Strengths: Super strong, i really like the handling, I have riden this bike on local tracks and have also traveled to whistler and it has been excellent.
Weaknesses: It is heavy but i really don't care,i didnt like the fork or the shock
Bottom Line:
this bike is rock solid and will deal with anything you throw at it and is fun to ride. If you do not care about weight this bike is exellent.
Bike Setup: I replaced the manitou travis with a rockshox lyric and it has been amazing. I also repaced the manitou swinger 4 way with a rockshox vivid. In addition i have a raceface atlas bar, nukeproof saddle, kenda nevegal tires, blackspire bigslim pedals, and avid code brakes
Submitted by
kirillddt
a Weekend Warrior
from israel
Date Reviewed: January 18, 2010
Strengths: burly frame, speeds up very quickly due to wight
Weaknesses: squiky noises from the rocker (factory defect)
the wight is a problem if you want to go uphill
Bottom Line:
im new in this field so i crash a lot, this bike has no crack or scrathces nothing. its a bike for insane people that go up hill in a car. i enjoy it very much, i reccomend it to true free riders
Similar Products Used: my first full suspention bike
Bike Setup: stock dabomb wheels and hubs juciy5 brakes
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
smunger
a Weekend Warrior
from South Lake Tahoe, Ca
Date Reviewed: August 13, 2008
Strengths: First real full-suspension; rode Rockhopper Comp for years.
Rock solid, cornering takes some getting used to, but overall, very stable. Bike can handle way more than I am capable of dishing out. 8-inch Hayes in the front is killer.
Weaknesses: Minor: air nozzle on the Manitou is kind of a pain to access. Other than that...no complaints at all.
Bottom Line:
For me, nice comprimise between downhill and X-country. Ridden very technical X-country and high apeed downhill. Handles all adeptly. Suprisingly good climber, particularly with the sag adjusted on the Manitou and the lockout engaged on the Lyric.
Bike Setup: Bought bike off e-bay (kinda scary) but worked out OK.
Biggest upgrade was the Rock Shox Lyric fork which is awesome. Manitou swinger seems adequate once dialed in.
With component change out, bike weighs about 43 pds, which isn't bad.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
stonerpark
a Downhiller
from San Diego
Date Reviewed: August 10, 2008
Strengths: This bike will take whatever you through at it. It does it all very well.
Weaknesses: The fork is a pieces of junk, my bottom bracket is burnt out after a year of use, the weight can be noticeable on long rides.
Bottom Line:
Great bike, if you can get it cheap and need something for everything, go for it. The fork will need replacing, but the rest of the bike seems to hold up. You might also want to invest in a chain tensioner. The chain loved to pop out after my 25 foot step down until I got the chain tensioner.All in all, great bike! I have yet to break anything on it to the point where it will not work. Ha ha!
Similar Products Used: This is my first full suspension rig
Bike Setup: Blackspire chain tensioner
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
JAMES
a Downhiller
from CARLSBAD,CA,USA
Date Reviewed: March 6, 2008
Strengths: Great frame and geometry. Bought a new 2005 display bike...so I got a great deal. Pedals very well for a heavy freeride bike. Ajustable dropouts a plus too.
Weaknesses: The Stance fork is a piece of crap. If I paid 2700.00 dollars or close to it(retail) I would be very pissed that this cheesy fork came on this bike.
Bottom Line:
If you can get a good deal on the bike(1400.00 OR LESS) and then spend some money on a good fork,bars,bashgaurd,and tires....you'll have one hell of a good freeride bike. Rode Northstar a lot last season and even with the crappy Stance fork the bike was a great jumper. There wasn't one table top or double that this bike didn't "feel balenced" in the air. Even for it's weight the bike felt very flickable. I can't wait to the 2008 season so I can try out the bike with the new fork. Buy the bike....you wont be sorry.
Bike Setup: Upgraded the fork to a 888RC2X(2007),2008 Sram XO mid cage carbon derailer,Race Face DH hi rise bars,E13 shifting bash guard, crank bros 50\50XX pedals, and Kenda DH tires
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Carson DeMille
a Weekend Warrior
from Richfield, Utah
Date Reviewed: September 5, 2007
Strengths: Pedals extremely well, better than most. The frame is way burley and will not break on you. Components are good also.
Weaknesses: Bike is a little heavy for what you get. Mine is a large and the only thing that is not stock is some slime tubes and mine weighs in at 44.5 lbs. Might be a pound or so lighter without slime tubes. The weight is not such an issue since the bike pedals so well. I have the stock manitou travis fork and it is the major weakness of this bike. It is too soft, I just bought some stiffer springs, so we'll see if it helps.
