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Psycle Werks
Wild Hare XC
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Submitted by
fsimpson
a Cross Country Rider
from Longmont, CO
Date Reviewed: May 7, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | Bitterbrush so far | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$700.00 | | Purchased At: | craigslist.com | | Strengths: | Great bike all around. Feels like i can take it off anything. | | Weaknesses: | Nothing at all. | | Similar Products Used: | Tomac '93 special | | Bike Setup: | Hayes disc brakes, shimano xtr components, manitou minute fork, fox float air shock. | | Bottom Line: | This is a great bike and I have had no problems so far. I was worried about the bob some of you guys have talked about but I have not experience any at all. My friend just got a bike that was about twice as much but is only half as good. This is definetly the bike to buy if you are a begginer to intermediate trail rider. 5 falming chilis for this bike. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
D. Sturm
a Cross Country Rider
from Atlanta, GA
Date Reviewed: June 7, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Thompson @ Tsali | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$1100.00 | | Purchased At: | UBC Tampa | | Strengths: | Absolutely bomb proof design. | | Weaknesses: | 22mm Hayes mounts make for limited options for dics brakes. | | Bike Setup: | XTR, Race Face, Thomson P/S, SRAM Rocket 9, Marzocchi Atom Race | | Bottom Line: | A follow up. This frame is a '99 and it still holds up against current frames. The timeless design swinglink rear end can handle the rough stuff with ease. I still haven't been able to find anything this bike can't handle.
This bike is best for aggressive cross-country trail riding. If you want to cadillac around,it probably isn't the bike for you. Throw it hard into the curves and drops and roots and ruts and be amazed.
I do wonder about the health of the company and availability of parts in the future. So far I haven't need them.
So five years and five flamin' chilis for the Wild Hare. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
PAUL CHUCKY242
a Cross Country Rider
from ORANGE COUNTY
Date Reviewed: February 22, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$1300.00 | | Purchased At: | RAINBOW | | Strengths: | EXCELLENT CRAFTMANSHIP. BEAUTIFUL WELDS. KICKBUTT PLATFORM TO BUILD YOUR DREAM BIKE. | | Weaknesses: | YEAH RIGHT!NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART.THIS BIKE IS FOR THE SERIOUS RIDER WITH A LOVE FOR BEAUTIFUL HAND MADE CUSTOM FRAMES.THIS BIKE IS EVERYTHING YOUR LOOKING FOR. | | Similar Products Used: | SUPERLIGHT,TRACER | | Bike Setup: | MARZOCCHI Z1 BOMBER,RACE FACE CRANKS,XT FRT,XTR REAR,HAYES DISC(W/GOTHIC ROTORS FREAKIN SICK!!!!)FOX SHOCK.WTB RIMS MERCEDES BENZ SILVER | | Bottom Line: | IF YOUR LOOKING FOR A SICK BIKE THIS IS HER.YOU GET YOURSELF DOWN TO MY BRO TRACY AT RAINBOW BIKES(TEAMRAIN.COM)IN LAGUNA BEACH AND HE'LL GET YOU SET UP WITH ALL THE RIGHT STUFF.I'VE BEEN RIDING THE WILD HARE NOW FOR TWO YEARS.THIS BIKE IS SO WELL BUILT SHE'S ABLE TO HANDLE EVERYTHING I CAN THROW AT HER.SHE CUTS THROUGH THE SINGLE TRACK LIKE A HOT KNIFE IN BUTTER.SHE CLIMBS LIKE A BIG HORN RAM.SHE RACES THROUGH THE TERRAIN WITH THE GRACE OF A CHEETAH.I FREQUENT ALL THE OC SPOTS ALISO,MORO CANYON,CARBON CANYON AND MY BACKYARD THE FULLERTON LOOP.FOR ALL THOSE OUT THERE WITH A PW SEE MY BOY TRACY LETS HOOK UP FOR A NIGHT RIDE.RIDING ALL DAY EVERY DAY TILL THE WHEELS FALL OFF.C-YA ON THE TRAILS.SEE PHOTOS OF MY BIKE AT RAINBOW LAGUNA BEACH. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Josh
a Cross Country Rider
from Austin, TX, USA
Date Reviewed: June 20, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Top of the World, Laguna Beach, CA | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$1000.00 | | Purchased At: | used | | Strengths: | Awesome ride, solid, no worries | | Weaknesses: | None that I can find. | | Similar Products Used: | Everything out there | | Bike Setup: | Full Syncros, XTR, Bomber, Kings. | | Bottom Line: | I rented on of these when I was in Laguna Beach, CA 3 years ago. About a year later my riding buddy from here in Austin moved 30 minutes from Laguna. When I made plans to fly out and see him, I got online and found a used Wildhare in San Francisco. He picked me up at LAX and we drove 7 hours each way to pick it up and ride. I've bought and sold some other lighter race bikes, but this is still my favorite to ride. I can go twice as fast through some crazy stuff and come out in one piece. Stuff that would demolish most bikes, or send you to the morge. Buy one. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from Oakland, CA
Date Reviewed: December 7, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Strong bombproof frame, beautiful welds, sweet ride.
| | Similar Products Used: | Rocky Mtn Element, Santa Cruz Heckler, FSR. | | Bike Setup: | XT, Atom race 100, Fox Float.
| | Bottom Line: | I've had the bike for about a year and it honestly has not let me down once. If there is a section of a trail that I have to walk (either uphill or down)it's definitely me and not the bike. I've taken it chairlifting, done epics on it, and even commute with it in a pinch and have no complaints. As far as criticisms of it climbing abilities; the ECC on my fork makes this bike a very enjoyable and efficient climber. It may not be the most high tech or expensive bike out there, but it definitely can hold it own in almost any condition or terrain. Bottom line is that it is a great all around bike. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
will
a Weekend Warrior
from san francisco
Date Reviewed: November 14, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | any one with dirt | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$1000.00 | | Purchased At: | some guy who didn't know any better | | Strengths: | the.bike.is.dope. Solid frame and feel. Turns nice. Soaks up the bumps and the big hits like Bounty on grape juice. Plush. | | Weaknesses: | what? | | Similar Products Used: | my old FSR doesn't even count. | | Bike Setup: | full XT tranny. Avid mechs F/R. BomberZ2 Atom80. Hot S. Upgraded PW swingarm with IS mount for the Avid. | | Bottom Line: | The bike is bad ass. It drops and climbs with authority...well, maybe it doesn't climb with authority, but I think that's mostly my fault. IF ANYBODY NEEDS A REAR TRIANGLE (hayes/v-brake). I GOT ONE FOR SALE CHEAP! A new IS triangle will cost you about $500. If you're going to go v-brake or hayes anyway, and need a rear triangle, let me know. hit me up at fooomp@hotmail.com. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ride-Fly (formerly TJohn way down below)
a Cross Country Rider
from Oak Park
Date Reviewed: September 19, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | any wicked singletrack | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$3000.00 | | Strengths: | Awesome quality, PLUSH as hell with a coil-over, stable and super fast down, stiff frame, good price, | | Weaknesses: | a little slow in the tight stuff, lack of a Horst link | | Similar Products Used: | Own a '02 Titus Racer X, ridden SC Superlite, DBR V-links, Specialized HTs | | Bike Setup: | Med w/ Fox Vanilla coil in the 4.5" mode. Full XTR, CKing wheels & HS, Mavic 517s, X-Vert Super | | Bottom Line: | After riding this beast for a good 3.5 years, I decided to post a 2nd review. The bike is set up a little different than when I first reviewed it and so I will try to let you know how I think it compares to the way it was before. First off, I went from a FLOAT air rear shock set up in the 3.5" which I changed to 4.5" when I got rid of the Marz Z2 BAM in favor for the XVert. The FLOAT shock worked too hard for my 170lbs in the 4.5" mode. It worked but when the hills got really steep, the shock started to suffer from major sag issues and so it felt like I was wasting a lot of energy. It worked great in the 3.5" mode (no sag problems in the 3.5" mode probably because the decreased leverage ratio) w/ 3" Z2 BAM in the front but as with most guys, once I got the taste of full suspension, I started craving more travel. Still, I rode the Wild Hare for a good 2 years set up 4"/4.5" and it performed admirably. It was super stable in the fast, rough stuff because of the 17" chainstays and stiff rear-end. It climbed well as long as it wasn't too steep (the sag issue I mentioned before) and too technical (long wheelbase required precise weight distribution). A few months ago, I put on the Vanilla coil-over in the 4.5" mode and sweeeeetness!!! The WH is so much more plush than before but the biggest improvement is the lack of sag problems I encountered with the airshock. Suprisingly, the WH climbs better with Vanilla than with FLOAT and the .5 lbs increase is not even noticable. As for how the WH compares to the RX, the RX feels faster going up but definately less stable and secure bombing down singletrack. The RX holds me back just a little bit going down while the WH allows me to go full throttle. Lastly, I think that the guys at PW should seriously consider using a chainstay link (AKA Horst link) instead of the seatstay link. Basically, they can do this without paying the Big S for the Horst link patent just as Jamis has been able to avoid paying Specialized because of the way the patent is written, i.e. the linkage system is not considered a "4-bar system" because it does not pivot around or connect to the downtube. Got on the soapbox on that one- sorry!:) Who should buy this bike??? Anyone who is looking for a super trailbike that is rough on their equipment. Anyone who is looking for the small-builder appeal in their frame without breaking the bank. Racers and weight-weenies need not apply. Ride On!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a Weekend Warrior
from Sacramento CA
Date Reviewed: August 31, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | still looking.... | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$1050.00 | | Purchased At: | Can't remember.... | | Strengths: | Practically indestructable, quality, ride. | | Weaknesses: | Are there any? | | Similar Products Used: | None, really. | | Bike Setup: | Custom Speedgota fork, Race Face, King, Hope C2, Thompson, XT, other good stuff. | | Bottom Line: | Three years in now, and thousands of miles later and I STILL love this bike. Anytime, anywhere, any conditions it rocks. Once you learn to spin it'll climb as long as you got the motor. Yes, it's a little touchy about weight transfer. Be smooth. I strip it down once a year just to wipe out the pivots, lube VERY lightly, and reassemble. Good for another year. Have never seen another on the trail - I like that. Mine weighs under 26 lbs. My old man always said, you get what you pay for. The Hare is proof of that. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Paul
a Cross Country Rider
from Orange County, CA
Date Reviewed: August 2, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Aliso Woods | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$620.00 | | Purchased At: | E-Bay | | Strengths: | Looks awesome, sweet welds, won't see many on the trails, plush ride, strong, strong, strong! | | Weaknesses: | None yet | | Bike Setup: | Full XT drivetrain, Mavic 517 wheels, Thomson post, Kore stem, Easton EA70 bars, Avid V-brakes, King headset. | | Bottom Line: | This bike rides like a dream! I just converted from a hardtail and was worried that it would not climb as well as my 24 lb hardtail, but was pleasantly surprised on my first ride. Bike weighs 26.5 lbs, and climbs like a goat! Very plush ride on the downhills. My bones and joints are thanking me! Great on XC or blasting down hills. Liked it so much, I just sold the hard tail!! Since I picked up the frame used at half the brand new price, five flamin' chilis all around! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Allen tutt
a Cross Country Rider
from Ral., N.C.
Date Reviewed: July 19, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$750.00 | | Purchased At: | MTBR | | Strengths: | light weight
adjust. travel
frame quality | | Weaknesses: | rear disc limitations
only has 22mm hayes direct mount | | Similar Products Used: | Jamis Dakar, FSR, -Y-bike | | Bike Setup: | hayes disc, race face cranks,stem,s.p., king h.s., rolf dolomite wheels, XTR shift, der. | | Bottom Line: | this is a high quality frame and ride. the geometry was a little long for me, but i have short legs too. love the travel options, especially with the long travel link.(3.5"-5.5")at 5.5 lbs. this frame could do almost anything, a great "trail-bike". | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Pete
a Cross Country Rider
from Ashland, OR
Date Reviewed: February 24, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Bottom Line: | I wanted to update my review. I am the guy who, just a few short reviews down said the Hare bobs, bobs, bobs. I'd like to amend that statement a bit. For most of the time that i have owned my wild hare i have had a 5/5.5 inch travel link on it and a Fox Vanilla RC coil over shock. Great for the downhills bad for uphills. I think the link (which my bike was shipped with from Psycle Werks) is for a Screamin Deamon. Before they had the Screamin Deamon (Psycle Werk's harcore freeride frame) they used to offer this link as an upgrade, but not anymore. Anyways, the bike did bob a lot on the climbs in the five inch travel setting, so i got a Fox Float Rc w/ a lock out. But i could never get it stiff enough. Then one of the mechanics @ my LBS mentioned leverage ratio. Oh. I was running a 3.33 leverage ratio in the 5" setting (5" travel divided by 1.5" shock stroke). That's bad buisness. I've been told any suspension w/ a leverage ratio over 3 is nasty and will bob and Fox only recomends a leverage ratio of 3 or less anyways.
So I put on the original 4.5/3.5 inch swing link (purchased from Psycle werks for $40) and I'm a happy camper or biker, i guess. I gave up a half inch of travel for a better riding bike. Now i can get enough preload out of my air shock and the bike climbs better, though i still lock it out on the long climbs. I actaully like my bike better now. It rips up the XC, does well on the climbs, (the lock out doesn't hurt though), and i can keep up if not pass dudes w/ body armor and 40 lbs freeride bikes. And lastly,8 foot drops are no stess even w/ the air shock. If anyone wants the 5/5.5 inch tavel link just email me. I'll sell it cheap. Pylce Werks sell them for $70. Peace. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Taylor
a Weekend Warrior
from Houston, TX
Date Reviewed: December 29, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | STILL looking... | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$750.00 | | Purchased At: | got frame second hand, $2000+ in the build | | Strengths: | Caddy plush, chubby stiff, digger-resistant, not the most common rig on the trail. 4 out of 5 dentists agree; it's the BOMB! | | Weaknesses: | still won't pedal uphill | | Similar Products Used: | enough to know better | | Bike Setup: | 'Zoke Z1 (coil/oil), Fox Vanilla R, Shimano XT, and a rainbow of fruit flavors | | Bottom Line: | Time for yet another follow up, kiddies. It's been a long year, and my Hare and I have finally done some real mountains. I did NorCal last Spring (I'm thinking SoCal this Spring), and the bike just amazed me. And YES, I did two LONG fireroad climbs uphill. My Vanilla-R doesn't lockout, but it takes all of twenty seconds to crank up the preload. Wow, problem solved. And yet I read posts which say, "Whine, whine, whine, I have to use my lockout switch thingy." Methinks hardcore climbing freaks should be banned from reviewing this bike. Sorta like a Porsche stuck in an SUV shootout, eh? The juice on the Hare's climbing traits is this: it climbs quite smoothly, even though one must be very precise when shifting one's weight. Gnarly climbs are easily taken with a LOT of spinning and little drama. Just motor on up...
