Submitted by
Kristina Attwood
a Cross Country Rider
from Townsville, QLD, Australia
Date Reviewed: January 21, 2006
Strengths: (Paid $900 Aud, purchased 2 at the time - one for my Husband) - His bike hasn't had much use (virtually nill off road) and it's still like new! Still looks great after 5yrs. No dramas in the time I've had it. Light for it's componentry. Wheels have stayed true as! Apart from scratches & paint chips seems to fare well in minor stacks.
Weaknesses: Judy TT could be better. 0deg rise stem makes it so much better for riding up hills & generally found the position better on trails. Don't seem to have much control on downhills. Seatpost all scratched from moving it up and down.
Bottom Line:
90% of the time I ride on trails (or anywhere near my place that is off road really - I like to explore). The bike has probably had 2.5 yrs hard riding with a couple of years rest (due to popping out a couple of kids, so just getting back into it more now that the kids are older). But anyway it has been great during all that time, components are only now starting to wear, and perhaps I've becomed more able or accustomed to mtb riding as I am more & more noticing the lack of performance when it comes to the Judy TT. In future it will be hard to let this bike go, but rather than upgrading I reckon I would buy a newie, Definitely consider specialized again, along with the likes of Norco, Avanti(maybe), Giant.
Great Bike, Great Value For Money, I think it's pretty light for the componentry it comes with. So I would say excellent for entry level XC and Commuting.
Favorite Trail: Townsville's not bad in that department
Duration Product Used: More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$900.00
Purchased At: Xtreme Cycles - Perth, WA
Similar Products Used: Purchased this over the Giant Iguana. This is my first real bike! Had Dunlop (Kmart) bikes in the past which tended to get stolen alot!
Bike Setup: Panaracer Fire XC tyres Bullet 0deg rise stem (would like to get a riser bar to see if that makes much difference to riding position and feel) Womens BG Saddle with Ti rails. Candy C Pedals Recently replaced wheel bearings & next service will need a new chain & cassette.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
JJ Evans
a Cross Country Rider
from Canada, Ontario, Toronto
Date Reviewed: July 20, 2003
Strengths: Everything for the price i paid for it 425 cdn.
Weaknesses: The when often becomes unalligned and rubs against the frame. JUdy tt.....need i say more? but its alirght for a beginner.
Bottom Line:
Amazing for the price. Quality unlike any other. Frame will outlive you and your children.
Submitted by
crevis
a Cross Country Rider
from altrincham cheshire england
Date Reviewed: December 10, 2002
Strengths: great all rounder for the cash you have to lay out.ive done a bit of xc and dh and the bike still goes well,quality frame that also looks good...
Weaknesses: forks and chain are crap,the whole bike is a bit on the heavy side.some of the componants will need to be replaced soon.
Bottom Line:
GET SOME WEIGHT OFF! air forks and some decent tyres have made this bike so much more fun to ride,the stem and seat post are for the chop next,then the wheels,this will then bring the weight down to a reasonable level, the frame on this bike is so good you can upgrade the componants as and when you can afford them,you will then have one fantastic bike, and it wont have cost you an arm and a leg,it wont get 10 out of 10 from me because you have to spend a bit more cash later,that said you can upgrade the componants and build a fantastic bike,then you can throw your self down hills and know even if you never ride again your bike will........
Strengths: Great value, good frame, decent fork, drivetrain components are holding up fine, brakes work well, comfortable seat, looks purty.
Weaknesses: The fork makes annoying springy sounds each time it compresses; Rock Shox says it's normal. Rims a bit sketchy, and tires are terrible in mud.
Bottom Line:
I have to admit, I got a heck of a deal on this bike. It was a leftover, and they were getting rid of it. However, I would be happy with it if I'd paid retail. It's a great bike for what I use it for (a mix of commuting to class, driving on paved trails, and singletrack), and has held up commendably well. I'm impressed with the drivetrain components, everything has worked fine, with few adjustments needed so far. Overall, a very good beginner's bike...and, with some new components, a good advanced bike.
Submitted by
Olivier
a Downhiller
from Calgary Alberta Canada
Date Reviewed: July 26, 2002
Strengths: It's good for cross crountry although not too good for downhill, obviously. shifters are pretty good, brakes work when u need them too. its a fairly strong frame.