Bottom Line:
The fork isn't that bad, much better than the 05' forks. Its a good bike that can be found for cheap used. However, lighter freeride bikes exist.
Submitted by
Shawn Huitt
a Downhiller
from Clackamas, Oregon, U.S.A.
Date Reviewed: June 23, 2007
Strengths: Strong frame, Four bar rear linkage, 8 in disk brakes. The frame looks way over built.
Weaknesses: Manituo suspension.
Bottom Line:
The bottom line is this is a solid platform to build on. Be cautios of the fork. Mine was not very supple from the start, then later my mech was doing a tune up and found that the right side dropout was broken just above the pinch bolts. Broken clean through. He replaced the lowers with a set off another fork that had the internals grenaded. I will be replacing the fork with a 888. Later I plan to replace the rear shock with a Fox. The manituo shock is not a bad piece, but I like the way the Fox feels better. Other than that the Bontrager stuff is pretty good. The wheels aer still true after more tha a year of hard pounding and the Sram stuff is still going strong. Overall a good value.
Weaknesses: manitou stance flow forks............... CRAP!! ruptured seal twice and had 2 warranty repairs. built with plastic parts and can not handle heavy hits. so went andbrought some fox vanilla 36rc2
Strengths: Amazing bike. excellent geometry, strong as hell
Weaknesses: heavy (mines at 41 lbs) keep in mind that it is a freeride bike though
Bottom Line:
Climbs ok for a freeride bike. eats it up on downhills, singletrack, gaps, drops whatever. this is my do it all dh/trail/freeride rig. Buy this bike if you do freeride!!! Has adjustable head tube angle so you could set it up as a trail rig. beefy as hell!!!
Strengths: Engineering-wise, the frame is built very well - as you'd expect from a huge bike company - that with the oversized tubing makes the frame very strong. Luckly the bontrager parts are also above average in the strength department. The price - they're not really, really expensive.
Weaknesses: Well, all that strength adds weight. Expect a bike heavier than most of todays D.H bikes. And if your serious about really riding one of these - expect to pay out an extra wad of cash for new forks. I chose a set of 170mm Marz 66 rc2x and it changed the feel of the bike completely, also it'll need a chain guide - more money.
Bottom Line:
I wouldn't say don't get a 7, but I would say don't listen to most of what's said about them. They really don't ride up hills very well (7' travel, 45 pound hulk and a 66.5 degree headangle make sure of that). These factors also make technical style jumps (like lines of doubles) quite tricky, also, it's so back heavy that to do a table/invert, or whip out a bit of style off the lip is not easy. But they do go downhill fast. The weight and ample travel make this bike track well and on D.H runs it really does beg to go faster. I've had few bad crashes and I can say this bike does not break. The hefty frameset is virtually indestructable - much tougher than a lot of D.H bikes, mine has been smashed along roots once or twice, ditched mid-air countless times, even ridden directly into two trees one time - and all it has to show for these little 'misjudgements' are scratches. In fact I would call the session a slightly less travel than most Downhill-bike. Which makes up for its dated rear swingarm design by being stronger than most bikes in its field.
Submitted by
Jonathan Berthiaume
a Downhiller
from Regina Saskatchewan Canada
Date Reviewed: October 29, 2006
Strengths: It is a great bike, it can climb up the hill like a xc bike then rip on the way back down. Best bike that I've tried for the price.
Weaknesses: Chain falls off when taken to really rough stuff but I'm getting an E13 DRS to take care of that. That's about it.
Bottom Line:
This is a really good bike for anyone who takes their bikes to the extreme. The suspension is supple enough to soak up the little bumps on the trail, yet stiff enough to take 20+ foot drops. This is my one do-it-all bike, and it's taken me from Calgary to Montreal with no problems at all. If you need a freeride bike to do everything, this is the bike for you.
Similar Products Used: Kona Stinky, Norco Six, Cannondale Gemini, Santa Cruz VP-Free
Bike Setup: Stock for now
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Dillon
a Downhiller
from Meridian, Idaho, USA
Date Reviewed: July 24, 2006
Strengths: This bike can definantly go uphill and then turn right around and go flying downhill and it won't even affect you or the bike. The Bontrager parts are a perfect match for the freeride beast.
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
Attention all freeriders. Time for a new bike? Want one that will take your abuse and still ride like the first day. This is the bike for you. the forks have been greatly improved from last years model and come with around 7 inches of travle, this bike is a absolute beast! This bike can be for a freeride beginer or a seasond veteran. It is the freeride of freerides.
Allright so the new E-13 DRS chain guide doesn't fit my bike. Anyone have any idea what I would need to get. I would like to keep a dual ring setup.
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