Submitted by
Richard Law
a Cross Country Rider
from Oak Hill, W.V.
Date Reviewed: October 29, 2003
Strengths: light weight, handles good.
Weaknesses: weak frame, kind of fragile
Bottom Line:
built the bike up over a year, took it out on the maiden voyage and over shot a corner flipped and came up with a huge dent in the top tube. ONE ride my kona got abused for 5 years and it took a 30 mph crash off a mountian to do it any damage. I can't say much about the bike since I don't trust the frame to ant real trails, this was supposed to be my race bike. well 4 chilis for value and one for over all it needs to last more than one wreck to be worthwhile in my book. sorry guys.
Similar Products Used: no soft tails, Kona caldera(steel frame).
Bike Setup: All xt, bomber marathon
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Submitted by
Roger Ramjet
a Cross Country Rider
from canberra, Australia
Date Reviewed: November 25, 2002
Strengths: true tempe frame, sweet ride enhanced by soft-tail, the sweetness of steel with a little more give...i pity my hard-tailed aluminimum colleagues, simpler, lighter and often faster than a dualie, without the linkages and crap
Weaknesses: not an alternative to a dualie, sometimes the rear cant handle bumps the marz mxrs just soak up. cant bear the thought of buying another bike...its a love affair
Bottom Line:
this bike rocks hard, super fast, super confident, reasonably light. steel will make a comeback when modern day technoweenies who were born and bred on aluminium realise the falliability of this soft, brittle material.
steel hardtails are the orginal, softtails are gods gift to hard-tail riders who were there in the beginning.
this is the frame for downhillers who like to earn their turns the old-fashioned way
sure i want a fully suspended dualie, but nothing beats this frame at this price....he he he ha aha ah >:)
Submitted by
Roger Ramjet
a Cross Country Rider
from NSW, Australia
Date Reviewed: May 13, 2002
Strengths: US smarts for design and Chro-mo tubes for niceness, taiwanese built for cheapness. from experience chro-mo frames feel better than aluminium and last longer. what you lose in stiffness is irrelevant for MTB methinks. rear shock is stupidly simple and less prone to catastophic failure than gas. smooths out the hits very nicely while being light and efficient. heaps cheaper than aluminium full suspension alternative, or Moots Ti, Gary Fisher or cannondale alternatives. Very nice looking frame, slightly retro yet understated quality
Weaknesses: weird 26.8 mm seat tube, makes finding seatposts a hassle. No alternatives to choose from...why aren't other manufacturers making these frames? Not sure if a gas shock upgrade is possible. Adjustability of elastomer shock???
Bottom Line:
After 10 years thrashing full rigids i have reached nirvana. fanged some favourite trails yesterday and discovered the joys of pain free mountain biking. Marz forks are solid as, xt drivetrain is sweet. now i just glide over nasty rock sections that used to jarr my wrists to buggery. easier to get the power down over rocky sections and still feels reaonably hard-tail esque.
entire bike is still reasonably light and i am confident it will be durable. hard to say if forks or frame is more responsible for soakin gup the bumps (having only ridden full rigids previously) but together it makes for a very smooth, fast ride. i think what i give up in uphill power/rigidity is more than accounted for in comfort.
can't understand why you would choose an aluminium mtb frame, great for road, painful offroad. guy at race yesterday rued the fact his cannondale aluminium hardtail snapped one day for no apparent reason - 7 weeks before replacement frame arrived.
if you can afford 2 mtbs, go the all-out aluminium attack for racing for sure. if you are a grown-up BMXer get the full suspension downhiller. if you are a cyclist who needs somthing versatile, durable, fast and affordable there is no alternative...cant wait to hit my favourite mountains!!!
Similar Products Used: Repco Sierra (chro-mo), Orange (chro-mo), numerous road chro-mo frames incl. columbus custom, and Giant super stiff TCR-2 roadie
Bike Setup: MXR coils, LX-v brakes, retro 7 speed xt drivetrain (same quality and half the price of 9 -speed!!!), Ritchey z-max tyres, ritchey stuff
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Submitted by
Kendog
a Cross Country Rider
from Chester, CT, USA
Date Reviewed: January 24, 2002
Strengths: I think that this frame totally kicks ass. I have yet to have any problems with it whatsoever. Although the softail doesn't do to much on the small bumps it helps on the big hits. I recommend this sweet ass frame to any rider who wants to improve. This is a huge jump from the 250 Giant I used to ride.
Bike Setup: khs team st frame, judy sl, lx shifters, sunn rims, ritchey, odi, avid brakes
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Submitted by
Marco DeAngelis
a Cross Country Rider
from Kirksville, MO
Date Reviewed: November 18, 2001
Strengths: Great feel on the trail. This bike loves technical singletrack as well as the fast stuff. the softail design in awesome if you do a lot of singletrack riding. the ox tubing is lightweight and does a great job of absorbing the bumps along with the minimal travelin the rear.
