Submitted by
JV
a Weekend Warrior
from Pittsburgh, PA
Date Reviewed: May 16, 2011
Strengths: Durable, comfortable, dependable, great frame, long-lasting construction
Weaknesses: Heavy frame
Bottom Line:
This bike has had no major problems since I purchased it in 2001. Still sturdy as when I bought it. Great ride! Especially for the inexpensive price tag.
Submitted by
Kent
a Weekend Warrior
from Cumming GA
Date Reviewed: September 17, 2004
Strengths: Good sturdy frame, very comfortable ride
Weaknesses: Soft braking, chain rings a bit larger than standard ATB, heavy
Bottom Line:
I ride this bike about 30-40 miles per week on rocky, rooty single track and could not be more pleased for the price. A few inexpensive upgrades can shed a little of the weight. I have never had the rim problems other owners complain about, perhaps because I fill up my tires. I'll trade some loss in traction for a lack of pinch flats and true rims.
The braking can be improved by upgrading to a larger curved pad with larger surface area.
Rear derailleur still tracking fine after 1000+ miles.
Similar Products Used: Specialized Hard Rock, Bianchi Timberwolf
Bike Setup: Stock + flat handlebar, lighter saddle and tires
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Stan
a Weekend Warrior
from Montreal, Quebec
Date Reviewed: May 25, 2002
Strengths: Practically everything
Weaknesses: None so far
Bottom Line:
I've ridden cheap big retailer bikes for most of my life. This was my first venture into an upscale bike, and I am thrilled. I had trouble with the shifters at first, but that was more do to inexperience rather than the bike itself. Great name bike for the price, carries my 230 pound body with ease, in essence I am extremely thrilled. I highly reccommend the bike for a first time purchase of a mountain bike.
Submitted by
Brendan Pitt
a Weekend Warrior
from Sydney, NSW, Australia
Date Reviewed: March 10, 2002
Strengths: Strong Frame Decent Brakes Gears are ok
Weaknesses: Post Moderne Sporty SE fork tops out all the time gets very annoying,and when i rode it in the rain they filled with water and jammed up, plastic pedals broke quickly, I needed new bottom bracket for it recently the old one broke,wheels buckled easily, and the 2.1 tyre rubs against the fram because the wheel is buckled,heavy frame, my bike came in boring black and silver colours. The bike shop also says my cassette will just fail on me one day they cant fix it because its an internal thing so one day the bike will jus fail and need a new cassette.
Bottom Line:
i probably bashed it round a bit too much and probably misused it but it is a decent entry level bike. It got me heavily into mountainbiking. i got it for a good price at $480 Australian. im now looking at getting a new bike it served its purpose but I need something better really. I spose for the price it was pretty good.
well, it is a gary fisher, and it is the cheapest hard tail you can get from GF. so far i've put probably 50 road miles on it and only about 5-10 trail miles on it. as it is really only my second "real" bike (and first hardtail) i don't have a whole lot to compare it to (except my brother's specialized hard rock). for a first bike, this is a better choice. my mamba was 100 bucks less than his hard rock, and i suppose the only big difference that i noticed was the shock (he has rock shox jett, and i have post moderne). his is a bit lighter, too, but he rides far more than i do. for a beginner's bike, the mamba seems to fit perfectly.
Bike Setup: stock, plus barends (though i hear you should only put them on flat bars...what do i know), and a sdg ventura comp saddle
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
DUDEK Wojtek
a Cross Country Rider
from Warsaw, Mazowsze, POLAND
Date Reviewed: September 19, 2001
Strengths: Acera SGS is a top quality for me to this time. In my old bike it was Altus C-10.
Weaknesses: Weight of all bike is little big, but I'm a Big Boy too! Rear brake little soft.
Bottom Line:
The best bike for this price in Poland. And this strong enough Gary's frame 'll be enough to the end of your life:))). Next weekend (29.09.01) I'll test my Mamba in Kampinos National Park (almost 200 km per a day!).
Favorite Trail: Cross Country Crazy Biking (CCCB) on Podlasie
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$250.00
Bike Setup: Acera (21 speed) and front fork- Post Modern Sporty
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
DUDEK Wojtek
a Cross Country Rider
from Warsaw, Mazowsze, POLAND
Date Reviewed: September 19, 2001
Strengths: Acera SGS is a top quality for me to this time. In my old bike it was Altus C-10.
Weaknesses: Weight of all bike is little big, but I'm a Big Boy too! Rear brake little soft.
Bottom Line:
The best bike for this price in Poland. And this strong enough Gary's frame 'll be enough to the end of your life:))). Next weekend (29.09.01) I'll test Mamba in Kampinos National Park (almost 200 km per a day)!
Favorite Trail: Cross Country Crazy Biker (CCCB) on Podlasie
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$250.00
Bike Setup: Acera (21 speed) and front fork- Post Modern Sporty
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Antoine
a Cross Country Rider
from Quebec Canada
Date Reviewed: August 3, 2001
Strengths: The price is the major advantage. This is not a great bike but this is a Gary Fisher and it's about the best bike you can have for the price
Weaknesses: The shimano altus su...s , i had too much problems with it and i had to put on a new Paint job cause of the shimano altus
Bottom Line:
This is a great bike for the price. I got a lot of problems with my derailleur but everything else is perfect for me. I do about 50km a week and 10-15 km of trail so it's the perfect bike for me. Once i will put on a new derailleur it will be a great bike
Strengths: Cheap, looks sweet, can't be the quality for the price.
Weaknesses: None really given the cost.
Bottom Line:
Had some problems shifting at first, but once tuned, the derailleurs work perfectly even after months of commuting and weekend offroading. I love the rapid fire shifters, don't really have to pay attention when shifting. The caps popped off the fork over the winter making it pretty useless, but no biggie, getting a Judy SL for it anyway. Only real complaint is that the seat is starting to come apart, but I guess that's what happens when you ride on a cheap stock seat every day for 9 months. It is comfortable enough, just wish it would have lasted longer.
Overall, this has been an excellent bike for me. Works great for getting to class every day, and is a blast to ride off road on the weekends. Given the extremely low price, it is a great entry level bike for anyone who is looking for something that will do well on- and off-road but doesn't want to pay a lot of money.
This is my first MTB (i had a road bike and yes i am european), I use it for city and light trail. My city is not your regular one though its all hills and downhills and road quality sucks (potholes/patches all over). The shock has been doing good and required no preload, handling is excelent, ezfire shifters work with no error and shifting is very accurate. Breaks on this bike are awesome, as i said hills are big at my place and you need to ride them pretty often but so far all is good. Bike is fast, reliable and for the price you wont get a better set up. Also when buying bikes never pay the list price, ask them if they can give you a break if you buy some accesories most places will do it, , and make sure you compare the components (shifters, deraiullers and so on)
I put about 30 some miles on it so far I just got it last week but i am very happy with it. I have to go off road some to see how it does there but from what it seems on the crapy roads i was on it wont be a problem.
Bottom line is its a comfortable ride, handles good and stock comps are all you need unless you are way into riding. For 250 its the best deal you can find.
I will post in few months when i haev some more miles on it.
4 turds only because i dont know if it will be as good in few months
in 2002 i bought an 01 mamba for $376 cdn. its a great bike ( well cared for by me) and still runs smooth, quiet and solid. its a great bike for long urban/fireroad rides, sure it Read More »