Regarding bike weight, I'll say again that my steed tips the scale at 26.2 pounds. V-brakes, a coil shock, and a coil/oil Z1 fork. And YES, Virginia, I have seen a sub 25 pound Hare. It has been done. We have the technology. Here's the cool part- there are NO titanium ultra-flimsy parts adorning my rig. Tru-Vativ cranks, cro-mo BB, stout wheelset (none of that radial lacing crap here, man!), and so on. So if an air fork weighs in at something like a full pound lighter than an old Z1, YOU tell me sub-24 can't be done.
Uh, high, my name is Taylor, and I'm addicted to corners, drops, and jumps. This bike changed the kind of rider I am. I will dispute ANY claims that the Hare corners poorly. At first, I was very uncomfortable cornering the bike what with its tall, nervous front end. But, it was on my third or foruth ride that I blew into a corner WAY too hot, and the bike responded with a lean angle unlike anything I'd ever seen. It will not respect slow corner entries or wimpy slow-in, sprint-out styles. It will bite your arse if you even attempt such a thing. It wants you to rail it in there REAAAALY deep, THROW it down into the corner, and carry that momentum to the next corner. I've been a junkie ever since. Drops and FAAAAAAST decents are what this bike was bred for. I cracked 40mph on the Auburn Loop in Auburn, CA. Gimmie some sugar, Baby. Groovy.
I've said it in three posts now, and whenever anyone stops me on the trail to ask about it, I say the same thing. Were it ever to be stolen, I would buy another one the VERY next day. Don't buy this bike thinking it'll make a great X-Country racer. Hell, I wouldn't buy a Hare thinking it'd make a great Slalom racer even though it would. The dude from Laguna, CA (below) said it best- Buy this bike if you want ONE bike to do EVERTHING right, and not one thing bad. It's like soup, man. It's gooooood for ya. Hail to the King... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Gary
a
from Laguna Beach, CA
Date Reviewed: November 29, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Backyard | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Bombproof, Vanilla RC plush, uninterrupted seat tube - versatile, completely hand-built. | | Weaknesses: | none so far | | Similar Products Used: | a lot | | Bike Setup: | Z1CR 130mm, RaceFace, Rhyno Lite/Hugi wheelset, Hayes, XT/XTR | | Bottom Line: | This is a review for the Screamin Demon. There are no reviews for it yet, so I thought I would post here. The Demon is basically the same frame as the Wildhare, with the exception of the linkage and an additional tube to reinforce the front triangle.
I've been riding this setup for a year and a half, and I have to say that this bike is as close to perfect as it gets. Truly all-purpose, it is a very well-designed, well-built frame. It eats up 6' drops, erases rock gardens, and can still manage a long fireroad climb without too much trouble. Superior traction on technical climbs. The Z1 is a perfect match for this bike, and the active rear travel is butter smooth, thanks to the burly, plush, and highly adjustable Vanilla RC. I am 195 lbs, and the 800-lb stock spring was too light. Switching to a 1050 spring fixed that. This frame uses teflon pivot bushings instead of cartridge bearings. This has arguable advantages in that bushings are much cheaper to replace, require no maintenance, and are still silky smooth. The pivots are beefy and still free of play after 20 months of serious abuse. As it's setup now, it weighs in at 34 lbs, with Kujo DH tires (which are over 2 lbs each). Built up XC style, it was under 29.
I run it at 5.5" travel exclusively (the 4.5" setting is unnecessary, IMO), and this bike absolutely devours everything I throw at it, or rather, throw it at, up or down. You won't win any climbing contests, but you'll more than catch up on the downs. I would say it's as good as, if not better than, any 5-6" travel frame out there. If want to absolutely rule, and want a go-anywhere, do-anything, freeride/trail/urban-assault bike, this is it.
"It is so choice. I highly recommend picking one up."
-Ferris Bueller
| Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Pete
a Cross Country Rider
from Ashland, OR
Date Reviewed: October 9, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$1250.00 | | Strengths: | Goung downhill, strength, not a bike that you see often | | Weaknesses: | Going up the hill, unless you have a lock out. Long wheelbase, heavy frame. Damn thing bobs like a $5 whoure. | | Similar Products Used: | Rocky Mnt. Element race, FSR | | Bike Setup: | Z1 qr20, Hayes hydro, raceface cranks and headset, Sun DS1 XC wheelset (yeah, they actaully hold up quite well), monkey lite dh bar, Vanilla RC, XTR, XT, 545 pedals, WTB Laser V seat (which rocks!) Thompson post | | Bottom Line: | I hate to repeat what has already been said so well. So I won't. What the guy bellow me wrote is absolutly correct. I'v had my bike for almost two years. And there's not much to add. The bike rocks going down, but SUCKS going up. Bob, bob, bob! The rear tire doesn't grip well either. I lock out the rear when ever I have a long climb, and here in Ashland, it's all up, then down. I think the bike could be lighter too. It's plush, but the climbing effort doesn't make up for it. It's a fun bike, i just wish it would climb better, and the wheel base is pretty long. I find myself having to slide a lot of tight corners. Though the bike is strong, holding up on the big drops.
I'm more the aggressive XC or freeride type, and as a long travel xc bike it does ok.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Eugene F
a Cross Country Rider
from Seattle, Wa
Date Reviewed: June 2, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$3700.00 | | Purchased At: | Rainbow Cycles | | Strengths: | Very stable downhill | | Weaknesses: | Bad at climbs, tight corners, sprints | | Similar Products Used: | Proflex 856, Santa Cruz Superlight | | Bike Setup: | Large Wild Hare, Fox RC, Sid SL, Hayes Disks, King hubs and headset, Mavic disc specific rims / Dt spokes, Thompson post, titanium bars, XT bottom Bracket, Turbine LP crank, XTR derailleurs and pods
| | Bottom Line: | BACKGROUND:
I've ridden FS for 6 years on 3 different bikes - Proflex 856, Santa Cruz Superlight and the Wild Hare. The Proflex and Santa Cruz both have a single pivot, semi-active design. The Santa Cruz is comparable in price, travel, and components to the Wild Hare so my comparisons are between those two bikes. The Santa Cruz has 4 in. rear travel and is configured the same as the Hare (Sid SL, Hayes brakes, same wheelset, XTR). I rode the Hare for one full year about 1.5 times per week. Most of the rides were on fairly tight XC trails. I got it out into the mountains on open/fast downhill trails a few times.
SUSPENSION/FRAME:
The Hare frame with the fox RC weighed 6.5 lb. The Santa Cruz with the Fox weighed 5.4. So if you're trying to build a light weight XC bike then the Hare puts you at a disadvantage right out of the gate. IMHO the 24 lb Hare is a myth. I could have dropped a pound from the brakes, and and maybe 1/4 from the crank/bb, but beyond that the grams get very expensive. This bike weighed in at 27 lbs, and I used 1.7 inch tires to get that. With Panaracer 2.1 Fire XC's it was 27.5.
I'm 6 feet tall and rode a size large. The factory said I was on the border and could have gone either medium or large. It felt long. I suspect I would have liked the medium better.
The suspension is radically different than the superlight. It is very, very smooth. The Hare also has a bottom bracket height about a full inch taller than the Superlight. The combination of height and plush allow you to stay seated and keep power to the pedals through rough
stuff that requires finesse on the superlight. On the other hand, the Hare is so plush that standing or sprinting is almost futile. It requires a strategy of "no sudden moves". Plan on staying seated when you ride this bike.
ASCENTS:
Single track/technical - The suspension was too plush and the bike too long for good performance on technical climbs. The back wheel broke loose long before the Santa Cruz in the same conditions. Even when the wheel had purchase the bike was a slug on climbs. It felt like there was lots of energy going into the suspension instead of the wheel. Standing is out of the question, unless you just have tons
of energy to burn. The Superlight walks away from Hare on these climbs. They are not even in the same ballpark. The Superlight climbs stuff that you need not even try on the hare - just start walking.
Logging roads - You can lock out the suspension which makes the Hare acceptable on dirt roads. There is a very noticeable difference between active and locked out. You definitely want to lock it out when possible.
DESCENTS:
This bike is a blast on descents. The suspension eats up huge obstacles without worry. It is absolutely rigid torsionally. Obstacles that I pay attention to on the Superlight are not even a concern on this bike. You just ignore the little stuff and keep looking downhill. You really don't have to worry about your pedals smacking into the things due to the high bottom bracket. Just keep pedaling. These bikes are not even in the same ballpark going downhill. The Hare is much more stable.
CORNERS:
Tight single track:
I define tight single track as trails that keep you in the little ring, or low in the middle ring most
of the ride. You are always negotiating a turn or obstacle with very little space to open it up and
spin. The Hare was not very enjoyable on these trails. It was sluggish and required huge body english to get it into the turn. I frequently found myself stuck on the outside of the corner because I just didn't get my weight over soon enough. I found it very difficult to link together "S"
turns compared to the Superlight. The Hare just didn't seem able to get the tight radius turns. And to make matters worse, "sprint" is not in this bike's vocabulary so recovering from a bad turn carried a high price. I'd give it a below average grade. I did it for a year, but my rides were uninspired - strictly business - just do what you gotta do to keep the mo.
Open Single track:
I think of this bike as having a "planing" speed like a boat. Once you get it up on a plane it's a joy. I'm not sure where that threshold is (maybe 10 MPH or so), but you can tell when you've crossed it by the smile on your face. The bike lays into the corner and bites down. You can pick any number of lines because the suspension is so smooth you don't have to limit yourself to the smooth sections. It's stable and inspires confidence. I learned to ride through a corner at speed on this bike much better than I could have on the Superlight.
OVERALL:
I guess the overall rating of a bike depends on your expectations and the kind of riding you do. My expectations, based mostly on MTBR reviews, was for a light XC bike. 95% of my riding is on tight XC trails. This bike was too long, too soft, and too sluggish for my
tastes. I give it very poor grades in climbing, tight turns and sprints, which are very important
attributes for my riding. Based on my expectations, and biased towards XC riding, I would give this
bike only two chillies - well below average.
If your expectations are for a "free ride" bike, if you don't care about climbs, sprints, and tight corners then the grade would be much higher. I think if you live for going downhill, if your rides consist of logging road climbs and fast single track descents, then this bike would be very attractive. While not light by XC standards, it is very light by free ride standards and the payoff coming down might be worth the high price elsewhere.
I 'spose if these are your expectations and riding environment then this bike gets at east a four, maybe five chillies.
Since I gotta pick one number I'll split the difference and give it 3 chillies.
| Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Frank
a Cross Country Rider
from Laguna Beach, CA
Date Reviewed: March 15, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | san juan trail | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | Rainbow Bicycles | | Strengths: | Stiff, stable, tracks great - goes where you want it to go. Sucks up bumps nicely without getting squirrly or off line. Very reasonable weight for a stiff long travel bike. | | Weaknesses: | A bit heavy for XC racing - but that's what hardtails are for.. Needs deliberate technique for best high speed turning - lean on it a bit and its fine. - Note that as a result there is no "unintended turning" and that suits me just fine. Long wheelbase makes very steep climbs a bit more of a challenge. | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized FSR/XC pro, Trek VRX 400 | | Bike Setup: | SID 100 (perfect fork for this ride), Fox Vanilla Float RC, XT | | Bottom Line: | PLUSH RIDE! Stiff, strong and built to thrash. Can be used in the XC realm and exceeds performance of every bike I have ridden when all things are considered. Inspires confidence! Reasonably light (I would think about 27 lbs) and could be built lighter - but I don't like breaking stuff on my everyday ride - not to mention the $$. This bike tracks so well and so straight. A slight shift in balance or little tweak in the bars does not disturb your intended line. I have found myself easily riding narrow lines between ruts and tough technical areas that seemed to beg for a crash. Not to mention just plowing through things or dropping over stuff that would send the FSR/XC near endo land (a flexy squirrily bike). Broke the FSR twice and got tired of dealing with fixing it. Should have bought this to begin with anyway. If I was going to race XC I would use my Trek 9900 Carbon hardtail - its lighter and a faster climber (while it beats on you and makes you crash more if you're doin the gnarlies) - but hey I ride for fun these days and have not ridden the Trek even once since I got the Hare.
Great, swift service at www.teamrain.com - nice job on the build and perfect sizing. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Pat
a
from Aliso Viejo, Ca
Date Reviewed: December 14, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | www.teamrain.com | | Strengths: | Perfect Design, Quality of Workmanship, Plush, and Stiff | | Weaknesses: | Absolutley None | | Similar Products Used: | Ellsworth Truth, Specialized Enduro's, Cannondales, Gt I Drives, Santa Cruz Bullit | | Bike Setup: | Medium Frame, Pyslo SL, XTR, Bontrager Valiants, Avid Brakes, Chris King Headset, Monkeylite Bars | | Bottom Line: | I love this bike. I have been riding a Specialized Enduro Pro for about six months and never really liked the bike. Upgraded most of the parts on the Enduro in a search to get it dialed. Probably spent $1500 bucks over the cost of the original bike. Still didn't like the bike. Recently brought the Enduro in to local shop to have some things fixed. Have six bikes in the garage but see that the shop has a few Wild Hares for rent. Thought what the hell, lets try one of these things out. Bike was set up heavy duty with pretty old parts, standard rental bike. Take bike out to the local trails. Oh my god! This thing blew away anything I have ever ridden. Stiff and responsive! Felt like a bike should. Extremely plush, fast and nimble. Corners like it is on rails and descends so well and so fast that if I do crash at these speeds, I'm dead. This bike just feels Right. Try one and you will understand. Anyway, I bought one within two days and have ridden it everyday since. This is one of the best purchases I have ever made. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Taylor
a Weekend Warrior
from Houston, TX
Date Reviewed: November 10, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | looking for it all the time! | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$750.00 | | Purchased At: | second-hand frame from my bud, Lance; built @ West U Schwinn, Houston, TX | | Strengths: | what a STIFFY, magic carpet ride plush, adjustable travel, light weight belies STOUT look, less than 5 in my town! Tastes great, less filling. | | Weaknesses: | doesn't convince test-ride reviewing NIMRODS like it should, requires a little set-up knowledge when buidling it up (the VIRTUES of having a GOOD shop!!) | | Similar Products Used: | enough to qualify | | Bike Setup: | Z1 Alloy (4 inch), Nukeproof A-Bomb wheelset, Tru-Vativ Stylos, a smattering of simple, LIGHT, flawless working components | | Bottom Line: | -After reading the first few reviews here (excluding the guy right under this one), I felt compelled to write a second follow-up in defense of what is still one one of the best kept secrets on the trail (see full-susp. bikes for the rest of the story).
