Submitted by
Willie D.
a Cross Country Rider
from Fortson, GA, US
Date Reviewed: July 31, 2007
Strengths: Good price Good gearset Easy to ride Very strong for what it is
Weaknesses: A little Heavy Crappy Fork Hard tires with little grip
Bottom Line:
A great bike for the price, takes a hard hit and comes back for more. The fork is quite sad as it has very little travel and it doesn't soak up much very well. The brakes are quite responsive. The gears change easily and the whole setup is quite reliable. I wish it came with better tires though, as the stock ones are hard and don't do much for you, although the newer versions have all the real problems fixed along with disc brakes. I would recommend this bike to any beginner that wants to do XC and low on cash. I wouldn't recommend it for someone who has already had a similar 26 inch hardtail looking for something better.
Bike Setup: stock but, xt front, and lx rear Derailleur, and some weird tire i forget the name of.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
abel hurtado
a Weekend Warrior
from bay city, tx 77414
Date Reviewed: October 7, 2006
Strengths: good components for the money, good frame had it for a year and have rode hard, wrecked, flipped everything. i have took a couple of 2-4 ft drops and its held up great.
Weaknesses: better brakes (disc) the avid bb5 fit and you can find them for about 75 bucks front and back, also a better seat.
Bottom Line:
haro makes some good stuff very strong built atleast on my v3. i was very pleased with my purchase the bike has held up great. i recently bought the haro sonix vl120 we will see how it goes with that one so far so ggod though. if you are looking for a decent hardtail to ride on the weekends i would definetly reccomend the v3
Bought this on the cheap (2004 closeout just as the '05s came out). Did a lot of research on the purchase, as I'm just getting back to riding after 10 yrs out. Most of the reviews are spot-on. Mine came with the Manitou-6, I found a firm ride kit for like $20, and it made all the difference in the world. Pedals had to go-I don't ride clipless (repeated ankle breaks/surgery). Seat had to go - talk to the shop and see if they can switch it out before you even leave the shop-it's crap. The Front End needed to be switched out (I didn't like the angle of the bars, and the stem was too short for me). Other than the upgrades listed, and ROUTINE maint, I've had no problem. To the folks who listed problems with rims/fork, remember, this is set for minimal XC, I've had to true the back ZAC-19 once, but other than that, stable. Would highly recommend.
Similar Products Used: Similarly priced Trek/Specialized/Kona. Owned Raleigh M-600 and Rockhopper in the past.
Bike Setup: Truvativ Bar/Stem; Truvativ Seat Post; WTB Speed V Seat; Sun-Ringle Platforms; Shimano LX V Brakes; Manitou 6 Firm ride kit
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
a Cross Country Rider
from Vancouver BC Canada
Date Reviewed: May 31, 2006
Strengths: --Solid Frame--Light enough at 4.5 lbs --Gussets at Seat/toptube and headtube downtube provide for a stiff ride with strength and durability to boot. --Nimble--handles well and climbs like a goat --3 Water bottle cages--nice touch for the long rides
Weaknesses: --Paint chips easily --Not the lightest of XC frames --Bottom pull derailleur routing (I'm not a fan of) --30.6mm Seatpost needed (who makes that diameter of post--very hard to find)
Bottom Line:
This is a great XC frame for the money--if it is set up properly you will get a good long use out of it. If you can find one for a good price, do it. It is even better if you spec it with your own quality parts. For a weekend warrior looking to get back to your hardtail roots, this bike can be raced and ridden for tons of fun. And don't be stupid and drop off of anything with it--it is an XC frame. I'd buy it again.
Similar Products Used: Brodie Catalyst Brodie Nucleus Kona Munimula
Bike Setup: Bought as a frame only and built up in my garage--
Manitou Black Elite 100 XT/LX Drivetrain XTR V Brakes Bontrager Select Wheels Selle Italia Seat Bontrager Race Cranks
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
a Weekend Warrior
from Birmingham, AL
Date Reviewed: March 22, 2006
Strengths: Solid Frame
Weaknesses: Components?? Heavy
Bottom Line:
Long term review for a 2003 Haro V3.
