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Submitted by
David Gepts
a Cross Country Rider
from Belgium
Date Reviewed: November 1, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$2000.00 | | Purchased At: | Chamizo fietse, St Katelijne Waver, Belgium | | Strengths: | good looking dark grey color(not to flashy), lightweight frame, stiffnes, steers precisely, accelaration up hill, nervous | | Weaknesses: | none, or it must be that a perfect bike still can get dirty | | Similar Products Used: | hard to compare didn't had that many bikes and certainly not anything similar, before I had Trek 8500 for seven years, but this Principia outclasses my old Trek | | Bike Setup: | full Shimano XT, Bontrager Speed wheels, Ritchey ZED RACE tires, Marzochi Bomber, BBB Carbon bottle cage holder | | Bottom Line: | Not the cheapest bike, but great value for money, paid 1700 euro for it, it's the 2005 model, got 30 % reduction on the frame, great bike for my kind of riding (hills, speed, agility, long distances), did yesterday a trip of 03 hours, felt no pain the next day at my back, muscles or neck, IT's DRIVES SO SMOOTHLY!!!!!!! | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kanit Boonnam
a Weekend Warrior
from Bangkok, Thailand
Date Reviewed: September 26, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$850.00 | | Purchased At: | Speedmax | | Strengths: | - Fast,light and stiff but plush ( not normal for aluminum frame)
- Feel good in both ascending and descending
- Nice paint job and welding
- Various sizes to choose (with 1 inch increment)
| | Weaknesses: | - No color other than black
- No disc brake mount in the rear triangle
- Seatpost and head tube diameter are not normal though adapters are provided
| | Similar Products Used: | Rocky Mountain Blizzard (Reynold 853) | | Bike Setup: | Fox 80RLC,XTR Group,Thomson post &stem, Keda Klimax Lite,Mavic618+White+DT comp,Time,Selle Italia SLR,Easton EC 70 | | Bottom Line: | For me this is one of the best aluminum hardtail I have ever ridden.It contains all good characters of good aluminum plus the plushness that usually be in the titanium or chromoly frame. The more I ride the more I love this frame. This is the frame that make me stop thinking about buying an expensive titanium frame. Highly recommended. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Sebastian LYH
a Weekend Warrior
from Singapore
Date Reviewed: December 30, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | All Over | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1100.00 | | Purchased At: | Boon's Bike | | Strengths: | Beautifully handcrafted, very stiff and light frame, excellent acceleration abilities | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized | | Bike Setup: | MSL Pro frame, XT, Easton, Rolf, Selle Italia components | | Bottom Line: | Great value for money! I ride my bike almost everyday for about 20km both on rough and smooth terrain. This bike handles well on all roads. An excellent bike for riders of any caliber. The acceleration on the bike is just great, I think this is because of its weight (which is quite light). The bike also feels very stiff but it can possess some characteristics of a FSR bike when the need arises. This frame should last forever because of the combination of materials used to create the frame! A must buy if it is within your budget! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
bert van rijsingen
a Cross Country Rider
from Benelux/Scandinavia
Date Reviewed: August 20, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Belgium Ardennes/Luxemburg | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$3000.00 | | Purchased At: | John Knoops , Mierlo | | Strengths: | The Mac SL has stroke me through the years as being a delightful very neutral but enormous stiff and well built frame. Although I'm not a skinny biker, this frame never let me down yet and believe me, it has seen some awesome tracks. From sandy, dune-like trails to the muddy rock tracks in Norway's hill- and mountainsides. | | Weaknesses: | The only minus I've come across in these years is the losening of the transfers (I'm a sweatty guy). | | Similar Products Used: | Cannondale 4000 frame | | Bike Setup: | Mostly shimano LX/DX/Mavic wheels and Roox stearing/sattleparts, front suspension Rock Shox Judy SL Long travel | | Bottom Line: |
Bought it on advice of my local dealer in Holland, John Knoops. He drove one himself and was very enthousiastic; I borrowed it for a weekend and was sold, inspite of the firm price.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Simon Hjerrild
a Cross Country Rider
from Aarhus
Date Reviewed: August 9, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | In the Marselisborg-forest | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1200.00 | | Strengths: | Extremely stiff, very light. The perfect frame. A quite anonymus frame, that really kicks. Accelaration is magnificent. Handbuildt aluminum frame, titanium gray. | | Weaknesses: | None | | Bike Setup: | AMP F4, XTR, Syncros bar/seatpost, kooka, Flite saddle, rigida | | Bottom Line: | This bike is awesome. Can't understand why they're not trying to break the american market. These frames perform, no fancy bo**ocks, just raw power.
I have a very emotional relationship to my bike.
