Submitted by
Timothy Pachter
a Weekend Warrior
from Melbourne, Florida
Date Reviewed: March 17, 2003
Strengths: Simple design, unique look. I don't even have it assembled yet and it's already turning heads. Very light. Aluminum top, TITAMIUM rear triangle!!! Will look just as good on the trails as it does in a museum.
Weaknesses: Want to repaint it, but can't find replacement decals
Bottom Line:
I'm just starting to get into serious biking, so this is the first bike I've owned that wasn't comparable to a Huffy. The rest of my parts come in this week, so hopefully I'll have it all together and ready to ride by the weekend. My first impressions of the bike blew me away, and I can't wait to hit the trails on it. The Titanium rear triangle should put up with quite a bit of punishment without breaking. I'll post another review in a couple of months after I get some more ride-time in.
Bike Setup: WTB Bon Tempe frame, '03 Marzocchi Z1 Freerided Fork, Fox Vanilla R rear shock, Magura HS33 hydraulic rear brake, Shimano XT Disk front brake, Rhyno Lite rims, Bontrager saddle, Crane Creek headset.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
kevin gill
a Weekend Warrior
from united kingdom
Date Reviewed: March 11, 2003
Strengths: bombproof ,tough as hell ,very easy maintenance,best looking bike there is
Weaknesses: not really best suited to british mud ,Lots of nooks and crannies for the crap to get into
Bottom Line:
This bike is fast ,Low Centre of gravity,Outrageous technically especially on big rocky singletrack,Shame theres no disc mounts, but who needs brakes???? Full rear end strip down regrease and rebuild in 30 minutes.Everyone looks,Nobody knows what it is(not in the UK anyhow)Anyone who says sweetspot bikes are not very active have never ridden one,my mates are amazed that their linkage bikes feel so hard after the BON TEMPE
Similar Products Used: Mantra,specialised fsr,Orange full sus,Pace RC200,Rocky element,Elsworth truth,
Bike Setup: Hope bottom bracket with race face I beam cranks,Pace EVO II forks ,XTR V brakes ,Odyssey black widows
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Richard Russell
a Weekend Warrior
from Aliceville, AL
Date Reviewed: April 1, 1999
Strengths: Steve Potts made it! Titanium rear triangle w/high sweet spot pivot. Non-stick skillet finish on aluminum. 140mm rear axle spacing = better chainline. 38mm seat post! WTB SST .98 seat is very comfy. Great handling, smooth ride, corners very well in tight turns, excellent traction on climbs. You may never see another one.
Weaknesses: No provisions to easily lube pivots IF they should ever need it. Requires XTR BB, cranks and an E-type front derailleur. Decals won't stick to non-stick skillet. 140mm axle spacing = not much axle in dropouts unless a longer axle is used. Titanium anti-seize is nasty stuff! Seatpost will cost you $200 to replace if you cut it too short! Only one place to put water a bottle and it requires a special adapter. Rear shock catches mud from both tires.
Bottom Line:
Great bike. Great big price. If you are crazy enough to spend $5000+ on a MTB go for it. (If I had only bought EBAY stock instead...) Very well constructed and should last a long time (i hope).
Similar Products Used: The only other FS bikes I've riden were Trek Y-bikes. Way too mushy/active for my 230 lbs.I was planning to buy a Klein Mantra until I found the Good Times.
Bike Setup: Full '99 XTR, Bontrager stem and Crowbar, Valiant Ceramic Rims, Revolt ST2s, '99 Marzocchi Z1 w/travel redux kit & heavy springs, Chris King headset, Fox Vanilla R rear shock w/800 lb/in spring, Avid Flak Jacket cables
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Grizam
a Cross-Country Rider
from California
Date Reviewed: March 28, 1999
Strengths: Bomb proff frame, hand built by Steve Potts, and awesome ride.
Weaknesses: You just may not be a unified rear triangle kind of guy or gal.
Bottom Line:
I would have to say this is a wonderful bike. Since it is hand built by Steve Potts the price is off the charts but if you got that kind of money go ahead and get it. But if allyou can de is be allowed to test ride it once it is a dream come true.
