Submitted by
Bill Burger
a Weekend Warrior
from High Point, NC US of A!
Date Reviewed: July 23, 2003
Strengths: Compact geometry, materials, welds (FLAWLESS!!!), value, the general ride qualities of the materials and the gwometry. Sports car like handling. Packing for shipping was top drawer and delivery was fast!
Weaknesses: Decals come off way too easily. Can be a bit squirrely and front end lifts up too easily for me (but hey, I am a large dude).
Bottom Line:
When I bought this frame, it was to be the foundation of my perfect mountain bike. I had a ruptured disk six years prior, and wanted a hardtail that would be able to carry my large carcass up hills agressively, and yet be forgiving in the roots and drops. I didn't want rear suspencion, thank you very much. Half way through the building process, I found myself leaning towards road riding. There are several exceptional Greenway options close to wear I live, and I had begun migrating towards high speed chases on backwooods asphalt, and periodically hoping on a paceline to do road training rides.
So, the bike has been riden over the past year on average 4-5 days per week in sun, rain, snow, mud, on singletrack, Greenways, and week long "across the state" road roads. It is my one and only multi-purpose do-all bike and it plays the role amazingly well. I remove my knobbies, swap out wheelsets, slap on a pair of skinnies, and go ride 70 miles of mountain asphalt. On the flats, I can hold my own with a pack at a comfortable 19-22 mph. Amazingly, this has proven to be a highly versatile frame.
Off road, it does what it is supposed to do pretty darn well. My only complaint is it can get away from you on steeps - the front end floats on me unpredictably. Standing out of the saddle on the climbs keeps it down, but on the steeper climbs, the front can get squirrely on you. I don't know - perhaps this is due to the weight I carry that this is an emphasized issue.
Last winter while riding a stretch of steep downhill singletrack, there was an eroded away section of main trail, and to the immediate right, what looked like doable terrain covered in leaves. As I soon discovered, the leaves covered a deep pit which I hit head on. The Corsair took a major hit - I actually felt the entire frame arch like an archer's bow. And then it snapped back and I was on my merry way. There was a hell of a lot of G force coming down on that frame. My weight alone counts for over 250 lbs. Factor in the gradient and the drop, I am certain lesser frames would have snapped.
Even with the floating front end, I love this bike. I would be curious to try something a bit less compact in their line. To me that is the main drawback - the ability to try before you buy. My local bike shop has a built up Zep in a smaller size, which I would love try, but it is too small. If Airborne could ever figure a way to let customers try their bikes first, I am sure they would greatly improve their sales numbers. They build a great bike.
Bike Setup: Mavic/XT wheels, Truvativ Hussefelt Cranks and bb, Duke XC fork, Weyless carbon handlebars and seat post, XT derailleurs, SRAM Rocket Shorty shifters.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Jake
a Weekend Warrior
from Allentown, PA
Date Reviewed: July 8, 2003
Strengths: Titanium frame for $600, Weight, Durability, Simplicity
Weaknesses: Some might complain that bike is welded overseas, but it still has nice welds.
Bottom Line:
Very pleased with this frame, assembly went well. You can get lighter aluminum frames that are around the same price, or you could pay almost twice as much for a top of the line ti frame. The decision was pretty easy for me. I will wait to review the entire bike, but I doubt much will go wrong with the frame. If you want to save even more money consider buying parts online. My total came to about $1550 as opposed to the $1899 price tag in the store. I also have pictures of the bike, email me if you're interested.
Strengths: GREAT FRAMSET STIGG WHERE YOU WHAT IT TO BE, AND TWICE A BETTER FEELING THAT ALUMINUM OR CROMOLY, PERFECT SIGLETRACK GEOMETRY. NICE Ti FRAME AT AN EXCELLENT PRICE
Weaknesses: NONE YET !!!
Bottom Line:
A FRIEND OF MINE PAID TWICE AS MUCH FOR A HIGHEND TITANIUM FRAME WE BUILT THEM ALMOST WITH THE SAME PARTS CORSAIR IS LIGHTER AND I STILL HAD ENOUGH CASH TO RACE IT IN EVERY RACE !!!OVERALL IS THE PERFECT MOUNTAINBIKE FRAME FOR A RACER OR A WEEKEND RIDER.
Similar Products Used: Marin KHS DEAN Jamis Merlin
Bike Setup: Topa 220 xc riser bar < LX shifters < LX crank < Avid Mag brakes and levers < Z1 x-fly 100 mm i wish i had a light 80mm fork < Chris King Headset < titec stem < XT 517wheelset < titec stem < thomson seatpost < Flight gell seat ti rails < xt everything else the whole bike weighs a little less than 25lbs
Bike went together smooth, no problems building it. I see people mentioning welds in their reviews; welds are there to hold the tubes together and as long as they do that I will be happy. I could care less how they look. You are getting titanium for 599. Pictures don't do the frame justice, you have to see it. Looked nicer than expected; chainstays were thicker than I thought, graphics were pretty good. I did not weigh it, but when DHL delivered it to my wife, she thought they forgot to put the frame in box. I rode it for the first time today so take that into account when you read this. I have been riding about 10 years. My riding style is alot of standing on the climbs, but I usually pedal through rough sections seated. I am 6" 2' and 190 lbs. Today's ride was 2 hrs on loose gravel/sand fire roads with a small bit of singletrack. I didn't notice any unusual, or any more flex in th BB compared to my other 10+ frames. Very comfortable ride. I rode through ruts today seated that I usually stand for. Nothing wierd in handling the bike. I felt comfortable on it after about 3 minutes. Seatpost didn't slip. I will post again in a month or so. Feel free to contact me with questions.
