Weaknesses: Due to the lightweight tyre's, i've suffered three punctures in to years, not bad
Bottom Line:
The best bike i've ever owned and the thought of using another bike only makes me sad. Once you go gary fisher you never go back. I've had this bike for nearly 2 years and the novelty still hasn't warn off. I love this bike as much as i love life itself, Gary fisher lightwieght bikes are the most easiest and fastest bikes i've ever come across.11/10
There is no better frame on the market and this 99' Gary Fisher MT TAM is best frame I've ever owned. The orange speckled paint and stickers make this bike as unique as snow in Florida. I bought the frame on ebay recently and built it up. We had some sun here today and I went for a ride in Pisgah and realized that I had the perfect bike. I wanted to support my local bike shop "Backcountry Outdoors" so I went down this morning and let their mechanic put it together. I couldn't be more pleased with the performance and the weight...just 23lbs and that was with the Thudbuster which is a bit heavy. I am really impressed with the rigidity of the frame and how well it climbs. The XT front derailer makes shifting a breeze and the non-offset rims actually climb better than the offset Bontragers I have on my other bikes. Overall if you can find an older Fisher Frame with the Easton aluminum I would highly recommend you go for it. Not only will you have something that is of much better quality than the new stuff, but you'll have something unique.
Bike Setup: XTR Cranks, XTR Brakes, XT Shifters and Levers, Easton Carbon Bar, Cane Creek Thudbuster, Selle Italia SLR Saddle, Yeti Grip wit Odi Locks, Bontrager RE-1 Pedals, XT Cassette, Manitou Mars Fork, Thomson Stem, Syncros Lil' Snapper Rims with XTR Hubs, Cane Creek C2 Headset, XTR Skewers, and WTB Racing Raptor Tires
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Submitted by
Jeroen
a Cross Country Rider
from Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Date Reviewed: July 31, 2001
Strengths: Very stable downhill and lots of grip uphill due to the geometry! Parts are OK for XC racing. It was the cheapest bike in its class at the time (Since that time the Euro only devalued which makes very nice US bikes a bit unattractive...)
Weaknesses: Because your weight is on the rear wheel due to the genesis geometry, you have to concentrate on putting downforce on the front wheel in turns. Or else... eat dirt, or worse: Rock.
Bottom Line:
It flys uphill, due to the geometry and my light wheels and tires. (I recommend Schwalbe FastFred tires to everyone! They weigh in at 355gr each, and they still are a real 2.0inch so you won't bounce off your bike + a lot of grip for a semi-knob) Handling characteristics are OK. My bike weighs in at around 10kg, which is very OK with me. More recent top Fisher frames are appr. 250 grams lighter by the way! The SID'99 has to go once I can afford a SID SL'01! It functiones OK, but caused me many leaking problems. I stopped this by keeping the main seals covered with fork oil, but that makes it more sticky. I'd buy another Fisher if this one breaks or gets stolen. Without having to pay the small car like price for the top Fisher bike, this is the best alternative for XC racing.
Strengths: top of the line frame, geometry, well thought-out spec
Weaknesses: lx bottom bracket, poor tires, cracked rear rim (but replaced under warranty in under a week!)
Bottom Line:
amazing frame. stiff! great parts spec (excluding bontrager tires and pedals). really had no problems with the bike for a year and a half. none! ok, i did find a crack in my rear rim, but i am a big boy (185 lbs. in the offseason) riding 6 days a week on a radially spoked wheel. i am amazed it lasted a year. other than that, i have just recently started getting normal wear and tear problems, like the bottom bracket, brake pads and cables. i did the smart thing and swapped out pedals and tires before the bike left the shop. i have had no problems with the 99 sid, but i have heard that some batches are better than others. i must have been lucky. great for all day rides or races. i even throw 26x1 slicks on the wheels and stiffen up the fork and go for long road rides. i love this bike... especially for the price.
Similar Products Used: barracuca, cannondale, klein
Bike Setup: everything stock but xt square taper cranks, sram catridge bearing brake pads, time atac pedals, split time between ritchey tom slicks, speedmax alpha and omega, and hutchison python air lites.
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Submitted by
Michael
a Cross Country Rider
from Greenwood Village, CO,USA
Date Reviewed: September 13, 2000
Strengths: This bike is a real climber, and it flys on the downhill, too. Nice light frame great components except tires, I changed 'em. I swapped out the seatpost also, the original was too short.
