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Submitted by
nick bayne
a Downhiller
from Newquay, Cornwall, UK
Date Reviewed: June 5, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Coed Y Brenin | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$550.00 | | Purchased At: | 24seven, Norwich | | Strengths: | Amazingly tough frame, finished really well with superb welding. Suspension linkage ensures a silky ride and no loss of traction. Excellent customer service when dealing direct (I ordered rims directly with Cortina). Good wheelbase length and removable seat stay for those Big Drop days. | | Weaknesses: | There are none. Extra cost in Chains for the drivetrain 9it takes a chain and a half). | | Similar Products Used: | Spooky Metalhead, Santa Cruz. | | Bike Setup: | Hanebrink World Cup Forks, Cortina Rims (Built by Dave Hinde), Race Face, Roox, 24seven pedals. | | Bottom Line: | It is awsome at everything. There are other frames in the same category and all are good but this suits me and i wouldn't change it. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
simon mcdermott
a Downhiller
from tyne&wear,england
Date Reviewed: April 7, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | morzine,cup | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$3000.00 | | Purchased At: | markantony,england | | Strengths: | big lad needs no upgrades | | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | m1,222,cannondale dh | | Bike Setup: | shivers,hope big-uns,6 pot ti romic 3in stroke,mojo conversion to shiver | | Bottom Line: | awsom bike 15stone rider.just put romic tt 3in stroke shox on sorted the pedlebob problem,shivers mojo fox cart put in bike gos like a hardtail but cannot feel a thing even 8 foot drops on dh course at 35mph.had a m1 s**t when u get on this baby.travel 9in on rear now. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Max_winner
a Downhiller
from Toronto
Date Reviewed: December 29, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Calabogie | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$2000.00 | | Purchased At: | Trailblaziers | | Strengths: | Takes a beating, heavy bike but nice when going fast. | | Weaknesses: | The front Head tub. When you break your head tube it won't snap off. It will rip off into 3 peices. Considering they weld 3 mm head tub on. IT HAS A VERY THIN HEAD TUB! | | Similar Products Used: | M-1, Norco Team DH | | Bike Setup: | Gizmo, 02 boxxer, Hayes 8" f/r, hadly hub r, Atomic Lab front rim and hub. XT casset, Kooka cranks. 02 Rock Shok 3.0x9.0 | | Bottom Line: | Well right on a Dh run, all you can think of it winning. I mean its a good bike however having cortina to make your bike a little better will find it difficult. Going fast on a strait with a little 1 foot hump getting 1 ft. of air then your bike foldes only to find your self going head over heals down the mountain with bruises and a minor concusion. So you would have thought 100% of the head tub riped off if it was like 10 mm thinck! Well think of ripping a thin peice of tin foil off a head tub its gona rip not break off. So that's what my head tube did. It ripped into 2 peices top head set and bottom head set. with a rip right in the middle of the head tube on the frame were the forkes poped out of. So basicly... Its a good bike for a light rider but if your 140 + you got some troubles comming in the future. Cortina needs to put a thicker head tube on this awsome bike. 4 mm hed tub is not good. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeremy
a Downhiller
from New York
Date Reviewed: August 23, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Unholy @ Plattekill | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | Cortina Direct | | Strengths: | Super clean welds, beautiful powdercoat job, very plush rear suspension, travel is very progressive and ramps up nicely, rear end is extremely stiff, awesome company behind the bikes. they care about their customers | | Weaknesses: | nothing major at all. but to be picky... the stickers suck,which is ok, cuz i took them all off for a pure badass black look. | | Similar Products Used: | Kona Stab Primo with an avalanche, Intense M1, GT DHIdrive | | Bike Setup: | Monster T, Avalanche DHS rear shock, Hayes 8" f/r, 24/26 Mag30 wheels, arrow primebite tires, kona bars and stem, SDG big boy seat, Ultegra rear derailler and XT cassette, MRP BONES cranks/guide combo. | | Bottom Line: | This bike rides really nice. it begs to go faster in technical stuff, and considering how well it sticks to the ground in rocky sections, my cortina loves to air out lip in sight. it takes drops nicely. Mine ended up weighing 57 pounds, which is a lot of bike... but it feels soo much lighter. overall, this is a sick frame that i have yet to bottom, even off of 12-15 foot drops and enormous kickers. buy one. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John G
a Downhiller
from Kitchener