Okay, throw OUT the test-ride jockey on simple ignorance. First of all, the Hare IS a Horst-link frame. It's just a modified version of it that changes the link pivot points and doesn't fall under Special Ed's FSR patents. Take THAT, Big Bike Company! There are dozens of spins on the Horst link rear end, and Psycle Werks just happens to make one of the most successful ones. Rumor has it Psycle Werks welded up the first frames for Uncle Horst hisself (as well as the first Intense's, so I heard). Secondly, our test-riding twit makes references to Ellsworths and Turners-BOTH of which are 4-bar linkage bikes. Horst-link bikes push their shocks in a strut-like path parallell to the seatstays (just look at the first AMPS). 4-bar bikes have vertically mounted shocks and do not compress the shocks via a swing link. People should spend a little more time reading HOW bikes are engineered in their mags before they RANT on about things they don't know.
As far as the bike handling oddly and a pushing front end goes, the Hare does not reward limp-wristed cornering. It's got an attitude that says "Pick it up or go home!" Once you realize this, fast sweepers and berms will be like heroine. No going back! In tight singletrack, I found out my cowboy-bar was a bit too long. Sawed off an inch-point-five and I was in bid-niss. It steers slow in tight stuff some say? BULLOCKS! Toss that mutha in there like you MEAN IT, and it responds by taking you to LEAN ANGLES reserved only for motocross bikes. Climbs a bit sketchy? Hello, McFly?? It's a LONG-TRAVEL frame! Stay seated and hunker down over that bar like a man. Or stand and HAMMER your arse off and let that oh-so-active rear end smooth things out while you focus on the locomotion. Drops and descending... Well, MY envelope has grown in the last year SOLEY because of the confidence this bike inspires me with. Granted, the risks are higher, and so are the injuries (6 weeks of PT). But, man the payoff. I just don't think about finding "the clean line down." My buddies I ride with are mostly FSR freaks with their ultra light 24 pounds rigs. I almost t-boned one of them last time out on a rough descent. He picked his way over a rise while I just launched it. This bike brings out the HOOLIGAN in you in a BIG way!
A HUGE THANKS to INFORMATIVE reviews like the ones halfway down the page discussing the longish top tube and stem lengths. After a call to Pyscle Werks Service, I went with a 110mm stem with a 5 degree rise, and a Titec Hellbent. Perfectomundo!
A traditional tube frame makes seatpost problems and lengths a non-issue. A NIMROD might not know diddly-poo about mail ordering a correct length post, but not so down at the bike shop. The most impressive thing about this frame is how LIGHT it is. Read the reviews on the Intense Tracer's or Uzzi SL's and LAUGH your ass off. They all boast about 28-30 pound rigs that have equal or less travel than the Hare (the service dudes from PW told me the 16-inch frame gets 4/5 inches travel). With air gracing both ends, a Hare can be built to under 24 pounds! Build it with a beefier spec and coil/oil at both ends (like mine) and it's STILL under 26.5! Oh, ye of little Faith...
Reliability wise, the pivots are FAULTLESS. I muck them up with Texas goo (or dust) on a regular basis, and it's as simple as a hose-job to clean them. No noise, no stiffness, no creaks. Maintenance FREE, baby! Put THAT in your grease gun and lube it!
The Defense rests its case. Yes, it's not in every shop in your town. But before you commit the unpardonable sin of mail ordering a bike (it's NOT $20 gloves here, NIMRODS), find a shop that WILL get one for you. Any shop worth it's colors will do NO LESS than that for your business. If they won't, then it's time to find a new shop, bro. It's been said in the reviews below, and I'll say it again: If it were ever stolen, I'd buy another one. Hell, I'm planning on getting another one someday anyway just to build this one up to the sub-24 pound class. Five NIMROD-roasting chili's. Peace. Out. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
D. Sturm
a Cross Country Rider
from Tampa, FL
Date Reviewed: November 8, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Thompson @ Tsali | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$1100.00 | | Purchased At: | University Bicycle Center | | Strengths: | efficient, excellent performance, value, looks | | Weaknesses: | chainstays are long | | Similar Products Used: | turner burner, rocky mtn. element t.o., cannondale super v | | Bike Setup: | fox air vanila rc, xtr, gripshift, race face, manitou sx-ti, chris king | | Bottom Line: | This is a good bike. As far as climbing, other people who have ridden my bike have have always commented on how good a
climber it is. For a full suspension bike, it's a goat. It, like other bikes(see above) has it's flaws, though few.
I knocked the rear end out of alignment once, but Roy helped correct that. It's been fine since. The long chainstays do want to push the front end at slow speeds. But, the more agressive you ride the better it responds. I've never felt any limitations in the performance of the frame. I've actually felt it's pushed my skills up a notch due to that confidence. If you don't like it, it's your personal preferences, not the bike. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave G
a Cross Country Rider
from Gaithersburg, MD
Date Reviewed: November 4, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Frederick Blue | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1100.00 | | Purchased At: | BCUSA | | Strengths: | Descends well. Good looks, and nice paint job. | | Weaknesses: | Climbs very poorly. Weird sizing? Main pivot developed creak very quickly. | | Similar Products Used: | Gary Fisher Sugar, Specialixed FSR-XC | | Bike Setup: | Mostly XT, w/ Z2 Atom Bomb up front and a FOX Vanilla RC on the back. | | Bottom Line: | Well, I bought this bike sight unseen based on the reviews here. This bike was a huge dissapointment.
It was touted as being maintance free:
- Main pivot developed creak. I had to pull it apart and clean it after the first few weeks of riding.
- The main pivot worked loose, causing side to side motion which chewed up the bushings in the fox shock. Fox repaired the shock (good company!) and I had no further reoccurances.
- The seatpost area has an insert to reduce the size to 27.2. I had to pull this out periodically and clean it to keep it from making noise.
Sizing:
This is probably my fault. I looked @ the size chart on the web, and the 16 inch had almost a 23 inch toptube. I didn't check to see where the 16 inch was measured from. I had assumed it was C-C or C-T, but it was to the top of the seattube. I had to run a thompson 410 to get the proper extenstion. The bike just never felt right to me.
Climbing:
This bike climbs like a pig. After a few months of riding it I'd convinced myself that it was an OK climber. I decided to take my Klein HT out for a ride; Oh my goodness. Things I was struggling with I just short right up. I recently demoed a Sugar, and it is a FAR superior climber.
Descending:
This is the only area where the hare really shines. It kicks butt downhill.
THe bottom line? I sold it and I'm getting either a sugar or a fuel. For my type of riding (Technical single track w/ significant climbing) the hare was not a good biek for me. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Trevor Gray
a
from Toronto
Date Reviewed: October 10, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Well made. Relatively light. Pretty much maintenance free. | | Similar Products Used: | Mantra, B5, Schwinn 4 Banger, RM Edge ... | | Bike Setup: | Long travel setting, Z1, Rhino Lites etc... | | Bottom Line: | After two years on this bike I still regard it very very highly. There are, however, shortcomings to the design that I have never come to live with.
The long chainstays and high front end have always made climbing very steep, very technical terrain a balancing act beyond what it needs to be. I thought I would get used to it - I haven't.
Descending fast moderate trails is a joy. However, this bike is nowhere near so controllable as one with shorter stays when the trail gets very steep - move back and the front end washes - stay centered and the rear end kicks up. The sweet spot is sometimes impossible to find.
The front end pushes. Move forward to weight it and the bike becomes unbalanced. Long stem, short stem, seat forward, seat back - nothing combats the fact the the rear end is just too long for this bike.
Unlike some reviewers I find the suspension stays active most of the time -- hard braking is the exception.
Two years ago, I gave the frame 5 chillies. With some retrospect, I'd rate it now with a 4. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Trevor Gray
a
from Toronto
Date Reviewed: October 10, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Well made. Relatively light. Pretty much maintenance free. | | Similar Products Used: | Mantra, B5, Schwinn 4 Banger, RM Edge ... | | Bike Setup: | Long travel setting, Z1, Rhino Lites etc... | | Bottom Line: | After two years on this bike I still regard it very very highly. There are, however, shortcomings to the design that I have never come to live with.
The long chainstays and high front end have always made climbing very steep, very technical terrain a balancing act beyond what it needs to be. I thought I would get used to it - I haven't.
Descending fast moderate trails is a joy. However, this bike is nowhere near so controllable as one with shorter stays when the trail gets very steep - move back and the front end washes - stay centered and the rear end kicks up. The sweet spot is sometimes impossible to find.
The front end pushes. Move forward to weight it and the bike becomes unbalanced. Long stem, short stem, seat forward, seat back - nothing combats the fact the the rear end is just too long for this bike.
Unlike some reviewers I find the suspension stays active most of the time -- hard braking is the exception.
Two years ago, I gave the frame 5 chillies. With some retrospect, I'd rate it now with a 4. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
doug
a
from palmdale, ca
Date Reviewed: September 25, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only | | Bike Setup: | Titus Racer-X | | Bottom Line: | Really nice bike and great bang for your buck. I believe almost everything I've read below. Well made, great availability, and a better ride than most. But come on guys, this thing is not in the same league as some of the other offerings at this level of performance.
Performance is number one priority with full suspension. And for cross country that performance should be active all the time. Did you guys try a Turner, an Ellsworth, or a Titus? You get a real, fully active suspension with those gems. It makes a difference. The horst link, missing on the wild hare, keeps your suspension active - all the time - even when braking. The wild hare has the pivot on the seat stay. All you really have is a glorified swing arm. Like a VW bug. Ever see what happens when a swingarm moves through it's travel? all kinds of ugly things that affect you at the pedals.
A very nice bike that is well made but suffers from flaws in its old design. Ride this back-to-back with some of the others (do your homework) and you'll see.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jason
a Cross Country Rider
from Huntsville, Alabama, 35811
Date Reviewed: June 17, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Any | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Everything! It just PLAIN works! | | Weaknesses: | Squeaky Fox Air Shock (several fixes) and One incident with a single squeaky pivot (right side near BB). Squeaks will drive you nuts, but so far they have been fairly easy to fix. | | Similar Products Used: | N/A... This is first full suspension and only my second bike. | | Bike Setup: | 18" Navy Blue frame, Z2 BAM (what else is there), XT/XTR kit, Mustang/Nuke Proof Wheelset, Michelin Comp S (Best Tire... Period!) | | Bottom Line: | I waited over a year before I submitted my review because I wanted to be sure of what I thought. Well! I'm like everyone else who owns one of these bike... It truely is a wonderful bike. We have an abundance of great riding in North Alabama and most of it is technical (roots, rock, logs... you name we've got it) and this bike just eats it up. I've also ridden on roller coaster smooth single track and it loves this as well. I've taken it with me on business trips all over the US and it handles everything I've subjected it to.
I'm so used to it that it feels like its part of me when I'm attached to it. I know its capabilities and its limitations and as long as I stay within those bounds I have the time of my life on this thing. I like all the other have done the research and bought sight unseen and could'nt be happier. My next bike will be the follow-on to the Wildhare if there is ever a need for one. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tony
a Racer
from Phx, AZ. USA
Date Reviewed: May 4, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Very strong frameset. Light enough, rigid enough. Serviceable pivots, adjustable travel, although I never use the long travel. | | Weaknesses: | I've read alot about the decals being cheesy. Whatever. I like mine. | | Similar Products Used: | Amp, Specialized Ground Control, Jamis Dakar, SantaCruz Superlight | | Bike Setup: | Sid XC, Raceface, Proshift, 9.0sl, Syncros, Easton, Mavic UST | | Bottom Line: | This frame can be setup plush, stiff, or in between. It climbs very well as the suspension sticks and sucks up mistakes and you just keep the power on. I'm sort of a masher at times and have no problems with "pedal induced suspension bobbing" I stand and hammer all the time. Of course it moves alittle. So what? If wanted a hardtail I'd ride my Rock Lobster. Whatever attributes you would expect from a full suspension frame this frameset delivers. Its well built, proven, and more reliable than your best friend. Mine has taken alot of use/abuse. It looks like new, with mediocre maintenance.(You know how it is, I'd rather ride it.) Conclusion: 58 reviews and still at 4.97! What more do you want? | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
BarnyB
a
from Seattle Wa
Date Reviewed: April 21, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Bottom Line: | Try again....
It's damn scary buying a bike you've never ridden from someone you've never met in a bike shop a thousand miles away. They are hard to find locally. You'll probably end up going that route. Here are my experiences
BCUSA (bcusa2.com)
They rubbed me the wrong way. Quoted the bike very high, refused to consider a rational price. I felt like they
were in it to squeeze every penny.
