Great bike for the price. I have upgraded a few parts but have no other problems. Rides great on single track, weight a bit of an issue but climbs really welll. Fun bike to have and learn how to ride some new mexico single track riding.
Submitted by
Chris
a Cross Country Rider
from Kansas City, MO, USA
Date Reviewed: September 8, 2004
Strengths: EVERYTHING! This bike has always been good to me, and it's still my #1 XC bike! All the Alivio products have stood the test of time, and this bike has never had to have any major repairs...just normal maintenance. The wheels are awesome, as I've only had to have them trued a few times in 6 years!
Weaknesses: The brakes rub occasionally, but they can be easily adjusted.
Bottom Line:
You can't buy a better hardtail XC for the money...this bike can do it all. It climbs like a champ, there's little flex in the frame, and the parts are durable as hell. I've tortured this bike, and it's always come back for more! This thing has been run a couple of times on the local DS course here on campus, and it's even fallen off of my bike rack while driving down the interstate (with a wheel truing, it was back to normal!). If this bike is still in production, BUY ONE!
Similar Products Used: Specialized Hardrock, Specialized Epic
Bike Setup: Stock except for smaller stem, and curved Marin Ovation handlebars.
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Submitted by
Chris
a Cross Country Rider
from New Mexico
Date Reviewed: July 12, 2003
Strengths: EVERYTHING PRACTICALLY...OMG THIS BIKES ROCKS.
Weaknesses: well i stripped the bottom bracket and therefore stripped the crank arms but now that they are replaced and a new lock bolt is installed its good to go!
Bottom Line:
I NEVER WOULDA FOUND A BETTER DEAL ON ANYTHING. I was riding a walmart bike and it literally fell apart when i tried urban with my friend, that was on like 2 ft drops...i recently did a 9 ft to flat huck on this bike and rode off. I am totally amazed this bike hasn't broken...i've never even dented the rims!! just have to get them trued every other month. all i've replaced is th cranks, bb, and my rear tube once. oh and new grips just put on after a year. the stock grips turn your hands black but if you really into riding get some nice fox gloves for 30 bucks. had mine for about 9 months and dont have a hole in them. this frame would give out i'm sure if you don't land right. i learned early on to rear wheel it trials style but if you want STRONG lightweight aluminum (my complete bike is 24.3 lbs) then this is a great bike...the hubs ARE AMAZING as well...get this bike ESPECIALLY if you just wanna do XC. i did some fast DH runs the other day over rocks and only problem i had was my chain kept comin off...but dh you dont really need to pedal. BUY THIS BIKE IF YOU GET THE CHANCE
Bike Setup: stock...manitou magnum, deore all around, textro breaks, shimano steel cranks w/ octalink bb, kevlar continental tires, odi lock on Rouge grips
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Submitted by
Kyle Miller
a Cross Country Rider
from Gettysburg, Pa.
Date Reviewed: March 9, 2002
Strengths: Srong frame holds up on big jumps and fairly decent parts except saddle
Weaknesses: Saddle is a little hard but overall great bike and holds up on big jumps repeatidly
Bottom Line:
Extremely Strong frame, good brakes if tweaked right, rims bend easy I bought new with lots of spokes and turned them all tight, LOVE the rapid fire shifter, WEAK fork springs on the manitou mag fork BUY UPGRADED SPRING KIT
Similar Products Used: Mongoose downhill bikes LOT heavier and did not hold up as well
Bike Setup: all original parts except saddle and stronger fork springs and I am preparing to buy disk brakes
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Submitted by
joe slonecki
a Racer
from manistee mi usa
Date Reviewed: October 4, 2001
Strengths: Good Frame, Very comfy to ride. Stable at speeds and very agile on technical stuff. Same frame geometery as Schwinn Homegrowns. Overall a great pacage for the weekender
Submitted by
chris
a Cross Country Rider
from north branford
Date Reviewed: May 4, 2001
Strengths: strong frame
Weaknesses: to heavy
Bottom Line:
a good bike to start out w/ but you shoukd bye new part when you get the money but bye if part are on sale, i got spinergys m-1 for 350 i saved 350, the crank for 90 i saved 110, the bb for 45 i saved 15, the bar for 19 i saved 20, the stem for 15 i saved 10. all toghter i saves 505 that is a lot of money to bye more parts.
Strengths: Indestructable. Went over a jump after about a 200 yard downhill and busted, the bike went about 50 feet flipping end over end and the only piece of equipment that got hurt was my helmet.
Weaknesses: STX
Bottom Line:
Great for the weekend warrior. Incredible value and you can ride it forever. I bought mine used from a friend, who worked at a bike shop so it was pretty well maintained. I've had some pretty nasty wrecks in my time and haven't had any major problems. I would recommend this bike to anyone who is into cross country singletrack and doesn't have a lot of money to blow. It worked great through 24 hours of adrenalin so it can handle competetion. I wouldn't recommend this bike to anyone who is more into getting air than cross country. So if you love to ride and don't want to blow a bunch of cash on a bike that won't get you too much further than this one, I say go for it.
