Submitted by
Harvey Jones
a Racer
from London Engalnd
Date Reviewed: October 27, 2006
Strengths: It climbs like a mountain goat and the transfer to power is amazing - you can feel everything go straight through the cranks down the chainstay and into wheel
Weaknesses: Paint Job
Bottom Line:
Too early to tell regards durability but if anything like my Trek Carbon road bike its gonna be around for a long time. It equals everyhting about my UPS in terms of stiffness, lightness transfer of power and stability
Submitted by
Mark
a Cross Country Rider
from Colorado
Date Reviewed: January 19, 2005
Strengths: This bike is the best climber I've had the pleasure to ride. Light, tight, and just right. It also has replacable rear drop outs ( just in case)
Weaknesses: This frame was introduced right around the time disc brakes were being perfected. The mount for the disc brake (in the rear obviously) is an older 22mm mount. Meaning when I went from V-brakes to disc I only had one option. It only took a Hayes brake.... and Hayes discontinued making them. It was easy to find through online bike dealers. I personally like the Shimano XT hydros... but was forced to get a Hayes. I now have two different brake levers on my cockpit. Hayes and XT. Very clearly the XT is lighter, smaller, and easier to use. This is my only problem with the frame. Other than that it is THE most perfect hardtail frame ever.
Bottom Line:
Buy this frame if you spend most of your time going up. It climbs like nothing else out there. It is rigid going down but completely controlable. Other than my problem with switching from V-brakes to disc the frame is the best I've rode yet. I bought my frame in 99' when it came out and got it for cost through a shop I worked for at the time. On the floor it sold for $1500 (frame only). You can get it now for around $600. Don't buy this bike if you are looking for a cushy-mushy ride.
****Keep the rubber side down***************************
Similar Products Used: Schwinn Homegrown Cannondale F1000 Gary Fisher
Bike Setup: Custom set-up. Built in pieces. Trek 9.9 Pro frame. Rock Shox Reba Team (previously a Fox Float 100) XTR front & rear derailers XTR bottom bracket Sram Rocket Shifters XT 9-speed cassette XT chain Raceface Headset Easton Magnisum Stem Hope disc hubs Mavic 519 rims Hayes rear hydro brake XT front hydro brake (decals off of everything... I am not out to advertise)
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Mark
a Cross Country Rider
from Stillwater
Date Reviewed: February 18, 2002
Strengths: Lightweight, durable, good looking. The carbon fiber soaks up a fair amount of trail chatter. Stock componants are, for the most part, well made and light. I bought this at a year end discount, which made it much more affordable. I've owned this bike for about 2.5 years and haven't had the same paint problems that other reviewers mention. I did get one pinkie nail-size chip out of one of the larger decals, but otherwise the finish has remained flawless. I do wax the frame periodically.
Weaknesses: The stock 31.6 mm seatpost brutalized my spine until replaced it with a Thudbuster. The TB post added some weight, but improved the riding experience immeasurably. My advice is to replace the stock post unless you are a masochist. An abundance of stickers/decals although I do like the VW ones.
Bottom Line:
A very nice, but expensive, hardtail. Lightweight and less punishing than aluminum and steel competition, but at a cost. The design and engineering seem faultless at this point. Trek has discontinued this model (although the 9.8 is still available and has the same frameset), but you should be able to pick one up used at a big discount. Highly recommended unless you are extremely hard on equipment.
Similar Products Used: Ti Fisher, Fuel 100, Sugar 1, Klein Attitude Race
Bike Setup: stock, except tires
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Tom
a Cross Country Rider
from Minneapolis, Minnesota
Date Reviewed: October 23, 2000
Strengths: Incredible exceleration. Great single track bike. Frame gives just enough to make it a comfortible ride, yet is laterly stiff so you can excelerate like a bat out of hell.
Weaknesses: The paint job is cool as hell, when it's new, I have discovered that the paint seems to scratch pretty easily. Otherwise this bike rocks.
Bottom Line:
This bike is great. I would recommend buying to anyone that doesn't feel bad about sinking a couple grand into a bike. Just take care of your paint job. For a great touch, send the fork back to Trek to get a reverse scheme paint job.
Similar Products Used: GT Zaskar, Paramount, Cannondale F-500, Gary Fisher Hakooakoo, Trek 8000, GT Avalanch
Bike Setup: Race Face Turbine LP cranks, RF crmo BB, XTR hubs laced to Mavic 517, XTR Ti casset, Avid Arch Supremes, White Industries LMDS rear d., XTR front d., All Titec up front. Rock Shox Judy SL
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
BOB
a Racer
from ROCHESTER,MICHIGAN,USA
Date Reviewed: September 10, 2000
Strengths: LIGHT AND FAST,COOL PAINT,FEEL'S GOOD AT SPEED. RIDES GOOD IN SINGLE TRACK.A REAL GOOD RACE BIKE.
