Submitted by
adinpapa
a Weekend Warrior
from Northampton
Date Reviewed: June 9, 2008
Strengths: geometry, climbing,
Weaknesses: hardtail- no surprises, no weaknesses
Bottom Line:
Purchased on Craigslist complete bike for 1700 in like new condition.
Bought this after considering full suspension models. Tired of the buzz of a squishy rear. On this ti bike I will never end developing my ability. Climbing is impeccable, love the geometry and the quality of construction. Nothing better in my view- A classic that will be always be in style.
Bike Setup: full xtr, chris king, Zokes Marathon S, .75" riser for more aggresive set up
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
todd
a Cross Country Rider
from Atlanta
Date Reviewed: September 16, 2003
Strengths: SINGLE SPEED!!!!!! Simple, perfect welds, rides like a dream, stiff laterally, great geometry, improved rear tire clearence!!!
Weaknesses: Took 10 weeks to get it, they said 4-6, not too bad!
Bottom Line:
Get one, it's worth the wait, Dean Customer service is really good and you get what you pay for. I like that your Visa doesn;t get charged until the frame ships. The will tell you 2 weeks for a few months but it's worth it - top notch quality USA made. Support the USA guys!!!!
Similar Products Used: '97 Dean Colonel, '97 Dean Duke XC, 2000 Dean Duke XC (Love it!),
Bike Setup: X-vert super, XTR Hubs with SS sold nutted axel, XT 180mm cranks, Hellion Ti bar, Tompson post, trusty Titec BKTi saddle, and other crap
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
mark
a Cross Country Rider
from pomeroy,wa. usa
Date Reviewed: March 8, 2003
Strengths: 29"wheels, Ti frame, climbs like a scared cat, workmanship,feels so balanced,light weight.
Weaknesses: none.
Bottom Line:
This is a hot bike. Lots of hills where i live, this bike is the best climbing machine i've ever ridden. If you like Mt. biking, you have to try ti. Yes, you have to wait for your bike to arrive, so just order it 6 to 8 weeks before you would have. The guys at Dean know how to build bikes and build them beautiful, who cares if they don't own a calender.
Similar Products Used: GAry Fisher Supercal 29, Mt Tam 29, Bontrager.
Bike Setup: XTR, WTB tires, Marzocchi fork, Profile Carbon bar, Bontrager Lite stem, wheels, cranks, seat post.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
William
a Cross Country Rider
from Sitka ,Alaska
Date Reviewed: February 1, 2003
Strengths: Price, Lightweight, The Ride, Weld Quality
Weaknesses: Waiting for them to biuld it 14 weeks they said 4
Bottom Line:
Exellent quality, finish, fit, ride. Once you finally get the frame there is no downside. The welds are stunning. It went together like a dream and is my daily rider. I don't use motorized transportation. I use it w/ a B.O.B. trailer for weekend camp trips. Awesome Bike. I don't downhill ride but spend a lot of time on rough backcountry foot trails with stairsteps and singlelog bridges.
Similar Products Used: Other steel and aluminum frames
Bike Setup: Kona Prgect 2 fork rigid XTR V-Brakes Gripshift Rules Ti bar Rhyno-Lite rims w/ XT hubs Gore Tex Lite cables The best Suspension seatpost since I passed 45 years U.S.E.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Gerry Butler
a Racer
from Neenah, WI, USA
Date Reviewed: October 23, 2002
Strengths: Atomic number 22 = Ti = Product Strength
Weaknesses: Don't know yet
Bottom Line:
I wanted to read the referenced 1 Flamin' Chili rating review by some numbnut who hadn't ridden the bike, but couldn't find it, so I thought I would submit a review of my bike that I haven't ridden yet (too bad I can't give it 10 Flamin' Chilis). I race cross country and raced four different bikes last season - none of which contributed to my success or should I say lack of success. I bought(stole) a used Dean Colonel on eBay and it has not arrived yet, but when it does, I anticipate that it will provide exactly what I have been looking for in a race bike. The aluminum hardtails leave you hurtin' after just a short race. The full suspension bikes are plush and fun and all, but who needs to push all that extra stuff uphill. I can't wait for the stiff yet compliant ride I have read about on mtbr and the mad light "climbs like a goat" thing y'all speak about. If it doesn't get here soon, I'm gonna start having withdrawlkhj; lskjawh s;dkja ]0ygqhwktgh aaarrrrgh!