Rainbow Cycle (teamrain.com)
The folks at Psycle Werks pointed me here. The initial
quote was right where I thought the bike should have been. They were real cool to work with and quoted upgrades reasonably. The bike arrived in perfect order. It shifted perfectly, the disc's were adjusted and the air in the shocks was even a good start for my weight. Their recomendations for stem and bars for my size were very good. If you're going have a Wild Hare I definately recommend this shop.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David
a Cross Country Rider
from Bainbridge Island WA
Date Reviewed: April 21, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Comfortable, strong, reliable, light enough. | | Weaknesses: | Decals, Hayes rather than IS disk mounts. | | Similar Products Used: | ProFlex 855, GT LTS | | Bike Setup: | Z2 BAM, Stratos Helix Pro, XTR, Hope O2 brakes. | | Bottom Line: | This bike rides great. The Z2 and the Helix are a great match, much better than the older Fox float vs the Z2.
I rode 2-3 times a week throughout the wet northwest winter. I let the bike dry in my garage between rides and just brushed the dirt off, and lubed the chain before the next ride. No squeeks and the bikes works great. This is the first dual I have used that is as easy to maintain as a hard tail. The overhauls are more work but day to day this bike just works.
For anyone interested in non-Hayes disks for the Hare, Hope C2 work great with Hopes Hayes adapter. I wanted less expensive Louise brakes originally but Psycle Werks' promised IS adapter never materialized and probably never will.
Great bike- bullet proof. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joe W
a Weekend Warrior
from Orange, CA
Date Reviewed: October 31, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
Plush. great suspension geometry that actually works at all times! lightweight frameset | | Weaknesses: |
the rear triangle doesn't have a lot of clearance for the rear tire. | | Similar Products Used: |
Yeti AS-3, Mongoose DX | | Bike Setup: |
14.5 Frame with Fox Vanilla Air, Kore Handlebar, Kore Elite Stem, Chris King headset, Zoke Superfly, WTB SST.K seat, Thompson Elite post, RaceFace cranks and rings, XT group, Chris King hub+Mustang Rim(front), Nukeproof superfly(rear), 747 pedal | | Bottom Line: | Overall a great bike. So far the ride is very plush. The suspension is active all the time which is awesome. It is true, the bike really works well downhill. A good trail bike. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Matt Bartlett
a Cross-Country Rider
from Austin,Tx
Date Reviewed: October 14, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
all of them | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Bottom Line: | Follow up 1 year later.
It's been over a year and tons of hard blissfull miles. Replaced shock bushings at 8 months, no biggie. I love this ride, if it were stole tommorrow (heaven forbid) I'd buy another ASAP.
This bike has been flawless. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
dean
a Weekend Warrior
from wittenberg,wi.
Date Reviewed: October 2, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
9-mile | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
strong,great for a 200 lbs.+ rider | | Weaknesses: |
i really havent found one yet. | | Bike Setup: |
99 z2bam,raceface,real,8speed xtr,avid50,thompson,superfly set. rear shock fox rc | | Bottom Line: | this is really a great bike,frame is well built and strong.i havent been passed on any downhill yet!!! smooooooth rear suspension. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Todd Skaggs
a Cross-Country Rider
from Chandler, AZ
Date Reviewed: September 30, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Poto Ann Arbor MI | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
Lite weight
- Rear end is Stiff
- Great low speed handling
-Desents well
-Climbs well | | Weaknesses: |
- Easy to hit knee on top tube cable hangers
- Cost | | Similar Products Used: |
Trek Y
Cannodale Raven
Specialized XC | | Bike Setup: |
Superfly, 135mm 5 degree Control Tech stem, Profile 5 degree handler bar, Mega 9 XTR, Gripshift 9.0, American Classic ti seat post, Flite saddle, 747's and Fox Vanilla Float R(nice rear shock but it squeeked until I put the non plastic bushing in the shock) | | Bottom Line: | I'm a 6' 180lbs cross country rider. I love the Hare!! It climbs like a dream and you just point it downhill and away you go! You can bomb over stuff you should not be attempting to ride over! Every since I got the Hare my Merlin XLM just hangs around in the garage! I love my XLM for the smoother trails back east but for the trails in the Vally of the Sun the Hare rocks! Or just floats over the Rocks. This bike weights in around 24lbs with solid equipment and rides like a dream. The bottom line: If I lost this bike I would get me another one! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John
a Cross-Country Rider
from Sapporo
Date Reviewed: August 1, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
the zone | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
no maintenance, handles great | | Weaknesses: |
none that i know of | | Similar Products Used: |
none--this is my first FS bike | | Bike Setup: |
englund air, cane creek AD-10 | | Bottom Line: | after riding it for almost a year, i can say the other reviewers were spot on--this bike rocks. as this is my first FS bike, i can't compare the ride at all (i might have got the best FS bike out there thanks to reading the MTBR.com reviews). i do know that i can fly down intense trails and pick the wrong line, but still not wipe out. the ride is fine for technical and climbs, but the downhills are the rush. the pivots still look to be in great shape. a great ride. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike McKone
a Cross-Country Rider
from Burnaby B.C.
Date Reviewed: May 25, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Bike Setup: |
Mavic Cross Max
Hayes discs
XTR f & r der
Raceface rings, cranks, post, stem, riser bar
King headset
4 Z-1
Vanilla R | | Bottom Line: | Bought from On Top bikes in North Vancouver ten months ago and this bike is fantastic. It is my fourth full suspension bike and by far the most overall capable bike I have ridden. It combines a soft ride with excellent technical and rough terrain composure. On Top have been great to deal with and they are developing a Wild Hare owner's body. They sell Brodie and Psycle Werks and I recommend them for sales and service. Roy at Psycle Werks answers e-mails promptly and intelligently. Top marks for product and customer satisfaction. The real test is if my bike was stolen would I buy another one like it? My answer is I would buy another Psyle Werks from On Top as quickly as possible. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike Hamershock
a Cross-Country Rider
from Ljubljana, Slovenia
Date Reviewed: May 19, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
dirt | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
Craftsmanship, weight (for FS), ride | | Weaknesses: |
Stickers, climbing | | Similar Products Used: |
Amp B-3, B-4, DBR V-link | | Bike Setup: |
Speedgoat Modzilla 85mm fork, XT stuff, King HS, RF cranks/rings, HS-33 brakeset, Crosslink wheelset | | Bottom Line: | What happened to all the previous reviews???!!!As stated by others - awesome trail bike! Mine weighs in at just over 25 lbs. Doesn't climb as well as my HT, no suprise there. Smokes the HT downhill, and in terms of comfort. My medium frame is set up w/flat bars and a 120mm 5 degree stem. May try a 1-1.5 riser; gettin' too old to be a ricky racer. FLOAT R rear shock gets squeeky fast - need to keep bushings lubed, works great in general. Stickers kinda suck, but so what. Been riding it lately in 4.5 mode - really cranks on downhills, but is kinda tall - think I'll go back to 3.5. So far, best bike I've ever ridden. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Alice
a Weekend Warrior
from Healy, Alaska
Date Reviewed: May 17, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Stampede Trail | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
Excellent downhill control; great climbing | | Weaknesses: |
None identified | | Similar Products Used: |
Owbed Amp B3 & B4, Merlin HT | | Bike Setup: |
Recommendations by BCUSA: Cane Creek rear, Indy SL w/Englund Air (GREAT!!!), XTR V- brakes | | Bottom Line: | This is my third full suspension bike and by far my favorite bike. I am a small petite rider and this is absolutely the best fitting bike that I have ever had. The Englund air cartridges are great.... this is definitely the best front shock that I have tried because you can set the air pressure low for my weigh. I also like the XTR V- brakes. I definitely have a lot of control on the downhills. The light-weight (23 lbs) really makes a difference. I have made several challenge climbs during the past few months that I struggled to climb previously. Since I don't have a lot of upper body strength, I also really appreciate how easy it is to lift the front end of the bike on technical trails. The BCUSA Interactive page was fantastic... allowed me to create my own dream bike and end up with the weight and cost that I wanted. Troy and Eric at BCUSA also provided some great recommendations for reducing weight and keeping the cost reasonable. They posted the specs for my bike on the website bcusa1.com/build/alice_1.htm and I think it's still there. It may help other petite riders (or their spouses) to use to design a great handling, light weight, fun to ride full suspension bike. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
TJohn
a Cross-Country Rider
from Oak Park
Date Reviewed: May 17, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Cheseboro Cyn- Poacher's Trail, Gas Pipe, & Dead Cow | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
Exceptional Craftsmanship and Performance, Bombproof, Light yet Stiff | | Weaknesses: |
Maybe a tad too long of a wheelbase (43.5 for a med frame) | | Similar Products Used: |
rode DBR V Link Pro for a few months, demo'ed Uzzi SL, & Truth on a dirt test track, and the good ole parking lot test for the FSR XC, Raven 2000, & Gt I drive. | | Bike Setup: |
Ti pivots and bolts, FLOAT RC on the 3.5 travel option, Zoke Z2 BAM, XTR throughout. 26.5 lbs. | | Bottom Line: | First off, this is an update to my earlier review (MTBR- Where the heck are all the previous posts!)
After having my bike for about 4 months and riding the snot out of it, I can give a more accurate assessment of the bike's characteristics. The bike is a GREAT all around trail bike!!! It climbs well but not great. Have ridden a S-Works hardtail to compare and no matter what others might say, a FS bike can not hang with lite wt HTs on fireroad climbs. On technical climbs, it's a little evened out. But technical climbs aren't the Hare's forte because of the very long wheelbase (43.5 is near the DH category). You have to be very precise in your weight distribution otherwise the rear wheel can spinout, or your front wheel can lift off. The Hare has a long Top Tube, and so coupled with a shorter stem makes for a quick but not twitchy steerer. The overall handling is outstanding due to the combo of long Top Tube, short stem, & long Wheel Base.
The suspension action is very plush, even with an air shock. A coil over would smooth out the small, chattery stuff a little better but the air shock handles most everything else with ease. I take 3' drop offs and I hardly feel the landing at all. On the minus side, I can see the rear suspension working on smooth roads no matter how smooth I spin (I know how to spin correctly from my previous road riding experience- Hate to admit I was a roadie at one time :)) It doesn't totally isolate the pedalling stroke but then again does any FS design truly accomplish that?
Now to where the Hare truly shines! Going fast downhill. Fireroads, technical singletrack, steep rocky sections! This bike can let you go faster than you thought possible. It steers precisely, soaks up all the rough stuff, and just lets you enjoy flying down the hill while your friends sit there gawking in your trail dust! :) I sometimes take the hardest lines where there are the most ruts and drop offs just to test my courage and the bikes limits and every time when I get done, I think that wasn't that tough. This bike allows me to push myself. And as I push myself, I get better and better.
In summary, this bike is a great trail bike! It's the perfect balance of XC, AT, and DH capabilities. The Wild Hare should have gotten the nod for Mountain Bike Action's best trail bike of the year! Hands Down!!! Get a Wild Hare and ride on!!! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
typo guy
a Weekend Warrior
from Trabuco Canyon
Date Reviewed: May 12, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Bottom Line: | Oops! post below should read Roy (the owner of Psycle Werks)is a great guy. Damn typos. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
gw
a Weekend Warrior
from Trabuco Canyon CA
Date Reviewed: May 11, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
light weight, strong, flex free | | Weaknesses: |
stickers seem flimsy | | Similar Products Used: |
gt's, FSR's, you name it | | Bike Setup: |
xt, FoxRC, '99 X-Vert R's
blah, blah,blah | | Bottom Line: | First off, what thehell happened to the 50 or so reviews that used to be here? Is this perhaps MTBR editing AGAIN! Did some other small frame manufacturer complain that the reviews were too good? Hmmmmm.....Get over it other guy, these frames are that good. I own one , it's a great ride, Ron's a great guy, 'nuf said. 5 chili's is not enough. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
cwwang
a Weekend Warrior
from Orange
Date Reviewed: May 6, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
laguna | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Strengths: |
Weight, frame geometry, build | | Weaknesses: |
stickers | | Similar Products Used: |
yeti, mongoose | | Bike Setup: |
full xt, zok Z2 superfly, fox vanilla air, raceface crankset | | Bottom Line: | This bike can be built up pretty light weight without using any tricked out components. The ride is very good. I can feel the suspension working for me on this one. Awesome trail and probably can be raced if needed. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Derek
a Cross-Country Rider
from Florida
Date Reviewed: May 5, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Hardrock - Ocala | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
Durable, maintenance free pivots, unique, fairly lightweight, great company to deal with. | | Weaknesses: |
Could be half pound lighter. | | Similar Products Used: |
Rocky Mountain Element, Schwinn Homegrown FS | | Bike Setup: |
Atom Bomb - Front
AD-10 Back
XTR/Race Face/Cane Creek | | Bottom Line: | I have had this frame for almost 2 years now and I honestly do not have a complaint. This frame with the AD-10 climbs real well, floats over the nasties, descends like a porn star givin love down south, handles real quick and is an absolute pleasure in just about any senario that I can come up with.
My bike is around 25 1/2 pounds, I could lighten it up with a new front shock, but that Zoke is soooo smooth. Realistically, this frame can be set up anywhere from 24lbs to 27lbs real easy - how much do you want to spend?
