Bike Setup: inverted fork, fox vanilla shock, danger boy stem, deity handlebar, atomlab wheelset, hayes rear and grimeca front brake (hydraulic), shimano alivio transmision, maxxis mobster 2.7 front and michelin 2.5 rear, amoeba scud chainguide, transition park n ride saddle
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Submitted by
jason switzer
a Cross Country Rider
from az
Submitted by
nate
a Downhiller
from sioux falls, SD, USA
Date Reviewed: July 30, 2004
Strengths: the bike is very fast and very light. the rims are very good
Weaknesses: the frunt suspension is very mushey
Bottom Line:
i like the bike alot for the leavel of ridding that i am at. but i think if i am going to start hitting bigger jumps i am going to need to upgrade some of the parts.
Submitted by
KRJoseph
a Weekend Warrior
from Nashville, TN, USA
Date Reviewed: March 10, 2003
Strengths: Great handling on twisty trails and smooth when going down hill. Rode the VRX for 3 years and loved every minute of it.
Weaknesses: Weak frame. I wonder if this is one reason it had a short life - didn't they only make these in 1999 & 2000? I had a crack on the swingarm mounts where the shock attached in 2001, and Trek gave me a new swingarm. Just last month found a crack along the weld at the gusset on the main tube the held the seat tube. No more in the warehouse, so Trek is giving me a 2003 Fuel 90 frame. Not a bad trade.
Bottom Line:
I absolutely loved my VRX, but I think the frame design might have been flawed. If you are thinking about buying one of the VRX's used - be careful! Look the frame over very carefully and watch for cracks along the welds. I think warranty applies to original owner only. Trek was fabulous when I had problems with the frame - the new Fuel is sweet.
I gave the bike 4 chilis because it was a great bike. Who knows, maybe I got the lemon and the rest of them will never crack. When you crank out 1000s of bikes, a few are bound to have a few problems, even when the rest are top notch.
Bike Setup: Pretty much stock. Replace the crappy LX brifters with Avid brake levers and XT shifter pods. Put on a Thompson post to get me a little closer to the bars. Added riser bars.
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Submitted by
javier
a Cross Country Rider
from Sevilla España
Date Reviewed: November 25, 2002
Strengths: El chasis (frame) es una maravilla, es increible con la precisión que se entra en las curvas, y como "flota" al frenar para entrar en ellas
Weaknesses: Poco apoyo de los importadores a España, Con la garantia todo son PROBLEMAS. Pero la BTT va de lujo
Favorite Trail: Camino de Santiago (Guillena a Castilblanco)
Duration Product Used: 1 Year
Price Paid:
$950.00
Purchased At: BICIS BUENDIA
Similar Products Used: VRX 200, Canondale Full 2001
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Submitted by
JR
a Downhiller
from A wannabe DH racer in WA
Date Reviewed: September 27, 2002
Strengths: Cushy ride, quick handling, speed on flats and downhills. Shimano Deore Xt deraileur, Rolf dolomite wheelset, a replaceable derailleur hanger. High bottom braket cleance for such a small bike
Weaknesses: Original front forks (cross country forks on a downhill frame). A pig climbing hill with "bob" if one forgets to lock the rear suspension. Short seat tube with little clearance. Wheel width is small for some types of terrain. And open spokes are an invitation to suffer for mistakes.
Bottom Line:
A bike that had a bum rap and no chance to prove them wrong! Great bike for the begining to Advanced rider. Best bang for the buck and still be american made!Both back in the day it had full retail and especially the price I aquired it for. The Rolf wheelset is surprisingly strong for its appearance and has taken brutal punishment before I realized what they cost! LOL! Though a bit of a workout on climbs, its weight is still below the DH bombers that compadres ride. It screams like a cat on fire going down and with the new forks rolls over obstacles smooth and steady. On a flat, the only thing holding it back is ME! I began riding the bike with a weight of 180#. And it has taken quite a few urban drops to flat pavement over 3ft. Now at a weight of 155#, I doubt I'll ever break it (unless I drop it onto the Freeway in front of a Peterbilt!). I plan on one more fork upgrade and disc brakes. I hope for a wider wheel by the same maker to put meats on it! Some Gazzis maybe. The wheels are still true and the paint still shiny in most spots. It is the perfect freeride machine but was marketed to XC, hence its extinction. The Frame is the bomb! If you can get one, DO SO! The long trailing arm is a weak point for the Bender's of this world, but is stable&trustworthy otherwise. There may be people who can break it, but they are likely the type who can break ANY thing! Nothing is Indestructable! But this comes close!
