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Airborne
Lucky Strike Ti Frame
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Submitted by
Dan
a Weekend Warrior
from Arlington, Virginia
Date Reviewed: October 29, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | numerous in West Virginia | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1500.00 | | Purchased At: | used | | Strengths: | The cheaper Airborne Corsair frame I test rode seemed a bit wimpy for a heavier rider like me (190 lbs). It felt insubstantial. But the Lucky Strike's superior design provides a solid ride, and its definitely worth extra cash if you are a heavier rider.
Litespeeds I test rode also seemed wimpy in comparison to the Lucky Strike. Litespeeds might be great road bikes, but they just seemed too dainty for a serious single track riders. In short, the Lucky Strike is light, sturdy, and a smooth ride thanks to the Ti frame. | | Weaknesses: | The chick decal is a little cheesy. | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized Rockhopper | | Bike Setup: | RoxShox Race Carbon fork, XTR brakes and crank, SRAM rear deraileurs and grip shifters | | Bottom Line: | You can do very well without the extra expense of titanium. If your cash is limited, opt for a less expensive frame and better components.
But if you've got the cash, ti is great, and the Airborne Lucky Strike is a top notch. Litespeed snobs are wrong; I test rode dozens of bikes, including a few Litespeeds, and the Lucky Strike was easily the best. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark Horacek
a Weekend Warrior
from London, UK
Date Reviewed: July 21, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Single Track | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1000.00 | | Purchased At: | Wheelcraft, Scotland | | Strengths: | Kick ass! a Ti frame for £700....drop the saddle height and head through the woods at silly speeds. I once owned a Rocky mountain RM9 with 9inches of travel and, well you can say I used it alot...the same applies to the Airborne | | Weaknesses: | Those bloody bombs on the side of the frame (how do you get them off without scratching the frame?). Creaking noises (me being too heavy?) | | Similar Products Used: | RM Vertex, RM9, Instinct etc | | Bike Setup: | Fox Vanilla, Hopes, CT2 and raceface throughout | | Bottom Line: | I am a little bit of a bike snob so I'm not too proud of my frame when its propped up. I'm used to getting alot of attention due to previously owning a stable of Rocky Mountains but hey my wallet is still fat and the smile is still there on my face- who can complain about that! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Thomas
a Cross Country Rider
from Grand Junction, Colorado
Date Reviewed: July 20, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Moore Fun | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | Online | | Strengths: | Durability, Weight, Strength, Handling. | | Weaknesses: | Decals chip when rocks hit them. But what frame decal doesn't | | Similar Products Used: | Various Hardtails | | Bike Setup: | XT, XTR mix. 2.35 Tires. | | Bottom Line: | I don't know where the people get the flex from in the other reviews. The only way I get flex is by pedaling my 230 pound fat ass up a hill in granny gear pulling the bike side and feeling the bottom bracket flex just a little. I would say that just about nobody is harder on frames than I. I have been breaking aluminum frames for a long time. This one has lasted almost 3 years. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark Horacek
a Weekend Warrior
from London, UK
Date Reviewed: July 16, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Single Track | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1000.00 | | Purchased At: | Wheelcraft, Scotland | | Strengths: | Delivered today, incredibly light | | Weaknesses: | N/a | | Similar Products Used: | Rocky Mountain; RM9, 2002 Instinct, 2001 Vertex also Scott G Pro etc | | Bike Setup: | Will be Fox vanilla forks, Hope minis, Carbon CT2 riser bar, 7075 syncros stem, raceface titanium flite, UST Mavic rims, Race face kranks... | | Bottom Line: | I'm nervous, I'm a heavy rider at 15.5lb and I ovalised the headset on my previous frame. The "snobs" sneered at me buying a Airborne but after looking at Cover Hummer (£1500), Merlins (£2000) and Litespeed (£1330) I thought why should enthusiasts be ripped off for a frame only at those prices?. Watch this space for my first rides.... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Richard
a Weekend Warrior
from Edinburgh
Date Reviewed: February 26, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Glentress, Scotland | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$780.00 | | Purchased At: | Wheelcraft, Scotland | | Strengths: | It's Ti! | | Weaknesses: | None Yet! | | Bike Setup: | LS 2001, XT, Hope | | Bottom Line: | This frame soaks up the singletrack, it goes where you point it, and it appears to be bombproof. A few reviews say it suffers from excessive flex I am 180lbs and have not experienced this on my 2001 frame. I am looking forward to a long life with this frame. Oh and if anything goes wrong with it then I always have the lifetime warranty. Honestly I ask you what more could you want. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
shane
a Racer
from philadelphia PA
Date Reviewed: November 8, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only | | Bottom Line: | It is so funny how many good reviews are posted for this frame. I would like to offer one possible reason: The bike's cost opens up the opportunity for a whole lot of people, who may not otherwise ever spend $1200 + to own a ti frame, to experience how much better it can be than your average overmarketed alu piece of junk. Not all ti frames are good, but a well designed one has a whole lot to offer vs the alu bikes that most people end up riding. I'm putting in my two cents cause I tell people that my ti frame is sooooo good all the time and most people don't even get it. Mine is a sandvik made cove hummer that I'm sure is the baddest a$$ hardtail on the planet. Anyway, ti frames have been associated with yuppies and bike snobs for a long time, but if the LS is designed well it would perform like people say in the reviews ie soooo much better than the things they previously rode so you'd kinda expect rave reviews. Airborne isn't going to take any of the yuppie sales from the high end ti companies, but it sounds like they found a way to supply people with a pretty satisfying ride. Hey, it might be made in china, but made in the usa includes those alu bikes from pa that make me sorry for their riders. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Simon
a Weekend Warrior
from London
Date Reviewed: November 2, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$700.00 | | Purchased At: | Airborne Europe | | Strengths: | Good looking, well made, neatly welded Ti frame - people are always impressed with it. There are other Ti frames available for a similar price but none have the detailing of the Airborne - the curvy/mono-stay rear, solid dropouts and profiled tubes that make it stand out.
A really good all round bike that looks as good as the day it arrived. | | Weaknesses: | When i bought mine (Oct 99) Airborne had taken the rack mounts off the mono-stay which had been one of the attractions. Euro dealer was very apologetic and sent a headset as compensation which i was happy with.
Top tube possibly too long (i'm 6.5 riding a 21" with a 110mm stem). Fine on road commuting and makes it an excellent climber but coupled with the 72 degree angles it can make steep descents difficult. | | Similar Products Used: | Various Alu bikes. | | Bike Setup: | Currently: Bomber Z2 Atom 80,s, Hope discs (using adaptor on rear), XT, Airborne ti seatpost, X-lite XC risers. | | Bottom Line: | Titanium looks nice and Airborne have crafted it into a quite special looking frame. It's not feather light but it's certainly not heavy and ultralight frames can be fragile. It's built into a bike i love and I'd happily buy another though i'd consider a 19.5" next time. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scott
a Cross Country Rider
from Pittsburgh, PA
Date Reviewed: August 14, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$699.00 | | Purchased At: | airborne direct | | Strengths: | price; customer service; | | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | Kona steel | | Bike Setup: | King headset; full xt; Race Face ISIS cranks; King/Mustang wheels; Easton carbon bar; USE XCR post | | Bottom Line: | I cannot say enough good things about this frame. I coveted it for a couple of years before getting up the nerve and the cash. The geometry is very similar to my old Kona. I am 6'4", 225, and have not noticed any undue flex. I think it is unreasonable to expect a Ti frame to be "responsive" and "forgiving", but complain because it is "flexy". If you want stiff, get aluminum.
The folks at Airborne were very helpful, and took the time to answer questions. So what if Airborne is owned by Huffy? Toyota owns Lexus; Volkswagen owns Audi. Welcome to the business world.
I have ridden the bike for two seasons now. Last year I rode it at Leadville; this year I rode it at Snowshoe and next week at Seven Springs. It has yet to disappoint me in any manner. It is a great climber, and really helps with the Western PA/Northern WV roots and rocks. The brushed finish is easy to maintain and still looks brand new. My welds look great.
I purposely waited for a while before reviewing this frame because I noticed that most of the reviews that are highly critical say things like "demo-ed only" under the length of time used; or tell horrible tales of what happened on the first ride, which the author cut short to indignantly send the bike back. I'm not going to call anyone a liar, but I will say it's a shame that we are obviously not all mature enough to use this website as what it is intended to be; an honest, non-biased, resource for those of us who wish to make intelligent, informed choices.
Anyone who is skeptical or curious is welcome to drop me a line; if you live nearby you can stop and check my Airborne out.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David Williams
a Racer
from Germantown, MD
Date Reviewed: August 3, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$700.00 | | Purchased At: | Airborne | | Strengths: | A good ride. It is stable and predictable. Not too much flex but comfortable. It tends to ride more like a high end steel bike than ti. I think this is due to the fairly rigid BB. I weigh about 160 and notice less flex than my old Easton Alum frame. I have about 9 or 10K on the frame and have burned through a lot of components. The only damage to the frame are a few small scratches and the most of the decals are torn. A solid performer. | | Weaknesses: | I have the 16”, which has a very sloping top tube. This is good and bad. The large amount of seat post exposed make for a comfortable ride but could fail eventually. Airborne told me they would replace it for free if it does. I’m more concerned with replacing the chunk of flesh. | | Similar Products Used: | Lightspeed, FI, Seven, Fuji, Gary Fisher | | Bike Setup: | XTR, SID SL(80), King/517, Airborn Ti Post & Stem. Titec Ti bar. | | Bottom Line: | It’s a good deal. You are not going to be blown away with the cosmetic aspects of the welds and such, but the ride is very good and it is durable. If you tend to place more value on performance over cosmetic and status issues than this is a good choice. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joe
a Racer
from Grand Rapids, MI
Date Reviewed: July 31, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Ft. Custer | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$1000.00 | | Purchased At: | MTBR Classifieds | | Strengths: | It's a ti frame, with all that implies. | | Weaknesses: | Head tube badge, people who don't know what they are talking about criticizing your bike | | Similar Products Used: | Litespeed, Seven | | Bike Setup: | XT/XTR mix, Marzocchi Z-2 BAM | | Bottom Line: | I own a 1999 Airborne Lucky Strike, non-disk brake model. I bought it used in November of 2000, so this is my first season riding it. I guess I have about 1000 miles on it so far. For reference, I'm 5'10, 165lbs and race in the Sport class.
I really like this bike, and the company that makes it. I bought the bike used. I had the seller send the bike back to Airborne, so that I could take advantage of the warranty transfer/recertification program they offer. The bike was inspected, cleaned, packaged and resent to me in about a week. Why do I bring this up? To show that Airborne is a company that has faith in their product (as evidenced by their willingness to recertify the warranty on a used frame) and there customer service (they *cleaned* the bike and repackaged it as if it were new).
The Lucky Strike is a great bike. It has a longish top-tube, so it is easy to get a stretched-out position. The mono-stay rear is quite stiff; that is to say that I have not experienced any brake rub, and I am able to apply plenty of power via my XTR brakes without any flex. In fact, I don't notice any flex in any part of the frame; no chainring rub at the BB shell, no torsional twisting in the front triangle, etc.
This bike is less 'harsh' than my last bike, an aluminum hardtail. I don't know how much of that I can attribute to the frame. I run a ti stem and ti seatpost on the Lucky Strike where I ran Thompson seatpost and Nukeproof stem on my old bike. This bike also fits me better than my last bike. So, is the fact that I no longer have a sore back and tingling hands due to the great vibration damping qualities of the frame? I don't know. But I definitely don't have back or hand problems with this bike.
Any problems? The head badge is crummy. It was not attached very well, and is falling off. This is a common problem with Airborne bikes. The decals are easily damaged, with is also common with pre-2001 bikes. On various boards, some people have complained about poor welds and mis-aligned frames. My bike does not exhibit these problems, and I have never heard a complaint from someone that actually owns one of these bikes.
To sum up, I really like my Lucky Strike. I have had numerous contacts with the company (I successfully encouraged them to become a supporter of IMBA, among other things) and have always had a positive experience.
Buy this bike if you want a good value for your money.
