Submitted by
RìcK ™
a Cross Country Rider
from Sunny Florida
Date Reviewed: June 13, 2001
Strengths: Light fast and easy to control.
Weaknesses: none at all!
Bottom Line:
Not that I didn't like the orignal setup, but I did a lot of component swaping originally. Trying to find the best combo. I love the bike now. The geometry of this frame will make you a better rider. It will take a while to adapt to the longer top tube and shorter stem. Once you get comfortable with the bike you will be amazed at what you can do. Climbs unlike anything I have ever ridden. Handles like a dream. Gary Fisher you are the man! (send me a Sugar 1 for xmas please)
The Genesis geometry seems a little weird at first, but I got used to it and my handling skills have really improoved. The shorter stem lets you turn, both quikker and sharper. And being further back on the bike, also gives more overview and better grip on the climbes. The frame looks great and is pretty light(1.54 kg).
Weaknesses: SID Race leaked, the cable routing and the front is taking away paint at a rate of knots. Tyres. Saddle.
Bottom Line:
It looks like there are more weaknesses than I first thought, the tyres were changed through the need to get a grip in mud and will reapper when it dries out. The other stuff although being a bit of a pain has been fixed or sorted. I found the Time Pedals were no conducive for racing (in my opinion) and put on SPD's with a cage, well worth it (and lighter!).
This this bike is built to go fast, it physically cannot go at my girlfriends pace, much to her displeasure. This bike has made me a better faster rider.
Bike Setup: SID Race, Hutchinson Aligators, Shimano 545 SPD's
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
clint holmes
a Racer
from Charlotte , NC
Date Reviewed: August 27, 2000
Strengths: Everything
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
Awesome race bike, my bike weighs 22lbs and will be under 20 after I put on a ti bolt kit and they come out with lighter tubeless tires. Climbs like a scared rabbit and is a good decinder considering how light it is. Love this bike , first hardtail I have ridden , before this I had a schwinn sweetspot.
Bike Setup: All xtr, raceface next crank, raceface ti B/B, time titianium pedals, easton magnesium stem, easton carbon riser bar, chrisking head set, rock shox long travel sl fork, avid magnesium brakes, thompson elite seat post, sella italia ti seat, mavic tubeless wheel set.
i am just submitting a follow up to my last review....At first i thought this bike and the components are phat as hell. now after riding for a while, i realize that i am not such a big bontrager fan after all. IW as in the woods the other day on a moderatel difficult trail, when all of a sudden when i was shifting my chain got all stuck up in the rings. I was baffled becasue this usually doesnt happen to me. I consider my self a pretty good shifter. I looke at it for a while and poulled the hain off and realized that the middle chain ring was all bent up!!1 In all my years of riding i have never seen this nor expierisnced it. I looked closer and realized that all my bolts except for one had fallen out of the F'n crankset!!!!!!! I have only ridden my 25oo brand new bike like 4 times since i had gotten it!!!!!Any way beware of this. I read all the reviews for all the different parts on this bike brfore i bought it. I just didnt pay attentino to the bad ones. YOu people should. It seems like this has happened to alot of other riders also. I also heard someone say that the tires that came with it are trash casue they got a flat on the first rifde. I was thinking the hell with them, these are phat tires!! Assoon as i put those tires back on my bikei got a slow leek flat at the end of one of my rides. I have no beef with fisher.I still love the bike, and the other bontrager components are still phat, but i wouldnt recomend this crankset to anyone. My bike is layed up in the shop, and i am off to school again in a week and 1/2, so this skrews up the rest of my ridingf this summer. I even wrote a letter to bontrager via their website( which claims to write back with a response in 24hrs, but i havent got one yet since i wrote it 2 days ago)and the dealer from which i bought the bike says they cant do anything till the rep comes in and decides what to do. So any way, make sure you ask the dealer about this before you get this bike, so you dont get the same headache that i have....Good luck
Submitted by
jeffery
a Cross Country Rider
from oakland
Date Reviewed: July 24, 2000
Strengths: scary light, stiff and strong, phat SAAB retro paint job, customer/product support, genesis for climbing and comfortable cockpit, extra bottle mounts. did I mention it climbs? yeah, say bye-bye to your friends on the ups. will get you noticed.
Weaknesses: no room for my date. attractive to petty thieves. gary fisher decal on head tube was askew...uhhh, I don't know, this bike is pretty much the bomb.
Bottom Line:
oh man, this bike is the shiz-nit! climbs like a burglar being chased by a rottweiler. so easy too. solid, spectacular welds. I don't understand all the groaning about the paint....sweet paint job and cool colors. believe me, I've seen worse. extra bottle mount will come in handy on slickrock in august. descends at super velocity too. more comfy than the big sur [thanks to double butting] on the big gnarly back-side roots and rocks that buddies on their xtc's and superlights karom over. this bike is so responsive you can steer around the stuff if you like. gary fisher's filet mignon, and it tastes fantastic. buy one! [or just the frame as I did]
Similar Products Used: gary fisher big sur, specialized rockhopper, yeti, schwinn sierra [old skool!], specialized fsr, santa cruz heckler & superlight
Bike Setup: profile riser bars with yeti grips, manitou sx, panaracer fire xc pro's, ritchey saddle, dirt-dinger bell, wtb skewers.
