titanium not the best material for leaving the ground
Similar Products Used:
specialized s-works, specialized stumpjumper pro
Bike Setup:
pisgah, white bros XC4, white industries single speed drivetrain, avid mech disc brakes, chris king headset, salsa bits and titec bits.
Bottom Line:
this frame is a pleasure to ride. it is light and builds a sub 20lb bike with suspension easy (for all you SS-ers). maybe its just because this frame is finally big enough for me, but it really feels like it can roll over anything!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Brad
a Cross Country Rider
from Las Vegas, NV Date Reviewed: October 10, 2001
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$1080.00
Purchased At:
Jenson USA
Strengths:
Durable, great ride
Weaknesses:
Decals...
Similar Products Used:
Reflex (Al), Cadex (CF)
Bike Setup:
MARS, XT, 517 w/ Nuke Proof hubs, straight bar
Bottom Line:
This frame has a great ride. Very precise on the 1 track. Makes goats jealous on the climbs. I've got a 19.5" and I'm 6-2 and 165#. Fits perfect, nearly the same dimensions as my old full rigid 20" Cadex (only noticeable difference is the head tube angle). It's great passing f/s bikes on the climbs and then being able to take em on the tech sections too. Why the major rags continue to push f/s bikes is beyond me, hartails are alive and well. This bike is for you if you want a 22# reliable trail fighter.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tony
a Cross Country Rider
from Reno, NV USA Date Reviewed: September 29, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Flume Trail
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
Bike Bananas my LBS
Strengths:
Tracks a perfect line. Climbs and descends well-Has made me a better rider. I handle technical sections much better. Solved some chain suck and ballance issues over my old Obed. 18" frame handles 6' and 195 lbs very well. I wonder just how much more "Ride" you get for the additional expense of a toccoa or a Tanasi.
Weaknesses:
Price-you get what you pay for. Probably Litespeeds best MTB Value. Seat Clamp bolt is sensitive to within 1/8 turn in setting torque. Seat post slipped once or twice, but not a problem once binder bolt torque learned. Glad my size requirement was one of only 4 offered in this frame.
Thanks to My loyal LBS (Owner), I got a fair trade on my Obed and updated fork and several components. This Frame rides much more accurate then my old Obed. I used to have the front wheel come up all the time on steep climbs and now I can stay ballanced in the saddle with great traction and no wheelies on loose sand climbs. I use this bike for all riding, including road training with 1" tires, feels close to a road bike even with MTB geometry. Sid SL a good shock choice! I would reccomend this to anyone looking for a lifetime hardtail. No diggers yet, (Thanks to better positioning), but this frame will probably take punishment like the Obed did. Handles rocky fireroads like a hovercraft, singletrack like a Porsche. A little down preasure on the bars in technical descents holds the line to the inch!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Matthew Young
a Racer
from York, PA, USA Date Reviewed: September 28, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Lake Redman
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$1000.00
Purchased At:
Gung Ho Outfitters
Strengths:
What a ride!!! I love the flexibility of the frame. The workmanship is superb. The entire ride weighs about 23 lbs. It's indestructable.
Weaknesses:
None
Similar Products Used:
Nothing compares--used to ride Fisher.
Bike Setup:
19.5" 2002 frame Mavic cross max tubless All XTR Hayes hydraulic disc brakes Thompson elite seat post with Thompson stem Marzochi X-Fly 100 (2001) Shimano XTR drive train Easton monkey lite handlebar
Bottom Line:
You can't beat this hardtail!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Quickspider
a Cross Country Rider
from Chicago, il Date Reviewed: July 17, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Palos
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$1080.00
Purchased At:
Jenson, Don't buy Here
Strengths:
The frame is sweet, litespeed lengthened the top tube about an inch this year, so the cockpit inspires confidence on steep downhill descendents and jumps. The extra inch means you don't have to composite with a long stem, which in turn produces a kick ass center of gravity. This bike is the most stable ride you will ever experience. This is a durable bike with a finish that is better then any paint job.
Weaknesses:
The head tube should be longer, and reinforced at the ends. I was also disappointed with the inserts for the seat and head tube. The inserts look like scrap metal that obviously were not fabricated with the same standards as the frame. Also when litespeed applied the insert for the head tube the bottom of the tube was bent out of shape, but the insert was perfectly circular. Fortunately this did not affect the installation of the headset so this was only cosmetic. Man those guys must be in a huge hurry.
Similar Products Used:
GT Zaskar
Bike Setup:
Old 8 speed XT, XTR
Bottom Line:
This is the best frame anybody can by for close to 1000 dollars period. Beware to clean the metal shavings and possible a little file work to the poorly applied inserts before installing the headset or seat post. From the very first ride you can tell that this bike is the one. The one that inspires confidence to try things that you should be really scared of doing. It feels smooth as butter and handles like no other. Buy this bike from anywhere but jensonUSA. This company continues to quote lower prices then they charge on your credit card.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
l
a
from l Date Reviewed: July 15, 2001
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$1100.00
Bottom Line:
kuhfggg
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jim
a Cross Country Rider
from silverthorne,Co. U.S.A Date Reviewed: June 16, 2001
Favorite Trail:
the dirt one
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$999.00
Purchased At:
nunurbusiness
Strengths:
the damping of steel and lively feel of aluminum all in one shiny little package(and the bragging rights of owning a Litespeed)
Weaknesses:
the slightly short cockpit may bother some but if you don't mind a 130 mill. stem...