Don't buy this bike if you are a lable snob.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Sean O'Neil
a Cross Country Rider
from Missoula, MT, USA
Date Reviewed: July 20, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | secret creek | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$2000.00 | | Purchased At: | Airborne Direcvt | | Strengths: | design, geometry, ride, value, customer service | | Weaknesses: | NONE, unless you are the kind of insecure person who feels lesser for riding an Airborne when you could pay twice as much for an inferior Litespeed, etc. | | Similar Products Used: | Lots of hardtails and dual squishies between $1000 and $3000 | | Bike Setup: | Marz Z2BAM, Avid AR50s, Avid SD 2.0Ls, Chris King headset, Koski 4-bolt stem, Race Face low rise bar, XT bottom bracket-crank-hubs-front der, SRAM 9.0SL rear der, SRAM 9.0 GripShift, Icon post, Bontrager RaceLite FS+10 saddle, Mavic 217 rims, Panaracer Fire XC Pro 2.1 tires. | | Bottom Line: | Sweet handling, compliant on trail ripples and small roots or rocks but not flexy (I weigh 158 lbs), nice geometry that climbs and descends equally well while handling crisply but nimbly in techie singletrack, great value. Why buy Litespeed, Seven, Moots or Merlin when you can get this frame? "Pretty welds" don't make a bike handle better. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris
a Cross Country Rider
from Bellevue,OH USA
Date Reviewed: July 3, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Pickney | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$800.00 | | Purchased At: | Airborne | | Strengths: | Light weight and good looks.
| | Weaknesses: | way too flexy | | Similar Products Used: | first ti frame | | Bike Setup: | xtr brakes, drive-train, and shifter pods, raceface bb, king headset, thomson stem, lp bar, rockshox seat post, and mavic cross link wheels. | | Bottom Line: | Grab a paperclip with both hands using thumb and forefingers, now twist the paperclip rotating your left hand toward you and your right hand away from you, now reverse rotation back and forward - this is what the airborne frame does on the trail. You can imagine all the drive train and shifting problems it would cause not to mention control of the bike in general. I had an aluminum hard tail mongoose frame before this one - it was just as light and much more rigid. I don't know if this is the way all ti frames are but some how I don't think so - the way everyone is raving about ti - it must just be bad frame geometry or something. Rides good on blacktop or hard pack but on technical trail terrain you lose confidence because the bike is all over the trail and you constantly have to fight to keep it where you want it. Bottom line: save your money and buy a litespeed - I wish I would have. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Albert
a Cross Country Rider
from Bangor ME USA
Date Reviewed: June 6, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | essex st trails | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$960.00 | | Purchased At: | used | | Strengths: | CUSTOMER SUPPORT, light, and great price | | Weaknesses: | a little to much flex for my size. My fault i way so much though | | Similar Products Used: | GT timberline not even remotely similar, Marin, tested on Seven (drool) | | Bike Setup: | race face cranks, rings, and ti bb. syncros ti seatpost, syncros stem, rockshox psylo xc fork. the rest is xtr parts. | | Bottom Line: | The customer service is the best. I bought the bike used off of ebay. When I got the bike the frame had a crack where the top tube connects to the seat tube. I was able to send the bike to airborne, explain my situation and they sent me a brand new frame. Those guys are great. I like the feel of the bike alot. It so light and it's a great climber. I love this bike and would recommend going through Airborne to anyone. 5 chilis on the value cause I got an awesome deal, and 4 chilies on the overall rating just because this is the second time I've heard of a cracked frame from airborne. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Olaf Vogel
a Cross Country Rider
from Toronto, Canada
Date Reviewed: March 7, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$699.00 | | Purchased At: | Direct | | Strengths: | Geometry & design, stiffness, excellent weld quality
Can't beat the price for Titanium | | Weaknesses: | Flexi top tube | | Similar Products Used: | Rocky Mountiain Cyrus, Lightspeed Owl Hollow | | Bike Setup: | Airborne seatpost, Girvin fork, Synros, Paul's brakes
Wheels: Hi-E hubs, WTB Laserbeams rims, Bullseye cranks | | Bottom Line: | Rear triangle is very stiff, loves to be hammered, tracks nicely. Overall geometry is very good, lowered top tube yeilds lots of standover height. Bottom bracket has surprisingly little flex - ovalizing the seat-tube, and down tube did the trick.
The overall design is so good that there is one surprisingly strange detail: the top tube. Its ovalized, but vertically!? This allows lateral flex but creates vertical stiffness - kinda backwards. I would expect it to be flatened horizontally. This flex is apparent at 70+ km/h and requires I hang on tight. (Ok, I'm 6'3" and 220 lbs -and I noticed, cause my Klein and Rocky don't flex there at all.)
Overall, for the money you can't beat this deal. For $699 you get a great looking & handling frame you can abuse for years. (Plus you gloat about how much money you saved.) | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jon Mitch
a Cross Country Rider
from San Mateo CA
Date Reviewed: November 8, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Fantasy and pipe line | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1800.00 | | Purchased At: | airbourn.net | | Strengths: | Light
not to stiff and not to flexy
Choosing your parts.
Great Web site!!! | | Weaknesses: | Cable routing
Rider | | Similar Products Used: | Raliegh 600
Voodoo wanga | | Bike Setup: | Full XT, Sid XC 00 | | Bottom Line: | Great ride! I'm 6' 220LBS. The bike wasn't at all to flexy. I was surprised on how stiff it was.
On the trail the bike screams to be riddin faster. It climbed great. On the downhill I felt completely in control. I can't wait to race it next year.
I was able to assemble the bike right out of the box with the mini tool they provided.
Great price and great value. All the positive reviews were right. I'm buying their road frame next. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scott O
a Weekend Warrior
from Boston
Date Reviewed: October 29, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Big Ass River | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | -price
-weight
-quality design | | Weaknesses: | -limited tire clearance | | Similar Products Used: | -Bridgestone MB5
-Kona Kilahuea
| | Bike Setup: | wheels-xtr hubs w/Bontrager ceramic rims. Fork: Marzocchi Superfly. shifters: grip shift xray 800. derailers: XT/XTR seatpost:Thompson etc etc | | Bottom Line: | You cannot beat the bang for your buck. I am very happy with the overall ride of this bike. I refused to buy a light aluminum bike for fear of breaking it and for the harsh ride. So, this is certainly a step up from steel as far as its stiffness is concerned and for its ability to absord small vibrations. For an everday cross country bike, the Airborne is perfect and the $1000 that I saved in buying this is certainly appreciated. Many other industries have accepted the fact that "Made in China" does not mean an inferior product, and I think this bike will do the same for the bike industry.
I have had one problem though. I was riding an Onza Dave rear tire. Though it was stated as a 2.1 inch tire, I think it was actually a little bigger. Well, I was vacationing w/the bike and the frame was slightly out of whack which cause the tire to slightly brush against the side of the chain stay, especially when I was hammering. Now I've got a nice little groove worked into the inside of the stay. Kinda gives you a sick feeling in your stomach. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
CHARLES
a
from NYC NY
Date Reviewed: September 18, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | LIGHTWEIGHT, RIDE, S BENDS IN FRAME, PRICE,COMPANY BACKING AND SUPPORT, AND OF COURSE TITANIUM | | Weaknesses: | NONE I HAVE SEEN EXCEPT HIDING INVOICE FROM WIFE, LITTLE FLEX, AND CABLE ROUTING | | Similar Products Used: | LITESPEED TI, (ROAD FRAME) GARY FISHER SUGAR COLNAGO RAOD (CARBON) GT AGGRESSOR | | Bike Setup: | ALL DEORE EXCEPT XT CRANK, SHIMANO M545 PEDALS AND STREET WINDGRIPPER TIRES | | Bottom Line: | AFTER MUCH RESEARCH AND COMPARISON THERE SIMPLY WAS NOTHING IN THE PRICE RANGE AND QUALITY OF THE AIRBORNE. MONGOOSE WAS TOO PLAIN, IBIS TOO EXPENSIVE AND LITESPEED WAY WAY OVERRATED. FOR $1300 TOTAL SHIPPED I CAN ALWAYS UPGRADE THE PARTS, BUT STILL HAVE ONE FRAME THAT SHOULD LAST MANY MANY YEARS, AND GETS COMPLIMENTS EVERY WHERE I GO, FROM (DID YOU CUSTOM PAINT THOSE STICKERS, TO, ITS SO LIGHT I CNT BELIEVE IT. ONE GREAT PRODUCT AND THE COMPANY BACKING IS EVEN GREATER. FREE SIZING UPGRADES, CUSTOMER SERVICE, SIMPLY THE BEST INTERNET DEAL I EVER ENCOUNTERED | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Big Daddy Diesel
a Racer
from Florida
Date Reviewed: July 23, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Bull Mountain, Oak Mountain | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Weight, shock absorbing abilities, no corrosion | | Weaknesses: | None so far - oh yeah, the stickers come off pretty easily | | Similar Products Used: | Trek 7000, other Al and steel hardtails | | Bike Setup: | 19.5" LS, Manitou SX, Full XT (hollowtec), Thomson Seatpost, Titec Ti handlebars, Icon Stem, Specialized Body Geometry seat | | Bottom Line: | This bike simply takes the sting out of bumps when compared to Aluminum hardtails. Instead of ping , pong, ping with Al, its more like doump, doump with Ti. The bumps are still there, however the edge is gone. The LS seems to work with you in the singletrack, is quite nimble in turns and is quite stiff in the bottom bracket area. I am a 250 lb Clydesdale who can really put the torque down and this bike seems as stiff as my Trek 7000. The bike seems to climb as well as my old Al bike, however, I do descend faster (not twice as fast but faster) as it soaks up the bumps more than my old Al hardtail. The ride is springy like steel but the thin wall tubing soaks up more of the bumps.
Take it from a guy with a Ph.D in Materials Science & Engineering, the Titanium used in the LS frame is very high quality and basically the only differnce in Airborne and other Ti companies is the type (6/4, Pure Ti(usually only headsets) or 3/2.5 Ti and maybe what country they get it from) of Ti used and whether or not it is cold worked to increase strength and stiffness (like Litespeed does to their shaped chainstays). The highest quality Ti goes to more demanding applications like Defense and Aerospace uses where the properties are more crucial. The LS does not use cold working to my knowledge, but is plenty stiff.
The LS will not cure slowrideritis. If you are slow now it will not make you fast. If you are fast now it will not make you slow. It will allow you to flow the bike better through the singletrack and it will absorb a lot of shock. This bike should last many years, will not corrode and should not succomb to fatigue as many Al bikes do. My first ride made me a LS Ti fan!!
The LS is a fine bike and I would not hesitate to reccommend it to anyone. I, like many of you, was skeptical of the bike but I am so glad I purchased the LS. Great bike.
P.S. The welds are great and dead on perfect
P.S.S. Email if you have any questions
P.S.S.S. No, I do not work for Airborne and yes, I do have a Ph.D in Materials Science & Engineering.
P.S.S.S.S I am not knocking Litespeed, Merlin, Moots, Seven, Dean and other Ti compnies - They use more custom stuff (dropouts, clod working, different shape tubing and butting, etc.) than does Airborne, thus they have higher costs.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jon
a Weekend Warrior
from Northern Ca.
Date Reviewed: July 9, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | where-ever a bike can go | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Straight as an arrow. No flex, yet magically soaks up bumps before your spine does. Light as a sparrow, yet strong as an ox. Thoughtful geometry. Eye-catching design without over-indulgence. Price is NOT outrageous. | | Weaknesses: | Price is not outrageous, therefore understating quality. | | Similar Products Used: | Aluminum and steel frames. | | Bike Setup: | Full XT. Mavic. AC Ti seat-post. Selle Italia Flite. FRM stem. Answer riser. Marzocchi Flylite. Kenda Kozmik Lite. | | Bottom Line: | Though this bike is not currently used for racing (just daily riding and moderate to aggressive trail-use), it certainly can be rigged as a highly competent racer. In addition to receiving lots of complements and headturns, it also gives incredible performance.
The geometry is well thought-out: a welcomingly low toptube, as well as uncrampingly long; these two traits certainly allow for greater confidence and better balance when the trail gets hairy. The seat-stay is short, a sound mechanical engeering that minimizes lateral flexion... especially under the strain of my 170 lb. body weight during an all-out uphill sprint. The response is snappy. The dampening of bumps, although not huge from one to another, is definitely noticable, and significantly appreciable at longer stretches. The quality of the ride is unmistakably titanium.
The price is what a titanium frame should cost when you don't pay the middle man, or for the name. My concern is that the name Airborne itself will become bigger (now that it's owned and supported by Huffy) and that you will start paying big $$ for the name as well. Hopefully not, but just in case, get your Airborne Lucky Strike now, while the price is right! You won't regret it.
Remember: Steel is real, but Titanium is UNREAL!
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a Cross Country Rider
from Santa Cruz, CA, US
Date Reviewed: May 29, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Soquel Demonstration Forest | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Quick handling, great lateral stiffness, incredible customer service | | Weaknesses: | None known as of this writing | | Similar Products Used: | Steel/AL/Ti hardtails
Steel/AL full-suspension bikes | | Bike Setup: | Z2 BAM, XT disks, XT/XTR/RaceFace | | Bottom Line: | I have been riding my Airborne Lucky Strike for about 2 months now. I figure now is a great time to post a review of the frame.
I am a clyde rider (230 lbs) so I was a little leery of buying a Ti frame, but I ran into a couple other heavy-weights out on the trail who had Lucky strikes and assured me that they could not have been happier with their Airbornes. As well, I researched as much as I could off the web, including this list to determine if I should plunk down the cash.
I also wanted a disk frame since I do a ton of climbing and descending in the Santa Cruz Mountains behind my house. When I called Airborne about it, they told me they were working on it, and that they would let me know when the frames were ready. After about 3 weeks, I decided to call again and check what the story was. As luck would have it, they had one 19.5 inch disk frame that had not been crushed during the stress tests. Jamie agreed to sell me the frame. Apparently Airborne will not have more of the disk frames ready for sale till sometime in June.
After reading some of the articles on this board, the first thing I did when I got the frame was to inspect the welds, and check all the angles. Both checks were perfect. In fact, I can tell you first hand that unless the angles are EXACTLY perfect, there is no way you can install disk brakes without having them rub the pads.