Date Reviewed: January 15, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$2300.00 | | Purchased At: | East Side Cycles | | Strengths: | I dunno what it is but this bike feels incredibly fast. and it is! Pedals well, handles everything with ease. Loving the adj wheelbase!!! The front triangle is sooo sexxy. all sealed bearings at every pivot. Machined hardware is flawless | | Weaknesses: | Goes through eyelet bushings like mad | | Similar Products Used: | Rocky mountain rm9 (sucks cack snapped in 2 weeks) Foes dhs tube, MArin Team dh, Banshee Scream | | Bike Setup: | Rock shox boxxer team, Cane creek crono dh wheels, full xtr, hope dh4's, race face hardware. | | Bottom Line: | Bottom line is i have never enjoyed a bike as much. i dont mind spending the extra dollars and getting something that makes me happy.I dunno about everyone else but i only live once. Another important aspect about this bike and the company is the customer service. SECOND TO NONE! Minor problems i had were dealt right away and none of this bullsh!t waiting like with other companies. im impressed and would definitely snag another cortina once im finished with this one. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Eigil Bisgaard
a Racer
from Alpine, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: December 2, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Anderson Truck Trail | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$2299.00 | | Purchased At: | Let It Ride Bike Shop, Alpine, CA | | Strengths: | Tracks straight, doesn't bottom harshly, unique. | | Weaknesses: | Bobbing while pedaling hard. | | Similar Products Used: | Allmost all downhill, freeride, and slalom bikes out there. | | Bike Setup: | Shiver, Hayes 8"s, Kooka cranks, Hadleys, Titec cockpit, Maxxis Slow-Reezays. | | Bottom Line: | It's fast through technical stuff, but not the fastest pedaler. It handles great and doesn't bottom harshly no matter what you do. I cased a 3ft. tall landing at a local jump spot and hit the bottom-bracket shell, and I hardly felt it. You can run 3-4"s of sag, and have the fastest bike at Northstar, or other technical places. Overall, I wouldn't buy anything else. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tony
a
from Uk
Date Reviewed: April 10, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Looks good, very strong, easy to set up | | Weaknesses: | linkage bolts are old imperial sizes, mates all want to ride it! | | Similar Products Used: | Saracen Rush, Giant, Turner etc | | Bike Setup: | 7" Boxxers,Manitou Bazooka Big Shaft rear shock, Hope M4`s, D321 on bulb and big un hubs, Cheiftan Mk2 3 piece cranks etc | | Bottom Line: | This is a very sweet frame, very resposive rear at times I forget it a fulsus. no noticable pedal bob, feels very fast and want to be let loose, works well on technical and twisty stuff and jumps well. Easy to pedal on flat sections. Maybe a bit pricey for some.
| Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeremiah
a Downhiller
from Colorado Springs, CO
Date Reviewed: January 8, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Pipeline | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$2000.00 | | Purchased At: | www.cortinacycles.com | | Strengths: | Suspension, weight, quality, durability, plus... very rare on a DH bike-it was pie to build it up! | | Weaknesses: | Not much, maybe tire clearence? (2.8" is tight) | | Similar Products Used: | Kona, Foes, Karpiel, Intense, Santa Cruz, Giant etc. | | Bike Setup: | Boxxer/Pro Deluxe, Hope dh 4's, Hope hubs, SDG seat, XTR, Easton post/bar/pedals/stem. | | Bottom Line: | This is the best DH bike I have thrown a leg over. It's fairly light weight (mine built up is less then 40 lbs), it is of the highest quality and I have never ridden anything that compares to it in the suspension dept. What really shines about the suspension is the rate. Unlike the Karpiel, the DHE8 doesn't have the shock just slapped on the linkage. It has a completly seprate linkage just for the shock. This allowed Cortina to tune the rate to EXACTLY what they wanted. No short cuts here. All cartridge bearings with nothing to wear out. What's amazing about the rate is that you can get 3" of sag and still not slam through the travel. You get a bike that pedals like it has 8" of travel, but tracks like it has 12"! If your looking for a top notch bike that can take it all, check it out. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Will
a downhiller
from Brazil
Date Reviewed: April 7, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I've been riding this frame for about two mounths now. I built it up with a 8 Hanebrink fork. At first the 8 rear travel felt kind of weird. You have to learn how to ride the bike seated. It's 20 top tube lenght gives it a motocycle feel, the rear is very active and doesn't bob as much as you would think. After you set up the suspension right it can take anything you put in front of it. When you learn how to ride it you feel a big advantge on fast rough or rocky turns, on slow extremly tecnical sections with boulders and jumps. This bike jumps very evenly and lands on pillows. Overall this bike is a World Cup Contender. | | Overall Rating: |
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