K2 Bike Lithium 4.0 XC Full Suspension
4.4
/5
REVIEWS
4.4
QIKRATE
4.4
WEB
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USER REVIEWS
OVERALL RATING |
4 |
★★★★★
★★★★★
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VALUE RATING |
5 |
★★★★★
★★★★★
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VALUE - great price for a 5" travel dually. It has nice suspension, mostly entry level. Hayes, SRAM X9/Gen, etc how can you go wrong!
I'm starting to hate the CB Candy C pedals. Very hard to release from in an emergency, but that's another review.
You can't buy a better bike for $1,000.
OVERALL RATING |
5 |
★★★★★
★★★★★
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VALUE RATING |
5 |
★★★★★
★★★★★
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Great bang for the buck dollar wise, quality construction, proven 4-bar rear suspension, great finish (orange is cool), quality components (Truvativ, SRAM and RS, the whole Rock Shox family, Hayes hydraulics)
K2's marketing, who's heard of a Lithium? Ironhorse will help with that. Integrated headset - means I can't upgrade to a King - however, with care, shouldn't be a problem. I'm sure there are Cane Creek, FSA or other just as good options that will cover me on upgrading the headset. Needs a 7" disc up front, not 6". My paint seems a little brittle - scars of my wrecks are evidence! Nothing that some automotive touch up paint didn't fix though.
This is a great value for a 5" trail bike. It's a tad heavy for a dedicated XC bike, but that's not what it's designed for, it's a full-on trail bike, can handle XC, can handle the baby heads, 1-2 ft drops on a rough technical section and some fun descents at high speed but it's not a free ride or full on down hill bike so you don't have that weight penalty. Great components, great construction - it's equal to my Trek and the two Specialized bikes I own. Suspension is great - take a look at the Turner 5-spot and KHS - identical design on the rear suspension, so K2 used a proven design. With the RS MC 3.3, you can eliminate pedal bob with the floodgate. The 130mm Tora 318 is a simple bang for the buck design and when set up properly, is plush - I can't see moving up to a Reba for a long time.
For what I got and what I paid - this is definitely a 5/5 chili bike. After 6 months, I want to upgrade a few things but that's just the moditis flowing through my veins. SRAM PG990, 7" disc up front, maybe a Pike front shock when the Tora is due for a service or I mess it up on a wreck.
The K2 product manager is a forum member on MTBR.com forums and has been great in providing me information and technical specs I needed. I wish them well and continued success as part of the Ironhorse family.
Similar Products Used:
Trek 3700, Specialized Hardrock Sport Disc, Raleigh M60
OVERALL RATING |
4 |
★★★★★
★★★★★
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VALUE RATING |
5 |
★★★★★
★★★★★
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Lot of Bike for the money! I shopped around and couldn't find a sweeter deal. The Swinger 3way rear shock is pretty sweet once you get it dialed in to your weight. Hayes hydraulic Disc breaks are extremely nice on technical downhill sections. Frame seems good and beefy but light. Raceface Ride XC Crankset is nice. Fatty tires w/ good tread for colorado front range.
Front fork lacks certain adjustments. Really wish it had the spv technology in it and or lockout. (don't let this turn you off of this bike though) I feel like i sit up really high when i ride compared to my old gary fisher but after getting use to the bike it isn't a problem at all. (I also ride a xl size frame at 6'-4")
This is my first full suspension mountain bike and i love it. The long travel in both front and back allow me to come down colorado's front range with twice the speed and confidence of my hardtail. I also find myself jumping and dropping of everything i can along the way. Because of the spv tech in the rear shock, this bike climbs amazingly well for a full suspension in this price range. The only weakness is the front fork but it does the job (for now). The bike is perfect for someone like myself who is more xc than downhill but wants a bike that can still handle a long bumpy decent. You really won't find more bike for your money.
OVERALL RATING |
5 |
★★★★★
★★★★★
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VALUE RATING |
5 |
★★★★★
★★★★★
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Bang for buck,adjustable suspention,hydraulic brakes,great drivetrain.
none so far
Paid the same for the fuel in 2001. This bike climbs just as well with 2 inches more travel front and rear. Fantastic bike for the money. I planned on buying a Titus or Santa Cruz but I could not justify the price diff. Buying from Randallscott I had to assemble some myself. That was not a big problem and now that I have had a few rides everything is adjusted right and ready to ride.