I have owned many bikes including steel and aluminum hardtails, and a steel FS ride. As well, I have ridden aluminum FS and other Ti hardtail bikes. I can honestly say my Airborne ride is the finest all-around bike I have ever ridden. Picture a bike the climbs about 95% as well as the stiffest aluminum hardtail, and descends about 95% as good as a cross-country FS, but with the total control and handling of a lite-weight hardtail. By my best guess, when I am screaming down a steep loaded with jags and crags, I am getting about .75 inches of rear wheel travel on the high-speed bumps without the feel of a ‘lead-sled’ FS. As well, Ti is way better than steel at self-dampening when it does spring. So in layman’s terms, I am climbing about as fast as my AL hardtail, and descending as fast or faster than my Steel FS on the same trail.
On the trail, this bike is a dream. Coupled with the new Shimano XT disks, a Z2 BAM, and other assorted XTR and RaceFace goodies, this thing just wants to fly. My first week on the bike was pretty funny… I took the bike out on one of the trails closest to my house, climbed to the top, and then descended down the other side. On the descent, I could not push the bike fast enough. Throw in the great handling of the frame coupled with the extra wheel-modulation of the brakes, and its like nothing you have ridden. I have had to totally adjust my riding style to push through stuff about 10-20% faster than I normally would with a hardtail or FS bike. I can pull some incredible lines with this bike
Out on the trail, I constantly meet up with folks who wanna know if the bike meets the hype… my answer is to trade bikes with them and let them figure it out for themselves. It doesn’t take too long for them to realize that this bike rocks. It says a lot when most of the guys I ride with are on FS rides, and are now planning to sell their sleds for Lucky-Strikes. In Santa Cruz, where God comes to mountain bike, that is a pretty big deal.
The only problem I have had is with the seatpost clamp that arrives with the frame (I bought just a frame, not a bike). I was out on the trail and needed to adjust my seat height when the threads stripped. I promptly sent email to Jamie who next-day-aired me out 3 replacements to get me rolling again. That brings me to the next point in this… I am not sure that I have ever come across another bike co. where the customer service is this good. From buying the frame, to getting new clamps, to just sending them mail to tell them how cool their product is, you can always bet on getting a prompt response that lets you know they appreciate your biz, and they wanna keep you riding.
So… the meat of the post… I know this is gonna look a little cliché’, but these guys are getting the 5 chillies. There are few things I rate with 5… but these guys go that extra mile to earn it. I have an $800 (disk frames are $100 more) disk, Ti frame that my buddy can’t tell a difference from his non-disk L!tespeed, and I paid about half as much. As well, the L!tespeed is not setup for heavy riders. They do not have the lateral stiffness to carry my body. If you are a clyde wanting a Ti ride, I would say this is the only bike for you. If you are anyone else, I would still highly recommend this bike, unless of course you absolutely feel the need to spend an additional $400-1200 on a L!tespeed.
And for those of you who are skeptics… send me an email, and I will send you my number. I will answer your questions, and if you live in the Bay Area, I might even meet you out on the trail to give you a test-ride.
Gonzo Breath
Stingray@scruznet.com
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Lukus
a Racer
from Thailand
Date Reviewed: May 11, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Nice geometries,Quick responsive light weight and very reasonable price. | | Weaknesses: | Nothing at all. | | Bike Setup: | SID,XTR,RACEFACE,Mavic. | | Bottom Line: | I have had this bike for 2 years, bought it in the states and took it back and believe that I'm only one using this in Thailand. I would recommend everyone who's concerning about budget to buy this frame.It's not too expensive like the others God damn! expensive Ti-frame. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scott
a Cross Country Rider
from Newport
Date Reviewed: April 7, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | strong, light, smooth riding, stiff for climbing, not flashy looking | | Weaknesses: | not flashy looking | | Similar Products Used: | Bridgestone MB 5 (steel)
Kona Kilauaha (steel) | | Bike Setup: | Bomber Superfly
Race Face Cranks
XT/XTR stuff | | Bottom Line: | After @4 rides I'm very happy. Bike feels stiff climbing yet the damping qualities on bumps make for a soft ride. At 6'3" 200lbs, I worried a little about too much flex in a Ti frame, but my fears were unjustified. Bike is very manueverable, especially for a big freak like myself. I asked a lot of opinions as to why I shouldn't buy this bike and no one could come up w/any good answers. I haven't found any reasons myslef yet. Besides being a sweet ride, I've got an extra G in my pocket due to not buying a Litespeed or similar. Think I'll go buy me a vile of crack! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Stephen
a Racer
from New Jersey
Date Reviewed: March 11, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | ride quality
price | | Weaknesses: | nothing worth mentioning | | Similar Products Used: | Fuji Mt. Fuji SX, Supergo ALU, Specialized S-Works | | Bike Setup: | XT drivetrain, SRAM chain, Avid Arch 50 brakes, Ritchey pedals, Hugi/WTB wheels, Kenda tires | | Bottom Line: | Note: I posted another review, which is dated 1/1/99 on this thread. Something has gotten really screwed up with that post, because the first paragraph (the nasty comments) are NOT MINE. I've had nothing but good things to say about this frame.
I've had the LS for a year and a half, raced it (cross country) all last season, and I'm planning to race it all this season. I've got another really good bike (an S-Works), but I prefer the overall feel and handling of the LS and ride faster on it just because it feels better. The worst problem I ever had was that the cable housings peeled off the head badge--and the Airborne folks sent me a replacement just for asking.
So what if Huffy bought Airborne out? It's a great frame, at an outrageous price. As far as I'm concerned, this is THE workingman's Ti bike. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jason Dana
a Cross Country Rider
from Kaysville Utah
Date Reviewed: February 24, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | gooseberry mesa | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | price, comfortable ride, easy clean up | | Weaknesses: | quality control, | | Similar Products Used: | spec. m2 | | Bike Setup: | mostly xt, bombshell hubs | | Bottom Line: | I have been pleased with my frame purchase. The only complaint was with my original frame the rear seat stay junction with the monotube was crooked. The rear wheel was striaght in the drop outs but I could see that the alignment of the tubes was not straight. I called and had a new frame sent out with no hassles. I would imagine that this problem has long since been corrected. I also had some niose coming from the bottom bracket but regreaseing the threads has held down the creacking. I love the ride of the frame, it feels somewhere between stiff alum. and light steel. When I get back on my 1993 m2 I am amazed at the harsh ride. Bare ti is great to clean, after muddy rides I just spray a little simple green or de greaser on the frame and it hoses off and looks great. Decals have lasted well and I have yet to tear off any flesh with the sharp edged headbadge that others were leary of. I like the uniqueness of the airborne, I have yet to see another one on the trails and most people who see it like it. If you want a good handling and inexpensive ti frame this is it. Four flaming bungs for the inconvenience of tearing down and sending back the first frame.. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
dave
a Cross Country Rider
from tampa, fl
Date Reviewed: February 11, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | santos | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | standard ti material comments apply
geometry is great
low standover is very appreciated
purty finish
overall beauty | | Weaknesses: | none so far with the frame, but the build.... | | Similar Products Used: | no ti, no mailorder, 1 steel hardtail, 1 alum hardtail | | Bike Setup: | yes | | Bottom Line: | the frame is unquestionably worth the price. "bargain" ti or not, it IS ti. works great for all rides. i am very happy with the bike overall. after the initial adjustment/set-up period, everything works great.
i say "after" because contrary to most glowing reviews, MY bike was not "ride ready" right out of the box. Airborne doesn,t really advertise that is, though. i had several "we were out of this and/or that, so we swapped it hope you don't mind"s. I got my bike the very week the whole huffy purchase/move occurred, so there were some hang-ups. mostly, the build quality exhibited a horrendous lack of attention.
for professional build/set-up, it was not very good. customer service WAS good though, and everything was straightened out reasonably quickly.
i have spoken to gary several times, and he is as nice and knowledgeable as you would expect someone in his position to be. in fact, i think i called so many times between ordering and fixing problems that i probably spoke with everyone who worked at airborne prior to huffy purchase. all friendly.
5 piles for frame
3.5 for build | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Gary Boulanger
a
from Springboro, OH, USA
Date Reviewed: February 11, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Caesar's Creek | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Bottom Line: | Looks like there's a few misinformed sticks in the mud who need a little schooling in the truth about Airborne titanium frames:
The factory we work with has been producing and exporting frames for over seven years. Airborne has a lifetime guarantee to insure that its customers feel secure in their purchase. Each frame takes approximately eight days to complete. From raw material to finished frame, there are over 120 quality control checks and procedures that occur; beginning with material analysis and testing, to numerous alignment checks in both the welding jigs and on the final alignment table. Every check and process is a requirement to produce the best quality frame possible.
Thanks to sponsored riders John Stamstad, Ann Trombley and Laurence Mote, our post-season frame fatigue tests have shown that the Airborne Lucky Strike frame does not fatigue or fail, even after thousands of miles of heavy-duty abuse. And after watching Mr. Stamstad race 350 miles in Alaska, then 2,400 miles on the Continental Divide (in 18 days, unsupported, on the same Lucky Strike), I can concur our frames hold up to the most duress possible. But don't take my word for it. Contact John at jrstam@msn.com.
Regarding our use of commercially pure titanium in the head tube, bottom bracket and dropouts: In our opinion, and after several tests done by our factory, high grade CP (Commercially Pure) titanium plate is the best material for dropouts because it is incredibly strong and easy to machine. In addition, CP titanium permits wheel skewers to be secured more reliably in the dropouts without fear of slippage. Slipping can occur in frames that use 6/4 titanium for its dropouts because the material is harder and does not permit sufficient "bite" for the skewer. CP titanium will also permit the possibility of repair or alignment with standard shop tools, should it be necessary.
As far as the head tube and bottom bracket shell are concerned, we use a comparable grade 4 CP titanium billet. The reason we do this is CP titanium is more than strong enough for the intended application and it is easier and less expensive to fabricate. Both areas (H/T and B/B) are very critical. Our factory has been building frames for over seven years using CP titanium head tubes and bottom brackets without a failure. The thickness of our bottom bracket shell is 3.5mm and the head tube is 2.5mm. Because of the small area and the thickness used, we do not encounter problems with flex or other problems that have occurred using CP titanium tubing. Some companies early in the development of titanium frame manufacturing used CP tubing and experienced many problems.
In the future, please consult me with any questions regarding the design and manufacturing integrity of our products. Gary Boulanger, director of sales and marketing, Airborne Direct, 513-704-5989, garyb@airborne.net.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Braeden Flaherty
a Racer
from Boulder, CO
Date Reviewed: February 3, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Walker Ranch | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Inexpensive, nice finish. Inexpensive | | Weaknesses: | Commercial grade ti headtube, not 6/4 or 5/3 like the other guys do. So-so welding. Very laterally flexable. | | Similar Products Used: | Litespeed ocoee, owl hollow, and dean ti softail | | Bike Setup: | Strike frame, full xtr sidxc | | Bottom Line: | If you need ti but can't afford lbs rpices, these are nicve bikes. But don't be surprised if alot of people start complaining of ovalized headtubes and flexy frames, because of the pure ti, rather than 6/4. Someone mentioned that they were helping out the small guy with this bike. THat was never true. THey make these frames in taiwan on an assembly line. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brad Hartsock
a Cross-Country Rider
from Phoenix, AZ
Date Reviewed: November 15, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Similar Products Used: |
raleigh m80 alu frame, moot ybb sl | | Bottom Line: | this is to follow-up on my review from last fall/winter... i ended up selling the frame this past spring because i was fortunate enough to pick-up a moots ybb. although, the main reason i sold the frame (19.5) was that i should have bought the smaller size (found myself too stretched out, even with a smaller stem). some will say that's a problem with mail-ordering...but the problem never surfaced until i started doing lllllooonnnggg rides. test-riding a frame at a LBS wouldn't have helped with that. besides, i bought the lucky strike size that best resemble the geometry of my previous raleigh frame.as far as handling goes, the one thing i found most difficult to adjust to with this frame was the skinny top-tube made for a lot of 'side-to-side' action on technical descents or climbing out of the saddle (i'm only 140lbs). understand, i'm not comparing the welds, design or quality of my ybb to the lucky strike...but moots headed this problem off by going with a larger diameter top tube (1 1/2).the market must be strong for this frame because i had several offers QUICKLY once i posted the frame. i think the relationship they now have with huffy kind of cheapens the helping the small guy feeling, but what the hell do i know? at least they aren't making their frames in mexico like mongoose is talking about for some of their year 2000 ti models... | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
CC Wilson III
a Cross-Country Rider
from Atlanta GA
Date Reviewed: November 15, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Bull Mntn | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
All the way around, great handling, a bit flexy in the rear--nothing a Shimano Carbon brake booster won't fix though | | Weaknesses: |
none | | Similar Products Used: |
Litespeed Ocoee | | Bike Setup: |
XTR shifting/gear,brakes/hubs....the rest Race Face w/ hanbuilt Kovachi Wheels (Sun Rhyno Lites). | | Bottom Line: | To reiterate the already flowing comments,,,,,it simply is the best deal for a Ti frame with a great warranty. One of the most unique bikes I've ever seen, you simply don't see a lot of people riding them because they're not run of the mill/ how much is that doggy in the window bike shop, retail material. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Simon Still
a Weekend Warrior
from London, England
Date Reviewed: October 18, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Leith Hill, Dorking | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Strengths: |
Beautiful ride and looks
Bargain price for a well made Ti frame
Drop-out rack mounts(but see weaknesses) | | Weaknesses: |
Top tube is very long.
