A.
Date Reviewed: January 14, 2003
Strengths: Hayes hydraulic brakes. FSR suspension
Weaknesses: The bottom bracket is too low. The handle bar was too wide. The seat is very uncomfortable. Cheesy rear caliper mount (shark fin) No rebound adjustment for the fork. The chain stay cracked and was replaced under warranty. However, the replacement part did not have any bearings or bushings installed. Yes, bushings. The aft pivot point on the chain stay has bushings not bearings. Specialized states that all of the pivot points have sealed bearings but in fact they do not. I then had problems with the rear wheel staying in the drops. If I slammed a pedal on an obstacle it would nearly always pull the wheel out of the drops. Specialized sent a replacement 01 seat stay link but again omitted the bearings from the new unit. Now I have areas on the frame where the paint is blistered and bubbling up. Further investigation revealed severe corrosion and pitting under the paint in the blistered areas. The paint had not been scratched or damaged in the areas affected. This leads me to believe something was on the aluminum prior to painting. Specialized was contacted and would not warranty the frame. I am now concerned the frame will fail and the big S will not warranty it because I removed paint to clean and treat the corrosion. The bike was purchased 25 months ago in December 2000.
Bottom Line:
The bike handles and rides well. And there in lies its saving grace. At the time I purchased it not many manufactures were putting Hayes hydraulic brakes on a trail bike and that made it a good value. Now, however, I would not make Specialized my first choice. There are many offerings now available from other manufactures that compare in price, performance and have less house brand parts. I expected this bike to last many years without any major problems. I was very disappointed with the incomplete warranty parts. I had been considering the Epic as an upgrade but now I would not consider a Specialized product.
I've been riding this bike for three years this month. It is the only FS bike I own & is primarily used as a taining/beater bike for harsh conditions (snow & mud) when I don't want to destroy my big $$ race bike or when doing an epic adventures. I've put countless miles on it and have to say , I am completely satisfied! I'm still running the original wheels (replaced the bearings once and the freehub once), the original hayes brakes (at least 5 sets of pads back, 4 front) without bleeding the lines once. The Hayes levers suck (loose bushing from day 1) but who cares with that low of maintainance. The best two replacements on the bike are the Xfly 100 (rebuilt the Manitou SX 2-times before replacing it) and the Fox Float RL (blew up the original Fox Float after 2 years of zero problems). Having the tunability on both ends makes the bike perform better now than new.
The only bushing that I had to replace are the ones connecting the shock to the frame & swingarm. I have replaced them 3 times. This year will mark the first time I will replace the main pivot bearings and swingarm bushing - just as a precausion - they still seem fine. However, I am only 145 lbs. and used to riding smooth with a hardtail - so I am probably considered to be easy on the bike. Also, I run 170mm cranks and higher pressure in the rear with the 3.9/70.2 setting - it helps keep me from cracking the padals of rocks - still happens sometimes.
I purchased it as an X-country bike (no FREERIDIN' here) after having shoulder surgery and needing a smoother riding bike to train/recover on. It has stayed as a beloved bike and earned a permanent spot in my arsenal of bikes. It is certainly no hi zoot race bike but I never intended it to be. This is one purchase I will never regret.
Great that they fixed the low BB problem on the newer models but too bad they changed to the hideous monosque front triangle.
By the way - anybody want to sell their old fenders? I'm on my second set - love em' - want to be prepared when I shatter these ones.
Similar Products Used: Rocky Mountain Element Race, Specialized Stump Jumper FSR, Catamount FS, Titus Racer X I race on Moots Rigormootis Merlin Singlespeed
Bike Setup: Upgrades from original setup: Xfly 100, King HS, Raceface cranks, SI seat, SRAM 9.0 shifting, Fox Float RL Intense XC tires 2.1 -- many hand-me-downs from the race bikes.
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Submitted by
dick hurtz
a Cross Country Rider
from saint stumpy, sc, usa
Date Reviewed: October 24, 2002
Strengths: Solid construction, put 3500 miles+ of hard rocky mountain trails' riding
Weaknesses: cable routing at shock mount bolt!
Bottom Line:
Just wanted to let the last poster know that by flipping the linkage and increasing rear travel, you've made the bucking bronco of all steering geometries, and THAT's what contributes to your endo-prone-ness. Maybe if you put on 200mm - 300mm travel bombers you'll get the front end equalized to the rear, but you'll suffer from such a tall and unstable bike you'll probably bail as much anyhow!
Submitted by
Alex
a Weekend Warrior
from Tampa, FL
Date Reviewed: July 18, 2002
Strengths: Tough as hell, climbs very well, very adjustable. Hayes breaks.
Weaknesses: BB problem, cableing brakets, plastic knob on bottom of Manitou shocks (should use Marzocchi instead). Fox shock is only about 2.5" of travel. Fenders could be better (if used) Weight (~30 lbs)
Bottom Line:
I got this bike a few months used from MTBR classifieds. It was upgraded with 'Enduro Pro' parts.
