Submitted by
z b
a Weekend Warrior
from scotts valley, california, usa
Date Reviewed: April 4, 2004
Strengths: this bike has an extremely solid frame. comes with pretty good parts for the price. you can always upgrade if you dont like them.
Weaknesses: havnt found any yet
Bottom Line:
this bike is just so much fun. it can handle pretty much every thing you throw at it. great dirt jumping bike. also great for urban assult. if you get one of these your not going to buy another hardtail any time soon. i would not really recomend this bike for xc riding
Bike Setup: wtb speed v saddle. other then that it is stock
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Submitted by
Cooka
a Cross Country Rider
from Switzerland
Date Reviewed: December 11, 2003
Strengths: Cheap! (why do some people list cheap as a weakness?), strong, great geometry, not too heavy
Weaknesses: A Minor thing, if you buy frame only you get V brake mounts, yuk.
Bottom Line:
My friend had a P3 stock bike. I rode it, loved the geometry but hated the fact that it was a tank. So I bought the P3 frame and built it up with more XC/Cross mountain components including a lockable fork. Awesome! The geometry is perfect, it jumps well, rips the singletrack and I can even use it for XC (I got a REALLY long seatpost)! Other reviews have said this, but it really does ride like an overgrown BMX. I can do stuff on this bike that I just can't do on other MTBs. Also the price is ridiculous, I can buy 2 of these for the same as one Santa Cruz Chameleon.
Similar Products Used: Was using BMX cruiser for jumping before.
Bike Setup: Strange setup, mostly lighter components with Mavic 321XMs
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Submitted by
kanga
a Downhiller
from Melbourne, Australia
Date Reviewed: February 18, 2003
Strengths: Everything. Awesome brakes. Super strong frame. Pretty light for the strength. VERSATILITY!!!!
Weaknesses: Rims are a little weak for doing stuff like big drops etc.
Bottom Line:
This bike is absolutely awsome value for money. It can do pretty much anything you want. i am a BMX racer and when i was loooking to make a transition into MTB racing i did heaps of looking around at hardtails and this was the best by far. I use mine for Dual and 4x races and is very competent straight out of the box. i beat guys who have been downhilling for years at my very first 4x race easily. Then when i get home i whack the seat up and ride it to school. On the way home from school i pay the local dirt-jumps a visit and bust a few moves there. iIt is even light enough for me to do a bit of cross country rinding (even though i prefer going down hills instead of riding up them!). My point being this bike can do anything you chuck at it. the only bad thing i can say is that the rims sre a little weak and i have had to replace them with something stronger. Anyone looking to buy a bike should definately consider this bike for pretty much any style of riding.
Bike Setup: Pretty much stock other than i took off the 3-ring and put on a chain guide/bash guard. i have also put some mavic 321s on it which has helped a lot.
Strengths: UMM WERE DO I START OK 1.BRAKES THESE THING STOP ON A DIME AND GIVE YA 9 CENTS CHANGE 2.FRAME STRENGTH CAN HANDLE EVRYTHING I HAVE DONE 7FT TO FLATS NO BIG DEAL 3.FRONT SHOCK F*CK YA THIS THING ROCKS IT IS MAD STIFF I LOVE IT IT JUST EATS EVERY THING UP LIKE NOTHING 4.QR20 THIS THING IS STIFF HELL YA 5.RYNO LITES ON STOUT HUBS F*CKIN *A* WHEEL SET STRONG AS HELL 6.CRANKS THESE THINGS ROCK SO HARD IT AINT EVEN FUNNY 7.R/D THING SHIFTS ABSOLUTLY PERFECT MINT
Weaknesses: WEIGHT BUT I TAKE STRENGTH OVER WEIGHT ANYDAY NO QUESTIONS ASKED HANDLE BARS THESE THINGS ARE LIKE 20FT WIDE O AND DEORE F/D COME ON SPECIALIZED SEAT POST BROKE FIRST WEEK I ONLY WEIGHT 150LB SCREW THAT MAN IT SUCKED CHAIN GAURD IT AINT BAD IT COULD BE BETTER
Bottom Line:
THIS FREAKIN ROCKS SO SPEND THE EXTRA AND GET THE DISC IT IS WORTH IT SoOoOoOoO THIS BIKE ROCKS BUY 1 THE LAST BIKE YOU EVER HAVE T BUY
Similar Products Used: FIRST HARD TAIL AND LOVED IT
Bike Setup: COMPLETLY STOCK
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Submitted by
bob
a Cross Country Rider
from duluth mn us
Date Reviewed: June 26, 2002
Strengths: elite design for trials / freeride.. i picked this up right after dude traded it in.. he took a $1500 loss.. the fork rules. it may need a nice suspension seatpost...