European distribution not fully sorted yet - dont take credit cards, not all frame sizes in stock so delivery took 2 1/2 weeks.
Rack mounts non longer on monostay (but can use a Blackburn monostay clamp) | | Similar Products Used: |
Cove Stiffee
Cannondale F3000 and others
Kona Explosif
Gary Fisher
Last bike - Marin Rocky Ridge '98 | | Bike Setup: |
21 frame
Full XT stop and go
Pace RC36 Evo II fork
Hope sport hubs with 517CD rims and Sapim laser spokes (Wheelpro)
Airborne Ti seatpost and saddle
Raceface stem (110/15)
X-Lite X-pert flat 5deg bar | | Bottom Line: | A fortnight commuting and 2 days hard off-road and i'm a convert - this is a beautiful bike. Having read techie comments on NGs i was doubtful about Ti's claims of a forgiving ride but compared to my 7005 alu it really does feel smooth, the knocks just aren't so jarring. Whether this comes from the frame, the seatpost or the saddle is hard to say but the combo of all three feels fine. The rear end seems more 'live' than an alu frame which took getting used to - there's definately some spring in the tail.
Rode all day yesterday with a big grin - it's been said before but this bike really does climb like a monkey on crack and goes just where you point it when gravity takes over.Frame - jealous looks from the bike shop, no-one had anything bad to say and a couple of the employees seemed very interested in where it had come from. Geometry is very long, especially on the 21 (the mechanic measured the top tube as over 25!) which i've compensated for with a fairly short high stem (see Gary Fisher genesis)- feels good but consider frame size carfully and maybe look at Kona's sizing chart as well as Airborne's (v similar frame geometry).
Comments on the build up:
9 speed XT working fine through mud and sand so far, the shifts are almost imperceptible but does anyone really need gearing that low? On flat hardpack there were times when a higher gear would have been useful.
Pace fork - starting to plush up and pretty much faultless. I probably should have been patient and waited for the Evo III but that would have left me without a bike for a few weeks.
Airborne seatpost not brilliant value. Its OK but it's not light, mainly due to the clamp, and there are probably better Ti posts at a similar price. Saddle initially very comfy but i'll reserve judgement - the embroidery and leather/kevlar seams could give some serious chafing - this could be the first change.
Overall - it's got to be 5 chillies, this is a bike to love. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mr_rangr
a Cross-Country Rider
from Pasadena, CA
Date Reviewed: October 12, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
El Prieto | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
Cost, Warranty, Crash-Replacement policy | | Weaknesses: |
None, it just doesn't lack in any area | | Similar Products Used: |
Moots YBB, and many standard bikes | | Bike Setup: |
Carbon bars & seatpost, Manitou SX fork, Panaracer Mach SS tires | | Bottom Line: | I've been riding this bike for about 5 months and have just now concluded that it just doesn't get any better. The ride quality amazes me, and the bike handles all terrains great! After riding with people with dual suspended bikes, soft-tails, and hardtails, my bike will do it all just as well. It just isn't as cushy of a ride as the full-sus bikes, but has enough compliance to smooth out the ride while still feeling snappy.
Airborne's reputation is sterling, and you just can't beat the deal on this frame, even for twice the cost.
The welds on my frame look great and flawless. I expect to cherish this frame for a LONG time. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Matt
a Weekend Warrior
from Berkeley, CA
Date Reviewed: October 3, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Strengths: |
low cost, light weight, can custom spec each component (not just by grouppo), that great ti feel | | Weaknesses: |
you have to wait for it to be shipped, didn't get the precise product I ordered | | Bike Setup: |
LX, XT bb&cass., SID XC, Bont. Race, Icon stem, post, h-bars, Carmichael der. pulleys, Salsa boosters, Profile b-ends, Airborne saddle | | Bottom Line: | The bike is absolutely awesome. For $2100 I got a 22 lb. bike, albeit that's the weight with 1 commuter tires. They didn't tell me, when I ordered, that they'd run out of my frame size so I was going to have to wait an extra two weeks while they were shipped, and they sent me a red SID (I hate red) instead of a black one, and a 0-deg. rise stem instead of a 5-deg, but with an extra 2.5mm of headset spacers. It bugged me, as did the fact that the grips were installed backwards, but not big enough flaws to drop it a chili. It's still an incredible-feeling ride for an incredibly good price. The rear end absorbs so much vibration it makes my True Temper frame feel like aluminum. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
turk
a Cross-Country Rider
from atlanta, ga
Date Reviewed: September 21, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Bottom Line: | I still love my lucky strike and consider it one the best deals out there. I ride the thing 6-7 days a week, commuting and xc and it delivers everything a great hardtail should. However, i thought i'd share a recent missive from Airborne--
Yes it is true! The parent company of Airborne Direct (American Sports Design) has been purchased as a subsidiary of Huffy Corporation. Our warranty will not change. Our current warranty does cover the frame of the bike for the lifetime of the original owner. The warranty only covers a manufacturing defect. It just so happens that this is the same policy that Huffy Bicycle uses. We have moved to Springboro Ohio to the Huffy Tech Center. By doing this, we are able to use there testing facilities. We are also able to take advantage of some of Huffy Bicycle's distribution.
Sincerely,
Michael Wuellner
Customer Service
Airborne Direct | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joe Polewarczyk
a Cross-Country Rider
from Rochester Hills, MI
Date Reviewed: September 9, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Holdridge East or Potowotomi | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Strengths: |
Excellent quality Ti frame at a bargain price. | | Weaknesses: |
You cannot ride one before you buy (unless a freind has one) | | Similar Products Used: |
'99 Trek 9.8 Elite,'99 Trek YSL 200 '98 Cannondale Cad 3, Gary Fisher Level Betty | | Bike Setup: |
Lucky Strike 18 Frame
Sid SL 80mm, Bontrager Racelites,
All XT except XTR RR Derail and V-Brakes, Max Flite Saddle, Icon post, h-bar, Maggie Bar ends | | Bottom Line: | This bike rocks! When compared to the 9.8, it seems to be about the same weight but accelerates better. The Ti also takes the edge off compared to Carbon Fiber. Also the cockpit is a little more stretched out, so the ride is less cramped. Great for climbing and handles the fast stuff well. The really cool deal about this bike is that you can spec it out almost any way you want. I looked at pricing for the components, compared that to shopping a pricepoint, supergo, etc. and found it to still be a good deal even compared to some closeouts. I took the risk of buying sight unseen and it has payed off.Also, the service at Airborne is excellent. They called me the day it was supposed to ship to tell me it would be one day late. They called again the next day to tell me it shipped on time. I had a problem with the stem, and they overnighted me a new one no questions asked. They really know how to take care of their customers. I've had worse service at the local bike shops even though I've talked with them face to face. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David Ortiz
a Racer
from Farmington,NM
Date Reviewed: August 17, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Colorado Trail-Durango area | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
Still the best mtn bike I've ever owned and ridden. | | Weaknesses: |
My own body when a pro
from Durango kicks my
butt on our local trails. | | Similar Products Used: |
Specialized,
Santa Cruz,
Trek | | Bike Setup: |
XT-XTR components,Sram shifters,Crossmax wheels
USE seatpost,Manitou Ti. | | Bottom Line: | I saw Dougs review with the question and asked
a local bike shop if they heard about Huffy
buying out Airborne.They said yes,it was true.
Maybe one of us should call Jaime Raddin to see if it's true.I'm sure the quality is going to remain the same,just the thought that I'd never ride a Huffy after my childhood stingray copy.
Wow,I've got a Huffy again! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Shaun
a Cross-Country Rider
from MA
Date Reviewed: August 13, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
Very responsive,compliant,great climber,it's Ti | | Weaknesses: |
Welds not very pretty | | Similar Products Used: |
Brezzer Jet Stream | | Bike Setup: |
xtr WheelSmith wheelset,xt components,Chris King heatset,bomber z-2,Thompson seatpost,Airborne ti stem 120mm,10degree rise,Easton ea70 bar | | Bottom Line: | This bike climbs like a monkey on crack!!! I must say,I was pleasently surprised w/Airborne. After almost 8 months on this bike I still have nothing but great things to say about it. After recieving my bike the customer service was great,anything that I was not 100% satisfied with was taken care of in a timely fashion. If you can find a better frame for $699.00 please let me know so I may look into it... | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Doug DuBois
a Cross-Country Rider
from Park City, UT
Date Reviewed: August 7, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
here, but you wouldn't like it so don't come | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
everything you've read | | Weaknesses: |
none | | Similar Products Used: |
after 17 years of biking, you name it | | Bike Setup: |
XTR, Marzocchi, Chris King, 517 ceramic | | Bottom Line: | After 1,000 miles, the bike is great. Now for the real reason I'm doing this. I heard today that Airborne was acquired by Huffy. Has anyone else heard this? | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bryan Burnside
a Cross-Country Rider
from Wilton, NC
Date Reviewed: July 19, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Tar River Trails | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
Handling
resilency
responce | | Weaknesses: |
V-brake noise
Had to remount the crank to get the noise out, I blame Shimano | | Similar Products Used: |
Litespeed obeb w/Rock shox sl | | Bike Setup: |
Lucky Strike Hardtail with XT 9 speed group, SID XC, Airborne Ti stem & seat post, Easton Bar, Grip Shift Plasma, 185 Gram Sella Italia kevlar saddle, Radial laced front on a White Ti and 517 rim and 14/15 w/alloy nipples. Rear XT hub and Bontranger ASYM 14/15 w/alloy and asymetrical lacing, IRC Mythos XC 1.9 and 26 x 1.25 latex tubes, 7mm X 10mil rim tape. 23.2lbs | | Bottom Line: | I love this bike! I ordered the bike with everthing built up. The only really personal touch was building my own wheels. The Airborne saddle was too pretty to sit on, so it's hanging on my wall.
It took months to put this bike through the paces. Due to a ruptured accilles tendon.(On a Myata Kuga Ti Runner)
It just does it! It climbs. It handles. It smothes out the bumps. There's right now power transfer. I ride hard and like my technicals. The SID handles my 210 lbs with out a hitch, and the frame takes it in stride. In 8 years of riding this bike does it all better than anything else I've tried
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Sean ONeil
a Cross-Country Rider
from Missoula MT
Date Reviewed: May 27, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Blue Mtn/Pattee Canyon | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Strengths: |
Stable, nimble handling. Smooth ride. Excellent climbing. Light weight. Price. | | Weaknesses: |
What? Are you kidding? | | Similar Products Used: |
Gary Fisher Paragon. Specialized Stumpjumper Pro. Kona Explosif. Trek 8000. | | Bike Setup: |
Marzocchi Z2BAM. Grip Shift 9.0SL rear der + shifters. XT crank, bb, hubs, front der. Icon stem + seatpost. Bontrager Maverick rims. Avid ArchRival 50 brakes + 2.0 SD levers. | | Bottom Line: | Amazing value, incredible climber, very nimble and smooth ride allows me to increase speed through choppy singletrack. Longer top tube places weight forward, which takes some adjustment but makes for better handling overall. Super XC race geometry overall. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Deano
a Racer
from Abilene, TX
Date Reviewed: May 27, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Cold Lake, Alberta | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
Brushed finish is superb, welds are smooth and not discolored. Outstanding price for a Ti frame. The ovalized top tube and large biaxially ovalized downtube gives this frame great lateral stiffness, with a smooth forgiving ride. The dropouts are meaty are not shaved down to save weight. | | Weaknesses: |
Like the Dean Scout, it has lots of decals. The head tube badge is not a pretty as my Ibis.