A bike that would suit any rider, regardless of standard. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Thorsten Hebes
a Cross Country Rider
from Munich, Bavaria, Germany
Date Reviewed: February 1, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | all across the near alps | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1100.00 | | Strengths: | light, stiff, well crafted, good lookin, great geometry | | Weaknesses: | I realized nothing after three months and nearly 600 kms | | Similar Products Used: | that's my first highend-hardtail - in former times I drove only fullies - and now I ask: why? | | Bike Setup: | RockShox-JudyRace, XT-XTR, Easton, Mavic 517, Hügi, IRC-Mythos, Ritchey-WCS etc all good stuff | | Bottom Line: | hey you know the alps? when you and your bike climp up a long trail with more than 16%. it takes minutes, it takes hours and no summit in sight. you guys know that?
okay, in the past when i drove heavy 12-or-13-kg fullies (univega, cannondale & votec) such trails were horror, now with my 9.5-kg-principia it is fun.
last but not least the downhills are fun too, it's pure riding and no couchfeeling
these stiff and light mtb is nothing more than a machine that fits perfect for me and my kind of mountainbiking.
with this bike I'm sure I shall never regret changing from fully to hardtail. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ed Tooley(Principia Race Team)
a Cross Country Rider
from Fareham,Hampshire,England
Date Reviewed: November 25, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Margam Park in Wales | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | RBSperformance(the UK importers) | | Strengths: | Weight,strength,stiffness,paintwork,handling ability,climbing ability etc etc | | Weaknesses: | Lack of mud clearance at the rear end(but that shouldn't stop you purchasing one!) | | Similar Products Used: | Coyote Ultralite | | Bike Setup: | XTR groupset, FRM parts(extremety light and strong ie stem in 110mm weighs around 100grams)-stem, headset, wheelset, seatpost, USE- XCR suspension forks, stealth bars and pro-racing bar ends , Panaracer XC FirePro tyres, Time Carbon Pro Pedals, Gipemme saddle, and a few other bits | | Bottom Line: | An amazing ride, the XC racers dream, I haven't riden a better bike and I don't think I will enless the boys from Principia( or any other bike manufacturer) can perform miracles. Its a bike worth buying I recommend it to every XC racer out there, I've got the bike now all I need is peak fitness and you'll be seeing alot more of me on the podium. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Henrik Andersen
a Cross Country Rider
from Roskilde
Date Reviewed: November 22, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$900.00 | | Purchased At: | Roskilde Cykelcenter | | Strengths: | Weight, stiffness, color and a hole lot more | | Weaknesses: | Price( 900 us $ for a frame) | | Similar Products Used: | Schwinn Homegrown, Ghost Lector | | Bike Setup: | Manitou SXTI.XTR.XT.LX.Ritchey.Syncros.Magura.Thomson.Flite.Icon.DT.Hutchinson. And some other stuff | | Bottom Line: | Great frame with great setup. Very light fram in SID blue with silder decals. Very sexy!!!! I will not be desseponted if you buy this frame. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
jeroen de graaf
a Cross Country Rider
from sint0michielsgestel
Date Reviewed: May 15, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | loonse en drunese duinen | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Weight, stiffnes, paintjob is very nice, especially the pearl color | | Weaknesses: | uhhhh........maybe a bit pricy, costs 2045 dutch guilders, bout 1100 us dollars | | Similar Products Used: | not similar at all but used to have a be-one cyber frame | | Bike Setup: | the usual stuf: xt/xtr/raceface/syncros/hugi/magura/king/mavic | | Bottom Line: | This frame is really great. If you are a weightwatcher this is your frame. You will really notice a difference between this and your last frame regarding acceleration. You will be much faster. When you are climbing you really apreciate this frame as well, because it is superstiff, and your frontwheel will stay on the track for a very long time. Going downhill is great as well, this frame takes all absorbs all bumps perfectly. This frame is a winner. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joachim Smits
a cross-country rider
from Helmond Holland
Date Reviewed: August 25, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
FIRST I RODE A ROCKY MOUNTAIN BLIZZARD, BUT THE MECHANIC (WITH THE GOLDEN SCREWDRIVER) RECOMMENDED ME A FRAME WITH A SHORTER TOP TUBE. SO WE SEARCHED FOR A BIKE WITH THE BEST GEOMETRY/PRICE/WEIGHT. THE FRAME: the mac sl FROM DENMARK !!!! (YOU READ IT WELL: NO USA!!!)
FIRST RIDE IMPRESSION: 1 STAR
SECOND IMPRESSION: 2 STARS
AFTER TWO MONTHS: 20000 STARS
THIS FRAMES HANDLES DIFFERENT THAN MOST OTHERS FRAMES, BUT ONLY THE TIME WILL LEARN YOU KNOW THE BIG DIFFRENCES ACCORDING TO OTHER FRAMES. SHE (THIS FRAME IS NO: IT!!!) DESCENTS AND RIDE SINGLE TRACKS JUST THE WAY I HAVE IN MIND AND NO OTHER BIKE CLIMBES BETTER.
NOW IT ONLY DEPENDS ON ME TO WIN FROM MY FRIEND AND NOT THE BIKE.
LOOK AT: WWW.PRINCIPIA.DK FOR THE ULTIMATE FRAME !##@$$@%$ | | Overall Rating: |
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