Weaknesses: cracked seatpost clamp 2 days after i bought it.. warrenty wasnt a problem tho.. rear axle skewer needs to be insainly tight if youre actually gonna ride the thing, i reccomend replacing it with salsa, or some long lever skewer.
Bottom Line:
hayes disc is quality.. the paint was peeling on the master cyclender and they warrentied it no questions asked..
Submitted by
Heath
a Downhiller
from South Australia
Date Reviewed: January 15, 2002
Strengths: Strong Frame, Good Components, All round Solid Bike
Weaknesses: None As yet
Bottom Line:
An excellent bike - searched around for 6 months, nothing stronger on the market or set up as well for the price. Sticks well going downhill, big drop offs no problem. Nice stickers under frame also!! Rims, brakes & forks go well with the bike give a really decent package. Worth spending the extra cash to get the disc version.
Strengths: This bike is Bombproof! -Stiff frame -Great factory specs -Short chainstays, great for drops and wheelies -manuals with almost no effort
Weaknesses: -not a climber ( who gives a sh__! ) -seatpost.. get rid of it now!! -short stanchions in stock Z3 keep you from adjusting it to 130mm, or so I'm told ( Soon to get a Shiver SC anyway) -scares chicks -uhhh.....
Bottom Line:
This bike is the absolute Bomb! You couldnt ask for a better FR hartail, this bike will make you a better rider and you will ride it like you were 13 again! See you in the Emergency Room!! Five big old pieces a feces!!
Bike Setup: 2002 frame ( warrantied the green 2001 frame because of a misalignment, great customer service, shipped in a frame from europe in two weeks. Now I propbably have the only mettalic orange P3 in the states. -26" Doublewide up front w/ a 2.6 Gazzo -24" Doublewide out back w/ a 2.6 Gazzo soon to have a Shiver SC fork. -Raceface XY seatpost -WTB Laser kevlar saddle
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Submitted by
michel deshaies
a Downhiller
from montreal, qc, canada
Date Reviewed: November 27, 2001
Strengths: awesome geometry, one of the strongest frame i've ever tried disc brakes(you need it if you ride hard), great jumper and very maneuvrable. quick and stiff
Weaknesses: stem, fork, and the craapy chain guide
Bottom Line:
unbreakable, very good freeride bike with the z.1 fork(5inches travel). scary for people surrounding you. don't try to break it you're really gonna hurt yourself or somebody else!!!!!!
Bike Setup: race face stem and seat tube, marzocchi z.1 fork, xt hubs, mrp chain guide, launch saddle, eaton carbon monkeybar handlebar, odi lock grips, crupi 3pces bmx crank
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Submitted by
patrick connole
a Weekend Warrior
from bellingham WA USA
Date Reviewed: October 17, 2001
Strengths: inspires so much confidence... I've bent the cool wheels because I'm not afraid to land on edges and corners. Moreso I don't really pay attention to what I'm landing on... so I've bent the rear wheel a bit. It was rubbing against the frame until I messed with the spokes.... now half of them are loose, but no more frame rubbage. (yes, the rubber can eat through a frame it turns out....) The shocks are great, although they're my first (I just graduated from the RST no-travel "shox")... they bottom out pretty easy on any reasonable jump... but not a big deal. It wheelies like a mo-fo and hops as high as I can go... so not too high for this poor whitie! Nice shifting, rarely does the chain come off. Brakes are great, so much better than what I'm used to... and most importantly: the brakes aren't affected by how true the wheel is. So I can bend 'em like I do (not that I'm trying) and can still stop on a dime... or roll down a hill on the front tire.
