Submitted by
rich
a Weekend Warrior
from Littleton, CO USA
Date Reviewed: June 4, 2011
Strengths: An absolute monster frame that just won't quit. The bike is a beast and takes every trail you can throw at it. Great components for their day.
Weaknesses: On the heavy end.
Bottom Line:
I just thought it may be of interest to some to see a review of an 11 year old bike. This bike of mine is the definition of "used" but it just keeps taking the trails. I bought this bike new in 2000 and have ridden the heck out of it all throughout Colorado over the past 11 years. The frame is as strong as it looks. It's been to Moab twice (and will be there again this year) and this bike just won't quit. It may be well past its prime but it just goes without quitting. I've tested new bikes in the last year and, while they are really sweet, there's something to be said about a bike you can just take out and not worry about anything. Yes, it has old components but they were great in their day and they're still going strong. The only thing that has ever broken on this thing was the chain and that was just last year. When you crash on this thing you just get up and back on...a true workhorse of a bike. I'm sure in the next few years I'll move on to a new one but I'm just not ready to give her up quite yet.
Bike Setup: Still nearly all original components minus a new chain and rear tire recently.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Dave
a Weekend Warrior
from New Jersey
Date Reviewed: December 4, 2006
Strengths: Solid Frame, does what its supposed it, love the geometry
Weaknesses: I've broken near all of the original components over th 6 years I've ridden this bike, but Ive taken it way beyond what it was designed for, and placed well over 2k miles on it.
Bottom Line:
The first full suspension I ever rode. Let me start of by saying this frame will take an absoulte beating. This was the first bike I ever downhilled, droped, and dirt jumped, which brought about the upgrades in brakes and other componets (I even snapped the handel bars in half during one DH run on a missed jump landing). This bike was not ment for anything remotly close to that kind of beating I gave it, and yet it survived. I have used it for moderate drops, around 4-5 ft, and it keeps on keeping on. Not bad for a entry range xc bike :) After 6+ years of abuse, and a ton of miles, I've finnaly started to look for a new rig. The shock mount in frame is ovalised and the bushings in the suspension are as smoothe as sandpaper. All this aside I think this is a great bike. If I could find a way to restore it, I probably would. The geometry just feels right to me. I ended up with a 5 inch travel all round bike in the 30 lb realm based on the horst linkage. Im writting this mainly as a tribute to what I feel was and is a great bike, and to show that a well engineered bike can last a long time.
Similar Products Used: xc bikes: 02 enduro, 06 Giant Trance, 02 Bighit setup for xc, 98 giant hardtail (I forgot the model) and a rigid schwin before that DH bikes: 02 ChumbaWumba Zulu DH, and 00 GT DHi
Bike Setup: BETD linkage, Azonic DH bars, sram 9.0, 05 Fox Vanilla R (3rd fork on this bike), Hayes hfx hydrolic disc brakes, chain, cogs, crank, shifters,pedals, bottom bracket....etc
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Value Rating:
Submitted by
owen
a Cross Country Rider
from PG, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: July 11, 2002
Strengths: good at both down hill and x-country
Weaknesses: manitou magnum, BB, brakes, front deraliour
Bottom Line:
good first dual suspenshox bike, get what u pay for and more. you need to upgrade the fork and brakes soon, good for up and down hill
I reviewed this bike about 2 years ago after I'd had it for about 2 months. This has been my only bike for that entire time, and as my riding preferences have changed, so has my bike. My riding now leans more toward free and DH. Changing from the standard Manitou Magnum Race front forks to the Psylo SL has made a huge improvement to how the front end behaves under stress. The front end now goes more toward where I point it, especially in rock-garden type areas, where fork flex is noticeably decreased. Still a bit of flex at the front, but I'm sure that most of it is not coming from the fork, rather the still stock hub which appears to be rather light. I taco'd the stock front rim some time ago, and have since upgraded to a heavier rim and spokes. Standard rim on rear still, but again, stronger spokes to keep everything tight back there. The rear suspension linkage developed terrible stickion problems very quiclly.There is only one bearing in the entire stock linkage, the main bearing. The rest of the pivots run on nylon-type shims, which bind up something awfull, and no ammount of cleaning fixes them for long. With the shock removed from the rear suspension, lifting the bike off the ground with the full weight of the rear wheel etc on the rear suspension, the suspension just sat there, the stickion was so bad. I upgraded to the BETD rear linkage, and totally fixed this problem. Only problem now is that on the longer travel settings ( 4,5 and 6 inches available ) the stock 600lb spring is way under powered. I put a 800lb spring on, and this is OK for the 5 inch setting, but still too light for the 6 inch. Will be getting a 1000lb spring, which should be OK for all 3 settings. Having said all that, I am still very pleased with my original purchase. I have not replaced either derailier yet ( LX front, XT rear ) so they are standing up to it OK. I'm 6ft and 190lbs, and am doing a lot more DH nowadays. With my current setup I get by, while still being able to ride uphill and XC just fine. I've downgraded my original rating by one chilli overall, but standby my original value rating.