Similar Products Used:
Trek Fuel
OVERALL RATING |
5 |
★★★★★
★★★★★
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VALUE RATING |
5 |
★★★★★
★★★★★
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4-bar link suspension , swinger rear shock , Hayes HFX-9 disc brakes
black super fork
Great bike for cross country work. If you use this bike for what it was intended for it will be one of the best bikes out there in this price range. The rear suspension is quck and responsive. The frame is nice and stiff. Its a little heavy but all bike have there quarks.
Similar Products Used:
Trek fluid , Giant vt 3
OVERALL RATING |
5 |
★★★★★
★★★★★
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VALUE RATING |
5 |
★★★★★
★★★★★
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Need to make a correction to my previous post - it does NOT use an integrated headset, you can run a Chris King unit.
Still love the bike - it's absolutely outstanding for the price.
OVERALL RATING |
3 |
★★★★★
★★★★★
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VALUE RATING |
4 |
★★★★★
★★★★★
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Good Brakes, Suspension, Price.
Broke the chain when I only had 50 miles on the bike, that bent the derailer and hanger, took over 3 weeks to get the replacement from k2. A few months latter the middle chainring folded over and bent the crank. Race Face did replace that. Ever since the 1st chain broke I have had trouble with the shifting. This spring we replaced all the drive parts with XT parts new cassette, derailer and chain along with the new crank from Race Face. The bike seems to work well now.
Not sure if I just had bad luck. I like the bike alot I think they cut some corners with the chain, shifters, and cassette. The bike handles great and I love the shocks and brakes.
Similar Products Used:
First full suspension
OVERALL RATING |
3 |
★★★★★
★★★★★
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VALUE RATING |
5 |
★★★★★
★★★★★
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It's a great XC bike. It's light, responsive, and enough travel to get through most XC encounters. When the rear is set to 4" travel, it handles almost like a hardtail.
Not strong enuf. (But then again i guess it's not a trials bike) Broke the rear disc calipar tab off the frame after doing some of rear wheel hopping on the bike. I know its a XC bike, but it should have been able to take what i was doing to it. And it's not like I weigh all that much... 180lb.
Excellent bike for XC trails... but after it gets all fixed up from this little mishap im gonna be scared to break it again. Also, i got the bike at cost, and K2 is paying for the new swingarm under warranty... so im still pretty happy ; )
Just wish that k2 had put a little more thought into their structural engineering of the frame...
Similar Products Used:
None... first FS. But im getting one hell of a planet-x bike built up for me that well be able to handle the abuse that this bike can not.
OVERALL RATING |
4 |
★★★★★
★★★★★
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VALUE RATING |
5 |
★★★★★
★★★★★
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Well balanced bike with good components. Hayes Nine brakes have worked great for me, and the rear suspension (Manitou 3 way spv) has been solid.
Mine came with a Manitou Black Super front fork which has performed ok, but I'm upgrading to a Fox Vanilla 32 RLC - can't wait for UPS to arrive!
I purchased this bike used from a private party. Bike only had like 60 miles on it. I really like this bike because of its versatility, and it looks great. It can be set up as a XC bike or a trail bike with the adjustable rear suspension 4" or 5". I've used it more as a trail bike and it has ridden great and feels very solid with geometry that worked for me right from the first time I took it for a test ride. I'm 5'9" 170lbs. I've ridden for a year without any issues outside of a bent rear derailer that was pretty easy to fix. Since I haven't experienced many quality front suspension forks, I don't have anything to compare the Manitou Black Super to, but they do feel a little spongy, and light weight for heavy trail riding. I'm waiting to get my Fox Vanilla RLC from Fullcycle.com. Cant wait to put them on this bike and hit the trail! All in all I've been thrilled with this bike. I don't feel like I have to upgrade any of the components until things start to break.
Similar Products Used:
Cake 3, older Trek Hardtail
OVERALL RATING |
5 |
★★★★★
★★★★★
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VALUE RATING |
5 |
★★★★★
★★★★★
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weight, geometry, Manitou swinger rear suspension, strength, cool paint job (orange and silver)
none so far
I have had this bike about 2 months and I love it! I can do it all on this bike, jump around on the local trails with a long XC ride thrown in and it is waaaaay light. Climbs like a hardtail! After I got it adjusted and properly set up for my weight there is nothing I don't like about this bike. I started looking at either a Trek Liquid or Giant VT but happened to get an amazing deal on this badboy. Not a good DH or hardcore Freeride choice but if you are somebody who likes to rip on everything this bike makes you a better rider. Plus it looks sweet! It will be a sad day the day I forget it is on my roof rack and bash it into the ceiling of my parking garage :)
Similar Products Used:
Giant, Specialized hardtails