Submitted by
rolo65
a Cross Country Rider
from atlanta ga
Date Reviewed: March 27, 2011
Strengths: the frame is the standout star...fairly lightweight and super strong
Weaknesses: most of the components
Bottom Line:
the components were pretty decent for a while...the original RST fork seized after one year of no use...went to ride it one day and thought i was on a rigid fork...honestly there was really nothing wrong with the components for a while...but as i got into riding a bit more i wanted better shifts, and better overall feel of the bike...it took me a while to achieve it but i did...its truly a great bike for entry level and after some swap outs its a pretty fierce trail rider...taken off 4 ft jumps and drops and have never cracked the frame...this is one of the last years schwinn was actually schwinn...and not pacific cycle....when schwinn actually wanted to make well built frames....unlike pacific.....ever heard of roadmaster bikes...
Weaknesses: pedals, Jett shock, middle chainring bends too easy
Bottom Line:
This bike performs ALOT better than the spec sheet would lead you to believe. The components are mid-line, but with proper adjustment and maintenance, have lasted me several thousand miles. I've had a dozen or so bikes over the years (including custom builds) and overall, this is the best performing rig I've ever owned. And yes, I actually ride the thing on dirt.
Bang for the Buck? Heck, the 7005 frame was worth the $335 I paid for the complete bike. The only nitpicks I have are the too-soft shock, cheap pedals (everybody upgrades anyway), and a soft middle ring. One of these days I may upgrade to an ISIS bb, but I'm a clyde. Anyway, Bottom line is, I work in the bike industry and have owned some more "glamorous" rigs that spent more time on the stand than on the trail. This one is a keeper though. The only mechanicals I've suffered have been due to errors on my part. 5 stars for value, 4 for performance (deduct for shock and mid-ring).
Similar Products Used: way too many over the years to even recall
Bike Setup: Mostly stock, changed the plastic pedals, and that's about it.
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Submitted by
Justin B
a Cross Country Rider
from Sacramento CA
Date Reviewed: August 25, 2002
Strengths: Outstanding frame,strong and more importantly light
Weaknesses: cranks, and seat
Bottom Line:
swap out seat,cranks(which went out first week),pedals and or shocks and look out!Basically your monies worth is in the frame and well spent at that.Put your favorite components on and you have a top of the line hardtail! Unbeatable value butif you ride hard 3 chilies for the almost necesary upgrades
Bike Setup: stocked w\tru vativ 5d cranks,irc mythos xc, rock shocks jett, shimano acera components
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Submitted by
Chuck
a Downhiller
from Chcago, Illinois
Date Reviewed: August 18, 2002
Strengths: Light Frame, good respone and handling, durable stock products (e.g. bottom bracket, crank arms, sealed bearings and derailleurs).
Weaknesses: RST front fork not made for more aggresive off-road cycling, original rear wheel went out of true often. Brake arms were very weak and hard to replace.
Bottom Line:
This bicycle has been one of the best buys I've ever made. needed somethng cheap to futz around Kettle Moraine in Wsconsin as well as handle cross country rides like the AIDS RIDE and touring races. The frame and components are durable enough for that type of flexiblity. Bike has excellent pick-up for a mountain bike and light enough that I can bomb up a hill and not kill myself. After putting about 6,000 miles on the stock components in the first two years I owned the bike I've started to upgrade the components and have taken about two pounds off the bike weight. The frame is the selling point for this bike.
Similar Products Used: Gary Fisher Voodoo, Trek 700
Bike Setup: After two years, replaced cables, housings, brake arms and pads, wheels, tires, upgraded to SPD clips, still looking for an decent priced refurbshed Manitou fork and wll also upgrade to 9-speed cassette this winter.
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Submitted by
Joel
a Weekend Warrior
from Lebanon, Pennsylvania
Weaknesses: altus front derailleur, single walled rims, rst 281R fork, crapy plastic pedals, seat is painfull and was not made for humans
Bottom Line:
it's a great lightweight bike for the money. just have to upgrade a few things if your a serious rider, like the fork, pedals, and I still plan on geting a new seat and double walled rims. maybe even new tires since mine are two years old and alot of the tread is gone.