If you can call these weaknesses? | | Similar Products Used: |
Litespeed trio(obed, ocoee and owl hollow), Ibis steel Mojo, Yeti arc, Fisher hk-ek, Wheeler 8880 and a few suspension bikes. | | Bike Setup: |
cranks-175mm Pyro carbon w/real rings, FSA titanium BB, Gigantex prototype carbon seatpost and handlebar(with kevlar weave)WOW!!, Stork carbon barends, Fsa orbit headset, Flite kevlar Ti saddle, Mavic 517 silver rims w/wheelsmith db spokes, ritchey z-max 2.1 kevlar tires, cheap presta tubes, yeti hardcore grips, 98 Judy SL fork with Judd springs, shimano cables and housing with alloy ferrules, Answer Atac downhill stem 110mm 0 degree rise,Speedplay frog pedals, 98 XT everything else with a 99 XT rear derailleur. | | Bottom Line: | I won, I won, I won!! the Feb99 giveaway. I guess I got Lucky :-O On with the Review,
This frame is very stable at high speeds and performs tight singletrack without a hitch. This frame does have a long effective top tube length as compared to other frames of the same seat tube size. I matched my 18 inch frame with a 110mm 0-degree stem and a longer handlebar(23 inch instead of my normal 22 inch). This gives me more control in steering with a slightly shorter stem(works for me). I weigh 200 lbs and feel minimal lateral flex when throwing the frame side to side, during quick acceleration. I swear its like riding a soft tail suspension in the root sections. I will admit that the carbon seatpost and handlebar help deaden the vibrations also. I am very pleased with the Lucky Strike and believe there is not a better Ti frame out there, under $1200. I would like to add one last thing. Register to win Jamie's contest and maybe you will get Lucky! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bradon
a Cross-Country Rider
from Reno
Date Reviewed: May 18, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Peavine | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
The frame is light, stiff and responsive. It's also real cheap. | | Weaknesses: |
Can't try before you buy (mail order only) | | Similar Products Used: |
I've had other bikes before. | | Bike Setup: |
LS with rock shoxs sid, XT groupo, crossmax wheels. | | Bottom Line: | This is the third time I've done a review of this bike and everytime I come back after a few weeks it's gone. I can assure you I acutally own one of these bikes and I would really like to put in my two cents. Everything you've heard about this bike is probably true MBA gave it a great review a few months back and this site is filled with more of the same. This bike is super stiff for a titainum bike because of the smallish rear triangle and inovative chainstays. The headtube is short (even on my 19 incher) and the standover hieght is adequate. Thanks to it's short chainstays it climbs well but feels stable at high speed because of the longer top tube. The customer service is great. My bike came nearly fully assembled in a few days. Jamie promised me that if I was for any reason unsatified that I could return the bike with no penalty in ten days. Two weeks after I got the bike I broke a bolt on the Thompson seatpost. Jamie quickly sent me a replacement bolt and contacted Thompson about the problem. After hearing about it they sent me a new bolt as well and, a huge box of swag. Talk about service! The only problem I can see is that it's impossible to ride the bike before buying it. If I could've done this I would've gotten a 20 incher instead of the 19. If you've got anymore questions call Jaimie at Ariborne and I'm sure he'll answer any questions you have. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Trish
a Racer
from Atlanta, GA
Date Reviewed: May 7, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Chicopee Woods | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
The Ti Magic
Light and responsive
Great handling | | Weaknesses: |
Center of Gravity is a bit forward | | Similar Products Used: |
Fisher Paragon
Various Trek Bikes
Cannondales | | Bike Setup: |
Zoke Z2
XT components
Mavic Rim
ESP 9.0 SL shifters and rear derailleur | | Bottom Line: | I first posted this in August of last year and wanted to update it. Updates are in **I am the contest winner from July 4, 1998. Yes, I exist. I've been riding my Lucky Strike for about a month now and have been loving every minute of it. My previous bike was a Fisher Paragon that I liked. I had a few issues with it, and the small size frame was a bit big for all 5'3 of me. I am riding a 14 Lucky Strike.**I am still riding this bike into its second race season. The frame is as responsive as when I first got it. I have no complaints about the frame itself except the center of gravity is a bit far forward. You have to get back off the saddle to keep your balance downhills. Once my riding style adapted to it, the bike just dances under me when I ride it. What a feeling!Geometry: The most noticeable thing is that the top tube is much shorter than the Fisher, which makes the reach to the handlebars more comfortable for me. The head tube is also about 1/2 inch higher. Coupled with my Z2 BAM, this puts the front end geometry in line with a hybrid, forcing me to sit up more and put more weight on my sit bones. According to my sports physiologist, this will help my RSI. The chainstays are short enough to allow for quick climbing and fast descending. I must admit that the new geometry is very comfortable. I have been able to ride the technical trails that I was riding on the Fisher in no time.If I had one word to describe the geometry, it would be nimble. This little bike darts in and out of tight singletrack and handles very quickly. I easily adjusted to the feel of the Lucky Strike.Feel: The first thing I noticed was that the ride was not nearly as stiff as the Fisher and that my rear end was not getting beaten. This frame flexes, which I am still getting used to. What a great feeling! I don't feel every little bump travel up my spine like on an Aluminum frame. Also, I find that I don't get as fatigued as quickly. After riding a Titanium bike, I may not be able to go back to any other frame material. **I still love the feel of Ti. Since my original post, I've also acquired a steel bike. The feel of the two is quite different, but the feel of Ti has a quality that the steel bike does not have. What my friends are saying: (before riding it) Pretty Bike, I like the finish and the graphics (after riding it) Nice ride, Feels like a high end Ti bike, Are you going to sell this bike? I want to buy it, Can I take it home with me? I must say that I agree with them all!Customer Service: In addition to winning the bike, I purchased some components from Airborne. Jamie, the owner, is simple wonderful to work with. He is one of the few people in the bike industry that still believe the customer is always right. He and his associates personally answer the phone and respond quickly to email. The customer service is unparalleled.Concerns: The close proximity of the chain stays to the rear wheel concerns me a bit for muddy conditions. There is not as much clearance as there was on my Fisher. I think this will be alleviated when I buy 1.9 tires. My current set up runs 2.1. Also, the cable guides situated on the under side of the top tube are a bit sharp. I have to be a bit careful when carrying the bike.**I have not run into an issue with mud clearance yet. The North Georgia mud clogs everything up. I am now running 1.95 tires, and the bike feels great.Overall: This bike is a great value. Nothing in this price range will give the same ride quality or frame quality. I can't wait to start racing the Lucky Strike. For the rest of this season, it will be both my XC and DH bike. I am sure that it will handle both well! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bill
a Cross-Country Rider
from Massachusetts
Date Reviewed: May 4, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
light
stiff where needed
responsive
that TI magic | | Weaknesses: |
lame head tube badge | | Similar Products Used: |
Jamis dragon
Jamis dakar
Merlin
Cannondale F1000
Specialized M2 | | Bike Setup: |
xt \ xtr mix
bomber | | Bottom Line: | My last bike was a Jamis Dragon. A great steel frame...that is until I rode my buddies Merlin. The feel of TI is awesome, deadens the harshness of the trail yet somehow remains stiff where you need it to be.
I could not justify the expense of a high dollar TI frame so I gambled with the Airborne. To make a long story short I love the frame. It’s quick, responsive, and light. Perfect qualities for the tight single track of New England. It’s stable on the downhill and climbs with authority. What more can you ask for?
The only negative comment I can come up with is the cheeseball headtube badge. It was falling off right from the box and it is made of some sort of suedo metal...they should of just used a sticker.
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
webbie
a Weekend Warrior
from Tallahassee
Date Reviewed: May 4, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Mountaintown Creek, GA | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
Inexpensive | | Bike Setup: |
XT compo
Cross Link wheelset
Marz. Bomber
Rock Shox suspension post | | Bottom Line: | I've upped to to 5 stars from my review in March. The bike was absouletly awesome on the N. Georgia Trails - climbed liked a dream, took the downhills in stride. No complaints. I bought a Cannondale road bike a few months before I bought this bike and I have to make myself ride the road bike. I'd rather ride the Airborne. Believe the hype, you won't find a better bargain on a better bike anywhere. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John Stamstad
a Racer
from Covington, KY
Date Reviewed: May 3, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Iditarod | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
stiffness
great handling geometry | | Similar Products Used: |
litespeed Obed
ritchey p-20
3D--alu | | Bike Setup: |
XTR, White Bros ul72, cane creek wheels, hutchinson tires | | Bottom Line: | Disclaimer: I am a professional cyclist and now ride for Airborne Cycles(along with Chevy Trucks). But I received my Lucky Strike In January, no questions asked, and no commitment to them. I was very skeptical of an inexpensive titanium bike and went immediately to MTBR to check the reviews. I was pleased, not only at the positive reviews of the bike but the high regard for the company and their customer service. I have had Ti bikes in the past and have been disappointed in their stiffness or lack thereof--I always feel like I am riding a dead bike. Because of the oversize stays and smaller rear triangle the Airborne is plenty stiff. In fact it rides better than any Ti bike that I have ever raced. And it rides as well or better than any bike of any material that I have used in my many years of racing. I have ridden it in a variety of conditions including the Iditasport Extreme(320 mile race along the Iditarod Trail in Alaska in Feb). But riding on snow is easy. The real test came this past weekend while riding in the Pacific Northwest: gnarly roots, mud, fast singletrack. The bike was perfect. I even had a PR for my favorite descent--knocked a full minute off of my previous best.The best thing I can say about it is that, from the first ride I felt perfectly comfortable and in control--like I'd been riding it for years. This is an awesome bike, you won't go any faster on anything else--and it is dirt cheap. One more thing: these bikes come incredibly well assembled. Bolt threads are coated, gears are adjusted, bearings are greased. All one has to do is slap on the bars, pedals and front wheel and it is ready to race. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Harry
a Cross-Country Rider
from Boston, MA
Date Reviewed: April 19, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
Ti Ride | | Similar Products Used: |
Lightspeed
Merlin | | Bike Setup: |
Manitou SX
XT components
King headset
Easton post/stem | | Bottom Line: | An addendum to my prior review:
I just returned after logging 130+ miles in Moab last week on my LS Ti hardtail. My impressions still remain very favorable-- this is an awesome hardtail-> the control in the technical stuff is terrific and lightweight helps on epic climbs. I am a light rider (130 lbs)-- the 16 inch frame is pretty stiff (not like alum, though). On downhills and some straights on the nasty, rocky stuff, I was wishing for my full-suspension rig. Where I used to sit and crank, I would have to get my butt off the seat.
This is the essence of the hardtail experience: you are intimate with the ground and all movements are translated immediately and accurately.
Geometry is good. Quick for the tightsingle track here in Massachusetts, but the stable enough for really fast jeep roads and downhills that I rode in Utah. Top-tube is a bit long for me (my height is 5'7), though-> I have had to move the seat forward quite a bit and am contemplating getting the zero offset RaceFace seatpost. However, even with the extended ridding last week, I didn't get the tell-tale back/shoulder discomfort that indicates that I'm having to reach to far on the bike.
Bottom line, still a five star product, but I may buy a suspension seatpost next... | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
harv
a Weekend Warrior
from NJ
Date Reviewed: April 15, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Strengths: |
Weight is low
Ti absorbs trail bumps
Inexpensive | | Weaknesses: |
none yet | | Bike Setup: |
XTR and XT components
Manitou SX Ti
Serfas dual density
Titec Ti seatpost
Kore lite 3 stem
WTB headset, EA70 Bar, Ti bar ends | | Bottom Line: | I'm a once a week rider and probably not in the best shape. My friends would always have to wait for me. I rode the LS the other day and I was able to keep up. The frame rides pretty smooth. I was able to book thru choppy sandy trails. Before the ride would choppy on my old Cromo. Climbing felt pretty good. Airborne worked w/ me on getting the frame. (law-a-way during the $599 special) I give it 4 stars (because I only once so far) plus 1 extra star for the company= 5 stars | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Aaron
a Cross-Country Rider
from LaMirada, CA
Date Reviewed: April 3, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Bottom Line: | i just got my new airborne this week and i absolutely love it. i've taken it on two hard rides already and this thing just floats, especially compared to the tank i was riding previously. Got mine with XT and a 'ZOKE Z2 BAM. It just puts you in a sweet position for climbing, and you just tear right up the hills. Between the frame, the suspension, and the Ti seatpost, the bumps that used to beat me up have disappeared.Not only is the bike sweet, these guys will have a custom bike on your doorstep in less than two weeks of when you order it.Great bike, great deal, buy one. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave Ortiz
a Racer
from Farmington,NM
Date Reviewed: April 1, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Colorado Trail-Durango | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
Light,agile,strong
frame. | | Weaknesses: |
Myself for not being
able to exceed the frame
tolerances. | | Similar Products Used: |
Specialized M2+steel
Santa Cruz Chameleon
Cannondale Caad3 | | Bike Setup: |
Airborne Lucky Strike,
Manitou SX-Ti,XT,
Mavic Crossmax,USE shockpost. | | Bottom Line: | I've used this frame for 4 months now and I'm trying to find a fault somewhere while riding
this titanium wonder.Alu used to be my metal of
choice especially in climbing but the Airborne
excels just as good ,without that ass-hurting
harshness of the previous steed.The frame geometry
reminds me of the Santa Cruz Chameleon which is
one of the reasons for my purchase.A very fine
performer to enhance anyone's riding style.
I thought previously ti was too flexy for epic
climbs and in some cases it is for some.Not this
one,take it from somebody who USED to ride Caad3,
M2,beer cans,ete. 5 flaming turds to you Jamie
for an excellent bike! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Feather
a Racer
from Kennewick,Wa
Date Reviewed: March 26, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Strengths: |
Titanium frame, Affordability, Quality construction, Affordability | | Weaknesses: |
Mail Order only. It was a difficult decision to buy cause of the inability to ride one. | | Similar Products Used: |
Litespeed Obed, Ocoee | | Bike Setup: |
Marzocchi Superfly, Full XTR | | Bottom Line: | As I've said before the decision to buy was hard to make. I researched as much as I could. I purposely looked for negative information, which was easy to find from Airborne's competitors. I weighed everything I read, (I even compared the specs of Litespeed's Obed to the Lucky Strike), and decided to try it. The major difference between the Obed and the Lucky Strike is the length of the top tube (Airborne's is a bit longer by an inch or so), and $1000 plus tax. I couldn't believe the ride I purchased. I'd heard that it's whippy in the back end, untrue! I can't believe the feel of ti either. My previous bike rode great (Specialized Stumpjumper) but the Lucky Strike is phenomenal! I highly reccomend this bike to anyone wanting to get a high quality bike for a great deal. Be informed also. Look for all the info. ,good and bad, before buying. You'll find that other Ti companies will be your best source, mainly because they can't compete with the price. Their biggest deal is the frame is made in China, hence low quality tubing and especially welds (you will find that welds are a big deal with ti frames), and the whippiness I addressed earlier. I don't know how other frames are but my welds look very nice and clean, not quite the big beads of a Merlin or Litespeed but very clean. I also want to mention that the customer service is great, just what I expect from a mail order company selling high doller items. I also want to say that the reason owners of this bike talk about it so much, is that we want other people buying them to be as informed as they can. There are very few avenues to investigate this company's products, and this site is an excellent tool to use. Good luck with your investigation and I will post further reviews as I continue to hammer my bike on the trails. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments.Chris | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Harry
a Cross-Country Rider
from Boston, MA
Date Reviewed: March 21, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
Amazing metal | | Weaknesses: |
Chinese made (hopefully not by children for bread money) | | Bottom Line: | After years of dreaming about a Ti bike, and years of trying to pay off my last mega-bike purchase (a tricked out GT Zaskar), I finally bought a 16 Airborne Ti frame. Sometimes building yourself up for something is just setting yourself up for big disappointment. However, this frame has that Ti magic that people marvel at. Wow! Shock absorbing but as responsive as a good hardtail should be. I used to dread long rides with my Zaskar, but my ass loves this bike!