Weaknesses: they were sold out everywhere but i found one used in the mtbr classifieds. it only had 200 miles on it.
Bottom Line:
This bike kicks some serious butt for the price. it's the type of bike than can be raced or can be taken out for long epic rides, or even great for the weekeng warrior. it's very versitile. can do just about anything except for serious downhilling. buy it!!! would give it more flaming chillies if they let me
Bike Setup: rst xmo forks, fsa afterburner crankset, sram 9.0 shifter and rear derailleur (no front shifter or f.d.) 8 speed bike baby!!! avid arch rival brakes and 2.0 levers, mavic 517 laced to lx hubs, cane creek c-3 headset and titec lil' al stem, thompson elite seatpost
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Submitted by
Ben
a Cross Country Rider
from San Antonio, TX
Date Reviewed: November 7, 2001
Strengths: great geometry for carving singletrack buttery smooth ride zero maintenance suspension good looks
Weaknesses: awkward cable routing - under the BB no disk brake mount needs a quick release seat clamp
Bottom Line:
Great feel at any price! That you can get one for $200 is insane. I get 5/8" travel and no bobs. Incredible seated comfort through minor stutter bumps. Takes the edge of every hit, works when standing. Suspension loads in the corners and rides like your on rails. Improved climbing because the suspension keeps the rear tire down. Better than plain steel -even nice frames, or Ti. You can't get 5/8" vertical compliance w/o breaking a rigid frame.
Strengths: I haven't had it together long but so far: Light, strong frame (26lb). Well built. Great climber!
Weaknesses: I probably have to agree that you won't be getting a full inch of travel. But hey, it's not a full suspension, what did ya expect.
Bottom Line:
Buy it if you can! I like it because with only 1 inch of travel (maybe) then the rear shock won't suck up all yer' energy over the pierod of a long ride, or a long climb. But it is great for those root drops and all the little stuff that makes your rear hurt if you ride a hardtail.
Similar Products Used: Nothing-first softail. Acuatlly, it is my first real bike!
Bike Setup: Manitou TI race fork. carbon DH bar. Laock-Jaw grips. LX speed shifters, front and rear derailurs. Race face cranks, chain rings (front), and seat post. Sella Italia TI seat. Shimano casset, clipless pedels, and chain. Hutchinson Mosquito Airlights. Shimano XTX-RC hubs with mavic rims.
Strengths: amazing weight for a cro-mo softtail excelent handling absorbs shock waaaay beter than aluminum super mega strong
Weaknesses: paint sort of chips there's no way you get 1" of travel, but the cro-mo abosorbs the rest
Bottom Line:
This bike is crazy good for it's price, and for any price at that. this is the cheapest soft tail frame available, and it outpreforms many that are more expensive. I DH most of the time, so i'm used to beating the hell out of bikes. I do that with this bike, and it never misses a beat. For an xc bike, this compares with the top TI softtail models and is better than many top hardtails. if you're in the market for a great upgrade frame, or a new bike, check this out.
Similar Products Used: schwinn moab - very nice trek stp- very very nice tons of DH bikes
Bike Setup: xt, manitou sx-r
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Submitted by
Sam
a Cross Country Rider
from South Orange, NJ
Date Reviewed: July 18, 2001
Strengths: Steel frame is A+, Resonsive handling and strong climber.
Weaknesses: none worth complaining about
Bottom Line:
This frame is excellent, So easy to make it just go. This frame moves and quickly. Great cornreing and strong on the downhill. This bike seems more prepared than I am on race day. With the right components and fork the total weight of this bike could come in around 23 - 24 lbs.
Submitted by
Matt
a Cross Country Rider
from Cave Creek, AZ
Date Reviewed: February 6, 2001
Strengths: This is just an amazing frame. The cro-mo is awsome and smooth no more rattles of aluminum. The handeling and climbing abilities of this bike have brought my mountain biking skills to a new level. The rear shock will get just to about an inch as the elastomer wears in a bit and as long as you are sitting during a big enough hit, remember it is a soft tail not full suspension. This bike has been amazing on the weekend rides and absolutely outstanding on race day!!
Weaknesses: paint chips easy
Bottom Line:
Great buy, Great customer service (allen), an all around excellent bike. I recomend this to anyone looking into a new frame no matter what type hard or soft tail, this bike has all that there is to offer.
Similar Products Used: several other hard tails, no soft tails
Bike Setup: Very nicely (24 Lb even)
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Submitted by
rider
a Cross Country Rider
from austin,tx. u.s.
Date Reviewed: February 6, 2001
Strengths: great frame construction and material, good frame geometry, excellent customer service from KHS, super price
Weaknesses: none
Bottom Line:
The ride of this frame is outstanding, it has a good comfortable geometry for both climbing and descending and the cro-moly frame really makes for a much nicer ride than aluminum. The frame is a bit weighty compared to a double butted al frame but the ride quality is worth it. The rear powertools shock works great but I would recommend taking it apart and lubing it well before your first ride, also the shock does need to be covered with inner tube or a lizard skin to keep out the grime that will make it's way in easily. It takes a couple of rides until the shock and stays give you the full amount of travel. All in all I think this frame is a great buy. I also have to mention the great customer service from KHS. I purchased this frame from pricepoint for $199, they will probably go fast so hurry.
Bike Setup: kore cockpit, sram 9.0 rear der,/lx front der. sram shifters, truvativ firex cranks, rock shox judy race
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Submitted by
Josh
a Racer
from Cape Elizabeth, Maine
Date Reviewed: January 30, 2001
Strengths: Reacts like a hard tail on acceleration and downhills, but the 3/4 elastomer takes the hit off the bumps on the course. Its not that heavy, and the color is great. I love it. Cheap price, allows $$$ to build a good bike from the cash you save over titanium.
Weaknesses: None except KHS claims that the elastomer gets an inch of travel and it is kind of cheap, but it is easily adjustable.
Bottom Line:
Best frame set in its class. I got this cheap at a local bike shop and i will never regret it.This is the best set-up i have ever had. The mars carbon fork is a great race fork. I got it sub $300 at supergo right now on closeout, and all the parts also. The time atac pedals also make a great addition, as this is a perfect expert race set-up. The frame is a little heavy, but its cheap, so i could get lighter parts, and you just have to pedal harder. I have already won a couple races on this bike. I love KHS, i will never switch to any other bike. And the frame comes witha 5 year warranty too. And for all those people who don't think KHS is a name brand and they need a name brand company, KHS builds frames for 25 different name brand companys, so they are just about as good as a frame you can get!!! Buy a KHS frame.
Bike Setup: KHS TEAM ST, xtr rear derailleur, xt front, xtr bottom bracket and cranks, xt shifters and levers, xt vee brakes, manitou mars carbon fork(AWESOME!!!) chris king headset, kore lite seatpost, selle italy, monkeylight bar, bontrager race stem, race face cranks, xt cassette, xtr wheelset, panaracer fire pro tires, time atac carbon pedals(BEST EVER!)stubby bar ends. Great bike!!!
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Submitted by
Charley Rome
a Racer
from Baton Rouge
Date Reviewed: February 1, 2000
Strengths: Good value. Nice gold and black paint job. Takes the edge off the back. Rear shock is simple and low maintenance design.
Weaknesses: Heavy at 4.75 pounds. Can rust. Had some problems with the threading on the bottom bracket and the rear shock. Be careful. Only get about 1/2 inch of travel, but I only weigh 135 pounds. Despite claim of 1 inch travel, upon disassembly and examination I don't believe the rear shock has more than 3/4 of an inch of potential travel.
Bottom Line:
Can't touch another softtail for the price. Most of the softtails are titanium and are very expensive. I have a 15" and the bike seems to have a relatively long top tube which I like. Black elastomer is the softest, but mine came with a yellow elastomer. I called and KHS promptly sent me the black elastomer. I really won't know for sure until I race the bike in a few weeks. Overall, I am happy with the bike given the price. I ordered the 1999 frame from Bikedot for $399, but have seen it elsewhere for as low as $359.
KHS steel frames are trully an awesome ride. There ST can be nice if they got rid of that piece of crap powertools shock. Mine fell out of the unit three times in a month and siezes every time you get mud in it. Could certainly be a nice ride but don't buy it with that piece of crap power tool shock, cause all it causes is problems if ya ride it like a man. Crap There steel frame though rocks.
Strengths: Razor sharp single-track handling. Extremely stable in rocky fast downhills. Rear shock has just enough travel to take edge off big hits, yet soaks up small stutter bumps. Very light for steel. Outstanding value and dealer support. Climbs like a billygoat with the traction grabbing softtail. Accelerates like a rocket because of the light weight and non-biopacing softtail design.
Weaknesses: Initial stiction in rear shock. Suggest disassembling the shock and lubing before initial use (super simple with included instructions).
Bottom Line:
This has to be one of the best XC steel race bikes available for a weekend racer, like me. The KHS handles all trail conditions (tight singletrack, fire roads, and rocky downhills) with confidence inspiring ease. The $500 frameset allows you to upgrade to the good parts with the money you save over a titanium softtail. That is how I was able to go with the Ritchy goods. My KHS Team ST makes one heck of a fun trailbike, too.The frames sell out fast, so don't wait to get yours now.
Similar Products Used: None. No other softtails in my price range.
Bike Setup: '99 Team ST, small Ritchey 2x9 with XTR rear and Ultegra front derailleurs. XTR shifters. ESP Carbon brake lever with Diacompe linear pull brakes. Ritchey OCR wheelset. Raceface stem and KORE seatpost. Speedplay frogs. AMP Research Carbon fork. bike weight is sub-23lbs.