Anybody interested in a full-suspension frame needs to call Psycle Werks and BC Usa for more info - you won't be disappointed with this frame! Power to the family. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
j
a Cross-Country Rider
from ca
Date Reviewed: March 27, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
hmmmmmm...I am kind of suspicious...all of the reviews seem to be written by the same person? Maybe I'm just a cynical butthead. | | Bottom Line: | I hope the reviews are not all posted by the same person. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bryan Bihlmaier
a Racer
from Grapevine, TX
Date Reviewed: March 17, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
more than 3 years | | Strengths: |
I have owned many different FS bikes, and worked as a bike mechanic for 3.5 years. I stopped switching bikes when I got a Wild Hare 3 years ago. The travel is very smooth even though it has bushings (not bearings), is adjustable from 3.5 to 4.5 (5 is also available), it is light weight (5.7 lbs for 18 frame with Air Vanilla), and the price is excellent! No-maintenance bushings, made in the USA, not everyone owns one, great company to work with. | | Weaknesses: |
I can't think of any weaknesses, except a single-pivot swingarm would be less maintenance. | | Similar Products Used: |
AMP B-3, Santa Cruz Heckler, Cannondale Super V Active ('97), Cannondale Super V Active 100SL ('98), Pro-Flex 856, 857, 4000 ('98), Kestrel Rubicon, others I can't remember | | Bike Setup: |
Fox Vanilla R, 5 travel, Manitou X-Vert R, Shimano LX/XT. 28 lbs. | | Bottom Line: | This is the best-feeling bike I have ridden, and that is quite a few. A great deal, and a great bike even compared to others more expensive (Titus Motolite, Intense Uzzi XC, Ventana El Terremoto, etc.). So I'll throw another 5 chiles on the pile. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
TJohn
a cross-country rider
from Agoura Hills (Oak Park), CA
Date Reviewed: February 28, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
This bike FLIES down rough, technical singletrack like I've never thought possible!!! It's also good climer for not being one of those new-fangled lightweight cross country bikes. I love my Wild Hare!!! It looks SOOOO good, I just stare at it for hours ( when I'm not riding it for hours of course). Any more typing for this review would just be re-hashing all the great things everybody else already wrote in the previous reviews. Can't go wrong with the Hare!!!! It's BEAUTIFUL!!!! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave
a weekend warrior
from LA, CA
Date Reviewed: February 24, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
I have to agree with the review below. The WildHare is my 4th MTB (my 3rd full suspension)and I have had the big names like Schwinn and Litespeed. This bike absolutely outperforms them, especially on the rough downhill stuff. I am clearing downhill singetrack faster then even before and the bike handles and tracks superbly.The workmanship on the frame is top-notch, and it is difficult to find any potential weak spots. The rear end is much stiffer than my Litespeed's Mac-strut design, while the suspunsion is also more plush. It is also a great looker with the custom finish Psycle-werks did for me.Having gone through so many bikes, I am please to have finally settled on what I believe to be the best overall XC mountain bike available. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Aaron
a cross-country rider
from TN
Date Reviewed: February 23, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
Have had the Psycle Werks Wild Hare now for 3wks. So far everything I read about the frame is true. Went from an LTS, didn't think I would notice such an incredible difference. I would never buy the big names again. The frame is meticulously crafted. My girlfriend purchased a Marble Peak(b/c of the sizing) about the same time and in my opinion the welds on this Wild Hare are far superior. My bike is built up with the Fox Air with the lockout. The shock blew afer 5 rides. Roy at Pyscle Werks had me a loaner at my doorstep the NEXT DAY! These days its refreshing to deal with people who truly stand behind their product. Also, I purchased my frame from Bret at Kalo. He beat BCUSA's pricing and overall put up with an abundance of phone calls and questioning. He sells many frames from his location and seems to have a thorough understanding of how to match riders up with what fits them the best. I'll give Fox 5 chilies also, they are sending me a replacement RC within 3 days. As far as the Fox RC, there are defective products from any company. I'll update this review after I've ridden the RC for a longer duration. I researched many frames for XC and feel at this point I made a wise choice. Just make sure you pay attention to the sizing. I went with the 16 b/c of the top tube length. I'm 5'10 and I feel like I can thrash this frame around with confidence. I usually ride an 18. Look for an update in 3 months or so. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Derek
a cross-country rider
from Florida
Date Reviewed: January 27, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
I have now had my Wild Hare XC for about a year and the only thing I can complain about is the crappy stickers (but who cares?) The frame has been nothing but dependable, strong, fast and flawless! I crossed over from a hardtail and never once regretted it. I ride faster and longer, and most importantly enjoy myself more. This frame climbs fast, handles quick, and descends well. I really can't explain how much I love this frame! I upgraded to an AD-10 shock and have had zero problems. Forget about all the hyped up new superlight full suspension frames available, mine weighs in at 24lbs. without much work put into it. Simply - BUY THIS FRAME!!! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Grant
a weekend warrior
from Kamuela, HI
Date Reviewed: January 13, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
This is my second review for this bike. My first review came around February 1998 after I rode two personal bikes in Southern California supplied by BC USA. One was the very bike featured in a Mountain Bike Action article. Unfortunately, Psycle Werks did not have a frame size small enough for my short inseam. I spent the next several months emailing back and forth with Roy at Psycle Werks to get a smaller version of this frame produced. I've now had the bike since August of 1998. It is a Blue Anodized beauty weighing in a tad over 23lbs. The bike features the custom Blue Anodizing, Rock Shox Judy SL with Englund Air/Air cartridges, King Hubset laced to Mavic rims, XT V-brakes actuated with Real X-Levers. I got this bike built up by the guys at BC USA (http://www.bcusa1.com). Call Troy at BC USA and have them assemble one for you.Since August, I've thrashed this bike on many banzai runs down a 14000 foot mountain at 50+ MPH. No rear flex to speak of. In November I vacationed in New Zealand with the bike for two weeks. I've taken it out back of my house through the moss-rock infested fields to a breathtaking valley. It's even been part of my commute to and from work several times a week. This bike just accelerates in all sorts of riding. You just have to try one to believe it. A light weight full suspesnsion bike that behaves itself. Oh, by the way, while in New Zealand, I was able to do A/B comparison with Ventanna Marble Peak that had a Risse Terminator shock installed. Both bikes behaved flawlessly but the Psycle Werks just handled the rough stuff easier.This bike has gotten even better and better as I've zeroed in on the shock settings along with the pivots breaking in. I wish I could say more to convince you to take a try on this bike. Email Roy at Psycle Werks and he'll answer all the questions you have like he did for me. He and I spent almost a year putting the numbers together for this X-Small (14.5) frame size for short people like me to ride. I told him there is a demand for this size and they built it. In fact he built three right off the top. Now who knows how many of them are running around in this size. Now I hear that the bikes are even better with the Fox Shock. They were already awesome with the Cane Creek AD-10 shock. Thanks Roy for sticking with me and building an exceptional frame at an unbelieveable price. If you want to see the bike, check out the Psycle Werks web site or check out: http://www.cfht.hawaii.edu/~grantAloha,
g | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a cross-country rider
from St. Louis, MO
Date Reviewed: December 17, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I'll preface my remarks by sharing the fact that I work for a large bike shop. I could have had any frame I wanted at sick prices. I checked 'em all out. I actually settled on a Rocky Mountain Element, but they were not available as framesets for a few months. Boy am I glad. I kept researching, and came across Psycle Werks. It seemed too good to be true. I emailed, and Roy, the owner, responded personally. I scrutinized every aspect of the bike, and decided to go for it. I just want to thank Rocky for being out of frames. Don't get me wrong...I think the Rocky kicks ass. But I got the Wildhare, and it is the sweetest bike I've ever touched. The quality of the bike is as good as it gets. And the design is so clean, and strong like an ox. The weight is misleading, since its comparable to most FS linkage frames because it is built to last like no other frame I've seen. The stays are all box sectioned, and the only downside is the fact that you can't use flex as an excuse anymore. I bought it with the Fox Float R air shock, but Fox was behind in shipping the Floats, so PW sent me the bike with a Fox Vanilla R coil-over, and sent the Float a few weeks later. My biggest problem is which shock to keep. I rode the coil on some wickedly rough stuff, mid Missouri is harsh and hilly, and the bike made the Berryman smooth. I've only had the Float for a few rides, but it is pretty damn nice and weighs 2/3 of a pound less. Also, the air shock doesn't preload as much before a hop, so its even more responsive than the coil, letting you hop higher. If you want to fully enjoy the linkage, leave the coil on. Its cheaper anyway, and it comes with the Eibach spring upgrade. (At least mine did) If you like air shocks, then the Float will make you...well, you know. The one suggestion I'd make is a medium travel fork. I use a 99 Z2 BAM w/ 85mm. I don't think I'd go much higher, as the 13.5 BB makes it a tallish bike. I tried an Atom Bomb and a Judy, but I think the med travel suits the 3.5 rear travel. If you use a Z1 or a Judy 100, then put it in the 4.5 setting. But for the rest of us, the 3.5 is so plush that I checked to see if I had it in the longer travel mode! Also, don't forget the long top tube, so drop about 20mm off of your normal stem length and enjoy the awesome steering! If you live in MO, email me for a test ride. My shop sells 'em now. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steve
a cross-country rider
from Wake Forest, NC
Date Reviewed: November 9, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I received my Wild Hare XC about a month ago from Kalo Mountain Cycles (excellent service by the way) sight unseen. It seems to be a '99 frame since it has a rear disk mount and is equipped with a '98 Z-1 and mostly XTR and King components. Coming off a Yo Eddy! this bike has nearly converted me. No, it does not handle quite as well as the Yo in the twisty singletrack but it more than makes up for it by soaking up all the bumps allowing me to pedal more and thus go even faster than ever. Then I point it down and what a ride...smooth and fast, what else can I say? The workmanship blows away the local competition (GT, TREK and Specialized) as it seems to have a gusset or support at every point where the others have broken and some beautiful welds. I wish I had gotten it sooner! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
ultrapod
a weekend warrior
from boston, mass
Date Reviewed: November 3, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
wow, what a sweet ride. i got my 16 rabbit built up with 99 z2 bam, xt/xtr drivetrain, xt brakes, thomson post, raceface cranks/bb, king headset/hubs, mavic 517 rims and the supersweet new air vanilla float rc. the suspension is supple as well as exceptionally neutral, the only bobbing i get comes from my piss poor pedal stroke... a couple of comments from other reviewers i definitely agree with - very well behaved on singletrack and climbs - the cockpit is sized very well. it's truly in its element on anything down - the faster the better. its so nice i don't even put it in the 4.5 rear travel mode! the 3.5 works plenty and has more than enough acion for all but the most massive hits. and by the way, the new air vanilla floats are all that and a bag of chips. the little preload/negative spring gizmo in there soaks up the little stuff like butter and the big air spring takes the rest - easy to adjust, just click click click for the rebound damping. also i would have to say that although it is a spectacular climber (the only thing that climbs better that i've ridden is a mantra - and that's unified!) you do need to take a bit of care to weight the front because the chainstays are so long - but that just takes a bit of discipline, nothing major. somebody also made the comment that they feel a bit like they're falling backwards when riding this bike - i would have to say although i can understand why you might feel this way given the geometry, i don't feel that a bit, although i do have the rear dialed in a bit tight. anyway, it it truly a superior ride - the bike just begs for speed over any terrain and the z2 up front makes this thing an absolute dream - do your worst...i rode many f/s bikes before and after this (raven, mantra, fsr, heckler, ventana, proflex, trek y, joshua) and it really shines over all of them. stout, well constructed, active, nimble, light and FUN - 5 spontaneously combusting ponies for psycle werks! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
rh
a cross-country rider
from Austin, Tx.
Date Reviewed: October 22, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
How can you write a review when it has all been said already. What a ride, ohh what a ride. I am using the Float R in the 4.5 mode with a 99 Z2 up front. Smoooooth!! You need to try this bike out. I rode it once and bought one. Had some minor problems but the owner of Psycle Werks calls me to straighten them out. What a nice touch. Kudos to Roy at Psycle Werks.Great bike, great company and great service. What more can you reasonably ask for! rh | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Matt Bartlett
a
from Austin,Texas
Date Reviewed: October 21, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
This is a follow up to my previous review. A friend bought a wild hare with the
new FOX Vanila float air shock. We swapped shocks for a ride. Drastic improvement over the Cane Creek. This is a great air shock. My Fox coil over
is a little more supple in the small stuff but the shocks feel almost identical
over 8 mph. You racers can loose 250 grams by going with the float. Don't know about reliability yet, but Fox really seems to know their stuff. I'll probably stick with my coil over because its such a perfect match for my Atom Bomb.I've put in a lot of hard rides on my Wild Hare and my satisfaction grows with every ride. It's already been said many times in these reviews, but this is
a fantastic ride.
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bruce Robertson
a downhiller
from Calgary, AB, Canadeh
Date Reviewed: October 17, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Well, what more can I possibly say without sounding repetitious after having read all the reviews of the Wabbit. It kicks ass... yup. Does this well, does that well. Can't argue with a single owner's review. Yer all completely correct. I used to be a URT type of guy, but can you blame a fellah who's making the switch from hard tail to full-squishy? Man, I loved my Brodie Expresso with vigor; a beauty bike for XC racing. Stay real, ride steel, I used to say, and because I liked the ride quality of steel, and the fact that I had such good luck with my eXpresso, I opted to go with a Brodie Libido to satisfy my full-suspension curiosity. Going dual, of course, was an inevitability.Truth be told, I really dug the Libido, but my belief about bicycles is that a person can get used to anything; it depends mostly on your ideals and your definition of what is the perfect ride. So when you have your definition in mind, you then go out and find the perfect bike, or so I have observed. I never researched much, didn't ride many bikes. The Libido showed up in my pals bike shop, and I walked out with a new bike on $2600 credit. Never payed a dime. Nifty, huh? (Hell, it was green. I like green.)So I loved that bike... until the frigger just about bent in two at the down tube. It just about crushed like a beer can right at the letter 'b' in brodie... 'b' for busted. Not to discredit Mr. Brodie's building skills, but, I was pissed. Was like what I imagine it might be to loose a child. Snf.So what do I do? I buy yet another Libido. Was I freekin' nuts?! Most bikers give a manufacturer only ONE chance. That's it. One. I figured what are the chances of that happening twice; like when Garp bought the house right after the airplane smashed into it. Good logic, right? Well dig this, not even three hours after building up my spanky new Libido did I put a bend in the exact frikkin' spot as the last catastrophe. Wha?! I must have done something terrible to someone along to way to deserve this. Crap, BIGGIE SIZE!Amazingly... absolutely amazingly, after I sent back two of the same frames - both 'b' for busted - kind hearted Mr. Brodie honoured me with $1200 credit at Calgary Cycle - my guys. Oh happy day. And with a perfectly timed brand new credit card hardly dented, I went BIKE SHOPPING. Dah-nah! Da-da-da-da-nah! Ya-freekin'-hooo! I had already seen the kids at Calgary Cycle with their swank rides, Wild Hares, and with out even taking one for a test ride, asked 'em to get me one. (They just look so perdy.) I'll be down tomorrow with plastic, I told 'em. Do you like black? Yalp! Set me up.How proud I felt taking public transit, whilst toting my gleeming new shred fuselage, trying seen obliviously cool to other passengers. Yeah... I ride. Got home and built her up, savouring to whole process with a sort of North American, en vogue, facination with Zen. This was my new dream bike. The kind of bike I never thought I'd ever own, resorting back to when I used to read BMX magazines, looking at all the bikes I knew I'd never own. (I had a Super Cycle with as many after market parts as I could get my hands on.) But there it stood. My new killer ride. I slept well.So what about the Wild Hare? Like I say, a person can get used to any bike, and I stand by that belief. If you gats two wheels, yer in the game. Quit yer blood-clot cryin'! But... if one has the means, and can buy sum'n shiny and cool... then the Wabbit is as good a choice as any bike. I like hitting jumps and doing big acid drops and smashing things up and generally having fun on a bike; like the BMX days. The Wild Hare is perfect. Only the parts seem to be taking any visible abuse - derailleurs getting broken, wheels bending, seats getting smashed off. The frame is still soud and true - YEAH,BABY! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tom Silva
a weekend warrior
from Golden, CO
Date Reviewed: October 14, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Okay, the final review to complete my trilogy. I took my Wildhare XC to Moab and gave it the acid test: Poison Spider Mesa, including the descent along the dreaded Portal Trail. This trail is one of the scarriest double black diamond rides out there. More than one rider has met their early demise along its exposed slopes. The Wildhare did not let me down. It took all the massive hits with grace and finess. Control was optimal all the way through. What was truly amazing was the bike's performance during the final descent parallel to the Colorado River. The maintained trail falls all to heck along that stretch; dropping over 900 feet in only about a mile along some seriously beat up single track. There were no mechanical failures, no lack of performance and (Gasp!) no crashes!With regard to the AD-10: I haven't had to pump that little champ up yet. I think they really have solved the leak problems that plagued the original design. I like to operate the shock on the soft side for my 200 lb. weight at a pressure of 220 lbs. The damping adjustments are fantastic. I've only had to increase the rebound damping slightly above the factory setting to keep the recoil of traversing a deep trench from bouncing me out of my seat.One final warning about this frame: I was mainly into xc riding before geting the Wildhare. The agility and springiness of this frame has begun seducing me into freeriding in a manner which might appear unseemly for a 34 year old geezer like my self. It is now impossible for me to pass up a single opportunity to catch big air with this bike. This is in no small part the fault of the incredibly smooth landings I get with this ride. I'm sure this will be my eventual undoing, but I'm having a blast in the meantime...I think my initial infatuation with this ride is maturing into true love... I'd better not let my wife read this. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a weekend warrior
from El Segundo, CA.
