Submitted by
dogonfr
a Weekend Warrior
from Pinole Ca
Date Reviewed: August 8, 2010
Strengths: 4 years keep the zerk fittings filled with grease have never disassembled the pivots for bearings, bushings or packing. Dang I love not having to do a yearly repack, lazy can be cool with a Versus.
Bottom Line:
After 4 years their have been a few changes in components yet the ride continues to instill confidence. Its great knowing you can screw up and the frame makes you look good because of its cat like abilities.
Now we just need Herb, Allen and The Goddess Vivian to bring Versus back again and stronger.
Bike Setup: most current changes are Hayes Stroker Ace grasping a 8" Galfer Wave rotor, Sun Ringle ADD Lite wheel set, Manitou Travis 180mm Intrinsic DC fork, E13 guide that needs to be replaced with a better design-functioning MRP plus more.
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Submitted by
azonicist
a Downhiller
from Hell Paso, TX
Date Reviewed: January 7, 2009
Strengths: After a year and a half of riding Freeride/DH trails in Cali, AZ, and TX, this bike has remained super stiff and super reliable. While friends bikes end up in the shop after each ride, I am out doing some urban at the local skate park or XC rides. This bike does it all and makes my other 2 bikes collect dust!
Weaknesses: The only weakness is that I have to change my tires to accommodate the ride cause this is the only bike I ride.
Bottom Line:
I would highly recommend this bike to anyone who rides hard and long. I love to just hop on and ride without thinking about it and occasionally take it by the bike shop so people can ogle it. It's nice to finally ride a bike built by riders who know what's up. Five chilis totally!
Submitted by
samanderson4
a Downhiller
from Orange, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: November 3, 2008
Strengths: Stiff, Bullet Proof, and everything else
Weaknesses: Seat clamp
Bottom Line:
This is an extended review, over a year on the bike.
Uphill??
Versus really didn’t design the Blitz II to be pointed uphill, but it is a more-than-capable climber. On my first few ascents, the weight of the 9+ lbs. frame was noticeable, but after a few rides, to my surprise, the weight seemed to disappear and the bike started to feel more like a 27lb All-Mountain bike than a 34lb freeride machine. Riders won’t win any Cross Country races on this bike, but it will get you to the top with more than enough energy to burn bombing the downhill.
Downhill
The downhill is where the Blitz really shines. With little reservation I took it out on my favorite DH run, which I usually reserved for my 9” DH beast. I thought about taking it easy on my first run but ended up bombing down the hill in a personal record time. The bike just felt right on this type of terrain, downhill, fast, rough, technical with a few drops and jumps. The steering was snappy in the tight technical turns, and the rear was SUPER stiff while railing around larger turns. When I got to the drops, I launched them with 110% confidence. I ended up hitting a 5 footer, then stepped it up to a 10 footer and ended with a 15 foot drop and still never bottomed out the 170mm of travel. The Blitz felt right at home when it took flight. In the air the bike was stable, responsive and gave me more confidence than I have ever had in the air. The sloped top tube makes doing tricks easy. Overall, this is where the bike excels. In my opinion, this frame could be built up to be a worthy light weight downhill race machine.
Please go to www.actionsportstrader.com to read the review in full.
Bike Setup: Blitz II, Race Face cranks, 50/50, Avid 7's, 66 forks, all the good stuff.
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Submitted by
cupton
a Weekend Warrior
from Missouri
Date Reviewed: September 5, 2008
Strengths: geometry,needle bearings, frame stiffness, frame detail, compliant suspension and the best customer service in the bussiness. Herb and Viv are the best..
Weaknesses: None, nothing, nada
Bottom Line:
I love this bike. It will go anywhere up or down. It's a little heavy for all day climbing but it will climb any technical section without slipping. It takes to flight like it has wings and feels super stable in the air. It corners with incredible balance and grace and clears rocky, rooty sections as if they are not there. The more technical the better the Blitz 2 shines. It will make you a better rider..
I have a few nice bikes but find myself reaching for my Blitz 2 for about everything except the flatess XC rides.
Buy this bike if you want compliant suspension, superb handling, super frame stifness, one of the best all around trail and freeride bikes on the planet and the best customer service on the planet.
Skip it if you ride mostly smooth single track and like to keep your wheels on the ground.
