Submitted by
dave
a Downhiller
from Auckland New Zealand
Date Reviewed: February 18, 2003
Strengths: super ligh but very strong too , full mono frame, long travel 8-6" (you can get 10" if you put a longer shox in),
20mm axl upgrade (by razer rock racing),
Weaknesses: It's not a big weakness dut the 6mm bolts in the sus link can bend, so you need to change every 6 months or so.
Bottom Line:
THIS THING ROCKS. the sus works so well, it fells bottom less. IT's light, I'v got it set up as a dh bike and it's much lighter than a 02 giant dh comp and 03 Bighit ! It looks defferent but cool.
It would work sweet as a full-on freeride bike. it pedals well too, not as good as say a V10 but when going up hill to DH tracks I'm stell riding wen fitter guys are pushing.
If you have the cash this is one sweet DH/FR frame.
Similar Products Used: GT LTS. Avanti Hot Dog. It's my first DH/fr bike.
Bike Setup: 02 shockwave in white ,01 white brother DH3, RaceFace crank set and XY seatpost, Hayes 8" F&R ,XTR/XT ,MRP ,521 front and 321 R rims, rear 20mm razer rock racing hub,Maxxis high roller 2.5 ,funn stem, kore bars, fsa pig headset, DMR jump seat, kiwin clip pedals, ODI grips........
Strengths: The Shockwave is a very stable bike at fast and slow speeds, and has not had a problem with it. The steer stop is great, as well as the continuous cable routing
Weaknesses: Handling sluggish on tight single track
Bottom Line:
The bike works well. I have it set up as an all conditions bike, triple ring, etc. No shift problems, and it can soak up all of the bumps in the road. Foes fork helps a lot since crown height is minimal as compared to Marzocchi. MC products are dependable and can take the abuse. I may not be the first one up or down, but I sure can bet I have the most fun!
Bike Setup: Foes Fork, RF cranks, XTR, Hayes, Easton components, Chris King, Nokian Tires, 33.5 lbs!
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Submitted by
John Suss
a Weekend Warrior
from Cooper City
Date Reviewed: July 19, 2002
Strengths: THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE TREMOR FR1 ! Incredible looks, manufacturing is excellent, fits like it was built for me. Very light but strong.
Weaknesses: brushed finish scratches easily....It's a mountain bike, who cares it adds character and memories of great rides with friends
Bottom Line:
The bottom line is this is one badass bike, handles like a Ferrari, and handles the rough stuff extremely well. Great bike, I hope since MOUNTAIN CYCLE was bought by Kinesis that they don't change anything.....If you are a pro downhiller, it's not the bike for you ! everyone else should be super stoked with it.
Similar Products Used: SantaCruz Bullit--loved this as well
Bike Setup: XTR, CHRIS KING, ROOX CRANKS AND BAR, RACE FACE SEATPOST, MANITOU BLACK SUPER,MAXXIS, THOMSON STEM
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Albert
a Downhiller
from Sherbrooke, Que, Canada
Date Reviewed: February 2, 2002
Strengths: Crazy attention to detail, integrated fork bumper, replaceable dropouts, removeable front der. post, interchangeable seat towers, integrated bash guard/chainguide... floating disc kit available (soon) from Razor Rock
Pedals very well for the amount of travel
Weaknesses: creaks sometimes, have to keep the frame well lubed. not worried about it though
high standover..I'm only 5'9" tall.
rear tire clearance is not sufficient in my opinion...will try a 24" rear wheel to fit a bit bigger tire in there....
Bottom Line:
Very nice DH bike, pedals well, good suspension, not too heavy depending on the setup, mine comes up to about 44 lbs currently.
Strengths: this is for a TREMOR frameset.its not listed so ive used this one instead.build quality is very good,you get a lot of welding for your money.crown bump stop is nice touch.
Weaknesses: the brushed version marks very easy,its just raw alu,no laquer,had probs fitting cranks,swing-arm quite wide,rear hanger bends real easy too (trust me)
Bottom Line:
this frame WILL/DOES drop jaws where ever you go. it is a work of art.although it doesnt have the travel of the shock wave i think the way it rides and the reactions it gets makes up for this.i wont be getting another bike for a long time.i hope!
