Strengths: Light weight, good looking, strong and durable frame(bomb proof), climbs well, adjustable geometry and NOKIA NBX 2.3...
Weaknesses: too small top tube for me, Fox Float(no adjusts and too soft), rolling
Bottom Line:
Supension is very smooth and plush but Fox float is too soft and it flex. Bike accelerates very well and it climbs well too. Bike sucks very well big and small hits. Very good allround bike.
Bike Setup: Marzocchi Z.1 Drop-off, Fox Float, XTR and XT, Nokia NBX 2.3(best tyres that man have ever created) and Thompson
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Submitted by
paddy wade
a Cross Country Rider
from montpelier, Vt., U.S.A.
Date Reviewed: December 8, 2001
Strengths: hydrolic magura julie disk brakes. It's a fun ride right out of the box. I feel very confident descending on this bike. Specialized stands behind their products, that's important since everything breaks eventually, but this frame seems solid.
Weaknesses: It's not a myth, the BB is too darn low, I still hit the pedals after 5 months of use. Fork & shock are weak links, but this is the bottom of the line model, you get what you pay for. I was breaking rear wheel spokes, specialized covered the re-build cost.
Bottom Line:
Great all-around bike for the $$. Great on th edescents, climbing is adequate, low BB height is tolerable. If this frame lasts 3 years then it's a great value, if not then the bike is just too heavy.
Similar Products Used: K2 evo 4000, Proflex 900, cannondale Jekal
Bike Setup: time pedals, grip-shift, bar ends, maxxis 2.3" high roller back, jones 2.25" front
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Submitted by
Peter Horsch
a Weekend Warrior
from Germany/ Darmstadt
Date Reviewed: September 16, 2001
Strengths: Great Tail Bike for all-day use. Nice frame with great paint-job. Fenders are fantastic (Lot of rain here in germany). Good tires. Pedals very good uphill.
Weaknesses: Fox Shock is not so sensible as I thought. Maybe I change to a coil-over unit for some freeriding.
Bottom Line:
This is not my first full suspension bicycle, but the best I ever owned, made for all day trail riding. I even like to use this bike for daily rides to work. I am sitting much better on it than on any other bike. Only the four rear shock positions are useless. I always ride it in the steep head angle/more travel position. As a four bar linkage design, I could pedal it uphill with no need to lock out the rear shock.
Maybe I will upgrade to a 2,1 reartire for the winter.
Bike Setup: I changed the fork to a Psylo SL (125mm), wich was a good choice. The bike even steers better with this fork. Also I raised the bottom bracked with it.
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Submitted by
Puzman
a Cross Country Rider
from Wallingford, CT
Date Reviewed: August 28, 2001
Strengths: Rock solid at speed adjustable geometry climbs surprisingly well for such a hefty bike nice brakes (magura julie's) reasonably spec'ed for price
Weaknesses: HEAVY Slow handling in tight singletrack low bottom bracket will have you clipping the pedals frequently needs a fork upgrade (my rental had Manitou SX-LT) stock front tire prone to breaking loose in corners
Bottom Line:
Rented this bike for a day of downhilling/xc riding at Winter Park, CO. AWESOME bike on high-speed fire road descents; absolutely rails at speed. A bit of a handful on tight hairpins, and feels heavy on climbs (but manages to get up loose stuff due to the rear suspension). Not the plushest-feeling bike (my Loco is MUCH more plush), but still manages to gobble up rocky terrain. Low bottom bracket is an annoyance.
Similar Products Used: Klein Mantra, Trek Fuel, Fisher Sugar, Titus LocoMoto
Bike Setup: Stock
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Submitted by
Andy
a Weekend Warrior
from Columbus, OH
Date Reviewed: August 19, 2001
Strengths: Lightweight, solid, adjustable, and forgiving all-round mountain bike
Weaknesses: in my market there were no enduro's in the showroom, so I guessed on size...now that things are going mail-order and online, you'll have that. They would have ordered a bit to do perfect sizing, but that takes time and I didn't want to hassle for a warranty deal.
Bottom Line:
I had an older stumpjumper that Specialized did a warranty deal for me, which is how I ended up with this bike. I got the frame only, and built up the rest using an 8 speed set-up. Got some time carbons, which I love, the psylo which I am thiking about dropping from 125mm to 100mm, and used all my other stuff with the exception of the xy seat-post. I am 5'10, and was at the size that was uncertain between the med and large frame...I went medium as I have always ridden small, but ended up throwing on a 110 mm stem and this seatpost, so maybe I should have got the large. Anyways, you want to know about the ride. I love this bike. I change it up for whatever I am doing, which is usually a mix between fire roads, and tighter singletrack in hilly north central PA. The bike is extremely adjustable thanks to the psylo (I love it) and the back end, which a lot of other companies seem to be following (adjustable angles of 69 and 70.5, and 3.89-4.6 inches). I would like to have gone to seven, santa-cruz, ellsworth,...I like boutique's, but specialized has a great product, a fantastic distribution channel, wonderful service both via phone and web, and will be around for quite some time. I should tell you that these guys ride a lot, know there stuff, and although are over-stickered on the frames, reliant on house parts to keep prices down, and are not hand-building, they do have a great product. And when it comes down to it, all that matters to me is being out there riding on a bike that you are happy with. I'm happy.