Similar Products Used: Blitz 1, Intense Tracer, Lenz Lumberjack, Titus Motolite All great bikes
Bike Setup: Rockshox Totem, Mavic 819 with Hadley hubs 20mm front and 10mm thru in back, Avid Code, Wicked Racin Dualrailleur ( RIP Mark), PUSH'ed DHX 5.0 coil w/ titanium spring, Sunline stem, X9 shifters, Azonic DH carbon bar, ODI Intense grips with Dangerboy bar ends. Te-he,te-he ( that's my evil sinister laugh)
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Submitted by
kcomo
a Cross Country Rider
from Chichester, NH
Date Reviewed: June 24, 2008
Strengths: Geometry, craftsmanship, detail in design, frame stiffness, Versus customer service.
Weaknesses: You have to be picky to complain about anything on this bike but I would have liked to get this bike in black annodized. Color choices are limited. I purchased matte black that is more blue but a very nice color.
Bottom Line:
This is an amazing bike. With the build described above the bike weighs 40.75 pounds. I had it built before at 37.7 pounds with a z1 fork and different tires and brakes. When I originally purchased this bike I thought it was more of a trail bike. My mistake. This bike is hard core and built for serious abuse. The first few months that I had the bike it was ridden as a trail bike and performed pretty well. I have recently changed it over to serve more as a lift service bike. I have to say though that I have been doing some 12-15 mile cross country rides on it and it rocks. The minion tires slow it down but the bike pedals very well and handles likes nothing else. I can climb anything on this bike, just not as fast as I can climb on my lighter fs rig. The bike feels great in the air (haven't jumped anything big yet)and corners like you are on rails. Anybody looking for a light freeride bike should look no further. This bike is a little heavy (11.25 pound frame with dhx coil) for everyday trail riding but if you got the leg then it isn't an issue. It is more bike then I bargained for though and complete overkill for my riding style but I love the bike so much I could never part with it. My intentions are to purchase a Versus Valor (new 5.5 inch travel bike) when available and use that for my every day bike. I will use the blitz more for stuff that scares the crap out of me.
There is no better customer service out there. Herb at Versus is great at answering e-mails and phone calls. You don't get this treatment from Specialized. That I know for a fact. Give him a call and he will take time out of his busy schedule to shoot the crap with you about his bikes. Versus makes awesome products.
Similar Products Used: I have never ridden any bike like this.
Bike Setup: medium frame with dhx coil, marz 66 rc2x, mavic 823's with dt 440 hugi's, 2008 avid codes, thomson stem and post, king headset, maxis minion tubless 2.5's, easton bars, wtb seat, sram x9 drivetrain, fsa afterburner cranks, e13 bash guard. I am 5'8" and the bike fits like a glove.
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Submitted by
Guilherme Renke
a Racer
from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Date Reviewed: May 14, 2008
Strengths: Quick, soft riding, lightweight, very good in jumps and technical sections but its strength are the high-speed curves. Extremely strong and resistant to big crashes.
Weaknesses: Until now, none that I know.
Bottom Line:
I used this frame as Int´l Versus Rider since I when to the Sea Otter Classic 2007. I really feel good with this bike, I really like the bike, I can do Freeride or all mountain if I want, the bike was very versatile up for major DH events.
Similar Products Used: With 7": Santa Cruz Bullit and Cannondale Gemini.
Bike Setup: Rear shock: FOX Air DHX 5.0, Marzocchi 66 fork, Shimano and Race face setup with Mavic wheels
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Submitted by
Chris Tanis
a Weekend Warrior
from Independence
Date Reviewed: March 17, 2008
Strengths: Perfect geometry, Attention to detail is perfection!Excellent welds. I won't even mention the bearings.... Super Stiff rear end! Peddles very well, and shoots out of turns like a rocket. Fastest bike I've ridden yet.
Weaknesses: Not a single one so far. The only thing that comes to mind is that I didn't buy one sooner!
Bottom Line:
Where to start? This is the best bike I've thrown a leg over! It's stiffer than any other bike I've ridden. The over all ride of this bike is amazing! I used to use my brakes going downhill to stay on track with the trail in some sections.... Not any more!
You can push this bike faster, and faster, without ever going off line. I rode a trail I knew nothing about. I had never ridden any part of it, and this bike would just hold it's line no matter where it went. I thought I would have to slow down at some point on the trail, for a sharp turn, but this bike just asked to be pushed on every one. It got faster as the day went on, figuring out just how to corner this bike comes natural. Just lean back, and use the outside crank, and it will shoot you out of turns.
This bike is very balanced, and felt stable in the air. I rode a couple drops, and the bike just 8 up the landings. Super smooth all the way. I rode a couple sketchy skinnies, and the bike was so balanced over them, I never thought I was going over. It climbs very well for a 6.7" travel bike and rips Downhill better than any bike I've ridden.