Submitted by
Curt
a Cross Country Rider
from Honolulu
Date Reviewed: October 14, 2002
Strengths: Nice workmanship, price, Ti frame stout enough for my weight, people at DEAN and frame has just the right amount of "give".
Weaknesses: The wait
Bottom Line:
My experince with this frame has been very good so far. It has a little give in the rear when hitting bumps, but I do not notice lateral flex (with my 200 pound butt) like I did when I had my Truth (also a nice bike).
Assembly of the bike went well exept for having to clean the frame of some metal dust (from making the satin finish?). In the past some of the bikes I assembled have had little quirks that made you think "what were they thinking?", but the DEAN just came together (headtube was faced, bottom bracket threads were fine and cable paths ok).
The weakness is the wait. It took about 8 weeks from order till I got it. This would not have been a problem if I knew when I ordered it, as you have to wait for the production run and they are not done overnight. BUT...when I called the friendly people (and they are very friendly and helpful!!!!) kept telling me it was almost ready and it started off with next week and then it turned into a couple of days, and on and on. Then about 4 or 5 weeks later I got it.
Overall a great bike. And to answer what I was wondering about...tire clearance on a Ti hardtail with big stays...No PROBLEM!!! I got my mythos 2.1 with mud room to spare!
Similar Products Used: Owned, NOT TEST RIDE:Ellsworth truth, Intense Tracer,GT LTS DS, GT Avalanche, Trek Y, GT Pantera, even a raleigh (a long time ago when Tomac rode for them).
Bike Setup: Atom race, XTR, hugi 240, hayes disc
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Doug
a Cross Country Rider
from Gainesville, Florida, USA
Date Reviewed: July 24, 2002
Strengths: See previous review
Weaknesses: Ditto
Bottom Line:
Just a quick follow-up from my previous review:
On the weaknesses, on the disc rotor clearance issue, it should have read "doesn't RUB," not run. Besides, your wheel flexes more at the rim than the hub/rotor area (duh!).
It's funny, but prior to this bike and my positive experiences I described in the longer review, I probably wouldn't have considered Dean...however, now, I'm looking at getting a Dean El Diente road bike (if my wife would let me pull the trigger).
Easily one of the best values in the bike biz, especially for Ti. Certainly not a cookie cutter. Plus, not everyone's got one, so there's an exclusivity to them as well. Kind of like being "in-the-know" on a "best kept secret."
I'm only rating the Overall with 4 stars this time to average out the 5 stars on my other review. Though there's no doubt it rates 5 stars for value, there are darn few products out there that are overall 5 stars...but it's easily a 4.5 star product.
Submitted by
Doug
a Cross Country Rider
from Gainesville, Florida, USA
Date Reviewed: July 20, 2002
Strengths: Fine construction Light Strong Not flexy (even for a light Clydesdale like me at 203); Inspires confidence Fast Flingable Helluva bargain A real, 24.2 lb (11kg) bike, with real-world reliable parts, nothing stupid light
Weaknesses: Okay, admittedly, I’m picking nits here. Nothing earth-shattering or show-stopping, but good to know going in:
Minimal clearance on disc rotor and the chainstay…about 2mm. Doesn’t run unless I’m hammering. Perhaps less of an issue with smaller (160mm) rotors (165mm were the only option for Avids when I got them. Not sure if they’ve resolved this…John said they could crimp it if need be, but I haven’t felt the need to take him up on it. Not an issue if you’re going to run V-brakes;
Check on sizing, as they used to tend to run small… they seem to have fixed this on the ’02 models;
Breezer dropouts—though stiff and cool looking—are tough with Salsa skewers;
Headset and bottom bracket threads were chased but not faced (or were they faced but not chased?) Didn’t call to confirm this, but folks have said DEAN would do this before they ship them if you ask. My LBS had to borrow tools from another shop to do mine. D’oh!