Strengths: light 21lb. weight, fork, compnents, warrenty on the frame,handleing
Weaknesses: none yet, maybe the wtb nano raptor tires,( but again, they are semi-slicks)
Bottom Line:
this bike is soooooo fast!!!It makes me look like i got better skills now!! I love the frame( genesis geometry) I heard other peoplesay it would take a while to get used to. I have been riding the gt triple triangle for severasl years and the switch over had no negative impact on my riding.As a matter of fact, i think that it is more comfortable. The sid race fork that came witrh it is awsome, and cheaper i think cause it came with the bike, the bike is loaded with top o the line bontrager equipment which rocks( did i mention the ($800 bontrager race light wheel set!!!!) time pedals are nice ...wow, i cant stop with the complements!! The components alone cost like $2400, which was more than i payed for the total bike!!! on another note, the warrenty given by fisher is unheard of!! they warenty the bike for the life of the origional owner!! ( and the paint and decals for 1 yr) I havent ridden a bike by another manufacturer or heard of another one, that did this. THis tells me that they stand behind their product and are confident that it is top quality. And if not theyll give ya a new one...Bottom line GEt this F"n bike !!!!!!!
Bike Setup: stock, i switched the wtb tires with Michelin wild gripper hot s
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
chris adams
a Cross Country Rider
from uk
Date Reviewed: July 5, 2000
Strengths: Very Light Weight and Good Uphill. Also handles very well and feels solid despite the weight. Also very comfortable on long hard ride
Weaknesses: Tyres - I just did a route on the South Downs Twice and managed two puntcures on each ride. I must change these - any suggestions.
Bottom Line:
This is a great bike that handles really well up and down hill and feels solid despite the low weight. Good riding position that feels comfy all day. Long Live the Hardtail.
Compared to the Marin its faster uphill but when it gets bumpy its not as quick. If you ride the really bummpy stuff get a Marin or similar. If you want speed on smooth trails this bike is unbeatable. This is what the bike is designed to do and it does it brilliantly
Weaknesses: i hated the laser rubber, threw them out and replaced them the day i got it.
Bottom Line:
this is an awesome bike, and a great value, which is obvious when you go to a race. you see this bike more than any other on the trail. so if you like to have a one of a kind bike, this isn't going to be the bike for you. but if you want a great, lightweight hill climbing machine, this is the bike for you. it is fast, and i think it looks good too. the sid race fork works flawlessly, i haven't had one bit of trouble with any part of this bike!
Strengths: climbs extremely well, ride is smooth, paint job is cool...
Weaknesses: none dedected yet my friends...
Bottom Line:
this bike is incredible, climbs great, rides smooth and handles incredibly. as far as value, i think $2500 is a complete rip off. i traded a snowboard for the frame and then built it up using money from selling my old bike. i ended up paying about half of retail price.
Weaknesses: Handlebars needed cutting from their stock length.
Bottom Line:
A rock solid rocket for smoother trails, and climbing. 22lbs!!!! RaceLite Wheelset is a great OEM or aftermarket set of hoops. All in all a fast, and durable machine for going anywhere. If you ride bumpy trails (ie rocks, roots, other racers) it is worth the extra $$$ for the Sugar 1... Same bike with 2 1/2 inches of rear travel, and more bounce in the front too.
Strengths: Overall part spec weight Handling color
Weaknesses: color
Bottom Line:
solid frame, awesome weight, looks pretty good, a bit overdone, but it turns heads. XT/XTR level bike with SID race and Bontrager Race Light wheels for this price...
The handling is a spot on match for my body type. precise, fast and extremely hoppable. One hell of a bike.
If you have the dollars for a new XC race bike then you should really check this out. If you are looking for a bomber all mountain bike that you can thrash mercilessly, then this may not be for you.
for riders who prefer a flat back or spent most of their time on a road bike, genesis is the way to go. Flies on fire roads, up or down. Super stiff frame, phantastic wheelset, great specs, current set up 22lbs, yes, 22lbs!, this bike really rocks, - only a minor and very personal complaint: I wish Gary would consider delivering this dream machine with a frame cover (any material will do) to offer protection from its terrible paint job while not riding.
Bike Setup: size medium, stock with rock shox race; modification: ti bb, ti cogs, barends, use post, flite seat, 747 pedals. 747pedals, use post, flite saddle
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Mike
a Cross Country Rider
from Binghamton
Date Reviewed: February 27, 2000
Strengths: This is a solid bike that climbs well, and handles real nicely. It's great looking too.
Weaknesses: Because I have the smallest frame, it's a bit stiff. Also, I suppose that some people might not care for the Genesis Geometry, it really put's you back on the bike.
Bottom Line:
This frame was a replacement/upgrade proivided by our local dealer. My 98 Big Sur had a seat post creak. I am truly impressed that they upgraded my bie to this. Gary Fisher and the Cayuga Mountain Bike Shop did right by me.
