Submitted by
Pippin Cvg
a Cross Country Rider
from Fairfax
Date Reviewed: November 19, 2009
Strengths: Light, responsive, like no other bike i have ever ridden! Great triipple butted shock absorbing fork, Ritchey logic tubes, light frame make a lively ride like no other bike i have ever ridden! (I have not ridden the 2010 Lightning yet though!) My favorite bike of all times. It handles and carves turns and bunny hops like no other bike ive ever ridden.
Weaknesses: Hmm, can hardly think of one. The it is a 1991 frame, and in 1992 or 1993 he did start to but an external but around the lower head tube for added durability of the headsets. BTW, never run a taper bearing headset in a light steel bike, the fork flex is engineered to work with a standard steel ball bearing headset, this is not a weakness, but a fact for bike set-up.
Bottom Line:
You will never be disappointed, 18 years old or not these bikes are a dream! Even in the rough stuff, this bike dices and slices like no other thanks to Breezes thoughtful design and the Ritchey Logic tube set(Except perhaps paralleled by Tom Ritchey's personal bikes, maybe.) Back by popular demand the new 2010 Breezers are now in production! And so far people i have talked to who have ridden them, the new alum and steel frames both retain the original effortless character and ride like the vintage steel bikes, of these iconic bikes, but have even managed to improve the stiffness, ride compliance and control over the original!
Bike Setup: Full Ritchey Pro-logic. Ive had the bike down to 22 pounds with Ritchey WCS parts but w/out hardly any TI parts, but did build light wheels. I ran a Soft Ride stem for a while, but have restored the bike to stock, so its about 23.7 pounds (and that is with SPD737's!.) I run 395 gram front and 405 gram rear wheels with wheel-smith 15/17 spokes, which are very reliable for my weight (175 lbs with gear.) The bike is like a feather, but springs to action like Lightning! Oh and it has a Hite-Rite, I love those for adjusting the seat for single track!
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Matt G.
a Cross Country Rider
from Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: June 11, 2004
Strengths: Reasonably light weight, good frame geometry (for a 80mm fork). Attacks corners like nothing, and shines at climbing hills. Plus it looks awsome!
Weaknesses: The paint on this fame could use some work, it chips without much force being put into it. But, like most thinks, everything good has a price.
Bottom Line:
This is an awsome frame! If you are planing on doing some cross-country recreation or racing this frame it for you!!
Submitted by
Mike the bike guy
a Cross Country Rider
from Leesburg VA
Date Reviewed: August 29, 2002
Strengths: New design rules over the old Breezer: lighter tubing, cleaner welds, much better paint job, disc ready, "S" seatstay, built for 80mm of travel, Breezer drop-outs, it's a Breezer but way better than before.
Weaknesses: seatpost clamp is sorta old skool style
Bottom Line:
OK.... so it's not officially a Breezer frame specially with the brand new INTERLOC painted on there but, word on the street is that Joe Breeze did indeed put his name into the final design features. For those of you who know who and what Breezer is all about, this is the bike to have. They took the old Breezer and spiced it up, big time. It's one of the best steel frames you can get your hands on. climbs great, tracks like you're on rails, down hill action is real smooth and for us older folks, long term in saddle is a breeze (no pun intended). STEEL IS REAL!!!!!!
Similar Products Used: Dean Reynolds Jester (hardtail)
Bike Setup: mixed bag of Race Face, Chris King, SRAM, and Interloc products.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Riley Johnson
a Cross Country Rider
from Madison, WI
Date Reviewed: August 7, 2002
Strengths: The ride!!!!! The history behind the bike exceeds any other bike company. Beautiful paint job. All logos are painted on, not just decals.
Weaknesses: Everything winderful comes at some cost. No warranty and very fragile paint. Geometry doesn't work well with the new 100mm front suspension forks.
