Weaknesses: Chain Suck is really the only problem i have, it occurs often but can usually be fixed by peddling backwards.
Bottom Line:
Great Bike for XC! I love this bike so much, it is fast, agile, and a great single track bike. I would recommend it! I regularly hit up the local freeride course in it and it performs great! the rear shock is maxing out on the 15 and 20 ft jumps but it is great besides that! If you are looking for a great XC race bike, get this one!
Granted it is old now, but i have replaced most of the parts and it is still great. I ride pretty aggressively on tight and steep trails and it handles and performs great.
Strengths: 5" travel good fit and solid as a rock! Can go fast over rocky terrain and not destroy your back!
Weaknesses: Some flex in the rear, but ordered aftermarket bushings that were considered heavy duty and the flex issue is gone! No other issues.
Bottom Line:
Bought frame only from a friend and then built to suit. I have read good and bad regarding this bike....one that stood out was the "chain suck" issue. Using the Stylo and removing the large chainring and replacing with a BBG bashguard I had no chain issues at all. I ride various trails and I believe this bike, once I built it up, really tackles the tough rocky sections with ease. Replacing the rear shock with a FOX RP2 was an amazing difference. I have done the Burn 24hr. race in North Carolina earlier this year, and a couple XC races and this bike was very comfortable and did not break down. Heard the bike that replaced this one (06 model) is the Hi-Fi is even better, but I will not switch until I can no longer replace bushings. Had the frame powdercoated and now very durable finish.
Similar Products Used: Giant NRS, Specialized Hard Rock Comp, Specialized FSR
Bike Setup: XT front and rear shifters,(new shadow med. rise) FOX F-120 front and Fox RP-2 in the rear, Stan's Flow tubless with Chris King hubs, Kenda Nevegal DTC tubeless 2.35 tires, Carbon stem, Edge Carbon Bars, Thompson layback seatpost and WTB Rocket V seat and ODI Lock on grips, and TruVativ Stylo crank with BBG bashguard replacing tallest chainring.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
DavideJensen
a Cross Country Rider
from Minneapolis, MN, USA
Date Reviewed: September 8, 2009
Strengths: Durability, Smooth ride, Good brakes, Price
Weaknesses: Chain suck! Rear suspension, pedal bob
Bottom Line:
Good bike for what I paid (bought it from a friend) but the problems were evident immediately. I can stiffen up the rear end enough, the chain suck has ruined 5+ chains of mine and I DONT shift while climbing (some seem to think that this only happens when you shift while climbing- those people havent had this happen to them while flying through some rocky sections at 15-20 mph). Front suspension is ok for a non racer. Bike bobs a lot when trying to gain speed and climbing. Seat is fine. I switched to a new seat because I broke mine, but it was fine as long as you wore the correct apparel. Light enough bike for a weekend warrior, strong and agile enough for a racer, but I wouldnt recommend it. Im buying a Specialized Epic Marathon and that will be my race bike cuz this bike had been so problematic on the course.
Strengths: Fairly good value for a beginner's all mountain bike. Suspension is decent, not great. Rear shock absorbs almost anything.
Weaknesses: CHAINSUCK!!,Lateral flex is noticable, rides sort of sloppy due to flex and bouncing, pedal bob, Stock tires are garbage (they could do better at the same price point)
Bottom Line:
The suspension on the bike very plush. Compared to a hardtail, you feel like you are riding an easy chair. It is also rather heavy and feels sluggish when you try to accelerate quickly.
The suspension has lots of lateral play, even when properly adjusted, so the rear end flexes and feels sloppy. Pedaling out of the saddle is ineffective because the bike bobs vertically b/c of the suspension and laterally from the play and flex.
I found myself putting more and more air in the shock to try to stiffen it up. Didn't work.
CHAINSUCK. This frame sucks chain bad enough that I almost got Fisher to warranty it. The LBS tried upgrading my crank to an XT to stiffen the chainrings, to no avail. Seriously this bike got chainsuck the first time I rode it and the last time I rode it and every time in between. I have ruined 2 chains this way (they get twisted if they get pulled in or out crooked. It is seriously frustrating.
While I enjoyed riding this bike, I wouldn't buy another one. I'd look for a frame with a better design and perhaps tighter linkages to reduce flex and play.