It pops off jumps due to it's shorter chain stays,and when in the air is very flickable. I was able to kick the bike completely sideways off jumps, and bring it back for the landing. I never felt off, on this bike. This might be the one bike that can improve the over all style of a rider, as it makes you feel overly confident!
This is the best MTB purchase I've ever made. If you ever have a chance to test one out, you'll be amazed at how well it rides.
Weaknesses: some seat rub to back tire when you boost jumps.. its an easy fix.. just turn your seat post 180 degrees and stick your seat back on... slide it forward a bit and boom.
Bottom Line:
honestly.. HONESTLY this bike is pretty darn sick.. it's mainly a trail/Dh bike.. i would'nt want to ride anything else down my local trail.. it definatly has that X-factor in mtb frames.. you just have to get on one and ride it you'll see. you can set it up for freeride.. it feels safe and stuff.. but if your my height (6`2) get a Large.. that was a mistake i made. i'm just waiting around for the slopestyle bike to launch.. its taking a good forever. its good for SSG's too http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/thevish/scorp.jpg
Similar Products Used: Demo9, ironhorse yakuza, transition bottle rocket, santa bullit.
Bike Setup: Marz 66 RC2X, Race Face cranks, transition wheel set, 5.0 air.
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Submitted by
Matt Tricoli
a Racer
from San Jose, Ca
Date Reviewed: November 23, 2007
Strengths: Just about everything on this bike is perfect. I'd say the leading difference between this bike and it's competition is the needle bearing pivits with grease ports. I am looking forward to this winter session knowing I have nothing to fear. Even with a DHX 5.0 Coil I can climb up anything my legs can handle. The weight is prefectly balanced.
Weaknesses: I have yet to find one, though the way mine is set up I won't be racing crosscountry on it.
Bottom Line:
This bike has pushed me to another level. I couldn't be happier with the purchase.
Strengths: everything you cant find a single thing wrong with the bike it will take ever single thing that you throw at it. with the dhx air you can make the bike have absolutely no bob witch is absolutely amazing for a six and a half inch bike. Not only that but it will keep up with lighter smaller travel bikes when i race it xc
Weaknesses: nothing i can find unless your a weight weeny and even then you can get the bike down to all mountain bike weight
Bottom Line:
this bike rocks!!!! you cant find anything better thats it. Its a little expensive once you get everything said and done i have had no problems with this bike and will have it forever you just cant find anything the rides better.
Strengths: Square TT, many CNC'ed parts, beefy rockers, needle bearings with Zerk fittings.
Weaknesses: Built too well.
Bottom Line:
Going from the original Blitz to the II it is night & day. The II with the needle bearings & Zerk fittings is superior to the standard ball bearings at the pivots. Versus went to the very expensive needle bearings that are laterally solid over the less expensive ball bearings that are more common. The bearings themself are not the pricy part as much as the extreamly close tolerances of the area the bearing is pressed into, strict labor = higher pricing. Ball bearings are housed between a inner & outer race that allows side to side flex causing bearing bind. Custom CNC'd parts that also should increase the price of the frame. One can go on & on about the beautifully built frame & state of the art design. As mentioned earlier the cornering is awesome launching off every corner making every run faster & smoother with absolutely no flex. Just as in the beginning the Customer Service is the Best, it's nice knowing the owner of a company builds & checks over your frame before shipping. The unknown hero that orchestrates the whole operation is the Goddess of Versus with the patients of a Angel Vivian, she is the glue that keeps the whole operation working properly.
Bike Setup: Blitz II with Marz FireFly, WTB DH wheel set, Answer ProTaper 2.0 riser bar. Race Face, Maxxis, Lizard Skinz Grips, Formotion Gauges
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Submitted by
Joel Yang
a Weekend Warrior
from Issaquack, WA
Date Reviewed: June 7, 2007
Strengths: Super Solid feeling when riding and landing from squaking in the air Needle Bearings with grease ports that are super tough in the rainy Pac NW Weather Rear end is Super Tough Engineered with lots of thought Can be built heavy like a freerider or lighter like a trailbike Probably the most truely versatile FR Trail Bike I have ever ridden
Weaknesses: Versus needs to finish up their Seatpost clamp! because I hate Bolt ons, and you have to angle stock QR's I would have been a much better rider if I had this frame 3-4yrs ago
Bottom Line:
When you first look at this bike - you would probably think to yourself - now why would we want to have another Turner 5spot Kona Stinky- Banshee Scream - Transition copy cat 4 bar walking linkage bike. We have seen this design a million times and why would this one stand out among the rest?