Bottom Line:
I've waited two years to write a review on my Breezer. The simple fact is that I love this bike. I want to give it a name, like an old man would give to a car, but that would cloud over the fact that this bike is a Breezer. Everytime I ride this bike I feel like it can't get any better than this frame. It attacks hills and cuts through tight trails and singletack like a hot knife through butter. Last year I switched from a 80mm travel fork to a 100mm and the geometry went whack! The front end raised substantaily and I found myself sitting way in back of the pedals. Suprisingly, this made the steering very responsive but the climbing suffered until I compensated by riding it a bit different. With this modification included, the ride is still outstanding, but I feel like I need to pamper the frame with all the love and caution of an over-protective mother because if the frame breaks its over. No warranty! All that aside, I feel like I'm riding a piece of art and history, not just another bike. Every once and a while someone, who knows more about bikes than those whose whole world revolves around Trek and Gary Fisher, will stop at a trail head to admire my bike. They will often talk about how they once owned a steel bike or even a Breezer. I'll see their eyes light up as they talk about it. As with all good things, they soon come to an end. I will ride my Breezer until it becomes a wet noodle and then retire it to a casual street cruiser. Bottom line: This bike is what biking is all about. It's too bad future generations will not experience the ride of a Breezer.
Submitted by
Kathleen
a Cross Country Rider
from Philadelphia, PA,USA
Date Reviewed: November 26, 2001
Strengths: light, pretty, comfy
Weaknesses: flexy
Bottom Line:
I've been riding this Breezer since 1997 and I am sad to be semi-retiring it - the frame is very fatigued, lots of lateral flex now. I am an average size female rider, the frame is a 17" - runs small. I wouldn't recommend it for freerides or huge riders, you'll break it, but I've squeezed alot out of this frame. This bike gave me 5 good years of trail ridin and was probably the most lite and comfortable ride going, and sassy-looking too. And has survived multiple crashes. It eats up trail bumps and tracks very nicely but now noticeably bends side to side when I climb out of the saddle(but since most people don't ride their bikes as long as I do they may never see that come to pass). Oddly I am buying an IF to take over the role of the Breezer, which was originally purchased because I couldn't afford the IF... it all comes full circle. I have to say that I knew in '97 that it was an over-seas job, Joe Breeze never tried to hide that, I talked to him at interbike about it in 1996. But for the money what do you expect? You just have to do your homework to know what you are getting.
I wish I'd bought two of these last year - one to ride and one to admire. Don't get me wrong, she's still a beauty but I know every one of the chips in the paint by heart (who can suggest a good touch-up paint that matches the high gloss black finish?). Anyway this bike is a joy to ride - comfortable and fast on singletrack and incredibly light. I had some climbing problems when I used the SID SL fork with 80mm of travel; I felt like I was sitting on a downhill rig! I fixed this by changing to 63mm travel and those problems are gone. The alternative AMP fork is more in keeping with the retro look of the frame (but it's not quite as comfortable!). Quibbles about the fact that the frame was put together in Taiwan are irrelevant in my opinion - so are most quality frames these days. This frame is a classic and it's a real pity that you can't buy one (or more!) anymore. I'm sorry to say that judging by the current craze for aluminium by the time I need a new frame I'll be forced to turn my back on steel.
Similar Products Used: Orange C-16R steel - also a very nice frame but flexier than the Breezer
Bike Setup: AMP F3 or SID SL, LX/XT mix, Kooka kranks
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
BH
a Cross Country Rider
from Burbank, CA
Date Reviewed: May 25, 2001
Strengths: Many, read post
Weaknesses: Few, read post
Bottom Line:
OK, I have to admit, I was very disappointed with this frame when I first got it. Its one of the last ones built and I got a very good price on it but was expecting a U.S. made frame. Still, the build quality was very good and the black and white paint beautiful but not very durable. Luckily, black touch up paint is readily available. The worst part about this frame is that it has geometry not corrected for suspension forks. The handling with a 99 Z2 Atom wasn't so hot. With the jacked up front end the bike wouldn't climb. It's hard to believe 1.7" would makes as much of a difference as it did. The frame was light though (4.1 pounds, 19.5 inches) with small diameter tubes and very comfortable over bumps. I thought long and hard and decided to sell it; then I changed my mind and sold my aluminum road bike instead.
I decided to turn the Breezer into my road bike. I first bought an old geometry rigid fork and 1.5 inches of stem spacers. Then I changed out the 8 speed MTB gears to 9 speed with an Ultegra 11-23 cassette and RF 24/34/46 crank. I put on my Speedplay X2s and a set of City Slickers. I installed a longer stem, bar ends, titanium seat post and titanium railed saddle.