Date Reviewed: October 10, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I just found out about mtbr reviews and really enjoy all the comments about
the Wild Hare XC. I got mine about 6 months ago and can't understand why
anyone would buy anything else. I like light bikes so I've been riding AMP
style frames for a few years. Boy was I surprised when I test rode a Hare.
I had no idea a bike could ride so good and not be a porker. No hassles
climbing in the 3.5 mode and it tracks so much better then the AMP. My Hares a 14 1/2 with a Indy SL and air cartridges, Race Face cranks, King
hubs with 517s DT 15-17 spokes, Xtr brakes, 118 ti bar, ti bb, Speed play
ti pedals, and Conti db fighter tires. The tires are a bit wimpy for soft
dirt but dang it weighs 22.9 lbs. less than my AMP B3. I gotta say the fork
works ok for my 130 lbs but it flexes too much for my bigger friends.I got mine from BC USA and that was a surprise too. They have a website
that kicks ass. I used the interactive page to setup my bike and it came
out the exact weight when they built it. There is no place on earth where
you can score so much useful info without any bullshit. When I called them
there was not a bit of pressure to buy, only honest answers - 5 big chiles
to those guys. I don't know if its ok to mention names but Glen claimed BC
USA was too expensive. Man, I'm anal about prices and I beat myself up
trying to slam their prices. Ain't no way these guys are 600 bucks more
than anyone unless hes got a cousin in the warehouse. I just ordered a FOX air vanilla rc from BC USA to upgrade my wabbit. I'll
post a note on how it compares to the AD 10 after I get a few rides. I'm
headed to Moab for the ftf. See ya on the trail. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave Falco
a weekend warrior
from Penna, USA
Date Reviewed: October 1, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I really like this frame set. I'm a 250lb+ rider who has never had much luck keeping a frameset in one piece for more than a couple of months. Rather than change my eating habits, I chose to pick up this bike about a month ago ..Full XT, long travel single crown front and the thing takes a beating. Nice clean professional welds and comfort to boot!!! I can't say enough about this bike, it makes me feel like I'm young again (nudge nudge). | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Glen
a weekend warrior
from Gardena, California
Date Reviewed: September 23, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I recently built up a '99 Psycle Werks Wildhare XC with XTR components, Raceface cranks and chain rings, Thompson post, Kore stem and a Z1 Bam fork. Total weight according to BC USA's interactive page is right at 26 pounds. This is a really great frame. Since I got the '99 model, instead of the Cane Creek AD10, it came with the Fox Air Vanilla Float R rear shock - not to be confused with the coil over spring Fox Vanilla R which comes standard on the heavier wildhare model. The Air Vanilla Float is Fox's new '99 air shock which incorporates an air negative spring. Compared to the Wildhare XC i rode equipped with an AD10, the new Fox air shock is a definite improvement. There is noticeably less initial stiction. In fact, thanks to the air negative spring, there is absolutely no stiction. It is also easily tuneable with on the fly damping adjustment which actually makes a perceivable difference.I've been running the bike in it's 4.5 travel model for all my rides. What I noticed immediately was the rear suspension is even more plush than the already super plush Z1 bam front fork. The rear remains fully active and plush even when switching to the 3.5 travel mode. I keep it in the 4.5 mode because, frankly, i don't notice any detriment to this. My prior ride was a 96 Litespeed Obed f/s which has an AMP B3 rear triangle upgraded with a Risse Genesis shock. Though my Wildhare is a good pound heavier than the Litespeed and has at least double the suspension travel both front and rear, the Wildhare is still a noticeably better climber. I do not notice any problems with bobbing from the rear end and am also very surprised at the lack of bobbing coming from the front Z1 Bam fork compared the my old litespeed w/ a Judy XC fork. the generous suspension travel front and rear definitely helps aid with traction on steep, loose, rocky climbs. The frame is also significantly stiffer than my old bike.Going downhill, the bike is simply amazing. It eats up most obstacles in it's path. Again, the rear suspension amazed me by it's plushness, being even more compliant than the Z1 Bam fork. Also, because of the stiffness of the frame and fork, the bike is much easier to flick around - especially when you have to quickly place the front or rear to change directions quickly. This is definitely a bike which encourages you to go faster than you are used to. Despite this, it's controllability still kept me out of trouble when I was bombing down trails at much higher speeds than I had before. The active suspension travel seemed to also give better traction in the loose, steep descents. Whereas my old Litespeed would bounce around, skid and wash out easily in the technical heavily rutted trails, the Wildhare rarely locks up the back tire and gives better control.In terms of problems, there are only 2 minor ones... First, the frame I received had one of the rear derailleur cable bosses welded on backwards. it was quite a pain in the ass when you are almost done building the bike and itchin to ride. But, to Psycle Werks' credit, they immediately took care of the problem by exchanging a new seat stay for the defective part. Customer service was PERFECT. Secondly, I chose the polished, unpainted frame. While it looks great, it is a pain in the ass to maintain. It quickly loses it's shiny chrome appearance if you simply touch it. A simple cleaning makes it all nice again, but it is not as easy to maintain as the painted frames or the titanium finished bikes I've had in the past. The upside is, the unpainted frame is a bit lighter than the painted ones.A word on BC USA as this seems to be the favored shop to buy this bike from...There is no question that BC USA has good customer service and helped me a lot in my buying decision by allowing me to test ride the bike and select the components I wanted using their interactive web page. However, I did not purchase my Wildhare from them. I had bought my old litespeed from BC USA a couple of years ago. This time around, I initially wanted to only buy the frame and Z1 Bam fork. Though I had spent over $2,500 at BC USA previously, they refused to negotiate the price of the frame and fork. While I am all for supporting my LBS, I believe the LBS should also reciprocate... especially for a good repeat customer.So, I went on Psycle Werks' website and found another authorized dealer - KALO Mountain Bike in Pleasanton California. This shop had a good reputation on MTBR.com and I must say KALO lived up to it's reputation. The owner, Brett, gave me a great price on the frame, fork and a bunch of other components I bought with absolutely no haggling or b/s. Shipping was free and everything arrived on time and packaged perfectly. Because KALO gave me such a good deal, I decided to just build a whole new bike instead of using my old components. Between KALO and the Shimano components I bought from Supergo, including tax and all other expenses, I was still able to save over $650 from BC USA's price for an identical complete bike. I highly recommend KALO MTB. This is not a slam against BC USA because they are definitely knowledgeable and have a great and useful website and helped me with my buying decision. I just want to put all the information out there for the prospective buyers to consider.Finally, I would like to thank Grant from Kamuela Hawaii for helping design the 14.5 frame and answering the ton of e-mail I sent him before buying my frame.If you are interested, you can check out my bike at the Psycle Werks website. It's the polished bike with the matching orange Z1 Bam fork and Race Face cranks. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Matt Bartlett
a cross-country rider
from Austin,Tx
Date Reviewed: September 17, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I recently purchased a 16 Wild Hare XC from BC USA . I highly recommend the interactive bike design
On the BC USA web page. You can find out what your bike will weigh before you ever build (or have them Build it for you). Their posted weights are quite accurate compared to mine performed a O-haus triple beam scale. I ordered both the AD-10 and FOX shocks so I could perform my own comparison.The Frame: Beautifull construction. Very well built. My 16 weighed in at 5.0lbs without a shock,
5.5 lbs with the AD-10 and 6.1lbs with the FOX (750lb spring).Componets (my Bike) : Nuke Proof /Mavic wheelset,XTR cassette,Cooka Cranks,Race Face rings,XT
Derailures,King Headset,Action tec bottom bracket,Marzochi Atom Bomb fork,
Avid 1D brakes/levers,Sachs shifters, Easton CT2 Carbon handlebars,Flite seat,
Salsa Skewers,Kalloy seatpost, Tahoma stem.The Ride:
I don't own a bike shop and don't get to try every design, so I've based my comparison on a Proflex
855/856 which I have put thousands of miles on.The Wild Hare is very plush, active ride. My last bike was a proflex 856. Both bikes claim 3.5 wheelTravel, but the wild hare feels like it has a lot more (it is adjustable to 4.5 but I use the 3.5 mode).The stroke on the Wild Hare seems very linear and well controlled. I Think the 856 must have much more of a rising rate, rebounding fast off of the big hits. The Wild Hare seems to soak up everything. Even hard landing from a big jump are Smoooth and well controlled. This bike encourages a aggressive Riding style. Bashing through the rocks, it holds a very straight line and does't feel wiggly. Probably due to the longer wheelbase and rock solid rear end. This is my first bike with an active low pivot design where as the 856 Is semi active high pivot locking out the rear suspension somewhat during hard acceleration. The lowerPivot eliminates pedal feedback allowing the rider to focus more on cadence and spin through the rocky sections and steep climbs. The suspension is so neutral, you provide the motor and let the suspension handle the rest. So far I'm very happy with my purchase. I haven't had it long enough for a reliability review but the bike is solid and the IGUS Q series pivot bearings were designed for very heavy loads (check out their web page for details).The Shocks:This is such a subjective area involving riding style and local terrain (I live in a brutally rocky area),and reliability concerns, I wouldn't take anyone elses advice on this area including mine. Here it is anyway.The FOX Vanilla R.: Fantastic, Smooth, adjustable rebound. Dial in your sag, adjust your rebound rate (which can be done while your riding) and bash the hell out of anything that gets in your way. This shock seems to handle everything small and large. I have'nt been able to bottom it out yet. Nothing beats high speed repetative bumps like a hydraulic coil shock. Give me that extra half pound. A perfect match for the Marzocchi fork.Cane Creek AD-10: This is where I disagree with some of the other reviews. After I bolted on the Cane Creek shock as is with no adjustments other than pressure (preload) to get the proper sag, The bike would bob up and down with the pedal stroke. The shock feels firm in the first ¼ of stroke but then blows through the midstroke quickly. Next I increased compression and rebound damping. This helped control the shock quite a bit but still had a feeling of blowing through the mid stroke. Next I jacked up the air pressure and ignored proper sag This eliminated the bobing sensation and hadled the large hits pretty well. I haven't seen the internals of the shock but I don't think it has a negative spring which would surprise me being an Englund design. I have previously owned Englund TAT cartridges in my manitou fork and think they are the next best thing to the marzoccchi. I tried many adjusments trying to make it feel like the FOX but could never get there. This shock is light (249g) and would probably work well in an area with mostly smooth terrain with the occasional high speed slam over a root. There may be some other air shocks out there that would be better. FOX has a new shock with a negative air spring that would be interasting to try but in my opinion the Cane Creek does not do justice to the awsome Wild Hare frame. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Anton
a cross-country rider
from Seattle
Date Reviewed: September 17, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I got a wildhare about 2 months ago and I am truely amazed ! I went from a piece of turd access hardtail which was waaay f**king stiff to the psycle werks ride. I'm a big guy (210 lbs) and the frame is tight and handles killer. My riding ability and speed just got bumped up a few notches. I can literaly fly downhill and stay somewhat in control, allot more than I could on my hardtail. My ass is soooo happy that I got this bike, my ass used to hurt when I got back from a ride and I always thought it was my seat, NOPE, its the frame. I was very weary about the extra weight and going uphill, but not to worry, you can't even notice it, infact I can climb way better with the wildhare. For me it was down to a choice between the Santa Cruz Heckler and the wildhair, I think I made the right choice. Get one, you won't regret it ! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Greg Dieckhaus
a racer
from Bolingbrook, IL
Date Reviewed: September 12, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Here is an update of my review from earlier in the summer:First of all, I took a lot of e-mail heat from riders that took exception to my seat-to-pedal distance comments from my previous review. Of course, I realize that it is impossible to have the seat move closer to the pedal/crank on this non-unified frameset. What I am feeling is this: as the suspension activates, it feels like the seat is falling backwards which changes my hip angle. On my previous FS bike(Fisher Joshua), the seat seemed to stay level as the shock operated and the rear wheel rose to climb over obstacles. The falling backwards sensation that I feel on the Wild Hare is not unpleasant. Just different.Another different sensation that I am experiencing on this bike pertains to my impression of speed. And before my comments are misinterpreted as negative, let me just say that on every trail and race course that I have previously traveled with my old Joshua or my hardtail(Cannondale CAAD3), the Wild Hare XC is faster. Much faster. I competed in a local 3-race series this summer. During the first race, I used the Joshua X. For the second race, I used my C-Dale. And for the last race, I used the Wild Hare XC. Over the same course(6 miles) and distance(18 miles total), the Wild Hare was 2 minutes faster. But the Wild Hare is so stable it doesn't feel that fast. The sensation is very much like driving a sports car for the first time. Traveling at 80mph in a high-performance car doesn't feel that fast. And the Wild Hare gives the same impression. I have gone on several practice rides where I have finished my run thinking that I was slow that day. Then, when I looked down at my stop watch, I realized that I just bested my fastest time.Despite all of the negative comments in the magazines, the AD-10 shock is fabulous. After some initial experimentation, I quickly discovered my favorite air pressure(preload) and damping. After two months of hard riding, the shock hasn't lost any air. It is plush and so light!What can I say about BC USA that hasn't been said in other posts. They are great and have a fabulous web site. Check-out their interactive custom mountain bike parts form! If you don't have a Psycle Werks dealer near you, don't hesitate to order a frame from BC USA.If you would like to see a photo of my gorgeous red Wild Hare XC, visit the Psycle Werks web site. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Derek
a cross-country rider
from Florida
Date Reviewed: September 11, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
This is my second update on this incredible frame. I just got back from Snowshoe West Virginia and this thing shined! My bike is set up for cross country (Atom bomb on front / AD-10 on back) Even with this set-up it ripped at Snowshoe. If you want a frame for cross country, racing, or just having fun - call Psycle Werks, ask your questions, then call BC USA and order it up! You will not be disappointed - it does everything you want it to without all that typical feedback. Order one now!!Power to the Family | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tom Silva
a weekend warrior
from Golden, Colorado
Date Reviewed: September 1, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
A follow-up to my first review: I rode a Wild Hare demo bike earlier this summer, which left me jones-ing pretty bad for my own. After working with the guys at Bicycle Center USA, the dream is now reality. I didn't go in for any exotic componentry: Its pretty much a straightforward XT machine. I did get the XC version of the frameset, with the Cane Creek AD-10 rear shock and a Rock Shox Judy SL/Englund Total Air front to match. I've taken the bike out on a couple rides so far; a preliminary shakedown cruise along easy paths to make sure the components were all working, then a big, beefy 5 hour monster ride through the Golden Gate State Park just west of Denver. The bike has so far fully met my expectations. BC-USA did an outstanding job with the assembly and the frame is nothing short of amazing. Having rode that trail in the state park over a dozen times with my old hardtail, I can honestly say that I've never made that ride as quickly or with as much enjoyment. The downhill stretches were truly dream-like. What was most impressive was the combination of smoothness and control that the bike provided. I had no problems with the air shocks. I pumped both up according to the recommended levels and found no need to adjust the damping settings. Having air on both front and rear works very well and the weight savings were greatly appreciated during the 1600 foot climb from the bottom of the canyon. I should also state that the bike appears quite rugged. No epic ride is quite complete without some down-to-earth crashes, and I had my share. (I'm still getting used to the clipless pedals and V-brakes.) The bike took the spills with no obvious side effects. She may be light, but she's no lightweight. Given my 200+ lb. weight, I believe this is no small boast! There were no creaks or grinding from any of the componentry, and the frame/fork remained responsive and tight. All I can say is: So far, so %$#&@#$! fantastic! I'll let y'all know what happens when I bring this beauty out to Moab later this month... | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scott Eerkes
a weekend warrior
from Santa Cruz, Ca.