Bike Setup: monster t,dmr cheiftain II cranks,hope f/r,mavic 521's,nokians,mostly azonic components after that
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Submitted by
cameron johnson
a Downhiller
from chapel hill nc
Date Reviewed: August 10, 2001
Strengths: stiff ,fast lookes awsome , 8 inch and 6 inch travel ,handles well and is balenced ,and no brake jack or pedel kick and can be sprinted and climbs
Weaknesses: none
Bottom Line:
great dh rig that works like it should and can be sprinted
Similar Products Used: m1 ,rm9 ,domanatrax, turner after burnner dh
Bike Setup: shiver,race face isis ,519s 2.5s hayes 8inch 37lbs
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Harhar
a
from Zwolle, the Netherlands
Date Reviewed: June 1, 2001
Strengths: Like Mountain Cycle common, the strenghts are all over the frame, and good looking too, it turns more heads than a common M1 or others (sorry guys, this is truth). And it is pretty darn FAST and at high speed it is very stable to handle so buy it and go for the 60 Mph+ DH Coarses
Weaknesses: ??????
Bottom Line:
Well what more can you tell about it, it is the bottem line baby you can'y go better than this, it handles everything you can throw at it and still begging for more. Oh, I wish I could give more chillies for Mountain Cycle products. Buy them and you'll understand why the people from Mountain Cycle care so much to give us the best possible product money can buy...
Bike Setup: Manitou X-vert R, Fox RC the rest is still freeride stuff but saving for DH stuff, like a Stratos S8 and Hope Brakes
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Richard Sigsworth
a Downhiller
from Sheffield, Yorkshire
Date Reviewed: March 18, 2001
Strengths: The Shockwave has to be the most drool-worthy bike on the planet. It really is in a class of its own too. Strength, weight, performance and reliabilty make the ownership experience very enjoyable and above all it's a very FAST machine. The effective suspension and the frame's stiffness make this bike grip like no other and sprinting performance is certainly good. I also like the fact that you can run this DH beast with a triple chainset, allowing you to ride off in search of good trails.
Weaknesses: To be honest, the only weakness this frame has is bottle cage bosses in a silly place-the rear wheel punches bottles out as soon as you set off and this means you can't take water with you during practice sessions on a course. Where elso could they have put them though?
Bottom Line:
Wherever you ride the Mountain Cycle Shockwave, people are amazed by its looks. It stands out from even the most exotic looking bikes but we are not just talking pose appeal. The engineering exellence and craftmanship complements brilliant design and development. They have certainly payed careful attention to detail.
Ride quality leaves you with a big cheesy grin on your face because it is so predictable at speed, eats tree stumps for breakfast and is equally happy to sprint or tackle the technical stuff.
Unfortuinatley it costs a bomb! My second hand buy was a gem becuase the prevois owner had only used it for cruising around town on! If I were to buy one new, I could not give it 5 out of 5 for value becaue you could get a 160 mph motorbike for the same money. It gets 4 though becuase you have to bear in mind the exclusivity and all the work they've done to make it so good. This is a bike I don't see myself selling. Oh, and don't worry about scratching your investment-the paint is petty tough too!
Strengths: Stiffness, Weight, Looks, and Suspension!
Weaknesses: slightly (a very small bit) weak subframe.
Bottom Line:
The best spinter yet when pedalling, the bike will still soak up every bump. It is so progressive that I have only bottomed out the suspension twice after 15 foot drops from missed landings that went severly wrong! Such good high speed handling at high speeds and a easily contolable when in mid-flight! The stiffness is amazing with a 12mm rear hope hube bolted into DH dropouts. Also the fork bump-stoppers work a treat and saved the frame on a few occasions.
Bike Setup: Small subframe, Hanbrink G7 USD forks, Shimano XTR cranks with MRP(38 tooth), XTR throughout, Hope DH4 Pro (red pad at rear). Protaper Bars. Easton Mag DH stem. 36lbs!!!
Strengths: Superb piece of engineering, relatively light, adjustable travel, replaceable/adaptable frame components (different dropouts, subframes, chainguide, bashguard, reactive brake system coming soon...), grease ports on the pivots... Good standover height. Feels like a four-bar link but without the inherent slop/weight/maintenance that a 4-bar would require. Finally, and let's be honest: It looks INCREDIBLE.
