Submitted by
Lawrence Jones
a Cross Country Rider
from North Somerset, England Date Reviewed: October 16, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Penmachno
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
I purchased this bike having taken the time to demo many others. I wanted a bike that was light, had an uninterrupted seat post, was laterally stiff and and built for UK conditions with good mud clearance. The suspension needed to track well without unnecessary bob or feedback through the pedals. The E5 met these criteria and many more.
Weaknesses:
The seat post can indeed slip into the frame as reported by other owners, however I got rid of the QR and used the bolt up method, which completely sorted this issue.
If used the bottle mount on the Quad Link prevents adjustment of the shock.
Similar Products Used:
Orange 5, Spesh Stumpjumper, Scott Spark, Yeti 575.
Bike Setup:
Revelation fork, FSA carbon crank, XO rear mech and shifters, Fox RP2 shock, Avid Ultimate brakes.
Bottom Line:
Despite the weaknesses it's a fantastic trail bike that flatters the rider and carries its speed very well through singletrack and technical sections. The perfectly dialled geometry of the bike allows it to handle smoothly on the ups and the downs.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
N M
a Cross Country Rider
from UK Date Reviewed: October 18, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Various UK
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$5500.00
Purchased At:
Local LBS
Strengths:
Lightweight, very fast and capable bike. Great geometry and component build on the Works model. Climbing ability is on par with the best hardtails yet the suspension is easily plush enough to cope with technical stuff.
Weaknesses:
There is a design fault on a number of the E5 frames. The tolerances on the seat tube on the frame are incorrect which means that NO MATTER HOW TIGHT you close the seat clamp, the seatpost will still slip down and even twist! Furthermore dirt gets down the gap left by the dodgy frame and if youve got a carbon post then itll get scrated to hell.
"Works" special build. XO drivetrain, carbon cranks, etc etc.
Bottom Line:
On a bike costing UK £3175 you do not expect a problem like this with the frame. The UK distributors for this bike ( ATB ) know nothing about customer service and have treat people with faulty E5 bikes like crap. Dissapointing is a complete understatement believe me.
They will maintain theres not a problem with this bike but there clearly is as many other people have experienced the exact same problem.
If the seat tube issue was sorted, then this is a terrific bike. Sadly though, its simply not good enough on a bike of this value and calibre. Advice would be to avoid buying at all until this issue is resolved.
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Overall Rating:
Overall Rating:
