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Submitted by
random bike guy
a Cross Country Rider
from uk
Date Reviewed: December 3, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | sherwood pines! | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$60.00 | | Purchased At: | a bike shop | | Strengths: | just look at it! what a beast! very light for a downhill frame, rides like a dream, good travel on the rear, fit a HUGE tire in that frame! | | Weaknesses: | no bottle cage mounts :( have had to mount battery pack for lights on with zip ties! | | Similar Products Used: | carrera hellcat (2001........i think:S) | | Bike Setup: | fsa carbon bars and crankset, lx shifters, xtr front and rear, mavic rims on xt hubs, clim8 six pot hydraulics (kik a s s!)USE titanium seatpost | | Bottom Line: | fantasic frame, if you cn get hold of one, get one, great all round frame1 suited! | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Simon Smith
a Downhiller
from aberystwyth
Date Reviewed: November 7, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | nant yr arian | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | Cheap,V lightweight,nice freeride geometry. | | Weaknesses: | not an I.S. rear disc mount,it looks it but you need a rotor 20mm smaller than the caliper. no bottle mounts but I use a camelbak n e way! crap rear shock | | Similar Products Used: | first full sus | | Bike Setup: | manitou sherman flick plus 150mm,fox vanilla rc shock,hope mini & mono mini,truv. hussfelt cranks,XT R/M,mavic/hope xc wheels,IRC KUJO 2.25 tyres etc... | | Bottom Line: | I ride the bike everyday and use it for XC,jumping,downhill, and some street when im bored. Rides V nicely and I am very chuffed with it. It is very light compared to my mates bikes and it does everything I want. I dont think it is much of a pure XC bike, its more of a 'bit of everything' bike which i think is better. I have used 3 types of fork on the frame:marzocchi Z.3,fox forx vanilla R and the manitou flick plus, the bike rides better with the larger travel fork so I would recommend a fork with atleast 120mm.
The rear disc mount looks like I.S but its not,you actually need a disc 20mm smaller than your caliper and it will need about 6mm of spacers. To solve both problems I made a plate from 5mm aluminium which gave extra reach for the caliper and you then just need a few shims to center the caliper.
im not sure about the carbon fibre swing arm, it should be fine for XC use which is what the bike is so I cant complain. I dont know if it will snap using it for downhill but I do a bit and it is ok at the moment.
use a lizard skin on the swingarm/chainstay as the last thing you want is the chain chipping your swingarm away!!
| Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jamie Ashcroft
a
from Bristol
Date Reviewed: October 18, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Timberland Trail | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | Second Hand | | Strengths: | Light, strong, and very Durable. | | Weaknesses: | The Shock is crap! | | Similar Products Used: | Marin Rock Springs, Specialized Big Hit. | | Bike Setup: | Jnr T's, Mavic 721, Deore Gear mech and XT Hollowtech Cranks and Magura Louise Fr Brakes. | | Bottom Line: | It's Great for Cross country and also can can be pretty good on most UK Downhill trails, but if you do you might want to change the shock! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Andrew Pedersen
a Weekend Warrior
from Preston,Lancashire,England
Date Reviewed: November 7, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Rivington, Belmot | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$425.00 | | Purchased At: | Merlin Cycles | | Strengths: | Excellant frame for messing about on at the weekend | | Weaknesses: | No bottle mounts | | Bike Setup: | Full 99 lx, front hope 185 closed disc, rst mozo pro 3.5 | | Bottom Line: | Some git has just nicked it other than that a great cross country bike . bought when on offer at merlin bargin price | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Miles Carter
a Weekend Warrior
from Bedfordshire, UK
Date Reviewed: October 29, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Rowney Warren | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$1200.00 | | Purchased At: | Supercycles, Nottingham | | Strengths: | lightweight, strong, very good functionally, looks good (apart from paint job) | | Weaknesses: | paint job a little OTT, CF swingarm aesthetics spoilt by the paint. Top tube length slightly short. Looks like a DH bike despite it's low weight. Crap rear shock. | | Similar Products Used: | Almost all popular full sus frames/manufacturers at my local club | | Bike Setup: | in the £1200 build I have mostly XT, 98' bombzer Z1s, RST discs, x517 handbuilt wheels, flite ti saddle, 90mm stem, risers | | Bottom Line: | I get to ride a lot of other peoples bikes at my local MTB club, and lots of people ride my bike.
All I can say is that most people are very impressed with my bike, apart from the weight. First comments on riding it along are usually things like "wow, thats armchair plush!". It's true, I have not ridden another XC full susser as plush as my coyote. Generally people expect it to bob loads because of the plushness, but sitting down spinning, even in the granny ring, there is little bob (you only notice it if you look down at the swingarm, you cant actually feel it). However if you stand on the pedals and stomp like you were on a hardtail, it wallows, and bobs far more than say a Marin design.
Generally I cant fault my bikes function, on my last bike I spent 800 quid on upgrades in 2 years and still wasnt happy with it in the end, Ive had my coyote over 2 years, and I havent changed a single thing on it (although I could do with getting some lighter forks and other bits, as its fairly heavy set up like it is atm).