Date Reviewed: August 16, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Took this 'waskle wabbit' out as a day rental from the Vail Bicycle Center.I
FELT like a wild hare bobbing and weaving down through the aspens, my long ears
trailing in the wind...then bombing down some majorly chunky fireroads at a gooood 40-45 mph. Amazing how quickly 7 or so miles can go when your on the right machine.Really comfortable and inspired lots and lots of confidence in a
variety of technical situations. I agree with previous postings comment on the
slightly longer chainstays... weighting the rear tire on the steeper climbs
does take a little thoughtfullness , but no big deal. An amazing ride.I am going
to buy one as soon as possible!
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kevin Chadick & Beth Humphrey
a weekend warrior
from Laguna Beach,Ca
Date Reviewed: August 16, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Kevin started riding the WildHare back when it first came out-literally he had one of the prototypes. He loved it and now has the 98 black WildHare with a Z1 BAM on the front, which he highly recommends!! He can climb with the best of them and if you like to fly down the mountains like a maniac--it's perfect! And guess who has the original?? That's right- I am one happy girlfriend. This is my first suspension bike and I got spoiled with the best one made!!! If you are looking for a full suspension bike at a very reasonable cost- check this one out! Also, if you are a female and are looking for a full suspension with excellent handling and control- this is the bike for you!! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
david
a weekend warrior
from AZ
Date Reviewed: August 9, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
my turn!
this bike is amazing! i have the following:
black wild hare w/ti fasteners, lite chain and shock stays, lite swing link, fox
vanilla r, hayes and canti mounts, and replaceable d. hanger.
put a marzocchi z-1 bam, race face cranks, rings and ti b.b. avid single digit 2.0's and this bike rocks! definitely the best f.s. frame i've ever ridden. the post a few down says something about a saddle to crank distance problem, but this is absolutely impossible with this bike. the seat tube is not interupted so it is physically not possible for a variation to occur. anyway, i've never been happier with a bike and it is definitely worth the $1200 for the frame, a bargain compared to some other 4 travel frames out there. (yes i test rode all of them also!) roy at psycle werks is great to deal w/ and it's nice to see a little company trying (and succeeding in m.h.o) to make a difference in this industry. i'll never buy big manufacturers bike again!
if you we're considering this frame your decision should be easy from reading all the other reviews here. buy one!
btw-26.5 lbs!!!
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
grant
a cross-country rider
from Kamuela, HI
Date Reviewed: August 1, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
This is in addition to the review that I gave on 16 April. I finally received my copy of a Psycle Werks bike the other week. This was a smaller size (14.5) that I was working with the people at Psycle Werks to put into production. Roy and the guys at Psycle Werks built an exquisite frame. All the welds are beautiful. This frame is Blue Anodized an incredible deep blue that looks so translucent you just have to see it to believe it. The frame weight is 5.2lbs and was built up into a bike that is 23.2lbs. The bike is light and feels it while you're riding. The rear exihibits no flex. The suspension is so plush and just plain works. The first two rides on this thing were two days of downhill off of a 14,000 foot mountain to the 10,000 base camp. This is 45mph plus down a washboard cinder road. Even took the bike through some long loose rocky technical stuff. The bike just handles it all without any complaints. Oh by the way, in my previous review I stated that the 16 was big. The 14.5 is perfect for my 5'5 body size. Run the frame with a shorter stem and you'll have a quick responding bike. If you are a smaller person and looking for an extremely light full suspension ride, check this bike out. Also, they've increased the mud clearance in the rear section of the frame. There isn't much else to say because it has all been said already. Imagine a full suspension bike that is lighter then most hard tails out there that can be ridden all day day after day and you'll come up with the Psycle Werks XC. If you have any questions, feel free to get in contact with me or contact the guys at Psycle Werks. They are so cool there. Aloha,
gP.S. If you want to take a look at the bike, check out the Psycle Werks web site and look under the album section. The pictures were taken atop the 14,000 foot mountain Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bryan Bihlmaier
a racer
from Provo, Utah
Date Reviewed: July 28, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I'm not sure I need to submit this review after reading all the 5-chile ratings! But I'll throw my praises on the pile too. I've been a bike mechanic for more than 3 years, and have owned and ridden many, many full-suspension frames. I've owned a PW for more than a year now, with many epic rides and races. I can honestly say that the Wild Hare is the _best-feeling_ 4-travel frame I have EVER ridden. The bushing are soooo smooth, and there is absolutely NO play! What would I change? Call me crazy, but I would like 5 of travel. Maybe I'll have to buy their new Mad Dog DH frame. Anyone want to buy my XC? | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Greg D.
a racer
from Bolingbrook, IL
Date Reviewed: July 27, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I came from a tired '96 Joshua X. The Wild Hare XC is the tightest dual-suspension rig that I have ridden. The frame construction is very precise. I am still experimenting with the AD-10 rear shock. But the feel of the bike is remarkably plush and tight at the same time. Riding over 6 and 8 logs on my local trail is unbelievable. I will re-review the bike at the end of the season. But for now, I give it 4.5 chillies. My only negatives are getting used to the long chainstays and dealing with a saddle-to-crank distance variation that seems to occur when the shock compresses. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
ANDREW
a weekend warrior
from GUAM
Date Reviewed: July 27, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
JUST RECIEVED MY FRAME FROM BC USA(GREAT SHOP-GREAT SERVICE), A WILD HARE XC AIR. WANTED TO RUN DISC BRAKES, ROY(P-WORKS) PROVIDED A SWINGARM DESIGNED FOR THE CALIPER. FRAME WELL MADE, SUPER LIGHT, SUPER STRONG!!! ONE HELL OF A CLIMBER
FOR A F/S FRAME. HAVING A CHOICE OF TWO DIFFERENT TRAVEL LENGTHS IS A PLUS. WELL WORTH THE MONEY, IF I HAD TO DO IT AGAIN, SAME FRAME DIFFERENT COLOR. THIS FRAME IS THAT GOOD!! RATING ONLY GOES TO FIVE STARS, BUT DESERVES A 10. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Paco
a
from Charlotte
Date Reviewed: June 30, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I had been riding a GT Avalanche since '95 and was tired of the beating I took from the stiff big tubed frame. Bending the frame after a crash, I had the excuse to give my wife to up grade to a full suspension frame set.After much research I narrowed my choice down to a Ventana Marble Peak,Litespeed Hiawassee, and the Psycle Werks Wild Hare. My problem was there were no demo bikes to test at my local dealer and the mail order guys gave me all different answers to my questions. So I called Richie Cuningham @ Mountain Bike Action and asked him to give me a recomendation since I felt he would have no axe to grind. He told me hands down to go with the Wild Hare. So I ordered one.I had my local dealer (BikeSource) order it for me and set it up with my XTR components of my GT. We were both impressed by the frame and how bombproof the it looked. The welds and the rear end really jump out at you.I have put about 200 miles on the bike now and feel like I have it dialed in. I can say with out any doubt this ride is much more comfortable than my old GT's. I find on long ride my lower back dosen't ache the next day. The bike is heavier than before but it actually climbs better because the rear tire is always hooked up. I will agree that the bike dose require a little more body english because of the long wheelbase at slow speeds around switchbacks and steep climbs. The bike takes anything my local single track can dish out and just shines. The biggest preformance difference I felt was when I went to ride down some very narly downhill trials in the Pisgah Nat'l Forest. Wow this bike can handle ugly stuff at speed, only fear keeps you from going faster.
The Wild Hare has a cool factor, people will stop you and ask you about your ride. Quality and value are the attributes of this frameset. I am growing to love this bike.
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Derek
a cross-country rider
from Florida
Date Reviewed: June 22, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
This is the first update on my Psycle Werks XC. I have had it for about a month now and it is only getting better. The Cane Creek AD-10 has taken a while to get used to. It is a great shock, super smooth, but getting the right pressure has taken some time. Once set properly, you will never want a coil-over. The frame handles & climbs like a hardtail, but soaks up all that nasty stuff. This is simply a great frame! Buy one!j | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Derek
a cross-country rider
from Florida
Date Reviewed: June 5, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I just made the jump to full-suspension. I have been a hardtail preacher for the last 4 years. I ended up with the WildHare XC w/ titanium hardware and a Cane Creek AD10. I've only been on it 4 times, but all I can say is wow! If I didn't look down, I couldn't tell you what I was riding, this frame is moderately light, quick handling, climbs like a hardtail, and oh so smooth! I should have given up on hardtails several frames ago.
When I opened up the box, I was more impressed then I thought I would be. Great paint job, perfect welds, and just plain unique! If you ride cross-country, singletrack, technical, like to climb and like to be just plain fast - try the Wildhare XC - I got mine at BC USA - they were great! No complaints yet, still trying to figure out the shock settings, its easy to use, but hard to pick just one setting. Sweet frame - power to the family! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Lance Scott
a racer
from Houston,TX
Date Reviewed: June 5, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Hey all you psycle-werks owners what took you so long to find out about this
totally awesome machine. I have been involved with PW for about 2 years now.
