Submitted by
Jeremy
a Weekend Warrior
from Singapore
Date Reviewed: May 15, 2003
Strengths: Price. All the other bikes along this price line came with not so standard parts. The alien yellow frame looks unique. Can withstand alot of trashing.
Weaknesses: The stock tektro brakes......couldn't brake well and very noisy.....EEEEeeeeee
Bottom Line:
Go get it if you are a beginner.....it's the best when it comes to value for money....
Similar Products Used: Some Alpinestars bike ,Kona Koa, Trek 800 and some KHS bike.
Bike Setup: Stock Deore drivetrain and shifters, Truvativ fireX cranks Manitou magnum fork ,Avid ad1.0 levers and stock wheelset and BB. Panaracer fire xc pro tires w/WTB tubes, SDG satelite saddle, Amoeba T6 seatpost, Kore lite 3 stem, Xt v-brakes w/Koolstop thinline inserts.
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Submitted by
Maddie McAuley
a Weekend Warrior
from Michigan
Date Reviewed: April 22, 2003
Strengths: Frame takes alot of crap
Weaknesses: Seat is awful... couldnt walk for weeks
As you can see i change pretty much all the parts. It was good when I bought it and now it's even better. Change the front Suspension. Don't change the Crankset, it's really good, only 640g... Shimano XT is 660 and xtr 680.
Bike Setup: XTR shifters / levers, XT derailleurs, VP 150 Clipless, Marzocchi Z2 Atome 80, Mavic 221w./deore disc, Bontrager Valiantw./Lx. Tektro MT 20 rear break, Hayes HMX-1 Front
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Submitted by
Sean Joselyn
a Weekend Warrior
from London, ON, Canada
Date Reviewed: July 13, 2001
Strengths: Stiff but light, I can throw it around easily. Frame seems very strong, going places I shouldn't oughta be going and the bike keeps on going with no damage. Climbs like a bunch of monkeys with hot pokers up their butts. Good components, considering the price.
Weaknesses: Really crappy seat, feels like you're riding on the post. Replace quickly. KMC chain broke twice in first few rides and was replaced.
Bottom Line:
Awesome bike for the price. At this point in my riding ability the bike seems bombproof. I've had some preety cool crashes and the bike has come out without a scratch (so to speak)
Similar Products Used: Diamondback Traverse w/RST281 Rocky Mountain Fusion Devinci Chili Pepper
Bike Setup: Pretty much stock except: WTB-sst.k.seat, SRAM PC59 chain and Wellgo 813 clipless pedals
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Submitted by
Jordan Erdmann
a
from Manitowoc Wisconsin U.S.A
Date Reviewed: May 5, 2001
Strengths: The brakes are very powerful, Nice fork, Stiff frame,nice TruVativ Firex crank, and very nice Deore components
Weaknesses: The hubs are cheap, and rims bend easily
Bottom Line:
This bike may not be as comfortable as the Specialized Rockhopper, but overall its a lot tougher and it can handle more harsh terrain. The Deore Components are very well built and this was the best bike i could find. Im only 14 so im not as mature as all of those who treat their bikes with respect. I'd rather trash it and then buy another one in a year
Submitted by
Aaron Erdmann
a Cross Country Rider
from Maitowoc, Wisconsin, USA
Date Reviewed: April 1, 2001
Strengths: Awesome brakes, and drivetrain
Weaknesses: If you want to someday have kids; GET RID OF THE SEAT!!! Its made by Diamond Back and it SUCKS! Only Specialized cam make good bike seats. And the frame is extremely sluggish and after a few minutes on the bike instant fatigue pounds at my legs as it it weighed 500 pounds. And the Deore Shifters really suck, I have long fingers and even I can't fully shift it, i have to use my whole hand just to shift one gear, I can't just use my finger like on most shifters
Bottom Line:
If you don't want a peice of sh*t buy a different bike.