Weaknesses: That SEATPOST! I didn't listen to all these reviews before I bought the bike.... they weren't kidding. Buy a new seatpost now! Just do it. The seat will NOT stay tight more than five minutes... so I got used to riding it loose... Then the freakin bolt holding the seat on BROKE. And I pretty much crushed a testicle on the post that was still on the bike. Luckily I wasn't "violated".... Yes, the bolt actually broke in half.
Bottom Line:
Good luck finding one now... There's one on ebay today for $1350 with a double crown fork. Pick one up if you can though, I freakin love it. Jumps, wheelies, "DH" that doesn't require full-suspension, hopping on stuff. Good times gauranteed.
Submitted by
Nickites
a Downhiller
from Ashland, OR
Date Reviewed: September 2, 2001
Strengths: Bomber fork, Hayes disc brakes, Rhyno lites, bashguard is solid, looks very stealth without the stickers (is that a custom frame? people may ask)
Weaknesses: All of the factory (Specialized) parts- thin grips, creaky bars, faulty seatpost. Headset has recently given up. Paint is thin
Bottom Line:
A bike this solid has inspired new courage. After a weak ski season, I needed some downhill inspiration and the price was right (whatta sale!). Nothing about the frame seems vulnerable. It's very stiff with no flex. Chainslap and the rear derailleur hitting the chainstay sounds very loud on the trail. Specialized replaces original seatpost for free. Slow going up hill, what can you expect with huge tires and BMX geometry. Wheelies and bunnyhops like a dream. The bash guard is nice for urban assaults, but when hitting the single track, you have to remember that gravity is your best friend without a big chainring to crank outta corners. Overall, to enter the new freeriding/urban assault type of riding, the bike is a great value. I already want full-suspension and with the price so low and the components so right, all I need to do is buy a FS frame and swap out all the parts. Then build up the P3 frame as a pure in-town assault machine. My town has been saturated with these bikes because they were so cheap on sale.
Bike Setup: Ritchey seatpost (replaced the broken original), new tires, platform pedals, otherwise as sold
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Submitted by
rob reyes
a Weekend Warrior
from richtown, cali usa
Date Reviewed: August 24, 2001
Strengths: Bike is rock hard (but it also weighs like one). You can't go wrong with the Hayes brakes(wow...8in front rotor), way cool green inodize finish, strong Ryno Light wheels w/20mm thru axle, bash gaurd, xt rear d/r, and the Bomber Z.3forks are just right for urban abuse. Oh I almost forgot the price...only $1000 new, I couldn't pass it up.
Weaknesses: Seatpost, Seatpost, and Seatpost!!! Weight, but I din't buy it to ride up hills. Some other cheap specialized parts, cheap stickers on the frame and a noise coming from the rear of the bike the sounds like a squeeky door(I can't figure out what it is).
Bottom Line:
Great bike for what I paid for but not for worth the list price. I bought it as a secondary bike to ride around on the streets, I use my Giant AC-1 on the trails.
Now, about the seatpost..... It's a piece of s***! I let my buddy use this bike at Downieville and the seatpost broke half way down the trail. He had to ride the other 7miles standing up. Good thing my buddy's a young guy with alot of energy, if it was me...they would've had to call the helecopter on my ass. I took it back to the shop where I bought the bike and they gave me full credit on the post towards a Thompson elite (thanks Jeff).