Bottom Bracket height was too low - I flipped over the rear shock bracket and fixed the problem.
4" of rear travel is more like 2". I upgraded with a MountainSpeed conversion kit and traded Fox out for a Stratos Helix for a full 6.2" of kick-ass rear travel. New shock also helps fix BB problem. Best upgrade yet!
Cut the handle bars down about 1 1/2" on either side - much too wide.
I was getting launched over handlebars on step decent (vertical) so shortened stem with Thomson stem by an 1.5". Problem fixed.
Cable brackets broke off downtube after many wrecks - use zip-ties to keep them secure.
Never used original pedals. SPD suck compared to Time Attacks.
I tacoed back wheel doing a 5 foot fall (my fault) cost $100 to replace. Other than that wheels don't come out of true easily. No problems with spokes.
The chain broke 4 times and kinked quite a bit - changed from Shimano to $hram and had no problems since.
Rear freehub is being replaced because after nearly 3 years and couple thousand miles - its worn out (imagine that)
I've been through four rear derailure hangers - they seem to bend easily. Had a problem with rear tire slipping out of bracket. Release angle is forward (bad) if skewer comes loose and rear tire pops out, you do a face plant. Problem turned out to be cause by a local bike shop placing a bolt on reversed.
Front Shocks - still pissed about Manitou's plastic knob on the bottom, even new 'Black' line has them. Plastic BREAKS you dumbasses! Why put a plastic knob on the bottom of a shock? I'd upgrade to Marzocchi but Hayes breaks would require an adapter which doesn't guarantee proper alignment of disks.
I think the most trouble I have now is Hayes breaks - had to replace a hub because disk bolts kept backing out. Disk breaks tend to get noisy as they get VERY HOT on long 4 mile downhills (I guess most will). As they get hot the fluid swells and compresses the pads. Occationally mounting screws vibrate loose and breaks must be realigned (easily done). The aluminum break levers bend after wrapping bike around a few trees and must be replaced when they cause fluid leakage from handgrip resevoirs. Read up on Hayes - bike shops can screw you for $$$ in unnecessary repair. Hayes still rock, problems are seldom and eaily fixed... and DAMN! They WORK!
Yes, I ride the bike hard. Paint is chipped and scratched. I downhill it, XC it, It goes through swamps, mud, rocks, sand, snow, ice and keeps on moving. So far suspention arms, pivots and frame are standing strong. Cranks & chainrings haven't bent despite many hard log crossings and drops.
This bike rocks! Well worth the money if you plan on using it hard but overkill for a "pavement/grass jockey".
New bikes with freaky designs come and go but notice the Enduro model sticks around. Its tough, adjustable and I will buy another one in ten years when this one finally falls into a quivering heap.
Strengths: Frame and brakes Interesting median of parts for all around riding Good choice for a biker thinking of transitioning from XC to freeride or DH.
Weaknesses: BB height, Fox air shock, Manitou front shock, and seat.
Bottom Line:
Fun intro freeride bike. BETD Link really changed the bike but requires a 5inch front fork to maintain a good headangle. The Vanilla RC W/ the BETD and 5inch fork are an amazing upgrade for the bike. I recommend it, but suggest staying in the 4 or 5inch setting(6 is too much for the headangle, unless you have a double crown fork w/ 5+, but I don't think frame is suitable). Replacing the upper chainring w/ the ring god made free riding even more fun(less worries and hassles of breaking upper chainrings). I'm a Pennsylvania weekend warrior who just likes freeriding all day, I never really use the larger chainring. Bottom bracket height w/ this setup is 12.75inches. Clearance between ground and ring god is 11inches.
Bike Setup: Psylo XC (soon to be switched w/ Marzocchi 5inch w/ ECC), BETD rear link set at 5" w/ Fox Vanilla RC(6.5x1.5), 75mmx0 Kore B52 stem w/ Azonic 1.5 riser bar, Black spire Ring God upper chain ring replacement and 36T mid chain ring, Mavic D321 rims on stock hubs, Tioga 2.2 tires, and Sella gel seat.
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Submitted by
Chris McLaughlin
a Weekend Warrior
from Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
Date Reviewed: April 6, 2002
Strengths: Customer Service - This is an update from a previous review. Just wanted to share a very recent Specialized CS experience.
Weaknesses: You'll need to upgrade here and there (fronts fork, pedals, etc.); but, still a great value and a good ride.
Bottom Line:
Have put a decent amount of miles on my Enduro since my original review in all kinds of conditions and have continued to be extremely pleased with this bike overall. However, last week, I stripped out threads for the bottom bracket and had to bring it into the shop for repair/replacement.
Two customer service kudos...
First, without my having to ask and without even even speaking with me first, the LBS (Rock n' Road in RSM, CA) called Specialized to report the problem.
Second, Specialized agreed to replace the frame with a new 2002 Enduro frame. The best new...they're shipping a Pro frame in place of my original Comp frame. Very pleased.
The only bad news is that this is my long awaited excuse to upgrade some of the components. So, despite the free replacement on the frame, this will probably set me back a few bills.
