Strengths: Extremly balanced,extreme handling,single track heaven! Up hill, down hill the frame inspires confidence. Sections of trails that I usually have difficulty with has vanished.Nice job by Bay Ridge in dialing up the bike to my riding style.
Weaknesses: None.
Bottom Line:
It is to bad that the decision by Tomac is not to build this frame anymore. The price of admission is cheap compare to the pre package prices of other bike brands/frames.If you can find one buy it! Everything about the frame from the paint to the layout is top quality and raises the bar on the fun factor. If you enjoy a tight handling , tossable bike and take pleasure in laughing at downhill hell and long twitchy climbs......... yeah baby this is the one.
Favorite Trail: anything with humps bumps and stumps
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Purchased At: Bay Ridge Bike
Similar Products Used: Anything on two wheels without a engine.
Bike Setup: XTR , easton , race face , Z1 Bomber ,mavic max tubeless etc
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Submitted by
Scott DeJong
a Racer
from Denver, CO, USA
Date Reviewed: January 19, 2002
Strengths: Great climbing and handling, beautifully executed frame, stong and light, great support from the Tomac staff, too.
Weaknesses: none
Bottom Line:
An outstanding race bike, it climbs like a mountain goat and handles with confidence. This bike is light and lightening fast to respond to your commands - it is a joy to ride and feels like it is simply an extension of the rider. I don't anticipate getting another bike, unless this one breaks. It really is that good!
Submitted by
Rob
a Cross Country Rider
from Lakewood, CO
Date Reviewed: October 27, 2001
Strengths: The Tomac fits like a glove, once properly set-up. It climbs like a banshee and tracks extremely well on fast downhills. The geometry is steep and tight, making for a very responsive bike.
Weaknesses: The Scandium frame is extremely rigid. This is good for going uphill but can cause lost fillings on rough downhills.
Bottom Line:
A solid bike, the bike responded like an extension of my body once I got it dialed in (the original stem was too short). I find this bike inspires confidence, but does take a number of rides to get used to. The steep geometry makes the bike quite twitchy, but ultimately more responsive than any other mountain bike I've ridden. Bradbury and Tomac should be commended for retaining the old school Manitou design, steep angles rather than the more relaxed free-riding geometry that seem to be popular on bikes in this price range. Buy this bike if you like performance and are an aggressive rider, you won't be disappointed.
Favorite Trail: St. Mary's Falls -> Jones Park -> Captain Jacks
Duration Product Used: 1 Year
Price Paid:
$1600.00
Purchased At: Colorado Cyclist
Bike Setup: Shimano XT components throughout, Manitou Mars fork, Colorado Cyclist wheelset, IRC Mythos tires.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Doug
a Weekend Warrior
from Houston, TX
Date Reviewed: August 31, 2001
Strengths: incredible quality. great looks. Awsome black paint job
Weaknesses: none
Bottom Line:
This is the best looking hardtail ever built, even better than the ARC. The rear triangle detail is unrivaled. Steel riders beware, this ride is easily as good. Perfect for heavier riders.
Weaknesses: rear hanger is on for good, keep it staight
Bottom Line:
this bike is awesome. my follow up review and all i can say is it just keeps getting better. its everythig you could ask for in a frame. the company was bought out or merged with the people that make litespeed. i only think it would make tomac frames even better in the future.(could that be possible?). buy one if you dont have one. if you do, congrats. see you in the front of the pack
Strengths: Light, stiff, durable, handles well. Great geometry and great service from tomac.
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
Well, I was the first to review this frame 2 years ago, and here is my follow up. This frame is great. I can't believe how great it rides and how well it has held up over 2 years of racing. There is no doubt that this is the best hardtail frame I have ever ridden. It goes where you want it do and climbs like it's nobodies bussiness. This wil probably be the lst season on it before it gets mounted on the wall, but I'm pretty sure my next frame will be a Tomac.
