Very nice components, everything runs crisp so far. Price.

The seat, but I will give it some time before I decide to upgrade it. Bar ends are not comfortable if you don't use gloves.

I was fortunate to have a chance to test ride this bike and compare it with others. For this price, I think I got really nice starter bike.

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Giant, Trek, Orbea

Absolute top strength is the component set that comes stock. Frame is solid, welds are strong and clean. Pretty decent fork for a low end bike and wheelset is average. WTB SpeedV saddle is pretty good and fairly light. Can't beat the value. Very durable bike set up.

Number one weakness is the pedals. Pedals are total crap: binding mechanism is weak and cumbersome, neoprene on platform side has ZERO grip when even slightly damp or muddy. I think any other clipless pedal would be an upgrade to these. Overall the bike is a little heavy from the wheels, cassette and fork. Truvativ crankset is also a bit heavy but feels pretty solid for what I do. I will probably upgrade crankset when the right deal comes my way but no rush to do so.

Great bike for the value and a great place to start ramping up your off-road cycling.. You CAN NOT find another bike with this component family for less than $1000. Geometry is great for me after replacing the stem with the proper length (I'm 5'8" with short legs and longer torso). Super smooth and reliable drivetrain with proper maintenance. Needed a little adjustment to fit my liking but otherwise was perfectly assembled. First upgrades should be pedals, better (read lighter) fork, wheels and hubs to reduce overall weight. Second upgrades should be cassette/chain and then possibly lighter crankset. Leave the shifters and Derailleurs and start building from there. Oh yeah, probably want to get some clamp on grips, these seem to twist a bit in the technical stuff.

I have ridden this bike through 6 mile sprints, 40+ mile endurance rides, technical rocks & roots, small drops (less than 4 feet), quick ups and downs and fast descents all at a B+ or A riding level. It has been nothing but joy everytime I get on this bike. Has stood up to several crashes, roll overs and tree smashes needing only minor adjustment to get the shifters back in line. Bottom line... go get one!

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Trek, GT, Canondale, Gary Fisher, Scott, Felt.

Excellent price for the high end components that come with it. Bike is very light and frame is very strong. Geometry is perfect for bike path, trails and riding around the neighborhood. The downward sloping top tube makes it easier for shorter riders to keep their balance when stopping. Seat tube is very adjustable for tall people.

None that I have found

You can't beat this bike for value; I've shopped around for many, many hours. Its rock-solid, light, ultra smooth shifting and the Avid Juicy 3 Hydraulic Disc breaks in both front and rear give you excellent stopping power and control. The folks at Motobecane deserve two thumbs up for offering a bike such as this that competes with similar bikes costing about $500.00 more.

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Giant Rincon, Specialized Hardrock Pro.

The Rock Shox Tora 302 U-turn Fork, Juicy 3 brakes, Deore XT rear derailleur, Deore LX front derailleur, WTB grips and saddle, forget it. EVERYTHING

none so far

The bike is stellar so far. The fork is the best part. by just turning a knob the travel cahnges. The poplock actually works and so does the rebound unlike the poplock and rebound on the dart 3. comming from the dart 3, this fork is amazing. The derailleurs are crisp and fast. Every change is smooth except from 3-4 which is a little rough but i havent even tuned it yet. I've probably only ridden it 6 miles but ive done 5ft drops and the bike holds up great. All I did was put air in the tires, attach the front brake caliper to the fork, put the front wheel on and put the handle bars into the stem. No adjusting or anything was needed for me. I would definatly buy this bike. No regrets at all and I am hard to please.

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Specialized Rockhopper Disc.

i bought this after searching aroundonline and at LBSs
i was nervice about the whole "mailorder" thing.I can not be happier with this bike.it was ez to assemble and lets face it you can just check reviews of the individual componants to know you're getting your moneys worth.
PLEASE NOTE THE PRICE DIFFERANCES IN SOME OF THE REVIEWS ABOVE some are for the "fantom trail"=$595 and the "Fantom Comp"=$795 both are free shipping and tax free! DAMN!

customer service;let me explain that i'm basicly a total dick when it comes to people who do a bad customer service job =i'm hard to please. bikesdirect.com did an excellent job i had a small problem with a fork seal,they sent it out in about 3 days(fork seal is more rockshox fault then bikesdirect IMO)but after that the bike has been perfect.

also i'm about 230lbs so a bike needs to be sturdy...this one is.
p.s. the frames are gerranteed for life and are quite light

i,along with others switched the pedals because they are set up for clips.if you don't like them just sell em on ebay they come in there own box.

I liked this bike and company so much i bought my wife the "fantom trail" a week later,she also loves hers

i think either model would make you very happy.i bought the "comp" mostley for the beefier tora shock and its longer travel.i think i would be completely happy on the "trail" model whilke saving the $200 differance between the two models.

trust me ,if you need a quality bike that will last you
just buy one of these!!

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trek850 diamondcrap(back)

components, fork, weight, for the price it's unbeatable

Loose the pedals, and chain that come with the bike they're garbage, chain broke 3'rd time I rode the bike, pedals are small and slippery, unless you want to use the clipons

bike is very light and responsive, great for climbing, the shock is very adjustable and has great travel as well as a lockout function (yet to be used ;-), the components are excellent, it's worth taking it to a bike shop to get it tuned, tires have a very aggressive tread pattern great for mud, the hydraulic brakes are simply amazing great modulation, very good for the technical stuff, get it you will not be disappointed,

Great solid frame, great components for price. No bike for this price has an XT drivetrain and Avid hydraulic brakes

Must be tuned up before riding. Broke derailleur hanger in 3 rides

No bike compares to this price with these components. When I received my bike I found 2 major scratches on the fork. I emailed Bikesdirect and they instantly refunded $50.

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Raleigh, norco charger

the 2008 fantom trail is a solid light frame out the box was 28.5 lbs you got good components for the price. its lighter the other expensive bikes that are around 1000 to 2000.
i put my bike to work the day i recieved it the installation was easy and the braked work good. its a true mountain bike for a very good price i would recomend it to
anyone that wants a bang for your buck.ive put 150 miles and
had the bike for almost 2 months and had no problems.

the pedals are not bad but no my style of pedals, the seat post sweaks a lot and the richie rizer bar is to heavy and make me feel like im floating the front end so o got a straight handle bars that are lighter,the rockshox dart 3 leaks oil but bikesdirect are sending me a new fork to replace the problem

the weekness that i found don't make it a bad bike its really user prefrence.
every bike you ride will have something you don't like because we always want better but overall its a good bike

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i tested treks ironhorse gt

Components, weight, cost

None yet

This bike is fast going up hill and down. The price is unbelievable. I checked out all the bike shops in town and could not find anything comparable to it for the price. ordered it from bikesdirect and was riding it five days later. I could not be any happier with it. I totally love it.

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GT

Somewhat of a deal for those of us with no local bike shop.

Cheap chain, cheap cranks, cheap chain rings. They did send me a new chain to replace the one that broke on the bikes second ride.

Would be a good deal if they didn't skimp on chain and chain rings.