Similar Products Used: Specialized Rockhopper FS (buy this bike it is the best!)
Bike Setup: Factory
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Submitted by
doug powell
a Weekend Warrior
from watreford, michigan. usa
Date Reviewed: March 27, 2001
Strengths: stiff aluminum frame. heavyduty deore group. harder to trash.magnum r fork. fantastic crank.
Weaknesses: risers. seat. stem. post too short (16" frame, im 5.8) cheap bb. brakes are fair.(nice for stopping but are to keep from sticking. cheap pedals. magnum fork too soft..thank goodness manitou makes a kit to stiffen it up. Bike Nashbar has adjustment kit 4.50 reg 12.50 check the markdown section on web site.
Bottom Line:
Paying a fortune for a bike is crazy. this bike has a great aluminum frame with quality drive train. it has one thing going for it that a lot of higher priced bikes don't have a lifetime warranty on frame..................................
buy it if you are low on funds but strong in the saddle.
Similar Products Used: this is my 1st mtn bike purchase since the late 80's. had been riding a Jamis Diablbo cromo rigid frame. Everything that was state of the art then is a joke now especially the ill fated badly designed U-brake. if your not familiar with a U-brake... It mounts just behind the b.b. dumb
Bike Setup: The bike is set OE except flat bars. specialized A1 flipflop stem. ritchey alpha/omega tires. sdg saddle,tahoma seat post. xt bb.
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Submitted by
sam snyder
a Cross Country Rider
from phoenix,az,usa
I've enjoyed this bike over a variety of riding situations. I doubt you will get a better mix of frame and components paying retail. Once you have modified the bike to suit your liking, its just a matter of riding and maintenance.
Maybe its my riding style, but I endo a lot on this bike during technical downhills. I beleive a shorter stem and better forks (and practice) can remedy this.
To anyone who craves steep up and down hills, look at a comparable Gary Fisher also.
Bike Setup: Skinny seat from behind the bike store dumptster, Richey Flat handlebar, Low Profile stem, better tires from the same dumptster
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Submitted by
Jeff Edwards
a Weekend Warrior
from Rochester, Mi,USA
Date Reviewed: January 31, 2001
Strengths: Decent blend of components for the price. Agile handling. Lightweight and strong frame.
Weaknesses: Rock-hard seat. No seat CR. Front derailler is not precise.
Bottom Line:
I have been very satisfied with this bike. I am a novice biker and had no problems keeping up with bikers with pricier bikes. The rear derailler shifts well but the front derailler is marginal and requires frequent adjustments. As far as reliability, the only problems I have had was to replace the seat stem and I noticed the bottom bracket is getting sloppy and will need repalcement. I am going to upgrade the shifters, deraillers and fork as an experiment to see what performance improvements it will produce over the stock setup. If your interested in getting into the sport, you can't go wrong with this bike. But please, if you value your fertility, get rid of that stock seat!
Strengths: Very Nice frame! I got hit by a city bus last month and the bike is fine except the seat is torn and the paint is all scrached off. The fork is the same fork you can see on bikes for $2000 and the deore components are great. I had a 2000 Hardrock FS and I think there is a big difference in the performence. The bike accelerates 3 times faster cause of its weight and The hardrock is just a High Quality Street Bike. This is an entry-level hard core mountain bike. I fell in love with this bike the day i got it and i will never find any like it.
Weaknesses: CANT FIND ANY
Bottom Line:
Dont buy any other bike. I cant imagine a bike this nice for this price.
Similar Products Used: Hardrock FS Trek 4300 GT Outpost Gary Fisher Marlin Schwwin Mesa GSX
Bike Setup: Manitou Magnum fork Deore Components All name brand parts
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Submitted by
Mike Langevin
a Weekend Warrior
from Canada
Date Reviewed: December 3, 2000
Strengths: Very great bike for the price, the frame is only 5 pounds, and if you ask how I know... well I took my bike apart, pretty strong to. The Tektro brake are excelent, although I'm getting new ones (they brake pretty good, they made me go heels over handle bar a few times)
Weaknesses: Like I read on another review, the fork bottoms out easy and it's a little weak. 1 problem I had was MY own stupid fault... I went biking in snow and some melted in my head set, my bearings rusted.
