Submitted by
Marquism1
a Cross Country Rider
from Costa Mesa, CA
Date Reviewed: June 14, 2010
Strengths: DW-Link suspension is sublime. Best buy for DW-Link of any brand.
Weaknesses: Iron Horse is no longer in business. (Bankrupt and assets sold in 2009). Comes with some cheap/heavy stock components that mask the bike's true potential. Rear tire clearance is tight - 2.1 is about max width.
Bottom Line:
This is the poor man's Pivot or Turner. DW-Link suspension is really, really good, but you usually get to pay about $4000-5000 for the privilege. I was looking for a new XC bike and loved the Pivot Mach 4 and Turner Flux, but those bikes are ridiculously expensive. Found this Azure Comp on Craigslist one day and figured I couldn't go wrong on DW-Link for $600. Best $600 I've ever spent. I put on lighter wheels and swapped out various other cheapo stock parts for better/lighter and saved a couple pounds of weight. Dialed in the suspension over a few rides and the bike is really amazing for the less than $1k I've spent. The Pivot Mach 4 is probably still a better bike, but I seriously doubt that it's 4 or 5 times better for 4 or 5 times the money. The obvious risk is that with the company gone, you're on your own if your Iron Horse breaks. I'm a longtime bike mechanic, so I'll roll the dice on that to get this good of a bike for under a grand.
Submitted by
friendofpugs
a Cross Country Rider
from Aurora, IL
Date Reviewed: July 26, 2008
Strengths: Great specs for $$, dw-link full suspension, what more could you want? Mine is the 06 model so I have a Reba SL fork that's pretty sweet.
Weaknesses: Little pricey, IH doesn't have that much cachet. Can be finicky to set up w/ sag and rebound. Mechanical disc brakes. A little heavy.
Bottom Line:
I think the Azure is one of the most underrated bikes in the industry for marathon/endurance XC riding. It's stiff, durable, and comes spec'd with a great parts list. I got a ridiculous deal off of eBay for $700 - the bike had exactly 31 miles on it! If you can get a deal on it (it can be pricey at Performance, around $1500 on sale) this is a tremendous value. I heartily recommend it to all!
Don't buy it if you want a weight-weenie XC racer - this is not it.
Buy it if you want a durable, set-it-and-forget-it full suspension XC bike.
Bike Setup: Stock except I swapped out the brakes for a set of Magura Louise BAT Carbons w/ Venti rotors. I know, a little bike bling.
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Submitted by
Amy Coleman
a Cross Country Rider
from Richmond, VA
Date Reviewed: May 2, 2008
Strengths: I got the 07 version so I think there were a few upgrades over the 05 & 06. I went from a hardtail to this and the best attribute is it's ability to climb. I swear I climb better now than before. Also the bike has great acceleration. There is little to no loss in the suspension. The only time I feel like a loose anything is when I am out of the saddle on an aggressive climb and most of that loss is in the fork.
Weaknesses: So far, none. I just have to get used to the hydrolic brakes as far as adjusting them ,etc. Been a challenge for me.
Bottom Line:
I think this is excellent bike for the price I paid. The components were nice and after some adjusting it fit like a glove. I was a little iffy about the tires but even in mud and wet conditions they really do well. I think the bike is really light but I guess that’s all relative to what you have before you get this bike. I get pretty aggressive with it and it really holds up nice. I would say this bike is great for straight up xc riding. I’ve dropped about 3-4 feet with it and it’s taken it beautifully. But, I only weigh about 120 lbs. Depending on your weight and how aggressive you want to get, this bike might not be a good choice with the limited rear travel. But if you’re looking for something for great trail riding and fast climbing, this is a perfect bike.
Bike Setup: Only swap outs were pedals and grips. Went to lock-ons and moved my acids from my old bike.
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Submitted by
Nick Key
a Racer
from Tucson, Az U.S.
Date Reviewed: February 2, 2008
Strengths: DW Link, Components, smoothness, great race Bike
Weaknesses: Front Shock: Manitou Splice. Shock absolutely is no good and it creaks bad. kinda heavy
Bottom Line:
For the price... This bike is Amazing. Its my second dual suspension and the best of the two. the dw link stops the pogo effect with climbing. I can feel the rear suspension engaging without robbing power. Awesome race bike. One thing i will say is change the front shock. Go with the ROck Shox Reba. Stock Compenentry is awesome but as a weight reduction i changed the cassete and deralir to X0. Overall Great Race Bike for the Price!