Weaknesses: WELL WERE I DO START!! WELL ON THE 2ND THE SEAT LUG CRACKED, SO I THOUGHT I WOULD WARRENTY THE FRAME AND TREK SAID NO WAY!! WELL LUCKLY I WORK FOR A TREK DEALER AND WAS ABLE TO GET A NEW FRAME AT NO COST, BUT NOT WITH OUT A FIGHT. IF I WAS A NORMAL CUSTOMER I WOULD HAVE BEEN SCREWED. WELL IT HAS BEEN 3 MOUNTS SINCE I GOT THE NEW FRAME AND THERE ARE ALL READY DEEP PAINT FRACTURES, BUT TREK SAID THAT WAS NORMAL WE WILL SEE ABOUT THAT IN THE LONG TERM.
Bottom Line:
THIS IS A VERY OVER PRICED BIKE, IF YOU RIDE HARD AT ALL YOU WILL BRAKE THE FRAME,NOT A BIKE FOR A HARDER RIDER,BUYER BE BEWARE. LOVE THE RIDE OF THE BIKE WISH IT WOULD HOLD TOGETHER AND TREK WOULD HOLD UP IT'S END.
Bike Setup: FULL STOCK NEW THOMPSON 410 SEATPOST TO PREVENT SEAT LUG CRACKING
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Loren Clarke
a Cross Country Rider
from Hershey PA
Date Reviewed: September 10, 2000
Strengths: This is an update on my previous review. So far the bike has done everything right. I have upgraded some parts, as I described before. Most recently I put an LP Composites Carbon seat post on. It makes the ride even more damped. I highly recommend this upgrade. I have taken some hurtful crashes on the bike, and so far the carbon fiber has been much more durable than my skin fiber. No complaints here about the reliability.
Weaknesses: I've messed with the Sid Sl. Bad idea. I wanted to put the new Triple X seals on it. The Rock Shox guy at 24 Hrs of Snowshoe said "You can do it yourself, no problem" and gave me a pair. So I did it myself. It went O.K. but since then the fork has just not been quite like it was. The travel seems limited, and the fork is less progressive, I think. I guess my point is....don't mess with the Sid. I think it really sucks that RockShox has made the Sid so user unfriendly. Every self-respecting cyclist does his or her own maintenance (or should, anyway) and companies should acknowledge this and provide ample support and use designs that are actually serviceable by the people who use them.
Bottom Line:
Great bike, questionable fork. Do not fear carbon. It is the way of the future, and it out-performs anything out there. Pricey, yes. But worth it. Buy a used one - carbon supposedly has an unlimited life (Mine is for sale, just in case I decide I absolutely need a 2001 version)
BUT - think carefully about the Sid. RockShox, you need to work out a few bugs in an otherwise great product. And you need a customer service department that actually services customers. I am not the first to complain about this.
This is a great ride. But, there are two things wrong, and seriously wrong if you ask me.
1. Where is my bike right now you might ask? On its way down to the States to be fixed because the bottom bracket shell rattled loose from the carbon frame. You would think that for this kind of money, TREK would come up with a better design, or at least fix the problem.
2. 31.6 ALUMINUM seatpost. Hello?? Might as well just start jackhammering your spine and save yourself the time and aggravation. Ti or composite in this size would be nice.
Strengths: I got this bike a few months ago because I wanted something with a really long top tube to stretch me out. I'm 6'1" and I was riding a Cannondale CAAD4 (size Large) which just doesn't have a very long cockpit (it is a great XC race bike nonetheless.) I have been told that a longer effective top tube length boosts climbing power (which almost everyone agrees is really where XC races are won or lost) and I think that it probably does help (I admit the explanations I've heard didn't include precice physics or biomechanics, but there is a subjective feeling of more "leverage" - for lack of a better description.)
At first I didn't notice frame characteristics because I was really only riding pavement or fire roads for early season fitness. However, since starting back onto some Eastern singletrack (i.e. rocks and roots),I've really been impressed with the carbon fiber ride. It has a very smooth, chatter-absorbing feel. I've heard complaints that carbon fiber isn't "lively", but I'm not sure I know how something can be "lively" AND vibration-dampening at the same time. Personally, I'll take the damped ride characteristic for the terrain we have here in Pennsylvania and West Virginia (and the rest of the East, really.)
It IS still a hard-tail, which means you still feel rocks, roots, etc. - i.e., you still gotta steer it AROUND things instead of just running them over like you could with some full-suspensions or soft-tails. It just seems to quietly filter out trail "noise" and allow you to concentrate on the important obstacles - namely, big rocks, roots, competitors, and climbs.
The frame is stiff in all directions as well. It accelerates quickly, and the short chain-stays help.