And these aren’t weaknesses of the bike as much as my own:
Can’t ride as much as I’d like to;
Inspires too much confidence? Gets me in trouble from over-confidence;
New Bike Adrenaline doesn’t last forever;
Can no longer blame bad riding on my equipment, only on my lack of riding skills, endurance, coordination, etc.
Bottom Line:
Okay, be warned, I’m liable to ramble here. I’ve had over a year on the bike, so, this isn’t just the aforementioned New Bike Adrenaline. But first a bit of history (go ahead and skip this if you want…I won’t be offended).
I was looking at a new bike back in the early '90s, while living in Atlanta. Through vast amounts of research, I found a small, independent builder in the NC mountains named Neville Cork, who built a sweet steel hardtail called the Nevil Devil. He did Manitou/Genesis design before Gary Fisher “discovered” it: the long sloping top tube, the short chainstays. We chatted several times, and met at a race in Brevard, NC, where I got to ride his personal steed. What a beauty to behold and ride!
But I already had a steel hardtail, and full suspension was the “next big thing,” though as yet unproven. Neville said he wanted to try out Ti, which might have been the holy grail: a Ti Nevil Devil! Be still my heart…
But Nevil turned to building FS bikes, at least two of which were panned by Mountain Bike Action. I’ve long suspected that that may be why he seems to have dropped out of the mountain bike business. If you’re out there, Neville, God bless you, man. You made some sweet bikes. Sorry I never bought one from you.
When I finally upgraded, it was a Manitou FS, which my wife bought me as a wedding present. A great bike while it lasted, though pretty archaic by today’s standards. I still have that same great wife, so you can’t have her!
When we moved back to Florida and soon after the Manitou cracked—and Answer/Manitou was out of warranty replacement framesets (D’OH!)—I decided to look at a Ti hardtail, which several of my riding partners were on. As an aside, I was almost swayed into a v1.0 Trek Fuel, but came to my senses, thankfully, looking to simplify (and let others be beta-testers).
I really liked the Moots YBB and Rigor Mootis, though the price was hard to justify, especially when I’m so often bringing up the rear (though I would have looked cool on my Ti Wunderbike, or a complete dumb arse). Tried my friend’s Unicoi, and another’s Obed, as well as King Kahuna. Considered the Merlin Echo, Fat Beat and Fat Ti, but never saw any in person. Also considered the Airborne (didn’t care about the Huffy thing, though didn’t like some of the aesthetics, even if they had a function…darn good price, though) and some Sandvik/TST/Mongoose framesets, though I’d heard they were a bit noodly (cheapest by far at ~$600).
So I was skimming JensonUSA.com, from whom I bought a Barracuda A2R frameset as my singlespeed, when I came upon the Dean Colonel. My familiarity with Dean in the past was that they were basically a boutique brand that bought frames made elsewhere and painted and labeled them. That seems to have changed, as they are building in-house now, and have been for a few years. I had neither a bad nor good impression of them, just never particularly interested. Saw the Colonel on the Jenson web page for $900 at the time, so I started to do some research.
Went back through all my old Mountain Bike and Dirt Rag issues, read online reviews, digested the Dean web site, talked to Lee Baldwin at Jenson (thanks, Lee!), John at Dean (thanks, John!). The Colonel was looking better and better. It was even cheaper than what my buddy at the LBS who’s a Kona dealer could get me on a two-year-old frameset.
So I pulled the trigger and haven’t been the least bit disappointed. Again, I picked nits in the weakness section, but hey, no product is perfect.
