Weaknesses: Overall weight. After replaceing just about everything i have it down to 22lbs.
Bottom Line:
As others stated, great full suspension bike ready for myriad of upgrades. It does have that "creak" since as far back as i can recall, but with an iPod, it never becomes an issue.
Bike Setup: Full XTR, marzocci bomber front shox, fsa cranks, egg beaters, fsa carbon neck and bars, no tubes tire systems, mavic crossrides..nuff said
Weaknesses: Stupid God Damn Wish Bone Piece. Ive fabricated a piece out of......what is it like....1/8 steel. but i keep breaking the bolts. Its annoying. Oh yeah tiny pedals. Too thin rims too. yea i really cant complain too much, you get what you pay.
Bottom Line:
Tis a good bike, but the design flaw of the weak wishbone kills. you get what you poay for. i really wish i had the funds for a decent road bike. I mean i really enjoy riding this bike. i dont hate it at all.
Bike Setup: everything is pretty much factory. Although I've put on Forte Shovel Pedal, Ergon ergonic grips considering I live in the city and dont get the chance to get out to any real trails, considering that this bicycle is my primary of transport at the moment. I bought some rims called LOCO from Performance Cyclce about two years ago, i believe they are now called XENDURO. but whatever. And only recently some Forte Metro 26x1.5 compared to the nubby 26x2.4.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
keithski
a Cross Country Rider
from UK/France
Date Reviewed: June 18, 2010
Strengths: The i drive is excellent, this bike steers and holds the bumps just great.
Weaknesses: Non for me.
Bottom Line:
This bike was a 4.0 but I love it so much that I have upgraded all of the componentry, it is now simply awesome. I fell in love with i drive with my last bike which was an i drive 5 2.0 which I also upspeced and someone made me an offer that was too good to be true so I sold it. The i drive to me is the best handling sus frame that I have used, yes GT have now made the Force, but this bike is now so good I dont have any need to change it, unless someone else makes me an awesome offer !!!.
Similar Products Used: Mongoose Teolcali Elite, specialized, Giant.
Bike Setup: Upgraded the forks to Rockshox Pike, rear mech and triggers are now SRAM XO, the rear shock to a Fox RP23, the brakes are now Formula ORO k18s, Cranks seat post and stem are now Race Face. The wheels sets have been changed to SB3 freeride sets, pedals now atomlab G1's and all bearings are now ceramic.
Strengths: Price. I-drive full suspension flattens the trail and climbs like a hardtail. The rear shock is a basic Fox Float with no adjustments other than air pressure but that's okay because the I-drive system doesn't require a pro-pedal or lock out.
Weaknesses: It's a little heavy, mine is an XL that weighs in at 33 lb. But I paid a cheap hardtail price for a good full suspension bike!
Bottom Line:
This is a great ride for low bucks. I will probably upgrade to a Force 1.0 in a few years. I am definitely sold on GT and the I-drive system!
Bike Setup: I did away with the Tektro brakes because, though they were self-centering, they were always dragging no matter how much time I spent adjusting them and they made the brake handles soft. I replaced those with some Hayes MX4's that are cheap but awesome. They adjust in minutes and stay good for weeks of hard riding. I also did away with the pedals, seat, and replaced the front derailleur with a Shimano XTR. The Deore that came with the bike made me push hard all the way through to get a good shift. The XTR only requires me to put the shifter on the number I want and it does the rest.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
jaredhhhh
a Weekend Warrior
from leesburg florida
Date Reviewed: May 11, 2009
Strengths: light weight good for climbing well balanced great for those just getting in to mtbing not too expensive feels very sturdy i-drive is great technology
Weaknesses: umm the cables wear the the paint alot but not a whole lot
Bike Setup: the way it came mine has the fox float though not the rock shox
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
orion1
a Downhiller
from golden co usa
Date Reviewed: March 17, 2009
Strengths: cheap, light weight, great starter bike
Weaknesses: back wheel kicks up when hit drop and jumps not stable in the air at all bike is made to stay on the ground. and rims are very unstable after awhile
Bottom Line:
its a great bike for a beginner mountain biker but i would not suggest it if you are a aggressive rider who like to push it downhill. but for me i am so surprised how well it stood up to my abuse i could take this off six foot drops to a flat landing and it would be fine all you would have to do is be a smooth rider and land on the back wheel.
Submitted by
Jeff Barber
a Weekend Warrior
from Dickson
Date Reviewed: January 11, 2008
Strengths: The bike climbs like a m*********r! A great entry full suspension bike that has held up well as I have adavanced from beginner trails to now handling expert trails.