Bike Setup: 2002 Psylo SL, BETD rear linkage, stronger front rim and spokes.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Stenchy
a Cross Country Rider
from Boca Raton, Florida
Date Reviewed: June 23, 2002
Strengths: Great first full suspension bike. Great frame design. Feels great on most terrain. I even bought road tires to work out on the street with it. Perfect for a beginner who wants to give trail riding a go.
Weaknesses: These weakness only pertain to somewhat hardcore trail riding:The bottom bracket is low so your pedals will pay a price. The seat post tube cracked after about 2000 miles of riding. The stock seat post bent as well as the bottom bracket and crank arms. The forks are weak too. No balls at all. The brakes needed upgrading. But, I cant complain, you get what you pay for. I was not sure of how much riding I would do so I started with a cheap bike.
Bottom Line:
A great starter full suspension ride. Perfect for light trail riding or just a spin around the block in the city, Specialized makes an awesome product. I just applied this particular product to the wrong type of riding, and my wallet paid for it. If you are not looking for a hardcore trail buster of a bike, look no further. The specialized Rockhoppers are a great line of bikes. Need more balls? Try a Stumpjumper! I basically just transformed my stock Rockhopper into a Stumpjumper over the course of about 2 years. If I knew that I was going to get crazy about riding,especially on trails, I would have started with more of a high end bike like the Stumpjumper, but you live and you learn!
Weaknesses: Bottom bracket (you've heard the stories already), Short seat tube, OEM seat, Specialized clipless pedals
Bottom Line:
The bike was a steal compared to the newer models. The component set (deraillurs, rims, brakes) has been down-graded on the newer ones. The low bottom bracket height is the only draw back to this bike. I rode it mostly XC when my riding buddies were riding an Isis and a Y5. It's a great climber and descender right out if the shop. Now I'm trying to keep up with an RM7 and a Joker on some crazy free-riding.
The frame is bullet-proof, drive train is good, Tektro brakes are almost as strong as discs when adjusted, I've yet to seriously thump the Ritchey rims (I've tried).
The only problems I've had were a cracked bottom bracket (fixed under warranty) and a lose front hub (still working on this one).
It's too bad you can't buy this frame any more. The closest thing is the 01 Specialized Team DH frame ($1600). If you find this bike for sale somewhere, grab it first...think about it later.
Favorite Trail: anything that a rigid can't handle
Duration Product Used: 1 Year
Price Paid:
$670.00
Purchased At: Bicycle Village Lakewood, CO
Similar Products Used: Rocky Mountain-RM7, Ellsworth-Isis, Ellsworth-Joker, Trek-8500, Trek-Y5
Bike Setup: DH pedals, Specialized Comp saddle, DH stem, Replaced the rear shock (original was vanilla, 6.5 in. eye-to-eye, now using a vanilla R, 8.5 in. eye-to-eye, required drilling the frame) I was able to push the rear wheel down a half an inch, and also push the rear travel to 6 inches. I cut the seat post so that it will slide all the way down to the frame, and I replaced the XC stem with a cheap (short) DH one. As soon as I have the money, I am going to replace the Magnum with a Vanilla RLC or a Z1. The geometry won't be perfect, but I will have a 6" and 5.5" free rider for about $1000 total.
