Submitted by
Cliff Clark
a Cross Country Rider
from Everett, Wa, Snohomish
Date Reviewed: May 24, 2002
Strengths: Very light, only $400. Built with mostly quality parts.
Weaknesses: Brakes, headset, pedals.
Bottom Line:
This bike is great for the price, but within a year I have had to put some extra money in it to make it work like butter. The fork is good, but I'm just looking for a reason to upgrade.
This is a great bike if you get it for $400, but plan on putting another $200 in it real soon.
Bike Setup: Avid Ti V-brakes, sigle digit 7 levers, roxshox seatpost, new pedals.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Vince Williams
a Racer
from Christiansted, VI , US Virgin Islands
Date Reviewed: January 18, 2002
Strengths: Solid lightweight frame. Excellent geometry for mid-size ride. Great "builder" bike for entry to advanced racers on a budget.
Weaknesses: Flex in the rear triangle causes bike to feel unstable on rough hard pack. Powertools brakes and pedals are only good when used as fishing weights. Front fork is inadequate for anything other than pleasure rides on the road. Rims are extremely week and will not stay true for very long (this really doesn't matter since they will get bent on the first ride or two). Cranks and chainrings should be considered "temporary" components. Seat is for looks only and should not be sat on for any period of time.
Bottom Line:
The Alite 2000 is light and strong. Like any other MTB under $1500, it needs to grow with riders ability. I own this bike (replaced a stolen GF Hoo Koo E Koo)and an older Gary Fisher Sugar 1. I ride this bike for fun and races with lots of climbing, reserving the Sugar for more aggressive races and downhills. The KHS is very light and an excellent climber. It can be made even lighter w/ the right components. I have around $1000 in the bike and would never be able to find a compararble "new" bike for that price. If you want a good pleasure bike that can grow into a racer, this bike should be considered. Have the shope replace the seat,cranks, chainrings, pedals, and brakes before you leave the shop and put a set of nice wheels on lay-away.
Comparably priced Trek's, GT's, etc are better out of the box. Strap the same components on each however, and the KHS blows them away.
Similar Products Used: Gary Fisher Hoo Koo E Koo, Specialized Rock Hopper
Bike Setup: Rock Shox Psylo FF dialed to 3" travel (best travel limit for this frame's geometry), Shimano 324 pedals, Race Face crank, chain rings and BB, XTR shifters, brakes, and derailleurs, Spinergy Spox M1 wheels/hubs, w/oversized Al axles.
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Submitted by
Stanley
a Weekend Warrior
from Rochester
Date Reviewed: September 25, 2001
Strengths: Frame and geometry are OK. Fork seems competent once dialed in properly (to eliminate "topping out" on the rebound). Tires grip well. Rims seem tough enough so far.
Weaknesses: Seat was replaced immediately, Bottom Bracket broke 5 rides in, Rear Hub went 8 rides in, Bent big ring 6 rides in, Brake Levers are sloppy as hell. STX-RC components on my old bike totally blow away this new Deore (blank) line of components.
Bottom Line:
YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!!!! I'm sure I'll have upgraded every component on this bike before I've had it a year.
Similar Products Used: I had an old CrMo Mongoose Rockadile (94 I think) with all STX components and a non-suspension fork that gave me years of service without a day of trouble, unlike this pile, which has given me at least one problem on every single ride I've taken it on.
Bike Setup: Stock, except for bar ends, new UN72 Bottom bracket, and the old 7-speed rear wheel I had to put on when the rear hub went to hell.
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Submitted by
Will
a Weekend Warrior
from Queens, NY
Date Reviewed: August 5, 2001
Strengths: Great frame, some decent parts, rims are pretty strong too, the front end is pretty damn light
Weaknesses: brakes...do yourself a favor and get yourself a pair of avid's or something similar...power tools brakes were not meant to ridden on the trails...nuff said. Pedals....they are very slippery if you take the cages off, replace with some clipless or platform pedals Fork...its ok but you might want to upgrade in the future. Headset...probably the worst part on the bike. If you change your fork you'll have to get a new one.
Bottom Line:
Don't be mistaken, this bike is not trail ready right out of the box. Then again how many $400 bikes are? But what you do get is quality frame to build upon. Just by upgading a few parts, you'll have yourself a light-duty bomber. Even though some of the parts are far from being trail worthy, this bike is a great deal. You may have to spend 300 dollars to get this bike suped up but atleast you'll have a bike setup the way you like. How many $700 bikes can say that?