The rest of the bike is great. The forks work good, the brakes are great(it even comes with an 8in. rotor on the front), the frame is super strong and the real cool thing about it is that it if you take the stickers off it makes it really stealth and the bike thief lookin at it will probably go for the department store F/S Mongoose next to it instead. If you find one at this price and you have the means to buy it, pull the trigger b/c you won't be dissapointed. I took it to a local bmx track and jumped the hell out of it (I wiegh 190lbs.) and the damn thing just kept asking for more. Take the stickers off though, the bike looks 10 times better w/out them but you gotta leave the girl on the bottom for luck. Caution! Don't buy if you're a wieght wennie.
Similar Products Used: My old Paterson BMX bike (R.I.P. old friend)
Bike Setup: Stock except I replaced the clipless with shamano DX platforms and a new Thompson elite seatpost.
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Submitted by
Sketchy
a Weekend Warrior
from Victoria BC Canada
Date Reviewed: August 22, 2001
Strengths: Strong, stiff. Good fork, and brakes rock. Stiff cranks.
Weaknesses: Climbs like a cow (important when you can't shuttle!)Specialized stuff is kinda cheap.
Bottom Line:
Ok bike....would buy an Holeshot or Surly Instigator b4 buying one of these again. I'll probably like it more when its pimped out. Gonna throw on an NS-1 chainguide, Double wides (24"rear), fat rubber and some real handlebars. Oh yah, Specialized seatposts are the biggest joke known to man. If you buy one of these, throw the seatpost in the garbage b4 you leave the shop!
Strengths: small cockpit, strong frame, stock setup is worth it for the money.
Weaknesses: Creaking stem....just take it apart, lube all the bolts and you should be all set. Comes with clipless. Rear derailer SLAMS against the frame when you're in the hardest gear.
Bottom Line:
I'm not a hardtail guy...I thought I was. I ended up buying a Santa Cruz Bullit Frame and Black Boxxer. I switched all the components over to this setup and it's sick. If you're looking to buy a large P.3B disk frame and Marzocchi z.3 qr20, email me at timic101@hotmail.com
Bike Setup: Stock except for some Primo Flat pedals
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Submitted by
Brent Armstrong
a Downhiller
from Vancouver, Canada
Date Reviewed: July 12, 2001
Strengths: The weight. This thing will bunny hop over anything you want it to. It loves to jump. I'd love to make this bike a single speed but the drop outs may make that a little difficult unless I want to add another chain tensiin device.
Weaknesses: After my first review, I had to write again and add a few things. Here goes: The seat post sucks, so through it out NOW. Save yourself the pain and replace it. It won't hold the seat tight at all. There was a creaking in the headset area, so I ripped it apart and greased the headset which had no effect. The creaking is coming from the hydraulic cables rubbing together. Nothing I can do about it. My rear disc is rubbing and making a lot of noise while riding yet there is zero noise while the wheel is spinning while I'm not on the bike??? The rear derailer makes a lot of noise when it hits the frame. It's annoying the hell out of me. It knocks against the frame over most jumps.
Bottom Line:
If you can stand to NOT buy a full suspension, buy the P3 disc. Opt for the disc as it's the only way to go. This is best ride I have been on and it can take what I throw at it. Ride on!
Bike Setup: Still stock excpet for the Ritchy seat post, platts and the removal of the Specialized downtube stickers. Without that large sticker, the bike looks stealth. I had a THE front fender on the bike but have since removed it as it made too much noise while jumping. Besides, while spoil the look of the bike with a fender?
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Submitted by
Eric Blais
a Downhiller
from Poulsbo, WA
Date Reviewed: July 6, 2001
Strengths: Rock solid construction, great geometry (past BMXer), Hayes brakes and Z3 fork.
Bottom Line:
Awsome bike, Built to take abuse, Works great in the air or on the trails. Spend the extra dollars for the Disc model.