Strengths: Upgradability. Heh. Heh-heh. Four-bar linkage rocks. Great bike for price paid.
Weaknesses: Laterally, a little loose in the rear. Built with many cheesy parts, like all bikes in this price range (Sub $2500)
Bottom Line:
This is a follow-up review.
This bike would have been better -had I remained an xc rider. Thanks to a buddy of mine, I have taken to freeriding and have not looked back. Since then I have broke the pedals, taco'd the front wheel, replaced the cheesed1ck cranks, brakes, fork... you get the picture. Even so, this bike (frame) is still serving me well. With the suspension upgrades, the bb is raised no less than 1.5" and this is now a totally different bike. The shorter stem makes technical riding easier.
I am still pleased with the bike, even with the dough I have thrown at it. It seems that only the frame (shifters, bars and derailleurs) is left of the original bike. Hope the frame holds out.
Bike Setup: LX Cranks/BB, LX Levers, Kona Stem, Link & shock from 2001 Big Hit, Rhynolite on LX hubs, Marzocchi Z1 Freeride, Odyssey platform pedals, Kujo DH.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
gary lee
a Cross Country Rider
from nrth coast n.s.w australia
Date Reviewed: November 28, 2001
Strengths: frame price handling and look's
Weaknesses: brakes bb seat pedals
Bottom Line:
Ive been riding this bike for over a year now mainly xc but since my property back's onto a national park there's plenty of good downhill single track's. The bottom bracket used to fully piss me off heavier springs front and back seemed to fix it.I'm an old geek in my fortie's and dont really get burnt by the grommet's. So not having a huge bank account this bike rock's
Similar Products Used: rockhopper hardtail gt lts norco nitro
Bike Setup: standard except wam dh pedals heavier springs and elastemers etc.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Eric
a Weekend Warrior
from Birmingham, Al
Date Reviewed: November 11, 2001
Bottom Line:
As an add on to my first reveiw, I wanted to mention what an incredible improvement a 4" fork makes to this bike. Not only is the action of the X-Vert obviously better than the OEM Magnum but the most dramatic improvement is BB clearance. Occasionally the pedals will still scrape, but none of the hard contact is felt as was the case with the shorter fork. The bike is now much easier and more enjoyable to ride over rough trail. The front suspension is now much more balanced to the rear. As an added benefit, the front end is higher and this changed the seating position and handling of the bike in a positive way. Supergo sells the X-Vert Super for $169! This upgrade made a good bike an awesome one.
Bike Setup: 2001 X-Vert Super, Secialized barends, Control Tech TI skewers. That's it!
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Todd K.
a Weekend Warrior
from Canton
Date Reviewed: October 11, 2001
Strengths: Xt Rear Derailleur, Rims, Wheelie Ability, wicked good at the technical stuff and really good handling despite the low bb clearance. pretty fast on any terrain possible. climbs good, descends good. hits 7-9 foot drops good.
Weaknesses: bottoms out alot, frame creaks under hard pedaling, low bb, broke pedals, brakes
Bottom Line:
Good for any kind of abuse. takes the drop decent. pretty fast on the rough terrain. gets good traction on the rocks thanks to the suspension. the frame i felt has a bit of lateral movement but i do alot of rocks so it actually help gain more traction some times. good at descending and allin all a good bike. a good mud puller too :)
Similar Products Used: trek 6700, giant iguana, giant warp ds3
Bike Setup: fenders front and rear, 2.1 velocerapter tires (decent), thats it
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Mark
a Weekend Warrior
from Houston, Texas, USA
Date Reviewed: July 23, 2001
Strengths: Specialized name, LT/XT Components, good frame, climbs well, great components and frame for the price. This bike should cost a few hundred dollas more!
Weaknesses: Specialized crank set weak, Stock Saddle, Manitou fork could be better.