Bike Setup: Stock with the exception of an XT crank and rear derailleur and Schwalbe Racing Ralph tires.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
jcscratch
a Weekend Warrior
from Altoona, PA, USA
Date Reviewed: May 3, 2009
Strengths: Light weight, great price, good warranty
Weaknesses: WAAAAYYYY too much flex, lousy rear susp design
Bottom Line:
This could have been an awesome 5" full susp bike: for $1400 you get disc brakes and a pretty light set-up. But I've had never-ending problems with the rear suspension bushings wearing out prematurely (I've had to rebuild it every year--and I don't ride that much), which makes the bike way too flexy and causes chain suck everytime you're cranking on it in technical stuff. Even with new bushings, the bike feels like it will fold in half sometimes.
The frame cracked after two years, but got a new one no problem. So I guess that's a push...
If you're a good enough mechanic and don't mind the high maintenance, pick this bike up. It's light and comfortable enough for all-day rides and built well enough for the tough stuff.
Bike Setup: LX shifters and derailleurs, bontrager select wheel sets, hayes disc brakes, manitou black 120mm fork, swinger spv rear susp
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Chris Prior
a Weekend Warrior
from Portsmouth UK
Date Reviewed: February 22, 2008
Strengths: Weight, Handling, Geometry, Price
Weaknesses: Chain Suck, Cheap parts fitted which needed changing after first ride: Cables and Housings, Bottom Bracket, and Headset.
Bottom Line:
I bought this at 50% off UK price so was pretty pleased with the initial package, the handling was spot on. The first ride was at Afan and i got some pretty bad chain suck. I fitted 2 chuncky cable ties with the loop block in the stay/ chainring gap and I've had no problems since. The cables had rusted into their housings by the next time i rode the bike (2 weeks) so i swapped these out for some teflon ones and the problem has gone totally, penny pinching by Trek i think. Similar issue with the BB, this had seized after a long wet ride and i had not touched the bike for a week. Changed this out for a RaceFace unit and all is well. All other changes i have made are purely for pimp factor but they have sped the bike up somewhat. I ride is perfect for me, ride south wales and the south downs and it's great for technical descents with rooty steps and tricky singletrack sections with rapid changes of direction. with the upgrades I've fitted i see this as a perfect UK do it all bike. The Cables, headset, and BB changes are essential if you actually use your bike! And it's lighter than my mate's Cannondale Rush Carbon!
Similar Products Used: Giant NRS XTC, Specialized Enduro
Bike Setup: Standard Frame, Forks & Brakes, Mavic xc717 disc on XT Hubs, RaceFace Evolve C'set and BB, Titec Carbon Hellraiser bars and RIP Stem, Thomson post, SLR XP Gelfow saddle.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
James Handy
a Cross Country Rider
from Durango, CO, USA
Date Reviewed: December 5, 2007
Strengths: This goat can climb! I still have not had the so warned chain suck. Then again I do not shift gears in the middle of a climb.
Weaknesses: Rattly chain. I like silence of my tires rolling and the shocks doing their job on the jumps. Color is not my favorite.
Bottom Line:
The bike does the job I want it to do. Run the trails fast, take on some air with nice landings, climb hills without hesitation, lite enough to throw in and out of the truck without breaking a nut. Get this bike, make some adjustments, and ride baby ride !!
Bike Setup: Like I said I replaced everything on it except the frame and that was all to fix problems with everything that came with it.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Terry Swenson
a Weekend Warrior
from Ketchum, ID, USA
Date Reviewed: August 27, 2007
Strengths: Speed, balance, weight
Weaknesses: like a few others said, the color and original seat
Bottom Line:
I can climb anything, land perfect jumps, keep up with hardtails when it comes to trail speed.
This bike is made for trails, bumps, and rough terrain. It is not for 5 ft drops or steep downhills. Know your bike models and do some research before you go out and buy a bike expecting it to be good for any terrain.
Cake 3 DLX is excellent and you will enjoy it.
Chain suck has not happened to me yet. Then again I keep the chain clean and try not to shift in the middle of climbs.
Weaknesses: Stock cranks were horrible, lots of chain suck, headset keeps coming loose, not a bike for downhill, raer derailer cable housing gets stuck in the rear sus linkage
Bottom Line:
I ride alot, between 25 to 30 hours a week. I'm real hard on all of my bikes. I'm 5'10" 175#. This is my favorite for the rocky technical stuff around southeastern mass. The rear suspension took awhile to get dialed in perfectly, but now it is stellar. It doesn't bob or biopace at all unlike my kona, the sugar or the session. It excels at being ridden fast and taking abuse. My sugar is set up as my xc race bike this season, but after the cake goes on a diet this winter it will be my race bike next year.