Well to an untrained eye you will probably notice the super machined boomerang linkage arm, but then upon taking a closer look - you will also catch the fact that there are super well though out details such as the Yoke around the BB and how it interfaces with the chainstays - Next up you will see that the pivots are NOT single sided but also have a grease port in which you can very easily service your needle bearings (and for wet riding - this badboy does not creak at all!) and then lastly the standover height it awesome - shorter riders and Ladies take not of that one!
How does it RIDE??
Well first of all if you are looking for an XC type bike then this is NOT the bike for you!
If you have a bike for all occasions but have always wanted to build up a bike that truely is a DO-It-All Freerider that can pedal - Trail bike - then this ride is for you!
This Frame's versatility is just awesome in the sense that I can build it up to be a descender, hucker, DIrt Jumper, Shore Freerider.....but also a trail bike is just awesome. As you can see by my component setup, I built this thing more on the FR heavy side - but that is also due to the fact that I weigh 210lbs and I don't always land smooth.
For those who don't always have shuttle privileges and need to climb to get to your descent.....this bike climbs about a third lighter than it weighs. I do not have the hop up to lower my fork height as I have the Burley 66RC2X, but if you had an ECC or an ETA - this thing would climb even better.
As far as descents go....this ride will make you regress to about the age of 5 - when you first learned how to ride a bike, and took flight for the first time on your home made ramp made from a plank and a brick - you will be smiling from ear to ear!
You will be flowing down trails like you never have before. The rear end is stiff - but not over burley like my former Banshee Scream where the rear end was so overbuilt that it can feel like it's dragging due to the weight.
The design of the MASS CENTRALIZATION is something I thought was just a jumble of techno jargon until I rode the bike. It truely does feel centered and well balanced......and with that being said - very confidence inspiring!
I took off almost 6 months from riding as I have to geek out and work on snowboard boots all winter - so much of my Winter riding is devoted to being on a board and testing boots - so when I built this bike up and got out on the trails - like most people, I was anticipating much rustiness, and was going to give myself some time to catch up to hitting jumps and riding like I used to before the snow fell.
It was not even a minute into the first decent that made me realize how much I loved to ride.... and a feeling that I had not felt for a while now since I was struggling with my last few builds and started to feel rather frustrated with bikes that had "stupid geometry - but liked mainly out of trend. I will explain more below"
Shortly after my first ride I decided to hit some jumps to see where I was as far as catching up after this long.....and the funny thing was I had a few friends tell me that it looked like I was trying to muscle my Banshee Scream, or trying to find the sweet "midspot" of my Transition Preston, for the first few rounds. And it was only until I let go, that I really began to feel what was going on........... and feel really confident in the air - to the point where that first day out - I had actually surpassed my last day riding 6 months ago!
I have ridden this bike on long epics, regular trails, technical trails, and the good ol flow park at South Seatac, and I have truly not ridden a bike that has felt this versatile. I have built up bikes in the past where I have always had a set of heavy duty components and lighter components and switched them around for different trails like wheels and tires - but this one just felt right to me since ride #1.
The geometry is just right. For a 6.7" travel bike front and rear - it feels super balanced whether pinning it on berms, gliding through technical rocks and roots ( I say glide because the rear end is so stable - you do not experience the....my pivot bolts are about to fall out sensation) or floating through the air. The super trendy thing these days is to have DH geometry on a shorter travel bike and at one point in time I thought this was also cool when I was sporting my Transition Preston. But after riding it for a while I grew out of stupid geometry like head angles of 66 degrees on a shorter travel bike just feels dumb when you are going through technical singletracks or even skinnies and you need that quick snappy handling...but you end up having to deal with choppered out bars and steering hop because you are so raked back.
The head angle at 68 degrees is setup just right for pretty much everything! to the point where after I rode this bike the 3rd time I sold my DH bikes because I really feel that this bike takes care of all of my redundant bikes.
This bike inspires much confidence for everyone. It is perhaps the most balanced bike I have ever thrown around in the air as well as had the most solid feeling on landings.
The biggest compliment I can give to this bike is when I am out riding - I actually don't ever think about the bike - this is something that is amazing to me. I forget about anything technical to do with the bike, or the setup, or what could possibly go wrong, or the fact that..........scenario and blah blah blah.......the bike simply disappears and all I think about is how much I love riding.....and this feeling is really something else! All of this crazy technical wordage I am throwing at you right now came later on after I got back from several rides and had to write notes about all of the awesome things I truly appreciated about the ride!!!!! and the rest - really is for you to experience - Demo one and you will see what I am talking about!