The welds and front badge are not up to the same standards as other Ti frames, and it just doesn't have that Merlin (can I say the name without bowing?), Lightspeed, or Ibis snob factor. Buy those frames if you got the cash, but don't count on them being dramatically better than this little gem. Customer support is amazing (friendly, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic). Really, really, really worth the price of admission to Ti nirvana.
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Webbie
a weekend warrior
from Tallahassee, FL
Date Reviewed: March 8, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
I'd been looking for a new moutain bike for the past couple of months and was trying to decide between full suspension or hardtail; if hardtail then it had to be a Ti frame. Unfortunately, I had (make that that wife said) a budget of $1,500 for a complete bike, so that left out Kona, Mongoose, Litespeed, etc. So looking at the f/s, I tested out the Klein's, Specialized's and Diamond Back's f/s - didn't like any of 'em - too mushy. I've been on a hardtail for over 5 years and I like to know that all my energy is going into the drivetrain and not the shocks.So in searching the 'net I found Airborne. The first thing I noticed was the price - quite a bit of difference from Kona, Litespeed and the other frames I was looking at. I found out the Airborne frames are made in China. Hmmmm. So either the price difference was a quality issue, or a perception issue, similar to cars back in the 70s, when Detroit was king and anything from Japan was considered complete crap. What are you driving today? Detroit makes good cars, but who questions Japanese quality these days? So I took the chance that it was a perception, and not a quality issue.What I got was a great deal on a 19.5 frame with a full '99 XT package, upgraded Mavic Cross Link wheelset, '98 Z-Bam fork and the Rock Shox seatpost. Although comparing it to my old Diamond Back cro-mo frame is unfair, this bike is worth every penny; it's extremely responsive, climbs well and is a complete blast to ride. The only reason I'm not giving it full marks is that I had a little problem in that the pedals I ordered didn't ship with the box and I had to make a couple of calls to rectify the situation. It put a slight damper in my enthusiasm for the company. Any direct-mail order service should make follow-through a top priority, especially when you're dropping some serious coin. All in all, if you're looking for a bargain, I highly doubt you're going to find a better deal. I'll be giving it more complete testing over the next month in N. Georgia and N. Carolina, I'll try and post some more feedback. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
DAVE EVANS
a cross-country rider
from phx.az.
Date Reviewed: March 2, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
well....where to begin.....bored one evening, i entered a contest for grins and giggles...win a ti mtb frame...blah-blah-blah....couple weeks go by, i'd forgotten i'd even entered until one early afternoon a fellow named jaime raddin calls me and says congrats you've won the frame-what size should we send you. i'm agog at best ! well, 3 days go by and the ups truck pulls in and i'm in possession of a really good lookin cardboard box which contained an even better lookin' mtb frame of unobtanium(ti). zounds...now all i have to do is locate a fairly decent to hot-snot build kit. well, i'm not rich and shameless so i opt for a decent build kit in the form of a new bike from the LBS/strip it/and build the airborne. jaime and his crew offered up some o.e.m. stuff at ok prices and were eager to help but i know the guys at the shop and they did me right,so.....for a song-and-a-dance i'm riding an xt equipped ti frame bike that was well beyond my means and more than likely my skill levels.
i cant say enough good about this frame(aside from the sharp points on the head-tube badge 'wing-tips' that'll rip your knees apart if you 'biff'...dremel tool!!)the finish and decaling are extremly asthetic and the handling is as sweet as any bike i've ridden.owning 2 f/s and 2 other hard-tails, the airborne far exceeds the hardtails in comfort(not as harsh on the hits) and handling not to mention the airborne climbs like a raped ape.the f/s's are more comfortable on the hits for obvious reasons but at this point, i ride the airborne 90% of the time. the bike weighs in at 23.6 lbs which is a bit portly for most ti frames but i atribute much of this to the x-vert-r shock (which i got a deal on) at 4.3 lbs.i figure later on i'll score another shock and drop this pup to around 22 lbs which is respectable in my book. as it stands at this time, the crew at airborne cycles and their design have earned the highest marks in my book ...even if the frame was a 'gimme' .....thx, jaime and to the rest of the flight crew......nothing is perfect(but it seems close) so its a 4-star award..... | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jamie Hyatt
a racer
from Newberry, South Carolina
Date Reviewed: February 9, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
I just recieved the LS today. To begin with, I was impressed with the box.( i felt like hanging it on my living room wall) Well, maybe not..I took the bike out of the box, examined it carefully, and came to the conclusion that I made a very smart choice. The frame is beautiful. I spec'd it with a Manitou SX Carbon, red Cane Creek head set, red Yeti hardcore grips and XTR cranks. I also got the Airborne Ti seatpost/saddle & the Airborne Ti stem. As it stands, so far, I give it five big ones. As for the ride, I'll get back to ya...Simper Fi, do or die! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Vince
a weekend warrior
from Thousand Oaks, CA, USofA
Date Reviewed: February 4, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
Here goes another rave review! But for those of you looking for constructive criticism and not another Gee, this is the best bike I ever rode! I'm going to focus on the BEST attributes and the WORST faults of the frame. I could go on for days about how awesome the parts perform on this able steed but that probably isn't why you're reading this. If you want some feedback on the overall package or individual parts I chose, e-mail me and I'll respond promptly.
First of all let's get this out of the way:
*XTR drivetrain 8 spd and brakes
*SRAM Betsy L.E. 9.0SL shifter/rear derailleur combo
*King headset
*Airborne Ti stem, saddle, Flite Styx bar ends, collar
*Easton CT-2 carbon fiber handlebar w/ Gripshift grips
*Thompson Elite post
*Manitou SX-Carbon fork w/ MRD lockout
*Avid Flac Jacket teflon cables
*IRC Mythos tires
*King hubs on Bontrager ceramic ultralite rims & DT 15-17 spokesBEST ATTRIBUTES of the frame:
Absolutely absorbs all the stutterbumps out of washboard fireroads. I could swear I'm on a 1-2 Soft Tail. Nice geometry in the cockpit allowing comfortable ride up extended climbs. Handles equally well in technical singletrack and fast fireroad descents. She's actually quite a looker! Not the beautiful welds found on a Merlin (as everyone seems to mention) but you're not paying another $1000-1500 either. You're getting more than your money's worth here.WORST FAULTS of the Airborne equipment:
The stem wouldn't stay tight enough to prevent the handlebars from turning. My LBS took it off and discovered the inner surface of the stem isn't totally smoothed out. The internal weld points were making contact before the rest of the I.D. surface. This results in less surface area (friction) when clamping the stem down. They honed down the raised edges and no further problems.
The barends are beautiful but... the outer edge that clamps on to the h-bar has a sharp edge to it. This isn't a visual issue, it should be rounded slightly to prevent possible injury.
The seat is extremely comfy but I have a feeling it won't hold up to too much punishment. The leather is very soft and the embroidered logo seems a little frail.
This isn't a FAULT, just a Ti trait: the frame is so forgiving it tends to mute the feedback from the trail. I get the feeling that if I don't concentrate more, I'll miss something that's going on beneath me and pay for it. Again, this is just my own feeling about Ti frames in general.VERDICT?
Yahoo! I love this bike and would recommend it to any serious or casual trail rider who wants a nice ride for a great price. I give it 4 Chilis because of the few issues I have. I'm pretty critical about my rides and wouldn't hesitate to get one all over again. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dale Steel
a cross-country rider
from Jackson MS
Date Reviewed: January 30, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
After 900 miles....no problems!This bike gives back what you put into it and more.When you push it there's no flexing at the BB,it's responsive and forgiving and an easy bike to know because it does'nt have any little quirks.It's been a real asset in my riding because every thing seems to become second nature after a few rides.Mine has full XTR drivetrain,brakes and hubs,Manitou SX Ti forks,Kore elite stem,Easton carbon fiber bar and post and Mavic 517 ceramic rims.This bike has been one purchase that I've had no regrets over.Solid as a rock and beautiful at the same time.I wish I could give the bike and Jamie at Airborne 100 Stars!!!! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeremy
a cross-country rider
from TN
Date Reviewed: January 29, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
My last bike was a Raleigh M-60 with many upgrades. I bought it as an entry level racing/around town bike. It served its purpose for about a year, at which I needed a lighter bike. So I started looking at a bunch of different bikes. I decided that aluminum was to stiff for me, and that it I wanted something a little more durable. that left me with two options: steel or ti. Then I looked at bikes built with 853 tubing. that didn't leave me many options. one was the explosif from kona, which weighed about 25 pounds with pretty light weight components. another was the voodoo steel steed, but unfortunately it was out of my price range. enter airborne. for 1650, I got a 24.5 pound bike built like a tank with marzocchi bam2s in the front and a custom lx package. compared to the 30 pound bike that i had before, this was a huge improvement that could be made even lighter.
I just got it yesterday, and after about 15 minutes of assembly I was off. it was light and stiff, but it was still forgiving. It cornered wonderfully and climbed like a tractor. the avid arch rival 50's stopped with a huge amount of power. my only complaint was a little mix up getting it here, but the bike was wonderful. 5 chiles. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
landon
a cross-country rider
from Tucson, AZ
Date Reviewed: January 25, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
First off, I do not work for the company! I had the same skeptical feelings looking at this bike as other have and have since seen the truth. Now the bike. The frame is a good deal, but I think that it is ridiculous to compare this frame to a merlin or seven or to any other high end Ti frame builder. It like trying to compare a Ferrai to a Honda. Cosmetically, the frame isn't the greatest. Close inspection shows that it wasn't completely cleaned after the welding process and the welds are nowhere near the quailty of the Moots, Titus and Kona frames I've seen. But it looks sturdy. As for the ride, I'm not the smallest guy around and need something stiff. Happily, I can say that this frame does the job. Its quick, tracks well, corners wonderfully and handels singltrack wonderfully. The ride is stiff, yet compliant,which I guess is the desirable characteristic of titanium. I've ridden it thru two 5 hour epics, desert singletrack rides, and one race and the Airborne has handled it all in a workmanlike fashion. If I had the money, I would defintely saddle up to a higher end builder(moots, seven, etc.), but for the money, the airborne delivers and then some. If I had to choose between it and a big bike company, I'd defintely go with the Airborne. It'll never be a merlin or seven, but then again, it's not supposed to be. As for the company, only three people seem to work there, and I've talked to Jamie every time. Great company, great frame. Give it 4 1/2 chillis-minus 1/2 for the cosmetics. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
jerry
a cross-country rider
from Salina/San Jose CA.
Date Reviewed: January 15, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
It is sad to read bad revs, from people that think they know it all (e.g. Tom)
Envy is a bad thing to have, I am a LSTi owner, I have no afiliation what so ever to AB Bikes, all I know is that I may the right purchase, as far as my friends go, two of them are getting their LSTi soon, for my experience about bikes, I have owned 3 model of GT (Zaskar Le, Avalache & Pantera)Santa Cruz Heckler, Cadex 3fm etc. etc. and trully nothing comes closer to this frame.