Bike Setup: Manitou Splic front fork. Shimano XO compnents. sram bottom Bracket.
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Submitted by
Jordan
a Cross Country Rider
from Atlanta, GA, USA
Date Reviewed: October 20, 2007
Strengths: First, this is a new 2005 clearance bike, so it does have different Shimano shifters than the 2007 bike. But considering I had been riding a top of the line Mongoose G3 and tried $2,000 K2's, Canondales, Treks and GT's prior to buying this one, I have a pretty good comparison. This bike is phenomenal. Almost nothing I would change, which is a first for me in 35 years of X-country riding in the South, Northeast, New Mexico and Scandanavia where I attended university. Just an incredible bike for the price. This bike certainly could be ridden in regional competitions.
Weaknesses: Lefty fork might be nice, but well balanced, so why mess with it. You have to like Egg Beaters and I prefer the Campus Pedal to ride in-town at times without my cleats.
Bike Setup: Ready to ride as is. Put in Slime and different grips and had to change my cleats on my Shimano MTB shoes, but minor.
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Submitted by
Matt
a Cross Country Rider
from Dalton, Massachusetts
Date Reviewed: September 24, 2007
Strengths: DW link suspension, frame, climbing, descents, toughness
Weaknesses: Rock Shox Ario rear shock, Shimano LX rear deralliuer
Bottom Line:
I researched extensively before purchasing a 2005 Azure Comp for myself and a 2006 Azure Comp for my wife. These are great bikes. Randall Scott seems to have the best prices for these models. We ride 'em hard and they keep on truckin'. Only problem i had was a leaking Ario rear shock which they replaced and i can't quite seem to dial in the rear derallieur, but i've had trouble with other LX's). The 2006 has better components. Was a bit concerned about the weight based on other reviews, but it is no issue at all. I wanted a sturdy bike that would not fall apart after a few rides like a Specialized. These bikes are tough. I climb stuff i could'nt on a hard tail and the down hills are way more fun!
Weaknesses: Average weight for full suspension. Components come be a little higher-end given the MSRP.
Bottom Line:
I spent about 3 hours at Performance Bikes test riding. It came down to the Azure or the Zaskar Expert hard tail. I'm 6', 185 pounds with more height in my upper body than my lower with long arms. I could have went with the 19" or 21" but surprisingly went for the 21" as the frame design make the bike ride smaller than it is and I liked the longer wheelbase. This was a year-end closeout so I got a great deal so I could spend money saved on selectively upgrading some of the components and sheding some weight which is fun because you end up with a totally custom bike. I swapped the 120mm stem out for a 90mm and put a carbon 1.5" riser bars on (about the same rise as the stock bar) and it makes the cockpit the perfect size for a comfortable cruise with the kids yet works fine for single track too. This was an impulse buy as I was in the shop buying a new bike for my kid and so I didn't do the exhaustive research I do with most purchases. Glad to see there is consensus that Iron Horse makes an excellent product. No buyer remorse here.
Similar Products Used: Specialized FSR, Zaskar Expert, Trek 7000
Bike Setup: Same as described above.
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Submitted by
Matt
a Weekend Warrior
from Northeast
Date Reviewed: July 30, 2007
Strengths: one of the best pedaling and climbing XC full suspension bikes out there, the components may not all be high end but they all work very well, lots of stand over height and low bottom bracket means a bike that is very nimble and blast through tight single track.
Weaknesses: after a year of frequent use the rear hub comes loose every few hard rides, a little heavy at 28 lbs., not much else.
Bottom Line:
This bike is proof you don't have to spend a lot of money to ride a solid, XC bike with great technology.
Similar Products Used: Trek Fuel, Kona Bear, lots of hardtails
Bike Setup: upgraded to a Rock Shox Reba Race fork, SRAM X9 drivetrain, Thomson stem. Stock parts....Avid BB5 mech. brakes, WTB Speedisc wheels, Ritchey bar and stem...these parts are a bit cheap but they work great.
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Submitted by
Patrick Reid
a Cross Country Rider
from North Shore, Canada
Date Reviewed: June 5, 2007
Strengths: Suspension and DW link, overall value!
Weaknesses: Rise in handle-bar, I'm 6"2 and ride on a large, the cockpit is great but need a little more rise.
Bottom Line:
This is a great value for compenents and value. I ride XC on the shore and this can handle this no prob! No drops but bunches of skinnies, ladders, baby-heads and no issue. Great wet or dry.