Actually, despite the sizing issue, this bike fits me better than any of my previous bikes. I got an XL, despite being a vocal proponent of smaller MTB frames. Previously, my 19” ’89 Diamond Back Apex was too small (long seat post, long Syncros stem, hunched over worse than most road bikes), 18.5” ’94 Answer/Manitou FS (getting better, probably could have gone a size higher), 19.5” ’96 Barracuda A2R singlespeed (almost there; purchased ’00), XL ’01 Dean Colonel (at last, it fits!).
And you know what? It’s like I finally got that Titanium Nevil Devil after all, only it’s really a Dean Colonel. The circle—and search—is complete!
Bike Setup: Atom 80 fork (well worth the weight) Race Face Turbine Crankset, BB, XY Seatpost, Prodigy Stem XT Derailleurs King NoThreadSet Avid Ultimate Levers, CPS Mechanical Discs Titec FlatTracker bar (great wide flat bar) OnZa ProCut bar ends (yes, I still use bar ends) Selle Italia Flite Kevlar saddle Time ATAC Carbon pedals SRAM Rocket Half-Pipe shifters (don’t always play well w/Shimano) Kovachi Elite Disc wheelset (incredible wheels; see my other review) Salsa Flip-Off skewers Hutchinson Mosquito (wet) /Python (dry) tires
Strengths: Light weight, TI, Craftsmanship of frame is excellent, Rides really well, seat stays chain stays and drop outs are all 1st rate, shaped down tube, the list goes on ....
Weaknesses: None so far
Bottom Line:
Prior to the Dean, the moots had been the best mtb I had owned or even ridden. I liked it so much I bought a moots road bike. I am sure the moots hardtail is at least equal to the dean but it costs twice as much. I really can't see it being any better. Bottom line, if you want a TI hardtail that is as good as anything out there but won't break the bank, get a DEAN!
Similar Products Used: Moots ybb - still have it. it is a great ti bike too.
Bike Setup: White Bros XC4, Race Face, XTR, AVID, TI stem, TI post, TI Bars, TI Flight Saddle
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Strife
a Cross Country Rider
from Singapore
Date Reviewed: February 12, 2002
Strengths: Titanium! Good Price Stable Geometry
Weaknesses: Decals comes off easily
Bottom Line:
Great frame for the price. Dean makes awesome frames that cost significantly less than the other 'branded' Ti Frame Makers. Sure, you dun see Dean advertised all over the place, in mags, websites, etc. But the truth is, a good ride needs no advertising. Why pay for publicity if it does not improve the ride?
Bike Setup: XT/XTR drivetrain, LX/X517s wheels, RockShox SID SL 02
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Trent
a Cross Country Rider
from Leadville, CO
Date Reviewed: January 20, 2002
Strengths: Very good welds, excellent tubing manipulation, geometry sport on.
Weaknesses: Head tube length not in spec with manufacturers numbers.
Bottom Line:
Ride quality is wonderful. Very comfortable but not as flexy as other Ti bikes. Unique frame characteristics: monostay, dropouts, larger crimped downtube. Dean is a very friendly, helpful company. Dean is small enough to still give good customer service, talk with you on the phone and answer emails. This frame would be an excellent racer or a wonderful ride for a non-racer enthusiast like myself.
Similar Products Used: Zaskar team, Litespeed Pisgah, older Dean Colonel
Bike Setup: XT, XTR, AVID, Mars Elite
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Jase
a Cross Country Rider
from Pittsburgh
Date Reviewed: December 22, 2001
Strengths: It's ti for God's sake! Absorbs shock of trail (1st ride felt like a soft tail) A light (not super light, but light enough) ride weighed in at 3.7 lbs for the 19.5" Won't corrode! Brushed frame looks great.