Weaknesses: VERY expensive and despite the fact that it looks bombproof, I have my doubts: In a major crash I managed to buckle the mainframe about halfway between the headtube & where the subframe fits onto the mainframe. I did I write off a helmet & spend a night in Barrow-in-Furness Hospital after that one though... Although on the plus side the nice insurance people got me a year 2000 model with valved grease ports on the pivots & a fork bash guard.
Bottom Line:
It's expensive, but it's a damn good frame. You should have no problem getting spares. It's not specifically a downhillers frame, despite the fact that it looks like it should weigh a ton, it's comparable in weight to my 1998 LTS DS-1000. It climbs well; or at least better that you'd expect. It descends SUPERBLY. I've got the rear set to 6" and i've not topped it out yet.
Oh, for those who are suffering from creaking; remove the subframe, and slap some teflon grease all over the mating surfaces & on the four bolts that hold the main & sub frames together.
Submitted by
Harry
a Weekend Warrior
from Hong Kong
Date Reviewed: October 24, 2000
Strengths: Good look, excellent designed swinglink, best accessories from Mountaincycle such as chainguide, bushguard, DH drop outand fork stopper, best customer service from MC too.
Weaknesses: The subframe is the weak point. Mine has creaking noice already. One more, the T-2 from RCR coming with frame is not in the same class of this frame. MC should give option for Fox or Stratos. The last, standover will be an issue if you have inseam less than 30". Beware of hurting your little brother.
Bottom Line:
This is the most versatile frame ever exist. You can use 6" suspension with triple rings and single crown fork for trail or freeriding. Then if you have moods, you can gear it up as a pro dh machine. Mine has a single chain ring of 36t and Boxxer in front. It weights only 38 lbs. It peddles better than my old FSR. It covers 95% of the trails that I used to go with my old FSR. But it flys down all the DH trails I used to craw or struggle to find the safest line down.
Comparing with Super 8, this bike peddles with less bob, (almost innoticeable), with less brake jack, with smoother travel.
My Super 8 replace my FSR only on the downhill side. But Shockwave replace them both.
Submitted by
PETER SZCZUREK
a Downhiller
from BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA
Date Reviewed: September 11, 2000
Strengths: SUPPA STRONG FRAME, AWSOME STRENGTH FOUND IN THE CNC MACHINING,HARDLY ANY FREE PLAY IN THE SWINGARM
Weaknesses: BROUGHT THE FRAME SECOND HAND SLIGHTLY CRAKED WELDED A BEAD OVER THE CRAK AND YOU WOULDNT TELL THAT IT WAS USED. GOT MY BRO TO GET A CUSTOM PAINT JOB , AND THE WHOLE BIKE LOOKS TRIK.
Bottom Line:
DESPITE BEING EXPENSIVE IT IS A WELL SORT OF BIKE. WITH THE GOOD GEAR ON IT MAKES IT AN ABSOLUTE DREAM TO RIDE ESPECIALLY OVER ROCKY GARDENS AND HUGE DROP OFFS.SET THE REAR SUSPENSION UP AND IT GIVES YOU HEAPS OF CONFIDENCE.ITS A BIKE THAT YOU WOULD FEEL SAFE DOING ANYTHING ON.
Bike Setup: RISSE FORKS,PRO STOP BRAKES,XTR,MRP,AZONIC.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Booger Ward
a Downhiller
from Chico, CA (damn it's hot!)
Date Reviewed: June 26, 2000
Strengths: Plush travel, adaptability (from 6 to 8 inches of travel in two seconds), responsiveness, a downhill bike that actually pedals. And of course the world class service from the crew at Mountain Cycle.
Weaknesses: Price? (What can you do) Sealed bearings would be nice, word on the street is that they are on the way. Gold colored linkage and swingarm, no more disco George!!!
Bottom Line:
Spend the coin and set up a true World Cup DH bike, if you think you can handle it.
This frame rocks. 8" for killer drop courses, or 6" for the pedalers. I won the sport class at the San Diego Sage brush safari on this rig. Long course, with climbs. (8minutes!) Passed guys riding M1's, hardtails, FSR's, etc. The ShockWave pedals like a demon, and eats up all the rough stuff so you can keep pedaling. DH dropouts work great for high speed stuff, but are a little slow for Singletrack. My rig is running at 37lbs right now, pretty damn light for a DH'er.... Small subframe (I'm 5'9") Bought the standard first, but switched to the small for dropoff clearance. Overall, this is the best DH bike I've ever ridden.