Submitted by
Dan Cirignano
a Weekend Warrior
from Lorton, VA USA
Date Reviewed: April 23, 2007
Strengths: Suspension - overall rating "THE BEST"! The handling on all surfaces is superior to any other bike MTB or road. I ride hard and can tell you there is very little need for adjustments or tune-ups of any sort in the past 100 hours of riding. The brakes have already saved my life. Bought the wife the same bike and she really wanted to win our last race so I hit the brakes just in time to watch her cross finish line.
Weaknesses: I am still searching for this part of the review. Humm, none so far. Oh shucks, I forgot, I had to stop and add some air to front tire. I have strong legs, so the heavier frame (not excessively heavy) could have been a problem, but not for this pedaller. It just feels durable and that's peace of mind I like.
Bottom Line:
This bike is perfect for the dedicated weekend warrior or the daily "gotta ride twenty five mi. today" rider. Great mechanics make every ride more enjoyable. I hate dropping a chain or getting stuck going up hill in high gear. No problems so far! The wife feels the same way. We ride on high traffic trails in the metro DC area. When guys turn to watch her go by, she lets me know they are looking at the Ironhorse Azure Comp. Reassuring for sure.
Bike Setup: Added a seat post carry rack (AL) and changed to the shovel head pedals. I am over fifty so the stock pedals looked like grandma's pudding mixer blades.
Strengths: Reba Fork with lock out, Geometry, rear suspension (does not require a platform)
Weaknesses: ... It takes a while to figure out the best shock settings. It could be lighter, but that would certainly be more expensive.
Bottom Line:
Great all day bike. Suspension performance is noticably better than Maestro. Really good bike.
Who should buy this bike: Any mountain biker who has experienced back pain, but also likes to sprint out of the saddle. I don't really notice when I bottom out the suspension, because it would be crazy to sit on that stuff...
Who should not buy this bike: People who take a chair lift when they go biking. People running fully rigid single speeds with no trouble.
Similar Products Used: Giant Reign, STP, XTC,... TCR
Bike Setup: Stock
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Submitted by
Jason Willis
a Racer
from Houston, tx 77002
Date Reviewed: June 12, 2006
Strengths: Great suspension design fast acts like a hardtail
Weaknesses: little heavy ( but i need it durable)
Bottom Line:
I am an adventure racer so i was in search of durable cros country bike that could handle numerous beatings and muddy days.
So dependability was my number one choice... i used to ride a fisher paragon and it was awesome but i needed fullsusp. for the comfort of my 12-36 hr races and this bike is the one.
Similar Products Used: GF sugar, cannondale rush, SC Blur,
Bike Setup: stock
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Submitted by
Randy
a Cross Country Rider
from Burlington, VT
Date Reviewed: May 25, 2006
Strengths: Excellenet suspension design, perfect geometry, suspension works well with non platform valved shocks (Less money to spend on replacements!) Excellent customer service from Iron Horse.
Weaknesses: Slightly heavier for a pure XC race bike. With the money you save though, you can easily shed some weight and the suspension design is absolutely worth the extra grams.
Bottom Line:
This is the greatest bike I've had the chance to ride. Iron Horse has really delivered big time with the DW-Link suspension on the Azure. Coming from a hardtail I cannot believe how non-existent pedal induced bob is when hammering on the Azure. It feels as though it's a hardtail, but at the same time I am much quicker up hills because the rear wheel can articulate over rocks and roots that previously would cause the rear wheel to break loose and lose traction. 3.5" of travel on the rear wheel seems to be more than enough for the aggressive XC riding I do.
This bike was a great purchase at $700 off msrp. I purchased the lower end comp model so that I could upgrade the parts spec at my own discression and have been completely happy. After selling off all the "take off" parts on ebay and purchasing new replacement parts I still haven't spent more than $1700 dollars for a bike which has a parts spec better than the "Expert". My 19" frame model weighs in at just under 27 pounds which although is not a lightweight, is great for me and what I've spent. When the drivetrain and some other parts wear away I will replace a few other key items and plan to have the bike in the 25 pound range, still for under $2,000.00.
The DW Link is by far the best suspension design out there. I also tried the '05 Kona Kikapu Deluxe which used a faux bar suspension and even with it's expensive propedal Fox RP3 the suspension was very susceptible to bob when pedaling hard. I also rode the Specialized Epic and found that the rear suspension did not react to braking nearly as well as the DW-Link design.
Just so you know, I'm 6'1" with a 33" inseam and fit well on the 19" frame.
5 flaming chilis for both value and overall rating!!