Handling is fairly neutral, but it just begs to be carved through turns, going along a carpark or deserted road its difficult to resist carving low sweeping turns around drain covers etc. It's the best non DH bike Ive ridden for doing drop offs, I can drop a 2 foot drop onto flat ground and stay in the saddle the whole time, it just soaks everything up.
No bearing problems at all yet, although where the swingarm fits in does tend to fill up with water and add to the weight of the bike, but a quick turn upside down sorts that. One annoying thing is that theres not much saddle height adjustment available, and you will have to cut down any seatpost you buy to a smaller size.
Who should buy this bike:
This bike is perfect for anyone who, like me, likes to do it all on their bike. It makes the perfect lightweight freeride bike, its pretty good for long days in the saddle (although the slight shortness of the top tube does hamper you a little), and in my set up would even be good for a spot of DH racing (obviously nothing too big). I have also done XC racing on it, it was hard work up the hills because of the heavy parts I have on it, but I was usually quite a way up the field.
Who shouldn't:
Anyone who is planning to use their bike for trials, this is NOT the bike for it | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Olly
a Weekend Warrior
from Cheltenham, UK
Date Reviewed: November 14, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | That one over there. | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | Merlin | | Strengths: | ITs strong as an ox. | | Weaknesses: | No bottle mount (who cares).
Stupid seatpost diameter.
Slight swingarm flex in hard cornering. | | Similar Products Used: | LTSs | | Bike Setup: | Judy up front, LX/XTR/Bonty/FSA throughout. | | Bottom Line: | I feel that I need to clarify a few things. Firstly, the CamelBak is not attached to a Camel. They spit too much, and smell.
Secondly, I've noticed some lateral flex in the swingarm when cornering hard. And it bobs a bit. And it makes a crap road bike you know.
But as an all round funbike, its great. Not too heavy, and handles well. Now, who wants to buy me a new shock? | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
tn/\rG
a
from
Date Reviewed: July 9, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only | | Strengths: | Is able to push and pull at the same time | | Weaknesses: | Isn't able to push, pull, and drag a dog into a lake at the same time. | | Similar Products Used: | Phillips head screwdrivers of all sizes (exept 5/8ths) | | Bike Setup: | Stock but without Oliver sitting on it. | | Bottom Line: | Olly mentioned the fact that the lack of bottle bosses meant he had to carry everything on his back. He then noted that he got round this problem by buying a camel back. Surely the word 'back' within this product name should hint at the fact that this product is designed to be carried on the back. So, no, you didn't get round this problem by buying a camel back. To get round this problem in a more efficient way you could purchase a camel's back (with the rest of the camel still intact) and make it run along with you. All in all a great product that I am going to give 5 out of 5. However Olly gets 1 out of 5 for his school boy error in the camel department. I thank you. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Olly
a Cross-Country Rider
from Cheltenham, U.K.
Date Reviewed: September 16, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
The Old Tramway | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
Lightweight,
Handles like a dream,
Looks gr8 m8. | | Weaknesses: |
Too much rebound!
No bottle mounts. | | Similar Products Used: |
LTSs | | Bike Setup: |
Fastraxx SL shock, Mozo Pro 3.5s, LX group, FSA headset, etc. | | Bottom Line: | The bike continues to be great. A couple of things have struck me since the last review. Firstly, the rear suspension has a tendency to bounce back over ridges, throwing the back of the bike into the air. Maybe its not set up right for me, but its a bit disconcerting. The stock FastTrax SL (who?) shock doesnt have rebound adjustment, which is annoying, but is otherwise good, with a wide ranging compression adjustment.Secondly, the lack of bottle mounts is a little irritating. It means I have to carry everything on my back. However, I got over this by buying a CamelBak. Great stuff. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
tn/\rG
a Cross-Country Rider
from Surrey
Date Reviewed: August 27, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
The Secrets Loop | | Duration Product Used: |
tested or demo'ed only | | Strengths: |
Looks pretty, Lock out shock nice. Special offer price (£425 form Merlin) | | Weaknesses: |
Looks Gay with Grey and Red Mozo Pro's. | | Similar Products Used: |
Most suspension systems. | | Bike Setup: |
Standard set-up | | Bottom Line: | Don't fist your but hole. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Olly
a Cross-Country Rider
from Cheltenham, U.K.
Date Reviewed: August 20, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Newlands Corner, Guildford, UK. | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Strengths: |
-Superb single pivot suspension design.
-Lock-out shock.
-Looks superb. | | Weaknesses: |
-The finish on the swingarm isnt great.
-No bottle cage mount.
-V-Brake Rub. | | Similar Products Used: |
GT LTS. | | Bike Setup: |
Set up with FastTrax SL shock, Mozo Pro 3.s, LX group, Bonty etc finishing kit. | | Bottom Line: | This bike handles superbly. Uphill it grips like a demon (partly because of the WTB Velociratpors I had on there) thanks to the superb sus design. Downhill it tends to aim for ludicrous speed. The only major gripes are the lack of a bottle cage, and the reat V-brake tends to catch my leg occasionally.A work of art? Yes. A decent XC bike ? Yes. I love it. | | Overall Rating: |
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