Submitted by
Adrian
a Weekend Warrior
from Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: March 23, 2002
Strengths: Frame
Weaknesses: Wheels, shocks (SL's), stupid front derailler mounting(off b.b)
Bottom Line:
This bike has lasted through some pretty big drops for a basic xc hardtail, 5ft onto flat concrete hurt me more than the bike. Have to change front derailler if you decide to up grade to 44t chainring. Rims were crap, busted them pretty darn quick. One piece crank and chainring made from industrial grade steel was a little heavy. Have no problam keeping up with the rest of the group on the trials
Bike Setup: Sun ryhno lite rims, with deore hubs, xt front derailler, manitou pro answer shocks, xt combo shift/brake levers, race face prodigy crank
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Submitted by
Janie K
a Cross Country Rider
from San Diego, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: February 4, 2002
Strengths: frame, shimano components, good value
Weaknesses: weight of components, pedals, front der., shock
Bottom Line:
Great for on-road, light off road riding without many upgrades. The weaknesses start showing up when you take this bike on more agressive trails. The shock was the first to go. Pedals were next when I bent one hitting a rock. Front derauiller is constantly "off" middle cog. Thinking of upgrading to a 9 speed with under the bar shifters. When I started messing around with components, I realized how heavy the stem and other things were. By replacing these with spare parts laying around the garage, I ended up pulling about 1 pound off the bike. Even with all the upgrades, I now have a bike I really like for a lot less than similar bikes on the market AND it rides well on my favorite stretch of singletrack. For overall rating, I am only giving 3 chilis because this is one bike you've got to be willing to wrench on to make it mountain ready.
Similar Products Used: Specialized Rockhopper, Trek 8000
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Submitted by
don h.
a Weekend Warrior
from beavercreek, ohio
Date Reviewed: February 1, 2002
Strengths: relatively light frame, comfortable fit, looks good. price was great for what you get.
Weaknesses: little to damn near no grease in my hubs at purchase.
Bottom Line:
i was looking for a nice starter bike for my wife, and after some research on available models in my area, this was by far the best value. i rode it some when my wife wasn't with me, and have since kindof took it over. it seems to handle pretty well through twisty stuff, and like people have said before, i plan on keeping it a while, and upgrading components as i break them.
the rear wheel doesn't stay true, but it doesn't get that whacked out, either. the seat seems alright, and i might go to a straight bar instead of the riser bar soon. everything else, i'm leaving as is until it breaks. so far nothing has yet. i'm going to see what i can break at snowshoe this year.
Bike Setup: stock, except for a 2001 judy xc, and a p.o.s. transx seatpost.
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Submitted by
george henley
a Weekend Warrior
from halifax,NS Canada
Date Reviewed: December 9, 2001
Strengths: Nice looks,excellent frame,tires and overall ride.
Weaknesses: Seat,RST261 fork entry level - ok for light to moderate trails.Rear rim always out of true.Not a fan of the riser bar.
Bottom Line:
Got the bike on sale.Price was right.Good value.I found the riser bar and stock stem made climbing difficult - front tire kept lifting - swapped them out.Probably the rider more so than the bike. Never had a big problem with the RST shock although I never pushed it to hard.I knew it`s limits.Rear rim always out of true.Put semi slicks on her and used it for city commuting.Took the potholes and divits without a problem.Overall it`s a good reliable bike.
Bike Setup: Swapped out seat,replaced riser bar with Bontrager race ready 620 bar,replaced stock stem and seatpost with Bontrager product as well. Added Ritchie pedals.Profile bar ends.
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Submitted by
David
a Weekend Warrior
from Seattle, WA
Date Reviewed: September 6, 2001
Strengths: Excellent shifters, light and strong frame.
Weaknesses: Saddle sucks, my rims have already bent from easy to moderate trail riding.
Bottom Line:
Excellent bike, and you can get 'em cheap since it's an older model.
Bike Setup: I upgraded the seat and the rst shocks. I put on rockshox judy sl 01 and they are the best.
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Submitted by
Drew Miller
a Weekend Warrior
from sandy ut
Date Reviewed: June 29, 2001
Strengths: It's a dead Sexy bike
Weaknesses: the back wheel Withing a month a had bent the back tire a bit.
Bottom Line:
This is one dead sexy bike. It is 10x better than my old bike. It kicks a$$. I love it. I've chipped the paint a bit and a few other scratches. I've also broke off the crank, broke off the deraulier guard. I took it up to the bike shope and they fixed those within five miniutes. I was talking to somebody who makes custom bikes. He works with parts from all the brands. He said the same bike just in the specilized brand name would cost 900 to 1000$. Reasonable price. Great bike for the beginner-moderate.
Strengths: Color isn't bad and the tires are quality
Weaknesses: Everything but the color and tires. The wheels are horrible, the go untrue just riding in down the street, the left crank arm bent after the fist 30 miles, the shock (ROCK SHOX Jett) is heavy, clumsy and close to worthless. It's heavy and the gearing isn't good for climbing
Bottom Line:
If you every plan on actualy riding a trail, don't buy the Mesa. It wouldn't be bad for riding in the city, but it just doesn't perform on the trail. And don't ever try to race it, it's too heavy, the gearing is designed for city paths, and the suspension can't handle hits at high speeds.