I was the first rider to RD the large frame #2. The frame back then was still
going through its processes, but it was better than any full suspension I had
ride to that point. I liked the bike so much that I signed a rep contract with
PW. I travelled the country reping the bike. It is amazing how many people
are stuck on the Big 3 (Trek, Cannondale and Schwinn). These bikes have nothing
on the quality of the Wildhare. I have been racing for the last year here in
Texas and have met with a lot of resistance from other riders. They say the
bike is a hog and can't be ridden cross-country. I have to disagree. The bike
is awesome. I love it and will never ride another bike. And by the way that #2
was stolen from a friends house and has not been seen since. That tells you that
even a thief knows quality when he sees it. PW is a small company, but look for
them to grow into a greater US hand-built company, once everyone realizes how good
the bike really is. If you are in Texas and want to demo a Wildhare. There is
a small mountain bike ranch called Bluff Creek Ranch in Warda, Texas. He has two
bikes that he will loan out to ride his 11 mile loop. Contact Paul Nolan (409) 242-5894. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tom Silva
a weekend warrior
from Golden, Colorado
Date Reviewed: May 31, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I just rode a Wildhare yesterday for the first time. I'm presently in the market for full suspension frames. The Psycle Werks product was the first frame which I have tested. This may have been a mistake. I don't think I shall be testing any more frames. I WANT ONE OF THESE BABIES REAL BAD! The entire experience was nothing but positive. Having ridden a hardtail for over eight years, mostly in cross-country single-track terrain, I was leary of any difficulty a softtail might create for climbing. The Wildhare has completely quelled my concerns. The bike is a demo loaner obtained from Psycle Werks via a local bike store, the Bicycle Center in Arvada, Colorado. (Anyone interested in this excellent demo program should contact Psycle Werks directly: www.psycle-werks.com) It's outfitted with a Marzocchi Z1 front suspension, the Shimano XT groupo, Mavic 221 rims, Synchros seatpost, Azonics stem and Mythos XC tires. It was not equiped with pedals, so I just swapped mine from my own bike. It has a VERY painful San Marco 3D Bontrager seat, which I should have replaced. I can barely sit just to write this e-mail! It came with riser handlebars, presumeably for the downhill freaks out there. Not being one, I would have preferred something more conventional with endbars, but this is nothing by snivelling. The entire bike weighs in at 29 lbs. I rode a long 16 mile loop at a local county park, White Ranch, just outside of Golden. It a rugged, strenuous and technical route which includes almost 2000 feet of vertical climbing. I rode the bike as hard as my abilities would allow. Without shame, I'll admit that I crashed twice, with no great injuries. (Damn anti-erosional logs!) The bike was nothing but a joy. I never noticed any pogoing on climbs, and the downhill ride is smooth and controlled. I even managed to pull through one severe drop-off which I've struggled with on my hardtail for a couple years. Tuning the suspension was not at all difficult, and the switch from 3.5 to 4.5 inch travel took but a minute to accomplish. I won't go into great technical detail about the positive aspects of the frame design since I'm not much of an expert and my experience with softtails is severely limited. Nevertheless, I can confirm all the positive reviews this frame has been receiving, both here and in the magazines. The effusive gushing over this frame is genuine.Finally, a quaint anecdote: My wife accompanied me on my test ride with her Haro hardtail. On one of the last crux maneuvers, she crashed bad, injurying her left wrist. After waiting for 15 minutes for the Advil to kick in, the pain was still so accute that she decided the injury was bad enough to warrant walking back to the car. I instead pursuaded her to try the Wildhare, since it was so damn easy to control, even on the rocky sections. We switched bikes and she rode the last two miles of the ride, albeit slow, but using only her right hand to control the bike. She made it all the way down off the hill without incident. She was impressed at the smooth control of the Wildhare. If this doesn't convince you of the excellent control afforded by this ride, I don't know what will... | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Trevor Gray
a
from Toronto, Ontario
Date Reviewed: May 22, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I've been riding this bike with an AD 10 in the rear and a Z1 up front for about 3 months and really can't say enough good about it. After 4 or 5 rides of fiddling air pressure and damping there is no bobbing in any gear, and the travel is incredibly supple throughout its range. Torsionally, it is a stiff as any hardtail I've ridden. The materials, welds, machining, pivots and finish are all first rate. Without going to ridiculous expense it weighs less than 26 pounds. Climbing, with one caveat, is a dream. No matter how technical the trail the rear stays glued to the ground. At the same time the 4 1/2 inches travel soaks up almost any rock, root or sharp rise that comes along. The overall effect is like floating up the hill. If someone tells you that an FS bike will never climb like a hardtail, they haven't ridden a WildHare. That said, the combination of long chainstays and high front end make for a small sweet zone when climbing very steep pitches. Concentration is required to keep the front end from wandering and the rear wheel hooked up both at the same time. Compared to my old bike, where the rear wheel would break loose first, cornering on the WildHare took some getting used to. The front wheel loses traction a hair before the rear. Before I became accustomed to it there would be a momentary moment of panic when it felt like the bike was going to plow off into the woods. Weighting the front end more than I was used to solved the problem. Given its almost 5 inches of travel and torsional stiffness, it can rail through corners which would dump a bike with less travel.Going downhill. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!Slow speed handling is equally sweet. Admittedly, it took awhile to adjust to the bike's higher center of gravity, but once done, technical lines that I never thought rideable on a hardtail opened up. Braking is not an issue. The rear remains active and the Z1 has enough travel that there is plenty left over even when hard braking eats up two of its four inches. The seat stays flex a small amount under hard braking but I have always had stopping power in gobs and modulation has remained consistant.Reliability so far has not been an issue. Given the thought that has gone into it, the A1 pivots, and the obvious attention to detail, I doubt there will be any trouble.Lest I gush too much, I do have a couple of nitpicks. Somewhere in the pivots there is a squeak, and I'll be damned if I can find it. The AD 10 was adjusted with the damping dials facing up so that in the long travel option they hit the linkage arm. Damping adjustment on the trail requires digging into the tool bag because the the adjuster knobs are impossible to turn with your fingers. Tire clearance on the seat stays is limited. I don't think there is anyway a tire wider than 2.1 or mounted on SnowCat rims would fit. As mentioned, mud could jam the rear end pretty easily. I have to take the rear quick release right out to take off the rear wheel because the QR bolt catches on the derrailler bolt.That said, I'm having more fun on this bike than I can remember ever having on a bike. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Itchy
a cross-country rider
from Calgary, Canada
Date Reviewed: May 18, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
This bike is beautiful! Stick a Z1 on the front, the perfect complement for the Wild Hare, and we are talking Zen mountain biking. At low speeds the bike very responsive and forgiving; climbs gracefully especially when the climbs get really technical but when you are going fast is when Wild Hare really shines. Just aim the bike in the direction you want to go, precise, quick and stable. The suspension remains active under braking and soaks up anything you throw at it from little bumps to the big hits and all the while the rear is super rigid; it is as rigid as my hard tail, which I will never ride again but then again I didn't ride my hard tail that much after I bought my first full suspension bike. I test road a ton of bikes before choosing the Wild Hare (Kona, Specialized, Heckler, LTS, Intense blah blah blah) but none of them are as good as the Wild Hare!!!!If you set the rear shock up right you can eliminate bobbing and yet have a super suple ride. Yes the standover height is minimized but hey the five inches of travel has to go somewhere. Love this bike! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
MARCUS
a weekend warrior
from GREEN MTN,CO
Date Reviewed: April 26, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
OUTSTANDING FRAME.I WAS THE ULTIMATE FULL SUSPENSION SKEPTIC UNTIL I BOUGHT THE WILD HARE.INCREDIBLE CLIMBER AND DESCENDER.PROBABLY THE BEST ALL AROUND MOUNTAIN MACHINE I HAVE EVER RIDDEN AND FOR THE PRICE PROBABLY THE BEST VALUE OUT THERE. IF YOU DON'T ALREADY HAVE ONE YOU NEED TO GET ONE AND SET IT UP WITH THE MARZOCCHI Z1BAM FOR AN AWESOME RIDE.THE BIKE MAY FEEL HEAVY WHEN LIFTED BUT NEVER WHEN RIDDEN. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
racetra
a weekend warrior
from Northern Ca
Date Reviewed: April 20, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I have just finished building my Wild Hare and have only ridden it twice. It is one of the nicest bikes I have ever riden. Sometimes you can just look at something and know it works. The Psycle Werks Wild Hare is one of those things. I Also own a GT LTS-DH that is set up for XCing. It works well but isn't the best climber. I set my Wild Hare up kinda soft and it still was a great Climber. I weighed it and it came up at 29lbs. Not a problem in my book. Hats off to everyone at Psycle Werks for building a low dollar ride that out perform all the big buck rides | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Grant
a weekend warrior
from Kamuela, HI
Date Reviewed: April 16, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Rode a Wild Hare XC back in February. Was very impressed with the bike and am working towards getting
one for myself. I was lucky to have had two excellent examples of this bike to try, one of them being the exact
bike featured in MBA's April issue.The suspension is supple. Spent a little while trying to setup the bike's shock (AD-10) to my weight versus my
friend's settings. Even without the exact settings, the bike behaved extremely well. The rear end is rigid, does
not bob around, absorbs the stutter stuff as well as the big hits. Both bikes came in with legitimate weights of
23-24lbs. I saw it for myself. These bikes were not exotically built up. Other plusses would have to be the way the people at PW respond. I've been in contact with them in trying to
get a new, smaller version frame built. They are responding. I should see something in the next few weeks.
Also, PW has a demo bike program running in which people can get their hands on a bike from the factory to
try out for a period of time. Try contacting them at http://www.psycle-werks.com/ or
psywerks@sprynet.com
I think it is worth the effort, at least you'll get to try a bike and have your friends try it out as well......My only gripes are:
The frame (even a small) is big. The 16 frame has a long top tube and the stand over height is in excess of
30 with the Conti semi-slick tires. Am awaiting a smaller size to be made (Xsmall or 14).Tire clearance in the area of the seat stay brace is tight. This will catch a lot of mud (or clean the mud off
which ever way you look at it).
Aloha,
g | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David
a
from Cape Cod, Mass.
Date Reviewed: April 16, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Good to see a few Happy Hare owners. I've had my Wild Hare for a couple months, haven't ridden it hundreds of miles but enough to know this is one great bike. ( I'm nursing a bad back.) I bought it to replace a Klein Adriot that was beating me up every ride. I wanted a full linkage bike that didn't weigh 29 lbs but was solidly built. The Wild Hare is this and more. TOTALLY BOMBPROOF. The welding is a work of art. The design engineering first rate. The Hare is plush without being sloppy. The frame and rear triangle are solid as a rock without any extra weight. It climbs well, is total stable, goes where I point it, handles singletrack like a cat, descends anything I dare to go down and doesn't beat me up in the process. The bike can handle the knarliest trails this old body brings it to. I got a 1998 version with the Cane Creek AD10, standard rear end except titanium pivots and hardware, added a Judy SL with Englund Air upgrade, mostly XT components and got a 25 lb bike at a very reasonable price. I live on the East Coast with no local dealer selling the bike so I had to mail order the bike. (Someone told me I may have one of just a couple on the East Coast). Psycle Werks is a great company to deal with, answered all my calls and emails promptly and helped me through my decision process. It's great working with a small company that makes their own stuff. No mega-hype, no marketing bull, just a company selling a really good product they believe in and ride. If you have no LBS selling the Hare in your area, PW will work with you to get a demo of the bike. I bought my Wild Hare from Bicycle Center USA in Redondo CA another totally positive experience. (check out their reviews) Order a Hare from BC USA if there are no LBS selling them in your area, you will not regret it.Anyone want a gently used Klein?
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave Cook
a cross-country rider
from Seattle, WA
Date Reviewed: April 14, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I own a 98 Blue Wildhare (std) and love it.
I was looking for a bike that would do well both in ascending and descending
and I found it. I test rode Hecklers and Specialized FSRs but still wanted
more capability. Someone mentioned that I check out the Wildhare, so
I got the brochures and literature, but nowhere to testride here in Seattle.After corresponding with Psycle Werks about geometry and a few other questions,
they suggested that I make arrangements with my LBS to testride a demo bike.
The demo was the standard version with Vanilla R coil over shock and
a 98 Z1 on it - plush. (there is an XC version with addnl machining and air shock)This bike was eatin' everything I threw at it - twisty, rooty, rocky,
slow, fast, uphill & downhill singletrack. With the longish wheel base,
the bike is stable, but amazingly manueverable. Don't let that dimension
mislead you - it will follow any twisty path you point it at.
This bike is sturdy too - no rear end flex, just check out the cross
section design of the struts. Working in aerospace, I know quality
machining when I see it - the link and pivots are beauties.I have not noticed any chain/pedal feedback or bobbing
typical of other suspension designs. I was really sold on the design: being able to choose between 3.5 and 4.5
rear end travel and the fact that the frame tubes somewhat block the shock
from mudsplattering which is a plus in muddy Seattle.
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rich C.
a weekend warrior
from Edwards, Colorado
Date Reviewed: April 12, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Bought my Wild Hare last July, 1997, with XT and the old heavy Z-2. It is the heavier version with the Fox Vanilla R. I LOVE the bike. Tried Santa Cruz, Klein, Cannondale, Trek, and some others. Definitley the best frame for the money.Raced in the Leadville 100 last year the Wild Hare and it was incredible!! Definitley allowed me to finish.The bike climbs fairly well. It is pretty good in singletrack. On the flats and downhill it flies. Feels like it is on rails as it corners. Get just the smallest amount of pedal feedback in the lowest gear on really steep climbs.The best thing about the bike it it handles everything extremely well and it is built like a tank. I can go out and ride all day and the Wild Hare handles whatever is thrown at it. Did not know biking could be this fun. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rod Brandon
a cross-country rider
from Tucson, AZ
Date Reviewed: April 6, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I've been riding my '98 Wild Hare XC for 3 weeks now. The XC is the lighter Wild Hare frame, Psycle
Werks claims a weight of 5.2 lbs for the XC with rear shock (AD-10) and I believe 'em, this frame is both
light and strongly reinforced! Beautiful smooth welds and great paint job (much better than the 97 frame
IMO). The rear suspension is stiff, really stiff, like as stiff as my hardtail, and it is stout with big box sections and
large pivot points, this bike is made to take a major beating, it's really amazing that it is still so light. The
rear suspension works great. As long as you have a decent circular pedal stroke bobbing is pretty much
nonexistent. The rear soaks up any and all bumps small, big, no complaints. You can pump the AD-10 to
outrageous pressures if you want a firm hardtail-like ride or run it at recommended pressures for a supple
ride. The Fox Vanilla works great on this bike too (I'm running a 750lb spring).This bike climbs like a monkey but it really shines going downhill, it rolls over everything and the longer
wheelbase keeps it stable all the time up or downhill at both fast speeds and slow. Climbing out of the
saddle on loose stuff you have to keep your weight back a little because of the longer 17.25 chain stays
but its really not a problem and a good back tire helps this a lot.
A Z1 or Z2 is the perfect compliment for this bike.This is a *lot* of frame for the money. I tried a lot of bikes (Heckler, Ventana, FSR, Intense Uzzi,
Ellsworth), I couldn't find another frame that gave me this combination of light weight, superb build, fit and
finish and low price. Psycle Werks has a demo plan that lets you ride one even if your local dealer doesn't
carry them, check it out this bike rocks!=rod= | | Overall Rating: |
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