Now, I really love this bike. It is very comfortable and I ride it for hours with no back pain (I couldn't say that about the old aluminum road bike). I just can't say enough about the comfort level. I also have another steel hardtail built with 853 (Voodoo). The Breezer with the Ti post, and 1.5 slicks at 80 psi is more comfortable over bumps than the Voodoo with 2.1s at 55 psi, aluminum post, the same saddle and a suspension fork. It's that good.
The bike also feels very stable and I can ride it no-hands much easier than any of my other bikes. The handling is stable yet it will also turn on a dime now that I installed the correct length fork. Not quite as quick as the road bike but quicker than the Voodoo. I think the Breezer would make a great bike for riding tight single track except for the rigid fork. I can see where the Breezer reputation came from. It's nice to be able to ride this bike with the geometry with which it was intended even though I'm not riding it on the trails like it was intended. This bike has the oldest lineage of any mountain bike and it's unfortunate that Joe has decided not to upgrade the frame geometry to keep up with the times. If I ever have a custom frame built, I will use the Breezer geometry as the model and just have it corrected for whatever fork lengths are being used then.
I really love this bike and hope that I have it for a long time because it's perfect. Good luck Joe. We will all miss you and your bikes.
Value: For $349, its a steal Rating: I'll be subjective and give it a 5 and overlook the fact that for some, time has stopped.
Similar Products Used: Voodoo Bizango, Fisher HK2, a few other HTs and a couple of F/S bikes
Bike Setup: Rigid Fork, XTR Ds, GS shifters, RF cranks, Ultegra 11-23, Dean Post, XT/517/City Slickers, XTR brakes, Altek levers, Ibis stem, flat bar, bar ends, TFI saddle, SRAM chain, X2 pedals
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
MajDomo
a Cross Country Rider
from Santa Monica, CA
Date Reviewed: January 15, 2001
Strengths: Steel - can you say *plush*? Not every Tom, Dick and Hairy's riding one Paint job - just gorgeous!!!! LIGHTWEIGHT (24lbs fully tricked out) Clean welds, and those dropouts...to die for.
Weaknesses: Paint Job - chips reeeal easy, keep it painted or watch the frame rust away What the hell is D'Fusion tubing, anyway? Better product support - I hear Breezer's out of business now...? Made in Taiwan. Well, ya can't have everything.
Bottom Line:
I bought this ride last year from a guy who'd built it up himself, who'd loved the ride but had to sell it for personal reasons. I was looking to move up from my old GT (triple triangle - strong as all get-out but weighed a TON) to a newer, lighter ride for not a lot of cash. As far as I'm concerned, this is THE bike. Not too many companies making high-end steel rigs anymore, and that's a shame, since it's such a forgiving and relatively less expensive material.
I'd originally bought this thinking it was handmade in the US. Not true, according to a number of accounts. I think this is more psychological than anything else, but I'd rather have an American-made ride rather than one made in Taiwan. Another drawback is Breezer's apparent exit from the business - not that I could ever get away with a warranty claim, but it's something to think about should you run across a frame new.
It's a shame that there will be no more Breezers since these rides are absolutely beautiful. They're a very uncommon sight out here, and I've always gotten compliments on it's old-school looks. The welds are clean and tight, and it's got the ride to match. The Lightning's geometry is incredibly forgiving on the bumps (owing heavily to the steel construction, no doubt), but very lively and well-behaved in all situations. I've cleaned hills on this bike that I could have only dreamed about before. It climbs "like a cat with it's tail on fire" and does it all with style, class and soul. If you're looking for a step up to a mid- to high-end rig, don't mind taking the time to spec your own components and want to avoid looking like everyone else with a Trek/GT/Cannondale, look no further.
It's a shame that Joe Breeze is taking himself out of the business here. Taiwan construction aside, this is an amazing ride to rival Ibis or any other mid- to high-end frame. Get one if you can - it's already becoming even more of a rarity than before. 5 spontaneously combusting horse carcasses on both. Here's to you, Joe.
Similar Products Used: 1992 GT Tequesta. Never had a *single* problem with that ride but it must have weighed 30 lbs.