Submitted by
MIke
a Weekend Warrior
from Prince Edward Island, Canada
Date Reviewed: August 10, 2000
Strengths: Price, Frame, strength I crashed doing 20+MPH, (hit a tree downhill) and didn't bend a thing. Brakes are strong when tuned right. Rapid fire shifters are responsive.
Weaknesses: Front fork. Rock Shox Jett. It seems a little too stiff for most trail riding.
Bottom Line:
Solid bike for the price. My buddy rides a Moab 2 and I can go anywhere and do anything he can. Climbing works great. Never had the drive train wear out (I'm trail riding 3 times a week, and city jumping 2 times) Indestructable frame, decent front fork, but a fluid damper would be better. (manitou or judy) I do experience some chain sux, but proper cleaning of the chain has prevented it. I'd recomend this bike to anyone who wants a great performing hard tail and doesn't have $1000.00 to spend.
Favorite Trail: "Bail Trail" @ Nordic Ski Park, or Bonshaw
Duration Product Used: 6 months
Similar Products Used: none
Bike Setup: Stock lx components
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Submitted by
Jeff B
a Cross Country Rider
from Poteau, OK.
Date Reviewed: July 10, 2000
Strengths: Tough frame, great looking bike
Weaknesses: Drivetrain, Brakes
Bottom Line:
Bought this bike as a beginner and tore up the drive train pretty quickly, and the brakes just couldn't cut it on those Arkansas downhills. All in all I love this bike, but I sure had to do a lot of upgrades to keep it going. I don't recommend this bike to anyone with aspirations of becoming more than a weekend joy rider.
Submitted by
Teri
a Weekend Warrior
from N. Richland Hills, Texas
Date Reviewed: March 3, 2000
Strengths: Price, durability
Weaknesses: Gear shifting
Bottom Line:
I started out a beginner with no experience at all on a mountain bike at age 25. I bought this bike for about $400, and got a 15 inch frame. This bike has held up well, considering all the crashes it has endured. I have not felt I needed to upgrade any of the parts because so far the bike has suited my needs.
The only problem I have really experienced is in the shifting. It shifts slowly, and therefore loses some power when you try to go uphill. I'm sure I need to get the gears/shifter looked at, maybe it's just a problem because of a crash. It also seems to miss a gear or two when shifting.
This is a great bike for a beginner, and great value for the money. I believe it is a good bike for a woman, but make sure you get the right size before you buy it. Now that I've ridden trails on it, I wish I would have gone with the 17 inch frame size. I'm 5'6", and the 15 inch frame feels too small.
Submitted by
Mum
a Weekend Warrior
from Springfield MO
Date Reviewed: February 12, 2000
Strengths: Frame,Climb(higher gear than most)
Weaknesses: Components,saddle,fork
Bottom Line:
It has a good frame(same as a moab). If you don't have much desire for good conponents this is a good bike for you. Spend a little more money. If you get this bike you will spend a lot on upgrades.
Submitted by
Steven Keeney
a Cross Country Rider
from Alva, OK USA
Date Reviewed: January 26, 2000
Strengths: Good frame and good price
Weaknesses: low end shock, low end components
Bottom Line:
I like this bike. I bought it on close-out for $400 and put another $50 into it. Get some decent pedals before you leave the bike shop. The frame has gussets on the top tube and down tube and it looks strong. I don't ride hard but I enjoy riding dirt and gravel country roads and this bike performs well for that. Components are low end but this is a low end bike. I'll upgrade when things start to wear out. I am 45 years old and have been riding mountain bikes about ten years for exercise, fun and recreation. This is a good bike for someone to like me who doesn't race or compete. This is a good fun bike suited for cruising around town or taking a long ride in the country. Not everyone who rides wants to be a racer and this bike is good for a serious recreation rider
Similar Products Used: diamond back ascent, cannondale f500
Bike Setup: stock drive train and shock, bar ends, trek system 3 pedals
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Submitted by
JAMES KACEL
a Cross Country Rider
from GARFIELD HTS,OH USA
Date Reviewed: January 19, 2000
Strengths: STABLE GEOMETRY,RIGID BUT COMFORTABLE FRAME,THIS BIKE IS VERY PREDICTABLE IN ALL TYPES OF TERRAIN AND CONDITIONS-IT IS A JOY AT 40+MPH GOING DOWN A SKI SLOPE AND CLIMBS BACK UP EQUALLY WELL.ROCKS,ROOTS,DROPOFFS,ETC, THIS BIKE CAN TAKE WHATEVER YOU GIVE IT AND ASK FOR MORE.
Weaknesses: THE STOCK FORK SHOULD BE OUTLAWED.30 LBS-COULD GO ON A DIET
Bottom Line:
FOR $500 YOU GET A LOT OF BIKE THAT CAN HANDLE ALMOST ANYTHING YOU ARE BRAVE ENOUGH TO THROW AT IT. I WOULD RECOMMEND IT TO ANYONE FROM THE BEGINNER TO THE SPORT CLASS RACER. A VERY GOOD LOW PRICE TRAIL MACHINE.