Weaknesses: Orderd a brushed finish, got a satin (looks dull and grey) but I got it brushed (no thanks to Jensons) and it looks phat! I had to have a buddy reem the seat tube it was not done at all and I was just lucky to have talented friends helping me build it. In talking to friend with Deans they have experience tube diameters etc. that were not the advetised specs and one frame was out of alignment, but Dean will take care of you if you have an issue such as that. But it's something you probaly won't encounter with a bigger (more expensive co.)
Bottom Line:
For the price this is an awesome ti frame The ride and feel of ti is just what I thought (awesome!) it would be. Dampens trail vibrations especially coming from an harsh aluminum ride. I am thrilled to be riding ti and am very lucky to have a frame like this. I'm only giving four flamers because of the seat tube and some other probs that friends have had. But I do recomend this ride.
Favorite Trail: the one not closed because of dumb riders
Duration Product Used: 3 months
Price Paid:
$1000.00
Purchased At: jensonUSA
Similar Products Used: 98 Stumpjumper M2 comp
Bike Setup: Rock Shox Sid xc fork 8 speed xt/xtr drive train/race face turbine lp crank set Selle Italia flite gel saddle race face seat post/bar control tech bar ends (cut down to stubbys) Mavic rims/XT Hubs/WTB Velociraptors Shimano 747 Pedals Avid brakes/XT levers WTB grips
Weaknesses: Don't care for the finish too much, it always looks dirty...not that that is really a weakness.
Bottom Line:
This frame is very nice. My first Ti frame and I really like it. I thought it may be a little flexy, but with the thick tubing design and the monostay, it is as laterally stiff or maybe even more laterally stiff than my steel SS frame. The frame is compliant, but not as compliant as other Ti frames, like the Ibis Ti, who does more butting to their tubes. If you got the cash and want a light Ti frame, bang for your buck, this is the best thing I could find at the time. Now, the frame was promised to me within 4-5 weeks. It took eight. Still, that isn't bad for a custom frame. However, if I had it to do all over again, I would probably get a Matt Chester, simply because I think they have more "SOUL".
Similar Products Used: Rock Lobster, Ibis Ti, Indy Fab, Gunnar, etc.
Bike Setup: Singlespeed specific frame with a Marzocchi Z2, the rest is irrelevant...
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Deanmachine
a Cross Country Rider
from USA
Date Reviewed: October 16, 2001
Strengths: Strength Weight Indestructibility
Weaknesses: none
Bottom Line:
This is a great bike and has been reliable all the time for some 2 years I've had it. Don't listen to that lonely voice below that rated it only 1 star - how can you rate a bike you've never ridden? That "review" should be removed, we're rating the FRAME not the service!
Even IF a company's service was poor - if the frame never has any trouble, then it doesn't deserve a 1 star.
Every other Ti frame that has over 20 reviews has had some problems - except the Dean. Nuff' said.
Strengths: Good Geometry (not too hot, not too sweet... but just right) Soaks up terrain Indestructible Great welds It's titanium!
Weaknesses: Decals easy to come off Should have a 'badge' on frame head, rather than just a sticker (hey - you don't have stickers on a Mercedes do you?) Being Titanium, you have to contend with titanium grease - but it's a small price to pay for greatness!
Bottom Line:
The perfect hard-tail. What more can be said?
If you're looking for a hard-tail with the magic-ride, go Dean. There're just too many fantastic properties of Titanium that you cannot ignore. Why sacrifice strength for weight? You can have your cake and eat it with a Dean Ti - great price too!
Dean Ti SS is up for sale. Get a great Dean frame without the wait. :)
MTBR Classifieds Ad: [URL=http://classifieds.mtbr.com/cgi-bin/classifieds/classifieds.pl?db=MtbReview&we Read More »
$2 paid.
Ad number 105254.
Thanks for looking!
Link:
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If anyone is interested....I was at local bike shop here in Gainesville, Florida, today and saw a very nice Dean Colonel Ti Demo frame at a reduced price of $599. XL size, unpaint Read More »