Bottom Line:
This is a GREAT Bike with Great components. I bought this bike as a beginner and have grown with the Bike. I've put about 500 miles on this bike, including a lot of on and off road riding, and it has done nothing but impress me. The LX/XT components work great. I ride a lot in mud (there is not much else to ride through in Houston Texas) and the bike handles everything I put it through with ease. The Manitou Magnum fork could be better. It will leak oil if the cap is not very tight and is not very adjustable. Wait for a deal and by a better shock it will improve the bike dramatically. I really like the Manitou SXR. I bent the Specialized crank on a moderate wipe out. (I probably should not have lost it, but the crank should have handled the crash). I feel like I have more power with the Shimano crank set. The brakes are not bad, but a little weak. Put XT pads on the rear. It is a fairly cheap way to give the bike much better stopping power. This is a bike that is great for beginners and has the components for those who want to race. Specialized did a great job rigging this bike. It has components comparable to a bike twice the cost. The weight is not bad for a full suspension bike and can be reduced with upgrades. Bottom line - This is an AWESOME bike that can be upgraded as your skill or budget allows, but is a superb bike out of the box.
Bike Setup: Manitou SXR Fork, Shimano LX Crank Set, Specialized Body Comp Saddle, Shimano XT rear brakes.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Brandon
a Weekend Warrior
from Sturgis, SD USA
Date Reviewed: July 21, 2001
Strengths: Comfort, Good Components, plush ride (but not too soft!) Clipless pedals (if I get used to them)Specialized name.
Weaknesses: None yet!
Bottom Line:
I have been putting about 60 - 75 miles per week and have been very happy with this bike, they could dump the shift indicators (does anybody look at them?)I have not bottomed it out since I got the new spring from Fox. Bought this on closeout and am plenty satisfied! Will update if anything changes. In this price range it would be hard to beat this bike. It is also a good looking bike and I have had quite a few compliments on it's style.
Similar Products Used: I had a hardrock from specialized and the geometry is simular.
Bike Setup: I replaced the fork with a sid 100(4" of travel) and got a specialized low rise bar. With this the bike is great for all conditions.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Brian
a Cross Country Rider
from Spring,Texas,US
Date Reviewed: June 30, 2001
Strengths: frame strength and technology.
Weaknesses: Manitou fork is weak, leaks. Crank set ticks and groans. Wheelset is easily bent.
Bottom Line:
Got this bike new on Ebay, it was a great deal at $600. Lots of good things about this bike. Specialized frame technology can't be beat. Active rear suspension gets great traction. XT rear derailleur handles shifting very well. Sun front chainrings and XT front derailleur also do their job without fuss. Put Z-1 XFly's on and they raised up the bottom bracket quite a bit. They work much better than the Manitou's, which don't match the bike. Stock seat is too hard and flat. specialized body geometry comp seat works much better and looks like it's made for the bike. The chain sucks, it lasted about 4 weeks, SRAM is much better. Richey Comp OCR back wheel is like butter. Taco'd it on a 3 foot dropoff. Got a pair of Rolf satellites. They're holding up so far. Tektro brakes are inconsistent even here in the flatlands of Houston. Normally, I need a large frame, but this bike is so stable that I can use a medium. 30 lbs is not heavy for a fs bike. Bottom bracket died last week and Specialized doesn't show an email link for support. Overall, if you have been using hardtails or one of those regular deadlink fs bikes with the WalMart geomtry, try out a specialized. It will make you a better rider .
Weaknesses: Weight, weight, weight... Specialized cranks, Manitou fork (out of sync with rear travel), gear indicators on shifter (who cares)
Bottom Line:
For 650 bones the deal was heard to pass up. I was completely turned off by my earlier rides on full-suspension back in the eighties. I went back to hardtails (Specialized, Diamondback, Wheeler, Bontrager) for years. My first ride on this bike sold me - the landings are soft, the component mix (XT/LX) is very good for this price point. Specialized should have upgraded the fork for matching travel to the Fox Vanilla and could have ditched the gear indicators. The Tektro Quartz brakeset is one of the nicest coming out of Taiwan and similar in peformance to Shimano. Weight can always be dropped... Some kevlar tires, lighter rims, etc. Can't go wrong with a closeout deal like this one.
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