Bike Setup: 2001 SID SL Crosslinks ESP 9.0sl Easton EA70 Bar/stem Time Atac Pedals XT Crankset
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Submitted by
Jeff Whaley
a Cross Country Rider
from Colo Spgs,CO
Date Reviewed: March 1, 2001
Strengths: Stiff,light made here by people you can go meet.Looks great
Weaknesses: No replaceable hanger
Bottom Line:
Fairly new bike,havent ridden as much as I would like.Climbs like it should.Most balanced and straight tracking bike I have ever ridden.23 lbs on the trail.This is the best deal going for a bike this caliber.Colorado cyclist has taken good care of every thing I have asked .even some things that were not their problem
Submitted by
drew calabrise
a
from staten island , new york
Date Reviewed: October 8, 2000
Strengths: this bike is nothing but strengths.
Weaknesses: rear derailer hanger not replaceable
Bottom Line:
i love it. corners smooth at any speed. feels laterly stiff yet extremely smooth ride. not harsh at all. looks great even though red is not my color. if it dont break it will probably be the last frame i ever buy. climbs, decends, and jumps like a $1000 bike should
Similar Products Used: owned gt and tried specialized, dean, litespeed, jamis and intense
Bike Setup: z2 x fly, xtr-517's w/ titanium cass, xtr shifters, xt cranks and derailers, thomson elite post and stem, titanium h-bars, ball sack seat
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Submitted by
shosei asakura
a Cross Country Rider
from Tokyo,Japan
Date Reviewed: June 21, 2000
Strengths: VERY LIGHT WEIGHT,NICE LOOKING(especially rear build up is terrific!),and COLOURING(red like a fire!)
Weaknesses: NONE!
Bottom Line:
VERY LIGHT WEIGHT! MY BIKE IS ONLY 10.2KG.AND IS VERY EASY TO HANDLE (I MEAN QUICK HANDLING!). AND ALSO CLIMBS SO WELL. SOFT RIDE COMPARED TO OTHER ALMINUM BIKES. REALLY VERY NICE, BUT I DO NOT WANT YOU TO BUY THIS BIKE BECAUSE I WANT TO THINK THIS BIKE IS SPECIALLY MADE FOR ME!!!
Similar Products Used: FULLDYNAMICS,OTHER SCANDIUM BIKE(VOODOO.ROCKYMOUNTAIN),SCHWIN(HOMEGROWN FACTORY)
Bike Setup: MANITOU(MARS-CL),XTR(BRAKES and DEREALERS F&R),SPOX wheel set,CANE CREEK HEAD SET,RACE FACE NEXT CRANK,TITEC TI HANDLE BAR,USE SUSPENSION SHEET POST...etc
Strengths: Light weight frame. Frame geometry. Stiff but comfortable. Fast. Easy to talk with company.
Weaknesses: None so far.
Bottom Line:
This is the BEST bike I have ever ridden. The frame weighs less than 3 lbs. When on the trail it is easy to maneuver. I love climbing with this bike. The ride is stiff but yet seems so comfortable I don't know if this has something to do with the easton scandium. I would highly recommend this bike to everyone. Also Tomac has an 800# and they are very personable. Talk to your local dealer if you want one. You won't be disappointed.
this is one of the best bikes that has ever or will ever be made! scandium is a great material and doug bradberry (spell?) and tomac did a slammin job. but, why is the website tattooed on my seatstay? who cares. my bike is better than yours. peace.
Well, hot damn, this frame rocks!! The scandium provides a great ride. It's really stiff. Very light(complete bike weighs sub 23lbs.). As for the constrcution, I give mad props to Doug Bradbury on this one. The main tubes are are pretty much standard as far as I can tell. Headtube and bb shell are hour-glass shaped. The greatest part of the construciton is the seat and chain stays. Where each of the stays meet the frame, instead of being welded directly to the main triangle, there are machined honeycomb braces. They look super cool and give the frame extra strenght and stiffness. The craftmenship is top notch. Get your hands on one of these if you want the best. Although it will be tough to get one. I just got mine and it's the 11th Buckshot ever made. This frame rocks!!!!! 5 chilies