Bottom Line:
Pretty sweet bike, for the price. Everything is smothe on the bike, I took KICKASS jumps still goes good. I had my bike since August 12th 2000, I though I might have regreted spending 840$ (canadian) and the bike. But their are no regrets, it's a great bike. For the price I give it 5 flamin chilis
Strengths: Deore all the way around, Lightness of the bike and price
Weaknesses: Manitou shock bottoms out to easy, noisy rear hub, seat post clamp is not quick release.
Bottom Line:
I love the bike overall, the price was right, best value I could find for the money. The only thing that I don't like would be the front shock it is really weak but I will change that out later but other than that I am completely happy with the bike. If I need to upgrade the path forward is pretty easy on this bike w/o any problems. I would recommend this bike to people that are like myself that are starting out in MTB and are looking for the best bang for the buck. I will give 4 chilis to overall because of the weak shock on the front of this rig.
Similar Products Used: Univega Alpina 500, 600, Raleigh M80, and Giant. Replacing a Peugeot Montreal Express (Hybrid that is about 13yrs old)
Bike Setup: Manitou Magnum fork, Deore quick shifters, Deore FR Derailer, Deore rear Derailer, Firex Cranks, ...........
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Submitted by
JohnnyO
a Cross Country Rider
from Big "D", TEXAS
Date Reviewed: August 8, 2000
Weaknesses: Riser bar, seatpost, chain, bottom bracket
Bottom Line:
I rate it decent as my upgrades have been due to parts failing. I changed out the chain to help shifting problems(improvement). The seatpost stripped out. Replaced with post that has wider clamping area(improvement). Three bottom brackets in four months spells out something else is wrong(still searching). I had to have the store do cable adjustments on the derailers weekly untill I replaced the chain. I've spent too much time chasing down problems than I care to. On a positive note the rear hub is quiet! LIVE TO RIDE!!!
Bike Setup: replaced the riser bar with a straight bar from older bike. upgraded the chain, seatpost and bottom bracket(x3)
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Submitted by
Mike Durrah
a Cross Country Rider
from Glen Dale, WV, USA
Date Reviewed: August 2, 2000
Strengths: Manitou Magnum Fork, Great components, strong brakes, oustanding geometry
Weaknesses: NONE
Bottom Line:
This is an outstanding bike for the money. The components are perfect for anything you can throw at it. More expensive components do not seem to perform a whole lot better, just reduce weight, unless you get into the REAL expensive stuff. I ride through the hills of West Virginia, mostly on old logging trails, over stumps, logs, thick mud, and large rocks. I have not been able to find a place this bike will not go. This is one awesome bang for the buck. BUY THIS BIKE!
Similar Products Used: Diamonback Response, Giant Iguana, Cannondale F400
Bike Setup: Stock
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Submitted by
Nate
a Cross Country Rider
from Indianapolis, IN
Date Reviewed: July 27, 2000
Strengths: fork, drivetrain, PRICE. This bike is a beautiful example of the trickle-down effect. It's got recent technology for a price that won't kill you.
Weaknesses: noisy rear hub, paint scratches easily, seat post clamp would not tighten, LBS replaced it free of cost for a slightly better one that worked.
Bottom Line:
Great bike for the price, definite upgrade possibilities, eats muddy trails for breakfast.
Similar Products Used: Diamondback Sorrento (previous bike)
Bike Setup: Manitou Magnum fork, Deore front derailleur, XT rear derailleur (replaced after something jumped out of a mud hole and ate my Deore rear derailleur), clipless pedals, soon to have straight bar instead of 30mm rise bar.