If you need to hear from me, feel free trow me some lines.Good ridding. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
A. Warren
a cross-country rider
from Los Angeles
Date Reviewed: January 12, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
Okay, it's real simple. This thing works. And works well. I don't work for Airborne. I bought a 18 Lucky Strike in October. It is just a sweet ride. Period. It climbs, desends, and everything in between. I highly recommend this bike to anyone looking for a Ti frame (but don't want to spend Merlin money) And to people like Tom who trash a bike for no other reason than ego, get lost. Go ride! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
red
a cross-country rider
from nc
Date Reviewed: January 3, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
Dear Tom and other visitors,The true purpose for this area of the web site is to allow customers to post reviews about products they have purchased. It is unfortunate that more and more it is becoming an area where visitors post negative remarks about the improbability of our customers’ experience. It is truly frustrating to see the continuing dialogue of unbelievers. We have a great product and an experience that people are excited about. Just because reviews about our products don’t fit the simplistic mold of what others post about their bikes and their LBS experience, is no reason to think that we must be a bunch of phonies. We have a number of customers that are very strong advocates of our products and want to see us succeed. The philosophy of my company is to bring to market the best products possible and sell them directly to the consumer at a very reasonable price. The consumer is able to interact directly with the manufacturer and is able to spec a bike precisely to his /her preference at prices that are well below what any other manufacturer is able to offer. In addition, as a manufacturer we are able to quickly take care of customer service and component warranty issues that would take most bike shops weeks to deal with.MTBR has audited our reviews because of the overwhelming responses we have received, and they determined that all of the IP addresses from each of the reviews to be unique. That in it’s self does not verify our innocence, but it does validate that all the reviews were sent from unique locations. Please contact Chuck Espiritou of MTBR if you would like to confirm this.Wouldn’t it make sense that with the tens of thousands of dollars we spend in advertising (in Magazines such as Mountain Bike, Bike, Mountain Biking, and Mountain Bike Action) that we might actually be selling a few bikes?With Our 10 day 100% money back guarantee, is it not conceivable that the majority of our customers are satisfied with their purchase? And of these, would it not be conceivable that some of our customers frequent MTBR.com? Because my company is organized to put the needs of consumers first, we have very few customers that do not have good things to say about Airborne. In fact, it is our goal that every customer has an experience that is note worthy. It is the sales channel and the manner in which we do business that allows us to ensure our customers 100% satisfaction with our products. You might consider looking at the reviews and comparing them to our pilots page; where pictures of the owners are posted. You might even consider contacting some of our customers to confirm their experience before jumping to conclusionsIn regards to the bulletin board, yes it is unique to have a customer go to this length to create this. But if you look through the postings you will find constructive remarks both positive and negative about our products. It is just as easy for us to create our own bulletin board, and we will have one on our new web site in February. Why would we go and coerce someone to create one for our benefit, when we can just as easily do it ourselves on our own site? Please feel free to contact me directly if you have any other questions as to our legitimacy or our products. I would be happy to speak to you in person. Sincerely,Jamie Raddin
President / Owner1-888-652-8624
1-608-229-2453
1-608-229-2454 Fax1010 Stewart Street
Madison, Wisconsin
53713www.airborne.net
jamie@airborne.net
Date: January 3, 1999
Tom,Thanks a lot for adding your two cents. Your review of this product has been extremely helpful. Wait a minute.... you did not actually review this frame, did you?How about in the future only reviewing products that you have actually used? Then we could all benefit from your experience, and not waste our time reading someone’s worthless tirade. If you want to purchase this bike, and/or are actually concerned about the authenticity of these reviews then e-mail the reviewers.Please do not misunderstand me. If you have used this product or any other, I would value your opinion and the information you have to offer. However, I am tired of reading meaningless reviews that are only meant to insight others. This includes some of the reviewers in the bike reviews for this product. It also goes for OTHER individuals and products as well.
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Stephen
a racer
from New Jersey
Date Reviewed: January 1, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
Something seems rigged here, for sure. Most of these reviews seem written in an _extremely_ similar fashion. Additionally, the Airborne Lucky Strike Pilots' Board (http://www.insidetheweb.com/messageboard/mbs.cgi/mb84919) says This board is in no way sponsored by Airborne which seems like total BS. What kind of schmo likes his Airborne bike sooooo very much that he organizes and entire bulletin board for other owners. Airborne, if you're rigging the jury, burn in hell ... you don't need to because they are perfectly fine bikes -- about as good as, and about as expensive as, Habaneros. Which is fine. If you, your friends or affiliates are stacking the deck, I reckon it will come to light sooner or later.
Date: December 29, 1998
Note to the webmaster: this is a follow-up to my earlier post on the Lucky Strike frame. I'm not trying to inflate the ratings; I just wanted to add my impressions now that I've gotten to ride the bike some more. Maybe you can append this to my earlier post so my rating only gets counted once.---
12/29/98
I've had the chance to ride the Lucky Strike for a couple weeks now. It really is a great ride. I've now ridden it over some rocky, rooty singletrack in north Jersey and in a couple inches of snow and ice on some fairly technical trail (single black diamond) near my house in central NJ.So here's the update: everything that I thought was great about the frame when I first rode it still seems great. In addition, I've come to further appreciate how nicely the bike handles in sketchy situations, like rock gardens and in snow. The bike corners very well, climbs beautifully, and feels very balanced and stable at all times. It has great traction when climbing. All of a sudden my bike handling seems better, and I'm inclined to credit the new frame rather than any major breakthrough on my part!The top tube is a bit longer than my previous ride, so I've changed to a stem that's 10mm shorter. One thing I would suggest to any potential buyer is to measure your current frame, and compare it to the dimensions on the Airborne web site. If you're happy with the way your present bike fits, you might also want a slightly shorter stem on the Lucky Strike.So overall my experience with the Lucky Strike is that it made a fine initial impression, and continues to grow on me the more I ride it. I've had a good number of bikes, and this is one of my all time favorites.
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
the Walrus
a weekend warrior
from Simi Valley, California
Date Reviewed: December 28, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I have to confess that my initial interest in the Lucky Strike was sheer curiousity -- how good could a $700 Ti frame possibly be? I took the plunge after having the chance to see a frame close up at a LBS; the workmanship and finish were very good overall, although a few things (the welds in the monostay area, the tenuous attachment of the headtube badge) were less than thrilling. However, I have not found anything that compromises the bike's strength or performance. I'm definitely up there in the Clydesdale class, and if a bike has weaknesses, I find them really quickly.
I built the bike up with XT shifters/derailleurs, Kooka Racha levers, Paul's Motolite brakes, White Industries Ti hubs/Mavic 217 rims, a RockShox Indy SL and other bits and pieces. I haven't been able to put it on a reliable scale yet, but it's in the 21 lb. zone. I don't pretend to be a singletrack fiend, but I was impressed with the handling. It's agile without being twitchy, and it accelerates and climbs very well. My preferred sort of riding is day-long (or weekend-long) backcountry exploring, and the resilient character of the frame keeps me from feeling as beat-up at the end of these trips as I did on aluminum or steel bikes. ...and it's got rack mounts! It's great to be able to bolt on my Blackburn rack and a set of panniers, and carry gear properly.I can't overstate what a great value this frame is. I own 4 Litespeeds (2 Hiwassees, an Obed FS and a Catalyst), and while I love 'em all, the Lucky Strike definitely offers more bang for the buck. Part of that value is the astounding customer service Airborne has; I can't think of another company that puts so much effort into satisfying their customers. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave
a weekend warrior
from FL
Date Reviewed: December 23, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
For starters, my email address is real, and I will be happy to phone anyone to verify I bought the bike. Really, the only reason I am even getting involved in this thing is because my flight is delayed by 5 hours, and I am stuck in the airport. I am not a real technical rider, therefore I will not comment on the various technical nuances of the bike. In fact, the major reason I went with Airborne is the pricing value and my comfort level with the company. I called every bike shop in Miami and could not locate a single top quality 21 bike. Imagine, $3000 burning a hole in my pocket and nobody local had a bike. I called at least a half dozen out of state shops, basically saying I want to buy a $3000 bike from you over the phone, and was pretty much blown off given that I did not know exactly what I wanted.I spoke to Jamie the first time I called Airborne and immediately felt comfortable, and finally was speaking to someone with some actual business and marketing competence, something which is not very widespread in the bike business. He helped me put together a nice package on the bike and said it would ship in one week, which it did.I am a big guy, 200 lbs., and I've had the bike out on single track (at least the Miami version of it) and it seems plenty stiff to me. No question about it, this thing does climb like a mother. As far as welds, my friend who works for GE aircraft engines (a big Ti user) says they look fine to him. And, I have looked at those seat stays 20 times and still can't see anything. Really, the true measure of a company is when things go wrong, not right, and I don't think you can ask for much more than an immediate and free (shipping paid, I presmue) frame replacement. Somehow, I don't see that happening with a Cannondale or a Trek. Since I got the bike I have called several times with questions which have always been handled with total professionalism, and Jamie continues to stress that if I have the slightest problem with anything, he wants to be right on top of it.I am very satisfied with the bike and the company. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Stephen
a racer
from New Jersey
Date Reviewed: December 21, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I recently purchased a Lucky Strike 18 frame, and built it up myself with XT components. For the record, the only contact I've ever had with Airborne is as a first-time customer, and I've got no reason to inflate my rating. That said, I've got high praise and only minor quibbles to offer about this frame. It really is an exceptionally good value. When I built the frame up, I was pleased by how all the threads were clean and the dropouts perfectly aligned. In the past I've run into minor irritations building up bare frames, things like cranky bottom bracket threads or a loose brake boss or a dropout that wouldn't let the hub axle slide in and out smoothly. The Lucky Strike had none of those annoyances. There's some really attractive metalworking in the S-bends and the dimpling of the chainstays, and plenty of tire clearance. The welds are very good (much, much cleaner than the welds on my famous-brand aluminum frame), but not quite the jewelry quality of the high-priced Ti frames. The brushed finish of the tubes, the headbadge, and the decals are also very good, but again not quite the exquisite quality of those $2-3K Ti frames. It was dark by the time I finished putting all the components on the Lucky Strike, so I rode it in my backyard and around the block. I was delighted at its crisp acceleration and smooth handling when sprinting up the street and running tight figure-eights on the asphalt. This frame rides no-hands more easily than any other frame I've ever had, either road or MTB. The balance felt extremely good when I tried wheelies or track stands, as well as I'm able. I got a nice feeling that this frame would give my bike handling skills lots of room to grow. It really felt responsive and stable at the same time. I took it on a club ride the next day. All my positive first impressions were confirmed, and then some. The Lucky Strike climbed single track every bit as well as my big-name aluminum hard tail, and actually had noticeably better traction on the rear wheel. I could get out of the saddle on a climb without worrying about the rear breaking loose. It accelerated very nicely on the flats, and felt very smooth on the descents. (Note: I'm a cross-country rider, not a downhiller, so those are the kind of descents I mean.) The frame does a great job of absorbing chatter and vibration from the trail without ever feeling spongy or sluggish. I really enjoyed the comfort of the ride without trading away any of the performance. In corners, the Lucky Strike suggests a very smooth, flowing kind of style. When it drifts, it feels completely stable yet responds immediately to steering or pedal inputs. This is a noticeable difference from my aluminum frame, which corners best with a rather on top of it kind of style, with lots of corrections from the rider. I like both styles, and I think I'll very much enjoy riding both bikes on different days, or different courses. I'm not sure how Airborne did it, but the frame soaks up a lot of the bumps and still feels very efficient. This is to say it's not whippy at all, but the rear triangle is nicely compliant. For whatever reason, the Lucky Strike is very responsive to pedal input, but still comfortable to ride. There's a little bit more lateral flex at the bottom bracket than my aluminum frame (which has a reputation for extreme stiffness), but not really enough to be bothersome. There's also a bit of flex in the seatstays when I put the rear brake on really, really hard but I don't see that as a big problem. The rear brake modulates very well and has plenty of stopping power, even if it feels a little softer at the brake lever than the front. This is no big deal, since I can fix it with a brake booster later on if I want to be really fussy. Frankly, I doubt I'll even bother. So my initial backyard impressions were confirmed by my early singletrack experiences with the Lucky Strike. It just feels really good on the trails, responsive and comfortable at the same time. I'm picky, and I'm truly enjoying the feel of this frame. Here's the bottom line: I'm delighted with this frame and glad I bought one. Our season is over so I won't get to race it until March, but I expect I'll have a lot of fun riding it with my club until then. It's great that Airborne has brought us such a high-quality Ti frame at such an affordable price. (Long live the free market!) The glowing reviews this frame has gotten here and in Mountain Bike Action are totally consistent with my experience. Believe it. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Roy Kern
a weekend warrior
from IL
Date Reviewed: December 1, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Well here's my review of the LS and I'll provide my home and work numbers if you want to call me and verify that I don't work for Airborne. I don't know about the guy below me being just a pencil necked geek but he sure sounds like he rides alot more stuff and has a lot more experience than what he implies.I currently own a 19 Yeti ARC and a 19 Litespeed Ocoee. The Ocoee, although 19, is too large for me and so I've been looking to replace it. After researching what people thought about the Airborne frame and seeing the 18 geometry being very similar to the Yeti (which fits me like a glove) I took the plunge.
The first thing I noticed was the ovalized top tube on the Airborne was just like the ARC. Then I noticed the large diameter chain and seat stays. That is one beefy rear triangle. After taking it on the trails I'd have to say it is as if I bought a Titanium ARC. It is a much stiffer frame than the Ocoee but again the Ocoee was a large-ish 19 frame. I love the geometry of the Lucky Strike - much more than the Ocoee. The top tube is quite long giving excellent technical stability coupled with the large standover clearance make this a keeper for me.
At one point in the trail I felt what could have been lateral flex on the Airborne - both the front and rear tires felt as if they were loose on the frame. I don't know if this was just due to the particular section of trail that I was on (it was muddy/slippery) or flex as I haven't ridden enough different frames to know what lateral flex is. I'll have a better feel for this after more rides.
The welds on the Airborne, although nice, definately are not in the same league as the Litespeed. I don't know if this affects the ride of the frame so I'll leave that for you to interpret. Overall I love this frame. For $600 you'd be hard pressed to find a good aluminum or steel frame let alone a good Ti frame. This value alone warrants a 5 rating, but its geometry, how well it fits me, and how well it rides definately push it over the top. I think I slightly prefer the Yeti but I haven't put in enough miles on the Airborne yet to make that call.Roy.