Weaknesses: Haven't found any yet, but, I'm working on it.
Bottom Line:
I just love this bike. For technical singletrack riding it gets the job done exceptionally well. I don't think I'll ever out grow it, and I plan to race it next season. Anybody looking for a stiff, light race ready hardtail should consider this bike. If you don't go for it on the trails forget it. I have over 300 miles on this thing in less than 2.5 months, this bike makes you want to ride!!!
Submitted by
JB
a Cross Country Rider
from Oslo, Norway
Date Reviewed: August 23, 2000
Strengths: The quality alu frame with the genesis geometry, SID XC, XTR\XT, Price
Weaknesses: Tyres, wheels, Where's the SID pump
Bottom Line:
I love the genesis geometry with the short stem It's the best. I have never tried a frame like that. The components are good exept of the slick tyres and the weak rear rim, I broke it totally and had to buy a new one. A Mavic which is much stronger than the Bontrager. Now I'm going to buy a riser bar and with knobbie tyres, It's a perfect forrest- bike for me. But I should Rock Shox could give us a SID pump included to the fork. I like this frame and bike very much and I'm pretty shure I'm buyin Fisher next time too.
Bike Setup: Standard, but with Hutchinson Gold tyres and Nokian Extreme and rear Mavic 217 gold rim
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Submitted by
Adambomb
a Cross Country Rider
from Agoura Hills, CA USA
Date Reviewed: June 15, 2000
Strengths: The Genesis geometry and componentry are tops. It's a pretty light bike. The price is very good for a bike of this quality.
Weaknesses: The tires are not well suited for the loose terrain around here.
Bottom Line:
The bike is awesome. You really have to take some risks to find out what this bike will let you do. The Genesis geometry allowed me to keep my center of gravity further back so I was able to descend much steeper drops with a lot more confidence. It's no slouch climbing either. Actually, it rips on the climbs, especially single track. The stock tires (Racing Raptors) were not designed for loose terrain so I was a little disappointed, but that was easily fixed with a tire change. I'm really impressed with this bike. Looks like Fisher did their homework out on the trails. If I decide to start racing again, it will be the perfect rig.
Bike Setup: Stock except U.S.E. XCR Shock Post and Michelin tires
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Submitted by
Max Nealon
a Weekend Warrior
from Aliso Viejo, CA
Date Reviewed: June 14, 2000
Strengths: Geometry, Weight, price (I got my frame on a close-out deal). Overall Ability is stunning. Quality of the welds is first class, and there was not a blemish to be found on the paint when new. Very Spacious quick to throw around the trail.
Weaknesses: None found yet, astheatically the Nascar paintjob is a love or loath talking point. At least you can find it when you throw it off the mountain. Also the paint is taking a hammering, and looking a little abused already.
Bottom Line:
The frame is simply wonderfull hugely forgiving, and dynamite fast over rough terrain. My choice of components has given me a supurb X/C bike that I may be racing this year if I can get fit enough. Jury is still out on the SID SL howver, this years is better than last years, but feels flimsy, and requires a lot of looking after. I may swap this out with something a little tougher for none-race-day usage, and throw it back in if/when I race it.
The frame is much more of an uphill screamer than a downhiller, very, very, fast uphill and on the flat it is good enough to embarass a roadie on the way to the hills (this is something I like to do).
I love the geometry, I like the extra length in the top tube as I have long arms, and can run a relatively standard length headset.
If you are looking for a raceable machine at a good price, this is a really good direction to go in.
I have given it full-house of 5's because I bought it clearance, but had I paid full price, I would not really reduce this !
Similar Products Used: Giant, Specialized, Access etc Most anything light and sub 2K built. Replaced a Giant Chromo H/T.
Bike Setup: Bought as just a bare frame, loaded with XT/XTR drive train, 2000 SID SL fork, XT hubs/SubIV rims, XT/XTR Brakes/Shifters, Carbon bars, Mythos tires etc, WellGo Pedals (really). Nothing that it does not need, nothing to slow it down,weighs in at just 21.8lbs without bottle holders and spares :)
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Submitted by
Michael
a Weekend Warrior
from Augsburg, Germany
Date Reviewed: May 22, 2000
Strengths: Climbing, Steering, Single Trail, Genesis. Good old HardTail-Style at its best
Weaknesses: Graphics and Paint.