Weaknesses: None really. The front & rear deraileurs are not top of the line but I don't think you can expect that when you get a full suspension bike for under a $1000.
Bottom Line:
A great entry full suspension bike that didn't break the bank. As I have improved the bike has never held me back. It excels at climbing. It doesn't have the higher quality components as many higher priced bikes do, but the only component I could complain about has been the rear deraileur (SRAM X5). I am aware that this deraileur is a base model and will probably upgrade within the next year. Although it (X5) has caused me trouble it still performs day in day out, it's just not the quietest nor smoothest.
Submitted by
Slyp
a Weekend Warrior
from Richmond, Va
Date Reviewed: November 16, 2007
Strengths: pedals very nicely, geometry is good for trail riding, shifting is much better than the shifters on my old bike, good tires stock
Weaknesses: baseline Float shock. not adjustable except for air pressure, and mine isn't holding any more than 180psi. ungodly heavy fork that isn't adjustable at all, and doesn't give the rated travel. top tube that's lethally high that can hit the brake levers if you wipe out and the wheel turns
Bottom Line:
good bike for the money, but it has it's downsides also. first, the air shock has NO adjustments other than air pressure, and for some reason my shock won't consistantly hold more than 180-190psi. the fork is as heavy as a lot of longer travel AM/FR single crown forks, it's sprung heavily enough that I can't get more than half travel out of it, and is simply not adjustable, despite the claimed preload adjustment that in 7-8 months of owning the bike I still can not find. that being said, it's a very fun bike to ride on smoother trails and when properly set up can handle quite a bit of abuse.
Favorite Trail: most anything on dirt as long as It is ridable
Duration Product Used: 6 months
Price Paid:
$800.00
Purchased At: Performance Bike
Similar Products Used: $50 toysrus full squish bike
Bike Setup: mostly stock, but with Ergon grips, Bell tires, WTB Speed V Rec saddle, topeak under steat bag, SKS fenders front and rear
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
JOSEPH HARTER
a Weekend Warrior
from Marietta, Ga, USA
Date Reviewed: November 13, 2007
Strengths: This bike will climb anything that you put in front of it with ease. I was amazed at how fast I could fly down the rough stuff without getting beat up. little or no pedal bob, solid frame with lots of room to upgrade, awsome bike for the price
Weaknesses: Other than the heavy fork and the x5 rear derailleur I have no complaints.
Bottom Line:
I highly recommend this bike to anyone looking to upgrade from a hardtail to a full suspension as I did. The bikes performance greatly exceeds the price. It pedals great uphill and bombs downhill. I-drive system always has worked very well. If you do big drops this is not your ride. If you like riding fast, technical trails this is your ride. I got lucky when I bought the bike, performance didnt have the bike in stock so I ordered it in the store and got a 15% discount for spending 75.00. Then they gave me an aditional 10% off for a Tuesday lunch special between 12:00 and 2:00. This was the icing on the cake for me.
Similar Products Used: Tested a Cannondale Prophet, Iron Horse warrior
Bike Setup: Stock except for Kenda tires, WTB saddle, shimono 540 pedals. more upgrades to come when the flow comes in
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Patrick
a Cross Country Rider
from Yosemite, CA
Date Reviewed: July 25, 2007
Strengths: Pedals like a champ - I was amazed at how much faster I could pedal up the rough stuff. It has a very low center of gravity which really helps it track down the twists and gives it lots of stability on the rocks. After tweaking the shifters they work very well.
Weaknesses: Weight & Components - I already ditched the fork and will slowly replace the other components over time as need. Brake rotor came bent, but straightened easily. No good place for a water bottle... but I have a camelback.
Bottom Line:
This is a lot of bike for the price. It pedals like a hardtail, but is smooth.
Similar Products Used: Previous bike - Trek Y frame.
Bike Setup: Manitou X-Vert Super (oldie but goodie), Crank Brothers eggbeaters, Terry Men's Fly seat
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
KTB
a Cross Country Rider
from Annapolis, MD
Date Reviewed: May 22, 2007
Strengths: SOLID, SOLID RIG! This is my first XC full suspension and although I have only had it for a few months - it's living up to most of my expectations. Smooth as silk along roots and rocks and jumps right over logs - heavy but fun to bunny hop with!
Weaknesses: Heavy! At 31 lbs. it's not as light as I would like for it to be, but it's a frame to upgrade. The basic Manitou Trance fork weighs 6 lbs on its own. Have already upgraded the SPD pedals to a lighter version and will upgrade the fork and wheel set when the cash comes in.