Favorite Trail: sticks and stones, Tahoe & Dirt Merchant
Duration Product Used: 3 months
Price Paid:
$1500.00
Purchased At: Versus Cycles direct
Similar Products Used: Banshee Scream Kona Stab Transition Dirtbag Transition Preston
Bike Setup: 66RC2X, Saint Cranx, Gusset Slim Jim pedals, Truvativ Holzfeller stem and bars, X7 drivetrain, 8" Hayes Mag stoppers with GRC levers, Titec Pyro Seatpost, WTB Power V sofa, Halo SAS wheelset, and Maxxis Minion & highroller skins
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Submitted by
Doug
a Downhiller
from San Antonio, TX, US
Date Reviewed: May 26, 2007
Strengths: Every aspect of this frame shows the quality and attention to detail from Versus. Beautiful welds, machining and needle bearings in all the pivots (so stiff)
Weaknesses: Everyone that sees my bike wants to ride it; it's easier to keep dudes away from my girlfriend than my Blitz.
Bottom Line:
This bike is the baddest bike I have ever ridden or seen and seems to have added 3 courage points to my riding. After I saw my Blitz II built for the first time, it looked a little smaller than I had wanted for the urban, dh, freeride, monster that I had imagined. I wanted a bike that could handle a 10ft drop (from not the smoothest rider), feel stable on the steepest dh course and still be able to ride around my local trail xc style with my chic. But as soon as I through my leg over this bike, I knew it was perfect. The compact yet stable feel of the cockpit combined with the lateral stiffness makes cornering with the Blitz feel like you’re on a rail. I have only had this bike for 3 months and the more I look and ride this bike the more I love my Blitz. This is a bike designed for hardcore riders who want a bike that can be ridden hard. I recently raced DH on the Blitz at Cloudcroft, NM and could not believe how this bike handled every aspect of the course with authority that I could not match. Even on the steepest terrain this bike felt stable and relaxed. I am totally giving 5 chilis for this revolution Versus calls a bike for its build quality and its pimping looks! Also I give 5 chilis to 4everbrokenbikes.com for the awesome deal I got.
Strengths: incredible lateral stiffness that makes the bike feel much lighter than it really is. overall fit and finish of this frame is amazing. the rocker look like they're from a high tech. fighter jet. the rocker arms along with the bottom bracket give this machine the ability to point and shoot in any direction over any terrain with confidence. the bumpabsorption is incredible once the rear schock is tuned. feels bottomless but not sluggish. very responsive to the slightest pilot input.
Weaknesses: haven't found any yet. for the price it's unbeatable. climbs better than any other freeride machine.
Bottom Line:
superior fit and finish,unbeatable for the price. one of the best thought out frames out there. descends better than a lot of dh rigs.
Bike Setup: fox 36 up front , double barrel in the rear.
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Submitted by
Rabi Guthrie
a Weekend Warrior
from Brighton, England
Date Reviewed: January 17, 2007
Strengths: Stiff, snappy and responsive. It pedalled well on the trail, and performed well when pointed downhill. It shot me out of corners, and laterally felt very stiff. Once airborne the bike felt light and easy to flick, and upon hitting landings, never bottomed out and felt solid (even when my landings got abit sketchy). My initial impressions are that it would perform as advertised, as a Slopestyle bike and a very good do-it-all bike. It had enough travel to handle freeriding, yet still pedalled well, and had confidence-Inspiring, responsive handling. The needle bearings with grease ports are a positive detail to anyone tired of creaking pivots or having to replace bearings regularly, and the CNC and overall weld quality of the frame is definately boutique.
Weaknesses: Nothing I could find after a day-demo on the bike.
Bottom Line:
Are you someone who needs one bike that you can pedal to the top, point it downhill, and can still handle anything you can throw at it? Or do you need a stiff, maneuverable, full-suspension bike for Slopestyle? Think about this bike. I haven't ridden anything better...
Hello,
There is one on pink bike but the guy is not responding to my messages. Anyone know someone who has one laying around that they don't use?
Located in the bay area so a Read More »
Where can i get a derailluer hanger for a blitz II frame? They dont seem to be doing much on their website at the moment and ive heard they might be comign back with a new line thi Read More »
The Blitz II has been fun. After more than 2 season of use, the main pivot (behind the BB) have develop some play. Nothing serious, nor noticeable when riding, just want to get it Read More »