Bike Setup: Raceface crankset, XY seatpost Flite saddle TIME Pro MTB pedals (sweeeeeet!) Full 8-spd XTR (except the front derailleur, which is XT) Titec handlebar/Syncros stem Nukeproof carbon fiber hubs Judy XC Sun rims, Bontrager Jones tires (front and rear) Salsa skewers
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Billy Zoom
a Cross Country Rider
from Laguna Niguel, CA
Date Reviewed: October 19, 2000
Strengths: Absolutely beautiful paint and finish (black and white, beautiful head badge, etc.). I just find myself staring at it 'cause it's so awesome. Very light, steel, no BB flex. Got it for $50 less than the sale price because they had a special (spend $400 or more, take off $50.) So I either got the frame for $299 instead of $349, or the King headset I bought with it for $49 instead of $99. Either way, I scored.
Weaknesses: Paint is beautiful but lasts about as long as a Van Halen's last singer did. My handlebar just spun to the side, bumped the frame, and I had my first noticeable stratches. It seems very thin. the only other potential weakness is NO WARRANTY, since Joe Breeze apparently didn't want to stay in the business any more.
Bottom Line:
I'd buy it again, but I felt that Jenson should make it known that Breezers are no longer being produced and they are being sold without warranty BEFORE selling them to anyone. Seems very deceptive, in my opinion. I was very excited to receive the frame, counting the days, then I receive it with a tag that says "sold "as is"", etc. In addition, it came with zero information. No specs, no measurements for seatpost or anything else. Just a box, a frame, and a disclaimer note. Be warned.
I STILL LOVE IT, THOUGH! Gets lots of compliments. I've always been a sucker for anything a little different.
Strengths: Well designed and constructed. Excellent welding, the rear triangle looks as clean as fillet brazing. Great handling and a great ride.
Weaknesses: Poor marketing and distributorship. I called Merry Sales and asked for a dealership in the midwest and was told no one stocks Breezer but any dealer could order one for me. Yeah, sure.
Bottom Line:
This bike handles better than my Klein and rides smoother, jumps easier, and feels faster. The Klein might be a fraction better riding off the saddle because it's more rigid. The Breezer is a more lively bike. Breezer has had frames made in Taiwan at least since the early 90's. Tom Ritchey vouched for the skill of the best Taiwan welders in an article in Bicycle Guide about 10 years ago. The Breezer is as well made as my Italian Basso and better than my American made Trek 990. Unfortunately, it looks like the bicycle industry is giving up on steel. You can't buy a Bontrager or a Fat Chance anymore and none of the big manufacturers makes a good steel frame. I kind of get the feeling that Breezer won't be around. Not with Merry Sales' help. Anyway, this is a great all around bike. It will replace my Klein as my race bike and I'll keep a set of wheels with slicks around to use it as a fast city bike.
Similar Products Used: Klein, Trek, Schwinn and Basso are in the basement now.
Bike Setup: Paid 349 for the frame, 100 for Avid brakes+levers, Cane Creek HS and Shimano BB, hit the parts bin from 30 years of cycling(Manitou forks, XT derailleurs, Scott bars,etc) and came up with a 22 pound bike for around 500 bucks. Less than what I paid for my Klein frame alone. Nothing superlight except for a Flite saddle.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
jim
a Cross Country Rider
from L.A. CA
Date Reviewed: September 1, 2000
Strengths: see below
Weaknesses: see below
Bottom Line:
I got duped into buying this frame thinking it was a great U.S. made frame at an incredible price. At least I only paid $349 from Jenson during their sale. I guess times are changing and even the small companies that began this sport are being forced to shift production over seas to compete in the market. Had I known that this was just another bike made in Taiwan, I may have reconsidered purchasing it though my ‘90 Fisher, my ‘99 Specialized, my ‘00 Voodoo and my girlfriend's ‘00 Gary Fisher were also made in Taiwan and these bikes have been OK. I guess I shouldn't complain for the price that I paid for it. Still, I feel sorry for the people who paid the list price of $799 for this frame when they could have had many a fine U.S. made frame for the same price.