Bottom Line:
I am 5'6" and female. Bought a medium frame which felt a little big at first, but once I got on the trails was happy I got this size. I ride more BMX style on the trails (stay low on jumps and fast, love tight turns)and amazingly I can control this bike like I want to. For the price, this is exactly what I wanted. It shifts great, sucks up the little jumps I manage to pull off and allows me to bomb down hills and roll over logs with ease. Buy it if you need/want to upgrade from hardtail, but don't have major cash for the next price tier. Don't buy it if you want a light, XC race ready rig of course. All in all, good value for the money.
Similar Products Used: None really...knew what I wanted from the start...can't beat the i-drive technology and history of the brand name.
Bike Setup: Stock
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Christopher
a Cross Country Rider
from Ft. Collins, CO
Date Reviewed: April 14, 2007
Strengths: The bike has a strong frame and is a great price for a full suspension XC bike.
Weaknesses: You do get what you pay for. The tires and front fork were the first to go on mine. The stock fork weighed 5.9 pounds and was as basic as you can get.
Bottom Line:
All in all I would recommend this bike to anyone who is looking to get into full-suspension cross country riding. The price is great and there is a lot of room for upgrades across the board. A new fork and new set of wheels does wonders for this rig.
Bike Setup: GT I-Drive Four 5 w/ RP3 Shock, Spinergy Xclone wheels, Manintou Minute 2:00, and full Sram X.9
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Scott Curtis
a Weekend Warrior
from Hercules, CA
Date Reviewed: November 4, 2006
Strengths: It has just about everything I wanted for under $1,000. The brakes, drivetrain, fork and shifters are a major upgrade from what I was accustomed to.
Weaknesses: The pedals. They're kind of cheap. They are wide on one side and narrow on the other, so I'm always having to spin them around while riding. I will probably replace them with Candy C's (which are on the I-drive Four-3.0) or something similar. It is a little tall. I am 6ft and have a medium frame bike, so I am able to stand over it, but a frame design closer to the I-drive Four-1.0 would improve this. There is only one attachment point for a bottle cage, and this is on the bottom of the downtube, so the cage is more exposed and the bottle gets dirty. This is not a problem if I just use a hydration pack, but there are times when I also want an energy drink, too.
Bottom Line:
This is my first full suspension bike, an upgrade from a hardtail that got too beat up on the trail. The I-drive system works as advertised. It pedals great and climbs better than I do. I have more confidence on descents, especially on rocky sections. The cockpit feels good to me, and I have a good view of the trail without straining my neck. It feels nicely balanced and is comfortable to ride. The mechanical disc brakes work fine, with good control and modulation and have gotten me out of trouble in situations where I would have had to "involuntarily dismount" on my old bike.
This is a cross-country/trail bike and is intended to be ridden as such, i.e keep the tires on the trail and not go flying through space. It is probaly not as suited for racing as it is not a super-lightweight racing frame, but it feels solid and durable, and actually weighs about the same as my hardtail.
I am very happy with this bike and I don't regret buying it. (Although Performance lowered the price $200 AFTER I bought this.)
Similar Products Used: I tested a Giant Trance 3, Iron Horse Warrior SE, Cannondale Rush. I really liked the Trance, but it was too much $$$. I also considered a couple of Kona products, but I didn't get the opportunity to test ride them.
Bike Setup: Stock. Except it came with a Fox Float instead of the Rockshox shock as indicated.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Tony
a Cross Country Rider
from Lakewood, CO,USA
Date Reviewed: September 20, 2006
Strengths: Great entry level bike. Price, durability, weight, low maintenance
Weaknesses: For the price none, after becoming accustomed to biking and taking bigger hits you might feel that you want to upgrade the fork shocks and shifters.
Bottom Line:
This was my first recreational purchase when I moved to Colorado. I feel that this bike is a great value and for someone just getting into the sport or anyone who wants a reliable ride without spend over a grand.
I'm looking at maybe buying one of these bikes. The price difference is only $50. So i'd like to here what everbody thinks. I'v been out of mountain biking for about 4 years, i liv Read More »
I,m looking at buying one of these bikes. The iron horse i can get for around $560. the gt is $700. I live in south florida and will be riding mostly single track. This will be my Read More »
I'm looking at getting one of these bikes. the iron horse is $560. The gt is $700. I'm just getting back into mountain biking after about 4 years off. This would be my first f/s bi Read More »
Got a lead on a lightly used one for 300.oo I'm 5'8 aboyt 200lbs (looking to shed a bunch)
Would this be a good deal for me? Ilive in north vancouver with world class trails but Read More »