Similar Products Used: KHS, Cannondale, Specialized, Schwinn, Breezer, Nishiki, GT
Bike Setup: 20", XT/XTR, Manitou MARS, Easton, Cane Creek, Time, Kenda, Selle italia, Race Face, Bontrager
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
arjan
a Cross Country Rider
from rijnsburg
Date Reviewed: August 2, 2001
Strengths: flex in frame, light, beautiful
Weaknesses: seat post clam (?) broke very soon after i bought the bike
Bottom Line:
buying from the internet is scary because you're not shure what you get, but this one i am not going to send back! I like the flex in the frame-enough suspension for me (who needs sups. in the Netherlands??) and it's very light compared to what I've ridden before
This is a follow-up review of my bike build.I have finally finished building my corsair and I am delighted to give a good preliminary review of it's riding characteristics.I am a heavy weight@230 Lbs.and as it is true of some flex in the bottom bracket it is not even worth mentioning let alone being concerned about it.It rides and handles great. I'm no expert on titanium but i am an experienced rider and qualified to say the difference between Ti and Alum. in riding character is phenomenal.This frame is an excellent value and strong as well.You cannot go wrong even if you paid 1000.00.It's in there!Looking forward to a great summer of long distance riding with my corsair. P.S. It's worth high end components no doubt.
Submitted by
Bill
a Cross Country Rider
from Allentown
Date Reviewed: February 11, 2001
Strengths: I haven't gotten to ride it so I cannot comment on the ride. I'm still building it.From what I can see I'm Impressed with the quality of the welds and the construction of the bike.I quess I'm using another competitor as a ruler.I have gotten way more than I expected.The web sight does not do justice to the quality and beauty of the bikes geometry.
Weaknesses: None to speak of till I finish the build and ride it for a while.
Bottom Line:
I hope"The Ride" is worth the components. I weigh 225 and the Rep.at Air Borne said I'll have this bike for ever and the weight is not a problem. I do alot of long distance riding and an all around good ride in any condition is exactly what I need. The reviews seem to support the Rep.! I've been riding a 98'Trek 7000 for 3.5 yrs.,I hope this is an Improvement in weight and stregnth and qualiy of the ride I'm searching for. I've already spent double the money I have in the Trek. If anyone has good or bad advice on this frame,please E-Mail me at larraby@enter.net ;I will have to post a follow-up after riding it a while.Thanks MTB Review for this site,has been a real asset to learning more about the thing I love,Mountain Biking!!!
Favorite Trail: Along Lehigh and Delaware Rivers and all point in between
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$600.00
Purchased At: Air Borne Direct
Similar Products Used: My first titanium bike.So I'm learning more as I go.I researched before making a decision on Air Borne Corsair. I made the best decision based on quality,warranty,and price.
Bike Setup: XTR Drive Train,Race Face Crank and BB,Chris King Head Set,Easton Scandium Bars,Xt shifters,Avid Brakes and Levers, Ritchey Z.E.D. on Mavic 517.Waiting on Judy forks.USE Seat Post.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Chris
a Racer
from Evergreen, Colorado
Date Reviewed: January 6, 2001
Strengths: The value is most notably this frames best feature. Where else can one purchase a ti-frame that weighs about 3.5 lbs for under 600 clams.
Weaknesses: I have noticed a fair amount of flex laterally but this is to be expected for a larger rider that likes to grind on a ti-frame. Although I am pleased to say I have not been able to cause the chain to ghost shift due this flex.
Bottom Line:
Are looking for a ti racing rig for under two grand then Airborne's Corsair will not disappoint, you could spend more but why?
Strengths: great price, geometry, unpolished finish
Weaknesses: flex for heavier riders, unpolished finish
Bottom Line:
The frame weight turns out to be heavier than first anounced by Airborne, somewhere around 3.4 lbs for the 16 inch frame. This is only slightly lighter than the Lucky Strike at 3.5 lbs. My bike weighs an honest 23.5 lbs. on a digital scale.
The frame comes in a gun metal grey looking finish which, depending on your taste, is either very cool looking or bare-bones/lackluster. In any case, it does not have the typical "Ti polished look" of the Lucky Strike, Litespeed or Merlin. Welds are pretty decent.
Geometry is the same as the Lucky Strike, meaning its pretty awesome carving up the singletrack and flying through the technicals.
What the frame sacrifices to enter a lower price point from the Lucky (other than the finish)is stiffness at the BB maybe due to the absence of any shaped tubing. at 170 lbs, I notice a fair amount of flex when I stand and hammer the cranks on the middle ring.
To be fair, at my weight I think I should be considering the Lucky Strike instead. But for those who are lighter, this budget Ti frame could be your answer.
Strengths: Weight, loads lighter then the Lucky Strike. The 14 in. weighs under 3 lbs. Looks. Finish. It's relatively cheap for Ti. It's Titanium!
Weaknesses: I haven't found any yet.
Bottom Line:
I would recomend this frame to anyone willing to pay the price! I love it, it's my favorite frame ever! This frame is for the XC rider/racer willing to sacrifice a few bucks to lose weight.