If you like everything about hard-tails except the chatter, it's a great choice.
Trek claims a frame weight of 3 lbs. for the 19 inch, which is very competitive with everyting (except maybe a Lodestar.) I used to be an aluminum purist, but I think this bike has made me a carbon convert.
Weaknesses: 1.) It's expensive - I got lucky and got mine through a shop that had demo'd it (in their parking lot)for 6 months. 2.) Who the hell puts a 31.6 post size on a hard-tail race bike? Trek, apparently. The stock icon post is well-made, but it's pretty chunky, and they don't make Easton CT-2s in a 31.6. It's LP Composites or Ti if you want to upgrade. 3.) It isn't "lively" - again, I'm not sure this is a weakness, but I'll throw it in for those who believe they can tell me what "lively" means exactly. 4.) Slow-steering: The long cockpit makes for a less maneuverable package. This is a disadvantage in close-quarters at slow speeds, but actually an advantage on fast descents where it gives noticeable stability.
Bottom Line:
1.) Stable, extremely well-damped ride. 2.) Long cockpit - great for long-torsos/arms and for getting weight back on steep descents. 3.) Expensive - shop smart, get a good deal, and you could be very happy.
Similar Products Used: Cannondale CAAD4, other assorted hardtails
Bike Setup: -My dealer spec'd it with Bontrager Race DISCs and Hayes Disc Brakes. Nice, but a little heavier that Rolfs or Race Lites with V-brakes. -Swapped out the ICON stem for one of the new Thomson's. We'll see. -Swapped Icon bar for a CT2. Nice. -SID SL: This is a nice fork. It's plusher than a Headshock, but not quite as precise in the steering category.
it is the worst bike i have ever ridden in my 21 year career as a pro racer who has won many races i would give it 0.00000 flaming jesus slippers but it wont let me
Similar Products Used: huffy, murry,magna, k-mart generic brand
Bike Setup: stock
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Davide Gai
a Weekend Warrior
from Lugano,Switzerland
Date Reviewed: February 15, 2000
Strengths: Extremely light, highest quality components, top looks: in short, the best bike money (a lot of money...) can buy, with an ascetic, minimalist look.
Weaknesses: They should have installed disc brakes in the factory.
Bottom Line:
The bottom question for the bottom line: on which terrain does the rear suspension of a dual start to be more important that its weight? I have found that many climbs in my region are extremely steep ( you can ride for ten kilometers at a constant 10% slope ) yet the pavement is well prepared. In these cases every ounce counts.
I have been using this bike for two weeks and I am expreriencing at least a 15% speed increase on well prepared steep trails. What is even more suprising is that the bike is confortable for a hardtail, (I love the gel saddle) and is very precise in handling. The extremely high quality craftmanship further enhances the riding enjoyment.
I wonder how much dust will settle on my Trek Y SL300 before I take it out for a ride again...
Favorite Trail: Mount Bar ascent from Tesserete, Switzerland
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Similar Products Used: Trek Y SL 300, which I still use for more technical trail
Bike Setup: Dumped the original Shimano XTR brakes ( I am almost ashamed to say ... ) for a set of Hayes discs.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Evan Kapel
a Racer
from Santa Cruz, Ca USA
Date Reviewed: February 13, 2000
Strengths: light,quick,comfortable,fast,cool high tech look
Weaknesses: cost
Bottom Line:
This bike rules!!!!! This bike has to be ridden to be believed! Accelerates and climbs so fast it is on another level. It also handles beautifully and is comfortable for a hardtail. The Crossmax UST wheels are a recommended option as with the Pythons you can stand up and big ring up hills that leave others spinning in their middle ring as they disappear into the distance behind. This bike is not for the weekend trail rider but for a racer it is hard to imagine a better choice.
Strengths: Overall the ride characteristics are awesome. I love the new pro geometry I've never been faster in the woods. I am a 200 lbs xc racer and the way the OCLV HC soaks up all the little chatter is awesome. Climbing and descending is awesome!!!
Weaknesses: Could almost be too light I am having to adjust my riding as I'm used to throwing around a heavier bike.
Bottom Line:
It was like starting mtbing all over again, after racing for a few years, the new bike is dialed in to my size. I am 6'3" and the differnce in handle bar height has got to be about 3". It is complete bliss, sweet to the touch and as light as I had never dreamed.
190lb racer expert vet. So far so good. Concerned w/ the posts in the 9.8 logins. Lot of dough to spend on a suposingly disposable bike. I race hard so i hope it holds. I won my series on a 96' 9800. Broke the chainstay twice and on the third time gave it to a team mate who just sent it in for repair again. Warranty cost me but service was acceptable. Ive heard mostly bad about the frames and service but have the utmost confidence in this bike, my exp has been good. It handles like a dream and im a good 15 seconds faster on my recent times. Also Team OXB