Similar Products Used: I own a 96 Manitou FS custom, an 02 Fisher sugar full xtr, an 06 Kona Kikapu and an 07 Trek Session7 and the Cake3
Bike Setup: Started stock, on my 3rd crankset now with the xt hollowtech2, upgraded to the sram 991 chain and xt cassete which has helped the weight and the chainsuck, broke the stock seat in a wreck now have a specialized.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Russell
a Weekend Warrior
from Rockville, MD, USA
Date Reviewed: July 9, 2007
Bottom Line:
This is an update to my previous review regarding warranty support. After another call with the factory and the right person seeing my warranty history (bike was down for 4 months last year waiting on parts and my warranty ticket this year had been open over 3 months), they decided to send me a HiFi to replace my Cake rather than have me continue to wait for a new frame. That certainly goes a long way towards earning me back as a future customer. I have only logged one ride on the HiFi but first impressions are very positive.
Submitted by
Russell
a Weekend Warrior
from Rockville, MD, USA
Date Reviewed: June 27, 2007
Strengths: Even at my size (6'2" 230) the 5" of suspension handles just about anything I can throw at it. It climbs well for a FS.
Weaknesses: Factory Support for warranty issues has been inexcusable!
Chain suck is real - keeping the drive train clean and properly lubed helps reduce the problem but it can be a major annoyance.
I found the handling of the factory setup to be a little twitchy. I replaced the factory stem with one that has a few degrees more rise and added some carbon bars with a slight rise that solved the problem.
Bottom Line:
The bike is a good ride - the suspension soaks up rugged terrain while still providing a stable platform for mashing, it has responsive handling, and it climbs well. Unfortunately, my version suffered from a poorly designed rear pivot that has been plagued with problems.
My beef is not with the flawed design(which they have since fixed) but with the way that Fisher/Trek has (or has not) addressed the problem. Last year it took 4 months and multiple calls to the factory to get new bushings for the pivot(the bike was sidelined for the entire summer). That ended up only being a temporary fix and now they are replacing the entire frame (I do give them credit for standing behind their product). It has been 3 months since the warranty claim went in and when I spoke with the factory today I was told "a couple more weeks" - a response that I have heard more than once.
Based on my experience with trying to get replacement parts from the factory I will not ever buy another Trek/Fisher product and can not recommend there products to anyone else. It doesn't matter how great the bike is if it can't be ridden.
Submitted by
Justin
a Cross Country Rider
from Saint Albans, Vermont USA
Date Reviewed: April 30, 2007
Strengths: Good overall. Rear shock is nice and does not dampen your peddeling uphill.
Weaknesses: Front shock has no lock out. Larger drops the bike shifts/jumps gears. Rear carbon fiber swinger arms chip easily.
Bottom Line:
Great Bike...Probably would not buy the bike due to the rear carbon fiber swinger arm. Looks nice at first but i become worried about it after hard use.
Similar Products Used: Trek Fuel EX 6. And my old trek 6000.
Bike Setup: Stock
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Jeff Di Franco
a Weekend Warrior
from Lawndale, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: January 24, 2007
Strengths: This bike is very agile and has great balance, I love the Genesis Geometry! The frame is very light weight and the bike climbs like a maniac.
Weaknesses: If I could change one thing (and maybe I will), I’d like a lock-out on the fork. Otherwise this thing rocks! :)
Bottom Line:
I’m just over the moon about this bike. It took me a while to warm-up to the idea of a full-suspension bike…what can I say, I loved my hard-tail. I found this bike used (it’s an ’05) on e-bay and it has a few upgrades. It climbs very well, in and out of the saddle...I think Fisher’s onto something with the Genesis Geometry. On the downhill I feel VERY confident, the cornering at speed was excellent! This bike is very sure-footed. It takes hits well too, I’m getting about 5” of travel on my Manitou Swinger 3-way/SPV. My bike weighs in at about 30 lbs, so it’s relatively light. I would definitely recommend this bike to anyone in the market for a solid XC, full suspension bike. Ride a few and pick the one that feels best. I rode the Trek Fuel, Cannondale Rush, Santa Cruz Superlite, and the Specialized FSR. They were all great bikes, but in my opinion the Cake 3 DLX is hard to beat! :)