Favorite Trail: Capital Forest Trails in SW Wa (fav is #30)
Duration Product Used: 1 Year
Price Paid:
$780.00
Purchased At: Bike Tech of Olympia
Similar Products Used: Santa Cruz 99 Super8, 02 Bullit.02 Kona Stinky Delux,01 Giant Ac Air, and various bikes that are not FS
Bike Setup: Most of the set up is original. Small size frame,with graphite cockpit components, Shimano Deore LX and XT drive components and brakes, the Rolf wheels with Bontager Jones foldable AC 49/54s mounted. Quick release seat post adjuster. Cane Cred AD5 shock. After market 02 Marzocchi Black Bombers, ODI BMX grips and Sun Riesen flats.
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Submitted by
Eric James
a Weekend Warrior
from Gettysburg
Date Reviewed: February 9, 2002
Strengths: Frame and rear shock, cool wheels for XC
Weaknesses: Swing arm, fork, Be warned the Trek has the rear shock set up to be very linear. Read the Cane Creek manual and adjust the volume of the shock. it makes the bike so plush and progressive like it was meant to be.
Bottom Line:
Well I was really happy until about a four weeks ago. I was doing some regular maintence and while I had the piviot apart to put some grease in it I noticed a crack in the weld right above the piviot on the chain side of the swingarm. Lifetime warrenty, no problem. Right Well they are out of vrx stuff at Trek and for three weeks they have been sitting on my swingarm not knowing what to do. I haven't ridden in so long. I'm writing this as I am taking a break from trying to mount the mongoose swingarm on the VRX front triangle. I'm glad my dad has an aluminum foundry and a machine shop, or I'd really be S.O.L. My dealer says I might get a fuel frame, but I broke a VRX I think I should be given a Diesel. I am dissapointed not only by the fact that I broke a "bomb proof" frame, but that Trek also claimes "the best warranty in the business" They lied about bombproof, I'll let you know how I feel about their warranty if I ever get a frame from them. The biggest drop I ever did was only a little over four feet and that is stretching it.
Similar Products Used: Mountain cycle shockwave, modified specialized enduro, mongoose xr250, gt lts 2000, cannondale jeykel, and a few others
Bike Setup: z.1 with ecc, panaracer DH tires, hayes mechanical, sun rynolites on XT hubs. riser bar with cross brace. DH stem. Various custom made pieces of aluminum and carbon. Fenders, fork gaurds, rock ring, etc.
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Submitted by
Rob Lawson
a Weekend Warrior
from Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
Date Reviewed: December 19, 2001
Strengths: I LOVE THIS BIKE!!! Big bargain in the UK, but worth so much more. Suspension irons out every little bump, climbs hills even better than my old Gary Fisher h/t. Far too nice to ride, I just wanna look at it ;) Its not a pure downhill tool, but for all-round use it'll take some beating.
Weaknesses: The Bontrager saddle. don't even try it, it WILL give you a sore arse!
Bottom Line:
What more can I say, I asked a hundred people and listened to a hundred more, but I don't think I woulda beat this. Build quality is awesome and the components are top notch. If ypu can find one at this price, just laugh at the competition. I even like the colour!!! :)
Similar Products Used: Marin, Giant, Gary Fisher, Klein
Bike Setup: Original, except Time Atac carbon pedals and new seat.
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Submitted by
Eric
a
from Gettysburg, PA, United States
Date Reviewed: November 6, 2001
Strengths: This is a follow up review, so I won't be too detailed. I have yet to break anything on the frame. The Rolfs are great, but too narrow for my "style" (or lack there of) riding. I'm 6'3" with long torso and this frame fits me great.