In the end, not happy about the frame failure, but very happy with the resultant customer service.
Weaknesses: weight, lack of suspension adjustment, BB clearance
Bottom Line:
I saved some money on this bike because it was a leftover 2000 model bought in 2001. I'm glad I got the 2000 since the 2001 doesn't have the disk brakes. It was a huge adjustment going from a small framed full rigid to a somewhat large dual susp. Once I got the bike set up the way I wanted it and adjusted my riding style, I grew to love this bike. This is a great bike for someone who is more interested in saving his body from the pounding of the bumps than having the lightest bike on the trail.
Similar Products Used: tested Trek Fuel 90, Giant Warp DS1
Bike Setup: completely stock
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Submitted by
Lou
a Weekend Warrior
from Greenville, SC USA
Date Reviewed: January 2, 2002
Strengths: Hayes brakes, Adjustable rear suspension, and smooth drivetrain.
Weaknesses: Manitou SX-LT forks.
Bottom Line:
Very smooth, excellent rear suspension. I was having BB clearance problems on my first ride. The rear adjustment was set to the lowest clearance/most travel (4.2"). I changed it the highest clearance/lowest travel changed it to the highest clearance/lowest travel (3.6") and no problems since. Climbs great and stable at speed. I wasn't fond of the forks so I changed those and a couple of other components. This is my first higher-end bike (was on a Fisher Joshua). I recommend this bike even if you buy it used (like I did). You CAN NOT go wrong with it. Of course it gets 5 Chilis! Lou.
Strengths: I like the frame and the Hayes brakes. I changed almost everything else
Weaknesses: The fork sucks. replace it!
Bottom Line:
This bike is great for what ever you want to do. The stock parts work well and they lasted me a while.If you want a bike that can climb well, decend fast, jump and drop this is a good bike for you. I have ridden down hill and raced XC on this bike it is nice.
Similar Products Used: Rocky Mountain Element race and Slayer
Bike Setup: King headset, Marzocchi Z1 CR fork, Azonic PDW handelbar, Sun rims, XT cranks with Slomom MRP
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Submitted by
Jersey Boy
a Weekend Warrior
from Flagstaff, AZ
Date Reviewed: August 6, 2001
Strengths: Descends like a champ, climbs like a monkey with his ass on fire, Hayes brakes stop on a freegin dime, rear linkage set up, geometry, forgetaboutit!
Weaknesses: BB clearance, f***in terrible, fork OK, spewed like a porn star, but got rid of it.
Bottom Line:
When I first bought the bike the BB clearance was just plain terrible, so I inverted the rear linkage bar which brought it up about another 3/4 of an inch. Watch out though because I had to replace the housing, it was to short. Got the new tires which brought it up another 1/4 of an inch, plus I replaced that 2x4 they call a seat with something a little more comfortable. The whole bike may be a little heavier now, but who cares, I don't race and I'm not a weight freak. By inverting the linkage it may affect the head angle, or even the performance of the rear shock. Try it out, what do ya haf ta lose? If you can, replace the Manitou fork for something that doesn't leak and can take abuse, I have dropped off of some 4 footers and it soaks it right up. I have no gripes about this bike other than the BB, and the SX-LT. It's been nothing but a pleasure. I gave it 5 flaming hemroids because I think someone was drinking at the factory when they put the fork on this badboy.
Bike Setup: Mostly stock, replaced the SX-LT with the Psylo XC, BAM! WTB Motoraptor 2.4 tires, also replaced the seat.
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Submitted by
Jim
a Weekend Warrior
from Huntington Beach, CA
Date Reviewed: June 21, 2001
Strengths: Hayes Brakes - 1244 miles on original rotors and pads!!, good frame geometry, good initial component set
Weaknesses: Frame BB housing threads failed, rear Specialized skewer wouldn't stay locked down, Specialized (WellGo) pedals with no float (one failed), LX cassette broke a tooth!,
Bottom Line:
At about 9 months - 900 miles the BB broke free when the frame threads failed. SuperGo got Specialized to warranty it for a 2001 frame (cool!) and transferred all of my gear. I now have 1244 miles of trails in one year of riding on it. I have gradually upgraded some components, next will be the SX-100 Manitou forks. No failure there, it is just time for something better. Otherwise change the 5 wt oil often to keep it plush. I run 180 lbs in the rear shock and set for 4.6 ". I use the lockout fairly often for that pseudo-hardtail action on uphills and flat terrain. Because the 'Go and Specialized stood behind the product I am still happy with the bike. Did I mention I love the Hayes! I have 1244 miles on the original rotors and pads. Do that with rim brakes!!! I have the stock Ritchey seatpost and Specialized seat: no breaks or bends there. With air in the heavy tires as the bike sits it is 29.5 pounds (no advertisers' wishful number but true weight).
I have been searching google and the forum and cannot find any details about what model of Hayes disk brakes are on my 2000 Enduro. Everything I find just says Hayes Disk Brakes, d Read More »