I have had no issues with this bike in the past 3 years. Seems to be holding up well. The only sqeeks I have are from the seat post due to how high I have to sit (6'4"). Tires are holding up nicely. Drivetrain is starting to show some wear. Overall I say this was a good 1st MTN bike for me.
Weaknesses: Pedals, Crank Set, Bike is A bit heavy
Bottom Line:
Not bad for the price. Gears shift easy, comfortable seat. Has taken a beating I've taken it on some pretty bad drops and jumps and it has held up. Would definitely recommend changing pedals. And since it was bought at Sun and Ski who can complain about the lifetime free maintenance. Great bike for a beginner or intermediate rider. The new 06 V Series is a lot better with improved up grades but still below 600.00.
This bike is good for xc but it can't handel any more then 2 foot drops. After that every thing starts to break,the seat,rims,and the breaks. but after all it's only a xc bike what do ya expect.to sum it up its a good entry level bike to learn all the basics like lanching off roots,going fast, etc.
Strengths: comfy seat, good grips, nice handlebars, shifting is easy, forks are decent, but could be a little more stiff
Weaknesses: Rims aren't good at all. I use my bike to get around as well as race and one of the men fixing my flat said my rims were in rough shape. I don't take many jumps or drops and the rims can't even take it.
Bottom Line:
The bottom line is, if you like to ride on the trails (not hardcore) buy this bike, its good for the money u pay, but if u wanna get into biking on good, tough trails then you should buy something with better rims
Favorite Trail: most trails, jumps or steep hills during trails
Duration Product Used: 1 Year
Price Paid:
$500.00
Similar Products Used: Trek 3900
Bike Setup: rear mavic 321 rim with disc, basically stock otherwise
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Gary
a Cross Country Rider
from Denver
Date Reviewed: August 18, 2005
Strengths: All good
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
My 2005 is a great bike. I ride it to and from work 5 days a week and then I play on the weekends. The V3 is comfortable strong and very light and has survived some gnarly jumps.
The V3 would be a good beginer bike as well as make the experienece rider happy.
The shifters and brakes are on the same componant.
I have had several riders try the bike and have gotten very good ratings.
Submitted by
cody
a Cross Country Rider
from southeastern ohio
Date Reviewed: August 16, 2005
Strengths: shimano components, good ride stance
Weaknesses: pedals, seat, manitou six fork
Bottom Line:
this bike is great if you are on a budget. ive been riding and abusing this bike for about a year, and it keeps taking it. my only problem with the bike is the fork. the dust caps on the fork came loose a couple times, not a big deal but really annoying. if you are a beginner, this is the bike you should get.
Bike Setup: stock except wtb speed v seat, shimano clipless pedals
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Clinton Martin
a Weekend Warrior
from Gladstone, Queensland, Australia
Date Reviewed: August 4, 2005
Strengths: Deore lx rd, tecktro disks, rst forks and a very solid feel to the frame.
Weaknesses: Pedals aren't worth 2 nobs of goat s#@t
Bottom Line:
After being out of the saddle for approx 12 years this bike feels rock solid. Night riding with some moderate jumps don't even look like challenging this bike (bike handles better than me). I couldn't have made a better choice for an entry level bike that will help bring me back up to the level of riding i was at way back when. All I need to do now is fix up a small heart prob and then the tracks around here had better look out. I fully recomend this bike to any one who wants to get into mtb'ing without spending a fortune.
Strengths: Comfortable seat ,lightweight frame ,good breaks and Crank set
Weaknesses: The manitou forks are really bad. I just do a little wilie and when the front wheel touches the ground the forks blocks when they have 5mm of travel left.The rims are not very good the highest drop that I made with it is about 5 feet and its already broken.
Bottom Line:
This bike is good but the only thing you should do with it is cross-country beceause the forks can't handle much thing.Finally this bike is overally good.
HI,
I order a supreme V3 frameset but i order it with out shock. I will build the bike with CCDB, I want to know wich shock spacers did i have to bought, also wich kind of headset Read More »
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