Weaknesses: The fork, could have used disk breaks, silly linkage, Icon cranks
Bottom Line:
I love it, I freaking love it. Yeah I druel at the DH rigs at the races, and I am still saving for disk brakes and some sun rynolite wheels it is good for me. It is a fun bike that can do everything. I have yet to lose a race to any of my friends. They have a shockwave and an Enduro. I can still ride up hills and four footers aren't a problem either. There are a lot of good all around bikes out there at good prices. Too bad Trek took themselves out of that area of the market. Whatever bike you have, ride smart, ride safe and have fun.
Bike Setup: Z.1 MCR, 2" riser, bmx grips, 2.35 tires, custom made guards of rubber aluminum or carbon fiber, custom made adjustable swingarm shock mount, 14.5" bottom bracket, head tube reinforcing ring, truvativ 5D cranks and rings, wellgo flat pedals
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Submitted by
Clay Bailey
a Weekend Warrior
from Seattle
Date Reviewed: August 29, 2001
Strengths: Weight, looks, rear suspension set-up, vesatile, components for the price.
Weaknesses: I'm not too sure about the Monitou SX forks.. Tunning does not make alot of difference. The Crane Creek is sweet but does require maintenance.
Bottom Line:
I toss, slam, and tweak this bike with no signs of being fragile. I do most riding on the streets of Seattle where you can enjoy a whole other world of technical mountain biking. Road bikes are over rated here. The V brakes just could not handle the hills here and with my Hayes I can take the hills down at 40+ mph, catching huge air then still do a rolling stoppie to zero with no fade. This bike is perfect for me. I'm going to upgrade to another fork but want something light that is fully tuneable and doesn't have problems.. Hard to find.
Similar Products Used: Cannonadale 500v, Specialized Enduro Pro
Bike Setup: Went to Hayes Hydraulic discs which required me to replace the beautiful Rolf Dolomite rims with Mavic Crosslinks which I have had no problems with yet either.
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Submitted by
Chris
a Weekend Warrior
from North Grafton, MA, USA
Date Reviewed: August 17, 2001
Strengths: So far the bike seems completely bomb proof!!
Weaknesses: The Judy XC shock seems to be weak and a little too bouncy. Seems to bottom out to easily.
Bottom Line:
Basically the bike will take whatever you throw at it, as long as your body can handle it too. I usually ride pretty tough terrain and the bike kicks its ass.... If you just like easy rides through the woods with your girlfriend, this isn't the bike for you. The bike wants to be ridden by someone who can push it to the limit. Keep Riding......
great bike only problem i have had as of yet is bent chainring and bad bushing in the font fork, witch was warantied. i yhave had three trips over the bar so far this year and have not been able to do any damage but sratches.
Strengths: Speed, frame (it sucks up the bumps baby!)
Weaknesses: Front Derailleur, possibly the rear brake. (still too early to tell.)
Bottom Line:
A great bike for what I paid. I was planning on paying $700-$800 and found a great deal on this bike. Couldn't pass it up. More bike than I need, but that's okay. Seems like the rear brakes might need an upgrade. Front derailleur is a bit finicky as well. Haven't had it long enough to have major gripes, but a few choice upgrades will make this an epic bike. I think this bike is great for most riders, though not necessary. You can pump up the rear shock and tighten down the front if your going to go XC; then make the necessary adjustments for the DH or Freeriding.
Bike Setup: Manitou SX front fork, Cane Creek AD5 rear susp., Lx shifters and front derailleur, XT rear derail., Rolf Dolomite rims, Bontrager AC tires, Bontrager RE-1 pedals, Bontrager seat, Onyx cranks.
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Submitted by
Matt LeClair
a Downhiller
from Rothesay, NB, Canada
Date Reviewed: April 25, 2001
Strengths: None
Weaknesses: All
Bottom Line:
I used to believe that this was a strong frame, not anymore. I have snapped the swing arm clean in half, and cracked it on the weld. Trek is not sure about warrentying. The welds on this frame are horrible and the aluminum is way to thin.
Submitted by
gordon brezicki
a Downhiller
from mooresville, nc USA
Date Reviewed: April 22, 2001
Strengths: frame goes nicely with the suspension. good components
Weaknesses: you have to set the cane creek ten lbs more than you weigh, or it will bottom out. manitou kinda sucks
Bottom Line:
excellent bike for all around downhill/trailride/freeride. it couild use a cheap bomber instead of the sx. if you are an extreme rider but don't want to spend a lot, this is a good bike. i like the color.