Weaknesses: the tires r too slim, needs a better fork, the rims r too week, i bend them almost everytime i go riding, the pedals slip too much.
Bottom Line:
its not a bike u wanna go hard on. well build for cross country, good strong frame, gude lookin bike.
Weaknesses: Drivetrain slips in the wet; paint chips easily.
Bottom Line:
I'm pretty d@mn happy with it. Can't imagine how much better it can get (though I know it can) but it's a great first bike.
I've got mine set up for commuting, though I do take it out to trails of up to moderate difficulty without any problem. And despite my being a big guy, it's held up to what I think is reasonably heavy pounding on the trails, through mud and rain and dust and gravel and whatnot.
Sooner or later, if I stick with this biking thing, I suppose I'll be looking for the next hot ride but I can see keeping this forever as an allpurpose beater bike/commuter/grocery-getter.
Similar Products Used: This is effectively my first real bike.
Bike Setup: Stock: Shimano Alivio; Judy TT fork; Body Geometry saddle; Alexi rims; etc Mods: Nashbar clipless pedals; Nashbar straight handlebar with bar-ends; Cateye Enduro 2; Kryptonite rear rack & ULock; blinky at night; coupla bottle cages, a frame pump and wedge bag with tools and tube.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
mike rikey
a Weekend Warrior
from germany
Date Reviewed: May 3, 2002
Strengths: good looking bike rock shoxs brakes
Weaknesses: sloppy front derailer tyers are for road use only
Bottom Line:
if you want a mountain bike do not buy this its for road use, for a bit less you can buy the trek 4500 its a "mountain bike" i ride up and down mountains all day and the trek is great, ok if i had more money then i would buy a cannondale but i dont so if your like me and a bit poor get the trek and dont belive what people say about the seat there poof,s
Strengths: Light frame, well equipped, good geometry
Weaknesses: See the bottom line
Bottom Line:
Yeah, pretty well equipped bike, not too expensive. I replaced some parts on it: wheels(to rhyno lites),V brakes(to disc hydrolics), Rock Shox fork, handlebar(profile disign), stem(to KORE aheadlite), tires(TIOGA)- and now it's my BABY! I like it. I'm using it for ...........trials! I would recommend 2001-02 model. It has another geometry and it's more for agressive riding which I prefer. You can use it even for freeride!
Weaknesses: not good for hard riding. ive had to replace a few rims, my brakes (pads, calipers, and cables), the stock shimano diore derailer, and i had to get a brand new crankset. i say had to becaus all of these parts bent or broke.
Bottom Line:
after i put higher quality components on it, it was a great bike. it wasnt the right bike for me when i got it, but it grew into me. it wasnt made for the harder riding or the punishment i gave it, but the frame is still in peak condition, even if the rest isnt.
Submitted by
Dylan
a Cross Country Rider
from St. Albert, Alberta, Canada
Date Reviewed: January 7, 2002
Strengths: This Bike is great...unless you bring it near mud. It's light, quick and virtually flawless in dry conditions.
Weaknesses: The stock tires are the worst component of this bike. In mud they instantly clog with mud and you're left with no traction. The drivetrain also performs poor in muddy condtions, but this can be fixed with some white lightning in most cases. I think clipless pedals should've been stock as well.
Bottom Line:
A great bike for the price. I'd recommend it to anyone new to the sport.
Bike Setup: Threw on some Richey Logic Clipless and some specialized bar ends, I also picked up a cheap headlight for night rides.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
James R
a Weekend Warrior
from Issaquah Washington
Date Reviewed: December 20, 2001
Strengths: YOU CANT EVER GO BAD WITH A SPECIALIZED! So far, i have everything specialized and io love it all!
Weaknesses: Hmmmmm, a little paint has chipped? Lets see, ummm, it dosnt have a self chain luber, but what does=) I popped a tire once, but i went really fast (and im a big guy) into a curb, kinda leaving out the hopping part =) Lets see, hmmmmm, ya thats all i guess! How wonderfull!
Bottom Line:
Okay its still great! I still dont get out on trails often but im getting in shape, mainly go on road. But i could never think of going on road with a road bike, ewwwww lol!
Hmmmmmmmm........i can only give it a five? That sux, they need to be able to give it a 6/5, i mean an A is above average but its the best you can do right?