Bike Setup: Avid brakes, Judy SL, yeti grips, bar ends, cane creek headset.....pretty damn sweet
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Submitted by
michael
a Cross Country Rider
from simi valley, ca
Date Reviewed: July 18, 2001
Strengths: Can't go wrong for $400 bucks, nice frame, Kore cockpit. I recently needed to replace a frame on another bike, but I decided to buy this bike instead. Immediately swapped out the wheels for Mavic Crossrides, fork for Mars Elite, cranks for Hollowtech, and brakes/levers for Avid and now it is a pretty sweet ride.
Weaknesses: Trash for brakes, Suntour cranks.
Bottom Line:
If you just want to ride the local hills on weekends, and don't mind some heavy components, you can't beat the price of this bike. If you are going to upgrade the brakes, cranks, and a few other things, it ends up a fairly nice ride. Now that I have upgraded, I am pleased.
Weaknesses: Power Tools brakes (that's the KHS house brand) they work ok but not as smooth or well built as better brakes. Bottom Bracket squeaked on every peddle stroke (needed to be tightened and that fixed the problem) Rock Shox Jett XC - it works ok but I keep hoping I'll break it so I can buy something better.
Bottom Line:
Great bike for $400! Overall I have been very happy with my purchase and haven't found anything close to it in value for less than $700. I plan on keeping this bike for a few years. I'll probably upgrade the shock to something better but the rock shox jett xc will get me by for a while. This bike lets me ride hard with out holding me back.
Submitted by
Tim B
a Weekend Warrior
from Tempe, AZ
Date Reviewed: June 24, 2001
Strengths: Great Price. Great Weight. Good Components. Cool Colors. Brakes work great when you set them up right.
Weaknesses: I'll probably need to upgrade the Fork in the next year or two. Not necessary, but I would like a stiffer fork. I don't know if I really like clips on pedals, but that's not hard to replace.
Bottom Line:
Awesome Bike. Great Price. I would reccommend this bike to anyone who wants a great bike for around 400 bucks. If you order it from Supergo.com, put it together yourself and then take it to a bike shop and get a tune-up(usually around 30 bucks). It's a good idea to protect your investment by having it checked by a professional, it's worth the extra money.
Bike Setup: Shimano front and rear derailler. RockShox Jett XC. Powertool brakes.
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Submitted by
Doug
a Weekend Warrior
from Champaign, IL, USA
Date Reviewed: June 16, 2001
Strengths: Light Frame for the money; Deore components for under $400; Great weekend warrior purchase.
Weaknesses: Boring colors; Junk for Brakes
Bottom Line:
I shopped to hell and back over the internet and every bike shop in Illinois. If there is a new bike with equal components for under $400, please send me a message so I can buy it for my wife (I'm seriouse, folks!). Spent 3 months looking and nothing comes close in value. It's light, climbs great, shifts as good as my buddy's $1800 Specialized, but KHS put junk on the Alite 2000 for brakes. Also, black and red colors bore me - Overall, I'm pleased with the purchase.
Similar Products Used: Baracuda; Trek 4500; Gary Fisher Marlin
Bike Setup: Deore derail f/r; RockShox Jett; Kore Stem&Bar; Junky Powertool brakes; Mavic X rims
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Submitted by
Jared Hanley
a Weekend Warrior
from Los Angeles, CA
Date Reviewed: November 28, 2000
Strengths: Durable/light frame, Deore/Jett XC leave a bit to be desired but get the job done
Weaknesses: Seat is definitely not your friend and the Powertool brakes have not impressed
Bottom Line:
I am definitely happy with my purchase - for the price, you get an entirely capable bike. I am not speaking from the point of lengthy experience, but as an aggressive weekend warrior diving into the sport - this bike certainly enables me to ride without hesitation.
Strengths: light frame, decent components, looks good (black & red)
Weaknesses: jett xc is crap, bottomed out twice and I ate it. brakes are super crap, even k-mart has better brakes on their bikes.
Bottom Line:
Great bike for the price although they could have added a better fork than a jett. This bike is good for a begginer or XC rider. This bike holds up to it's name KNOWLEDGE, HEALTH,and STRENGTH. I'm completely satisfied on the way it rides.
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