H: 847-726-0605
W: 847-726-3817 | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
brad hartsock
a cross-country rider
from phoenix, az
Date Reviewed: November 25, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
i'm not going to get caught up in the debate about who's posting all the positive reviews on this product. i was caught off-guard by the showering of 5 chilis, but i also know humans can rationalize any decision, especially large purchases.i'm a skinny, pencil-neck geek that likes to ride fat-tired bikes on streets and forest roads. i'm not an extreme rider, downhiller or singletracker. i get my rocks off by climbing until i puke, and then climbing some more (death ride, vail ultra 100, blah, blah). i wanted to upgrade from my raleigh m80 (which i still have and like)--something lighter and not aluminum. my cream dream is the moots ybb superlight...but a top-of-the-line equipped would run $5k+ (XTR, SID, C-Max). I checked into a local company (Titus)...their HCR similiarly equipped ran $4K. I spotted the top-end airborne and decided to price out how good of a deal $2799 was. long story short, after pricing components out using supergo, performance, nashbar, etc, i calculated i was paying nothing for the frame. that was a deal i was willing to take. if i didn't like the frame, i could xfer the parts off to a moots when i saved up the money to buy the ybb. cutting out the LBS, while not my favorite thing to do, saves big bucks...period.the ride...haven't been on it enough to review the ride (i'll post that later)--initial impression is good. i can, however, comment on the service provided by doug, jamie and sue. they've been nothing short of friendly and quick to correct any problems with incorrect components (wrong seatpost and pedals shipped to me). they usually 2nd day air stuff out and give you a postage-paid invoice to send stuff back. jamie stood behind an employee's mistake to deliver a free jersey (which is really nice looking). doug shipped me some upgraded bolts for the easton ct2 seatpost after easton failed to respond to my emails and voice messages. doug even gave me a '98 rock shox sid pump to make up for some confusion on the build specifications.my logic is if you want a titanium hardtail, don't ignore this possibility. seven, moots, kona and merlin have sweet bikes...but they aren't worth 4x the price (for the frame). the ybb by moots with rear cushioning is the next step if you're willing to spend that kind of cash--why suffer with a hardtail for that price ($2200). you won't find a better frame than the ybb...period.dislikes are few, but: serial # is a clear sticker, sloppy seat stay welds (others are good), bad head tube emblem (peels off) and they should use a black, not red, c. king headset. likes: good looking, solid feel (not too flexy), nice rear triangle tube manipulation (max tire clearance). while the dropouts aren't 6/4 ti, they're beefy. if i screw those up in an accident, frame damage will be the least of my concerns. feel free to drop me any email ?s: bhartsoc@estrp.maricopa.gov | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Turk
a cross-country rider
from Atlanta, GA
Date Reviewed: November 24, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
disclaimer: I originally reviewed this in the bikes section.) My bike is an 18 with an old (but fairly new) XT/XTR gruppo, zokes Z3, bonty stem, bar, & Mavic X's from a Fisher Zig (Easton elite) frame i totalled. I've ridden the hell of the lucky strike the past few weeks: lots of x-country, a little nasty downhill (not enuf to make a judgement), and--after switching out to semi-slicks--5 days a week on the road (commute to work). I've also ridden a merlin and a seven (both borrowed for a weekend of racing) and a tested (short rides) a few other high-end ti frames w/similar packages. Bottom line: this has been a joy to ride, it climbs better, goes faster and is so much more responsive than the Fisher and compares so nicely to the merlin, moots, et al it has shocked the hell out of me. If you want pretty welds and have $3000+ to spend, by all means, buy yer fred-mobile. Yes, time will tell if this frame holds up, but I consider the best $600 i've spent in a long time. You may not like the fact, but the Chinese aerospce industry is making a great frame, and Airborne is asking a very very very fair price. And, yes, Jamie, Doug and Sue at Airborne provide *high-end* customer service. And the bike is sexy as hell. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jared Morris
a cross-country rider
from Rough and Ready
Date Reviewed: November 20, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I want one! I want one! I want one! I want one! I want one! I want one! I want one! I want one! I want one! I want one! I want one! I want one! I want one! I want one! I want one! I want one! I want one! I want one! I want one! I want one! I want one! I want one! I want one! I want one! I want one! I want one! I want one! I want one! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
david
a racer
from Ireland
Date Reviewed: November 20, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Well after having this bike for the last six weeks I feel I can review it and give it 5 chillis! For those reading this and not in the US it may be of interest that I mail ordered from Ireland. I ordered a frame, seatpost and XTR 1999 groupset over the phone from Jamie. He was very helpful and easy to deal with. The parts were sent by UPS arriving 10 days later and even with import duty and VAT it’s still a huge bargain. Out of the box the frame looks the business, ovalised, manipulated tubes, sloping downtube, massive dropouts, DeKerf-ish monostay, decent welds, and good decals, no complaint there. I can’t imagine what you would have to be doing to cut your inner thigh on the headtube badge (see review below). Built up it may be a bit heavier than a top end alu bike but the ride more than makes up for it. Compared to my Klein it just glides. All those ripple and stutter bumps and roots that went straight to your rear end and left your lower back feeling done in just disappear without losing that direct acceleration although I think the Klein accelerates that little bit faster on the road. Keep the front wheel under control and everything just follows. The bike cruises up granny ring climbs where previously the front wheel popped up or the rear wheel spun out or both. This is with the same forks, stem, bar, and tyres. I thought the extra teeth on the XTR 12/34 cassette were responsible but no matter what gear you use the wheels stay in touch with the ground.
If you’re looking for a frame that looks great, works well and won’t look wrecked after a season of racing and travelling , that should last for years, with an excellent back up service and at a seriously affordable cost look no further.
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave Ortiz
a cross-country rider
from Farmington,NM
Date Reviewed: November 19, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I recieved my frame and promptly assembled XT parts off of a
95'steel Stumpjumper.A few hours later I took it around
the block and noticed the lighter feel but wasn't quite
convinced yet.So I took it to a local trail with hills,
sandstone ledges and whoop-de-doos.A quick 12 mile loop
all I thought the ride would last.Man,what a rush I
was experiencing as bumps,hills and rocky obstacles blew
past.2.15hrs and 30 miles later I was in total amazement
on how this bike handles!I weigh 152lbs but the bike
made me feel much lighter and faster,especially on
uphills.Steel absorbs shock very well,but titanium seems
to be a step up and allows more speed to be generated
on the downhills.I've read other reviewers say that their
Airbornes were a little jittery on downhills but mine
handled very good,actually slightly better than the steel
bike I previously rode.I,m very impressed with the
Lucky Strike and everyone who has seen it thinks also.
By the way,my father is an expert welder who checked
the workmanship very closely and says the welds are
extremely well done.Jamie,thanks for making a wonderful
quality product.I'll never have to consider a Lightspeed
again!
Dave Ortiz | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Charles
a weekend warrior
from Jonesboro, Ga
Date Reviewed: November 17, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I was kind of paranoid about 4 months ago about a $699 Ti frame. My worries were over after my first ride. Finally, TRUTH in advertising!! Don't believe the propaganda that is spewing out of Lightspeeds and all other CRIMINALLY OVERPRICED Ti frames!Come on folks, a major mountian bike publication found it to perform as well as the big dollar yuppie sleds.If I pay $2000 dollars for a frame, it better do a hell of lot more than this Lucky Strike. Until that day, this cheap skate will be laughing all the way to the bank!All naysayers get your lazy carcass on one these rockets before passing judgement. 5 chilies, wish I could give 100! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
a.w.
a cross-country rider
from los angeles
Date Reviewed: November 10, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I first saw a Lucky Strike at a local bike shop months ago. I blew it off. A Ti bike for $699? Please! Then I read the review in MBA. That caught my attention. Too good to be true, I thought to myself. I checked out the reviews at mtbr.com. Everybody raved about this bike. Everybody! I still couldn't pull the trigger. It smelled like a conspiracy? I put in a call to the FBI, but all of the agents were busy. Hmm... coverup? So, I called Airborne and spoke to Jamie. Over the phone, using dulcet tones and a hypnotic friendliness, he managed to brain wash me. Suddenly, I had to have one... I could no longer fight it...I bit.He assured me (as only he can) that everything would be alright. I waited... A couple of weeks later, there was a knock at my door. A man in a dark brown uniform handed me a huge box, smiled, then vanished...Inside was an 18 Lucky Strike built with XTR, SID XL, Race Face, Thomson and Cane Creek Ti wheels. Damn! My hypnosis worsened... I felt dizzy. I had to ride it, now... I put it together in ten minutes. Everything was good to go. Off I went...This bike is the cat's meow. Best bike I've thrown a leg over. Light. Quick. Solid. Steering is laser-quick, not twitchy, but keeps you honest. Climbs like scared cat. Goes down like... well, it goes down nice. I think I'm being followed. I think it's the bike. Maybe this thing is classified top secret. I'm in too deep. Who can I trust..? Jamie's words rattle in my head I think you'll like it. You won't be disappointed... Jamie! It's Jamie, he's the mole. All I can do now is ride... The truth is out there, somewhere...
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jason Evangelista
a racer
from Baton Rouge, LA
Date Reviewed: November 6, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
The frame is sweet. I've been racing the Lucky Strike frame and it has been faultless. After owning a Bontrager Race and a Slingshot, I can honestly say that this low priced frame is anything but. The frame is very well detailed. It is better than my friend's GT Lightning and everybody loves the graphics. Hardtails can't get any better than a Lucky Strike. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Does it matter
a cross-country rider
from USA
Date Reviewed: September 30, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
This frame rocks, I outgrew my old frame and needed a new one and didn't have the money to buy a completely new bike, so i invested in this. When i ordered it I figured that it would seem really heavy and cheep right out of the box, but boy was I wrong. I flew across everythiing i steered for, the perfect geometry for anyone that rides as aggressivly downhill as i do. allaround the perfect bike for a small budget. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeff Z.
a cross-country rider
from NJ
Date Reviewed: September 22, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Three cheers for Airborne customer service! I received my Lucky Strike frame promptly, built it up and discovered that the bike just wasn't for me. The geometry was a little too stretched out for my tastes. It was a difficult decision, but I decided to send it back. I've got a limited budget for bike stuff and really wanted to be 100% satisfied with whatever I finally buy. I cleaned up the frame and prepared to ship it back. Jamie at Airborne seemed genuinely interested to hear my likes and dislikes about his baby and he harbored no hard feelings about my decision to send it back. I am absolutely and completely impressed with the integrity and interest the folks at Airborne showed me and only wish I liked the bike enough to keep it. However, it's not them, it's me. Seriously though, my experience with Jamie and Airborne (as a company) was excellent. In my opinion, it is crucial that we consumers support small companies who truly make an effort to sell cool stuff and are willing to stand behind their products. If we don't vote with dollars, we don't have a say. Airborne is absolutely worth a call. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dale Steel
a cross-country rider
from Jackson MS
Date Reviewed: September 10, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I can,t begin to say enough good things about this product and the folks at Airborne.The entire operation and the product are Top Drawer!Purchasing the frame was a decision that I struggled with over 3 months.After reading Mountain Bike Actions review I was sold.They said it was the near perfect Norba hardtail and to achieve perfection would consist of some lighter component choices to take it closer to the elusive 20 pound mark.Also being produced by an areospace firm they have tooling and machinery that Botique frame shops don't.It,s about time that Titanium prices came down.Russia has the largest resources of titanium and with the fall of the soviet union the price of high grade titanium dropped years ago,but it was never reflected in the price of frames.Well now you have the chance to pay the fair price and get one of the best frames you,ll ever own at any price,the layout and welds are flawless.You,ll never regret buying this frame! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nino B
a cross-country rider
from White Plains, NY
Date Reviewed: August 21, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I have the lucky strike frame now for about 500 miles. I had the airborne people build it up with XTR, Xmax and a White brothers sc70 fork, the bike is nice and light and built to climb and descend the long steep hills and valleys in the Catskills mountains north of nyc. The roads are a mix of blacktop, gravel and rutted dirt farm roads. This is the third mtb that I've owned to ride the area and the airborne is by far the best, really a great bike. It's a wonderful climber, stiff and lite, the frame make some long 3-5 mile long steep climbs seem easy. and in the fast downhills the frame and front shock absorb all the bumps and rutts while maintaining good feedback and outstanding stability. In the tight spots, the steering is nimble and quick.
All around a winner!
Jamie and Doug at airborne are both a pleasure to deal with and are very helpful with all the follow up questions.
I'd buy another one with out any hesitation. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Michael Treffinger
a racer
from Wellsville Pa
Date Reviewed: June 26, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I recently purchased a lucky strike frame and have so far put two races in on it. My first was a NORBA National at Seven Springs. I just built the bike two days prior to the event and had no idea how it would handle. My first ride on it and I was sold. This frame handles! It does everything Airborne says it
does and more. The ride quality of this frame is exceptional. I built mine up with a SID and Crossmax wheelset. The weight of my bike is 21.75 lbs. It feels great on those long climbs and comes back down them with confidence. Also this frames attention to detail is top notch. From it's S Bend stays to it ovalized top tube this frame is a beauty. | | Overall Rating: |
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