Similar Products Used: I dont care they were all crap compared to this! Well okay, the guy i talked to when i was deciding between this and gary fischer (before i had ridden) said the Garyt was the lexuas and the speacilized was the Explorer, i agree. I HATED THE FISCHER, hey maybe its made by fisher price? LOL, now im rambling!
Bike Setup: This christmas hopefully= Some nice Egg Beaters with Specialized shoes, some long fingered gloves (its allways cold here! lol) CamelBak MULE (100oz.=) and cordless comp
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Submitted by
Jereme
a Weekend Warrior
from Bellingham, WA
Date Reviewed: December 10, 2001
Strengths: Light (for my needs), fast, handles great. Shocks do the job. Frame is sturdy for its weight. Reasonably priced. Gears shift nice except in wet, cruddy conditions.
Weaknesses: Gears shift nice and fast, but drivetrain slips and chain locks when I go up hills in wet, cruddy conditions. Haven't quite located the problem yet, but it seems to be caught between gears in the rear derailleur and happens whether I'm shifting or not. It is REALLY irritating because it completely screws up my rhythm, especially on very technical trails. Also, although frame is good, the paint is starting to chip. Admittedly, I ride it really hard and could have chipped it taking it on and off of my bike rack, but it seems to chip a little too easily. Nothing some spot painting can't fix though.
Bottom Line:
I was tired of trying to do technical trails in my heavy, old steel Novarra which I had upgraded with cheap shocks and mtb. tires so I decided to buy a new mtn. bike. I wanted a good quality bike, but didn't have much cash to spend. This bike was the perfect solution. An awesome price for the quality. I can do some pretty technical trails and feel perfectly comfortable. The only thing that holds me back when biking with riders with fancier more expensive bikes is my own technical skills. Once I get better I know this bike will keep up with the others just fine. The only problem is the above mentioned difficulty I'm having with shifting in wet, muddy conditions. This really is a great bike for the money. I've ridden it a lot and very hard. It still pretty much behaves like it's brand new. I haven't tried racing with it yet, but it seems pretty light to me and I have no problem picking up speed quickly when I want. I should be able to upgrade easily. I'll probably keep this bike for as long as the frame lasts, which I'm betting will be a long time.
Similar Products Used: Treks, Giants and Schwinn's in similar price range.
Bike Setup: Currently everything is stock as mentioned in the description above, except for bar ends and Shimano clipless pedals. The components are great for my needs right now, but I may upgrade later. If the problem I'm having with shifting is related to the rear derailleur, I may end up replacing that.
Da quando uso questa bici,la mia abilità in fuoristrada è migliorata molto! la bici è molto reattiva, frena benissimo e solamente ogni tanto il cambio è un po' brusco nella sua azione. gran bella bici per i soldi spesi anche se potrebbe pesare un pò meno di 14 kg per la taglia 15,5". E' un affare soprattutto rispetto alle concorrenti!! Ciao
Strengths: solid frame, looks good, strong wheels, great tyres.
Weaknesses: too heavy for racing.
Bottom Line:
it's a great first mountain bike. for £430 you get a frame you can stick loads of upgrades on. it's not designed for hard XC riding, but i do anyway ;-), it handles all the abuse i give it, but too heavy for serious racing which is why my next bike is a stumpjumper M4. i bought mine from edinburghbicycle.com and they set it up really well. ready to ride!!!
Bike Setup: as standard but with flat bars, bar ends and crud catcher.
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Submitted by
James
a Cross Country Rider
from Washington, USA
Date Reviewed: September 3, 2001
Strengths: Cheap,good when upgraded!!!!!
Bottom Line:
I bought this baby on clearnence heavely upgraded. Some of the upgrades included: shifters, chain parts, up to Rock Shox. Maybe more? I dont know a lot but would soon like to. Ive had this one day but hey? I love it. I dont know a lot so sorry for the untechnical terms and not exactly knowing all the upgrades but....I dont know how much it normally goes for but i got the last one and on clearence. O ya...the brakes are upgraded...still standard V-brakes but nice ones. Im a newb at mountain biking...main reason is my last bike was 15" and (this is a 19") i would like to get into it more so... Its pretty light and good all around. Sence im not expearienced i cant say if its good for pros ect. but its a good beginners. Ill post again in a few months and its broken in!