It is a nicely made frame. Very clean welds. Offset machined head tube. Beautiful paint job. Classic design. Clear coated logos. Clean braze ons. Nice cable routing. Nice drop outs. Lots of rear tire clearance. Light weight.
I built mine up and it does ride similarly to my steel Voodoo. The top seat on the head tube had to be ground due to some slight pre-packaging damage. Also the BB threads are a little rough and make it difficult to thread the cups in straight. The paint is delicate and nicks easily too. But these are minor issues. I'm using a 70mm Marzocchi fork which raises the front end enough to slacked the seat and head angles almost 1 ½ degrees (to 71.5/70 unloaded). It doesn't seem to hurt the handling much as this bike rides like my Voodoo with 73/71 angles and the same fork. Mainly, I just hope the D'Fusion tubing (whatever that is) and the welds hold up to the abuse that I will throw at it. If it doesn't, I'll just shell out the cash for an Ibis, a Fat Chance or another Voodoo and swap all the parts.
As far as rating it, the price is about average for what I feel its worth. As far as its overall rating, I'll need to ride it more to see if it holds up.
Strengths: Eye candy looks. Light weight(see Rants by Keith Bontrager).
Weaknesses: Get this.. here is a frame that retails for $799. The frame is made from D'fusion Cr0-Mo. The rep at Merry Sales (US distributor) doesn't know what it is or where it comes from ('may be Tange, or from Hodaka, doesn't matter though, now we just use plain old CrO-Mo.') 5*'s for product hype. Joe Breeze should get a PhD in Marketing. Finally, the frame that I purchased from Jenson comes complete with a sheet attached to the chain-stay professing that because it was purchased on-sale or as a close-out, there is no manufacturer's warranty. Thank you for purchasing our product. Where's that RMA number?
Bottom Line:
Save your $ and by a frame made with name-brand steel, preferrably assembled in the US. The paint job on The Breezer is worth more than the steel and the R.O.C. labor that built it.
Similar Products Used: '86 Stumpjumper, '96 Stumpjumper FS,
Bike Setup: Still in the box, with a cute tag from Merry Sales on it.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
jim justen
a Weekend Warrior
from st. paul MN usa
Date Reviewed: July 18, 2000
Strengths: Great looks, wonderously light, good for a big rider like me.
Weaknesses: Maybe a little problem with paint scuff, etc.
Bottom Line:
Just adding my 2 cents...this bike doesnt feel like a MTB. It feels like a road bike. Mine is set up as a year round commute bike down some nasty nasty urban pothole trails and its responsive, smooth...I really cant say more than others already have...just wanted to chime in.
Favorite Trail: transfer road rail/trucking corridor ;-)
Duration Product Used: 1 Year
Similar Products Used: Various upper end Trek, Bontrager, GT
Bike Setup: Standard non-trick XT stuff. Judy.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
kenny olson
a Cross Country Rider
from riverside,ca,usa
Date Reviewed: May 24, 2000
Strengths: nice quality,rides xlnt,weight is good.
Weaknesses: chain stay paint not to durable,otherwise xlnt !!
Bottom Line:
steel is the next best thing to a quality ti frame,the breezer actually rides similar to the ti bike i most previously had although it actually is a whole lot lighter 22.5 lbs for a 19.5" frame,style points given for the old skool look !! jensonusa.com has the best price on these frames 749.00 retail for !! 449.00 !!
Came yesterday, I only need a couple words to describe this bike... "f**king epic"! Appears to be an 18" by my measurement (st - c-c) and if the serial is any indication its a 1997 Read More »
Came yesterday, I only need a couple words to describe this bike... "f**king epic"! Appears to be an 18" by my measurement (st - c-c) and if the serial is any indication its a 1997 Read More »
[url=http://www.918xc.com/2012-lighting-29-pro-frame/]2012 Lighting 29 Team Frame - 918XC.com[/url]
Always wanted the old ones circa 20yrs ago :thumbsup: Read More »
I'm really interested in this frame. I like the styling (seat stays/head set), and I love the feel of steel. Very Ritchey P-29-like. Also, reasonably affordable. And it's a Bre Read More »
Apparently some people take their jobs just a little too seriously...
"Babcock said Hesterberg had repeatedly asked the ranger why he was being detained. She didn't answer him, Ba Read More »