Bottom Line:
Kick Ass!! Or like in good old German "heisse CC-Feile". Best buy for Single-Trail, Climbing and to beat all Fully-Riders.
Bike Setup: Magura HS31, Mavic x221, IRC-Mythos, Syntace Vector
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Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from Iron Mountain, MI, USA
Date Reviewed: February 9, 2000
Strengths: Climbs great, and the steering tracks even better. The paint is something you won't find anywhere else, and it's got a good spec group of parts.
Weaknesses: My frame came untrue. The rear-to-main was horrible! A bike at this price point should have had brakes with replaceable brake pads.
Bottom Line:
Overall a very nice ride. With a little higher level of assembly this bike couldn't be touched in the mid-ranged racing hardtails.
This bike is the best. I wasn't convinced at first that the genesis geometry would make a difference. But then I tried it and compared it to my old bike and others when I was ready to buy. There was no comparison to be made. Not to mention the set-up up it comes stock with. The XT/XTR drivetrain and Sid XC up front. And I was quite surprised as to how well the avid brakes worked. I was planning on switching them over to the XT brakes and levers, but never did. Instead i used that money and switched the handlebar for the Easton Monkey Lite bar. The only two weaknesses were small easily fixed ones. I had the hardest time getting the pedals to work right. Either they were too loose or too tight and the rear tire was a bit too slick for the trails I ride, but that was easily fixed by swithching that out. This bike definitely kicks ass and i would recomond it to anyone.
When spec'd correctly, this bike rocks! I built it up from a bare frame over time with a Judy XC fork for that plush coilspring thing, LX cranks (I know, I know)XT stuff and nice strong Bontrager Mustang ASYM's. So far, I've had no problems whatsoever. It climbs like a bottlerocket, eats singletrack for breakfast, and accelerates like a scalded cat. The paint and graphics are the only drawback.
Submitted by
David Garcia
a Cross-Country Rider
from Oakland, CA
Date Reviewed: December 3, 1999
Strengths: geometry/frame fork drivetrain saddle
Weaknesses: rear tire (replace it) front wheel in mud finiky pedals
Bottom Line:
For the money, I think this is the best hardtail out there in it's price range. The bike is quick, light, and handles perfectly. It carves through singletrack like you wouldn't believe. It's geometry makes even the longest climbs easy, and the frame inspires confidence on both fast and slow/knarly descents. However, the rear tire should be replaced b/c it has terrible traction, (esp. in winter). The front wheel tends to warp/bend on corners, and in mud this means the brake pads rub the rim, (this is very annoying when climbing switchbacks when it's wet). But overall, this bike is OUTSTANDING.
Submitted by
Steve Shackley
a Cross-Country Rider
from El Cerrito, CA
Date Reviewed: October 19, 1999
Strengths: The Genisis geometry is the best I've ever ridden. It's tight on narrow single track (i.e. Boggs Mtn, CA), and fast on fire roads. The Avid 4.0 brakes are certainly as good as disc brakes, and much lighter. Unlike others, I've had no problem with the SID shock (300 miles).
Weaknesses: The stock WTB slicks are terrible. I replanced them with WTP Velociraptors immediately. The center-pull XT frt. der. is difficult to adjust. The stock Bontrager pedals are unpredictable; replaced them with Ritchey.
Bottom Line:
For a relatively small rider, Fisher's Genesis geometry is excellent. The SID shock is plush and very adjustable. I assume the 2000 model RockShox SID has eliminated some of the seal problems. I would recommend this bike to any XC rider who races once in a while.
Weaknesses: Racing Raptors, xt crap and race crank
Bottom Line:
this bike kicks ass and thats it the SIDs you should only race with though but i practice with them. IF YOU ARE GOING TO BUY THIS BIKE THE FIRST THING YOU MUST DO IS GET RID OF THE TIRES THEY ARE BAD NEWS AND THEY SUCK WITH TRACTION
I bought this Monday from Craigslist. Originally, I called to check out a stump jumper frame he had but it was too big so he said he had a Mt Tam Frame with Rock Shox Sid fork for Read More »
