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Lodestar
Bicycles Team Issue
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Submitted by
Steve
a
from Sunnyvale, CA
Date Reviewed: September 19, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Light, light, light, light, light. 3 honest pounds for a 19". Good welds. Extremely cheap for a 3lb frame. Stickers came separately so I can have a completely stealth bike. Did I mention light? Nice paint. Hasn't broken yet. No one else has one.
| | Weaknesses: | Shaky details...the stock seatpost shim is useless and will crack your frame (it's too short). The huge downtube makes even a high clamp front derailleur not quite fit: mine works but I should really get one that attaches to the braze-on post. The rear triangle is really flexy and demands a brake booster if you want to stop. Some of the cable stays won't fit a cable in them and needed to be filed. The bottle cage braze-ons on the seat tube are too low. Extremely heavy Hammerin' Hank types might find it too flexy in the bottom bracket.
| | Similar Products Used: | Trek 1000, other random hardtails.
| | Bike Setup: | Make sure to pull the stock seatpost shim and either get a bigger seatpost or use a longer shim -- or your frame will crack. You may need someone with a reamer to do this: it's stuck in pretty hard. Also you need a brake booster in the rear because the rear triangle is so flexy. Oh yeah, I run a Judy Race and XT driveline.
| | Bottom Line: | Paying under $500 for an honest 3 pound frame kicks ass, but you have to fiddle and adjust to get everything working right (see Weaknesses and Setup). 5+ flaming poos for amazing value; minus two poos for all the little things you have to fix. But I hope they're still around if I ever break mine.
| Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rusty
a Cross Country Rider
from Western North Carolina
Date Reviewed: May 20, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Western North Carolina | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$650.00 | | Purchased At: | Otis Cucles in Arden NC | | Strengths: | VERY light, climbs great, not as electric as 7005, more like a carbon frame! | | Weaknesses: | The shim provided is to short (sucks)! I got a seat post that fit corectly, no problem | | Similar Products Used: | crabon Trek, easton Haro, Ti litespeed | | Bike Setup: | White bros sc70xc, XTR drive train, Nuke proof wheels | | Bottom Line: | This is the bike frame I will keep till I break or it does. Except for disc brake capabilities I cant find a single reason to ever ride anything else. It transmits energy like the easton frame without beating me on the desents, it takes up the little crap (gravel ect.) like a carbon frame and it is extereamly light. I am very sorry that this frame company has not come to the fore front with a vengance. At a third the cost of a Ti bike, Ti is the only thing even close and that is like saying a VW is close to a Ferrari. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark
a Cross-Country Rider
from Singapore
Date Reviewed: June 21, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Anywhere | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
Very light, great in climbs. | | Weaknesses: |
Not as responsive as some other bikes I've owned and/or ridden (but the difference is very marginal) | | Similar Products Used: |
No other Mag frames | | Bike Setup: |
Rockshox SID, XTR gruppo, Race Face, X_Max | | Bottom Line: | For the price this frame costs, its incredibly light weight, I give it top marks. One suggestion for the 2 other contributors below - perhaps you can dispense with the shim and get a seatpost that fits the seat-tube exactly - I have a Thomson seatpost - no shims - no problems after 3 months of hard riding. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
steve
a Racer
from Chandler
Date Reviewed: June 8, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
dirt | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
Good Climbing, Great descending, lightweight, looks cool | | Weaknesses: |
Cracked at top-tube/seat-tube weld just like Jeff's below after 6 rides | | Similar Products Used: |
Balance, Caad3 | | Bike Setup: |
Manitou SXR, XT, Use Seatpost | | Bottom Line: | Got my frame replaced promptly and have not had the same problem. I am also now using the Use Seatpost and Use shim, so maybe this helps solve the cracking problem. With the first frame I used a regular 29.8 post while waiting for my Use shim to arrive. I'm a little dissapointed because I thought my frame cracking was a fluke but maybe it is a design flaw in light of another person with the same problem? It is a great frame otherwise. | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeff
a Racer
from Edgemont
Date Reviewed: June 3, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
any non-norba | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
Very light, stiff in the climbs, very compliant on the downhills | | Weaknesses: |
Frame is prone to cracking at seatpost. This is remedied by cutting down the collar. The lenghth of the seatpost shim is crutial!! Throw out stock shim and get a USE shim (longer) and to the correct diameter | | Bike Setup: |
It is set up with Manitou Ti fork and Cane Creek wheels and hubs. A USE seatpost hooks it up! XTR stuff & triggershift. 23.9 lbs race ready! | | Bottom Line: | Cheaper than titanium, stronger & lighter than aluminum or butted steel. Raced 80 miles and trained 300, Very strong frame with the proper prep (see above) | | Overall Rating: |
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