get one, its a no brainer, who with a straight face could ever say anything bad about ti? its expensive? you get what you pay for. I considered full susp. but considered budget,the fact that i break things with too many moving parts,weight yadayada.. and tried ti.trained on it, loved it,raced it, loved it.it has that twitchy alum.feel,kicks it on climbs but gives my kidneys a break on even the roughest d.hills. strong? I'm nursing a stiched elbow as i speak after a botched drop that bent my control tech stem about 10 degrees laterally(i'm 195)and the steer tube is still a perfect cylinder.yeah,with a lifetime warranty, i'm sold. who should'nt buy this frame? anyone who is really attached to that superstiff, sack jarring feeling of alum. or a dualie devotee
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ralph
a Weekend Warrior
from NY Date Reviewed: April 16, 2001
Favorite Trail:
bethpage
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$700.00
Purchased At:
Private sale
Strengths:
-Unbelievable workmanship -ALL of the frame is 3AL -beautiful ride and handling -looks, never have to worry about chips or scratchs
Weaknesses:
Lifetime warranty cannot be transfered to another purchaser
Similar Products Used:
GT full suspension specialized stumpjumper
Bike Setup:
sid xc, thomson,xt throughout, chris king.
Bottom Line:
I recommend this frame to anyone that can afford it. People say that it is expensive. I disagree, I always see great prices or sales on this frame. The welds are unbelievable. The handling kicks ass and absorbs quite a bit of shock, so the ride is more comfy. Not to mention, it is proudly made in the U.S.A.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
phil
a Cross Country Rider
from mesa az Date Reviewed: April 7, 2001
Favorite Trail:
any trail
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$1050.00
Purchased At:
river city bike.chatanuga tn.
Strengths:
light,percise handleing,nice ride,don't worry about scratching it,i don't think it was that expensive for what you get.
Weaknesses:
scared to leave it any where
Similar Products Used:
nishiki,diamonback,2 canondale hard tails and a super v.
Bike Setup:
all the nice stuff and sid xc
Bottom Line:
first of all if your gona cry about the price don't buy it.i am 5'7 and i got the 16.5 and it fits me like a glove. its the sweetest bike i've ever riden.its not as smooth as my super v but i seem to like to ride it much more unless we go to a very rough area. for a hard tail its unbeleivable.mine is 21.4lb and could easily be a 1/2 pound lighter.it seems very stable at speed and i've been supriseing my self in the technical stuff. going from canandales to this bike(with the sid)i do feel things flexing a bit,but so what. this bike really feels good on long climbs and hopping up up ledges.seems pretty good on drop offs also. i really have no complaints. this will probably be the last hard tail i buy.but will eventually get another full suspension bike since its a little rough on some rides in az and we all need 2 bikes right.i have to give it 5 chilis because i can not fault this bike.at $1050.00 for the frame,i think its a good deal.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mike
a
from Canton CT USA Date Reviewed: March 22, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Bluff point RI
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
Benidorm Bikes and Boards
Strengths:
WOW, what a great frame. The back end isnt stiff at all u moron from scottland, its nice and mushy, absorbs alot of shock, just like a good Ti frame should. Its got that great natural flex that Ti is know for. Does everything like a Champ IE cornering, climbing, descending, u name it
Weaknesses:
None that i have found so fair, besides that the Litespeed handle bar that it came with could be alittle bit longer
Similar Products Used:
Moots
Bike Setup:
Full XT, Avid mags, Marzocchi z.3
Bottom Line:
What a awsome bike, i would love to hear from anyone that says other wise, so e-mail me. The last bike u will every need or want. There is no excuse for giving this any less then 5 chilies!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Brian
a Cross Country Rider
from Johnson City, TN, USA Date Reviewed: March 17, 2001
Sid XC fork, XTR drivetrain, Gripshift 8SPEED BABY!!!,Avid single digit 25 brakes (soon to be hayes).
Bottom Line:
I built this bike specifically to race at the 24 Hours of Snowshoe in West Virginia. I wanted something more compliant than my aging Cannondale and the Litespeed definitely fits the bill. It handles tight east coast singletrack like a dream. The ti frame combined with some sticky tires makes this bike hook in the turns. It also climbs and descends very well. It handled the brutal West Virginia terrain alot better than I did. I've crashed hard a few times on it and the bike shows no sign of damage whatsoever. I am upgrading to disc brakes and I have to disagree with the fellow from Scotland about the disc mount. It is "carved" out of titanium (not aluminum or steel like others) and is a work of art. (To each his own, I guess..)
Bottom line: IMHO this is the last hardtail you will need to buy and it's well worth the price of admission. Buy it, Ride it, Love it.. Just don't let your wife know how much you really paid for it.
Five flamin' stoggies please.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Paul
a Cross Country Rider
from Edinburgh, Scotland Date Reviewed: January 23, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Exponential Hill/ Nine mile burn
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
(part exchanged)
Strengths:
Does exactly what it says on the tin- rides well without misbehaving, neutral ride, stiff enough and smoother than alu.
Weaknesses:
Price- hell of a lot of money just for a frame. Stiffnes at back could be seen to be a little harsh. bolt on rear disk mount is rather ugly compared with combined dropout units.
Similar Products Used:
Dekerf, speccy, trek blah blah...........
Bike Setup:
Good stuff w/disk brakes (soon)
Bottom Line:
A good frameset, better than my previous Dekerf team which was comfy on the rear but unbelieveable torsional twist when corner braking. No paint to chip off and will hopefull survive the tropical (not) weather we have here. Scared that it will get nicked. Good neutral ride (i like) but a little expensive. Dig the headtube badge. Four flamin' dog turds for this beastie.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
What's New
»
BEST OF MTBR - Check out the highest rated bikes, parts, & gear!
»
LED BIKE LIGHT SHOOTOUT 3 - We test all the newest products and latest light and battery technology in this comprehensive guide»
$
Overall Rating:
Overall Rating:
