Submitted by
James Deane
a Cross Country Rider
from Maryville, TN
Date Reviewed: August 27, 2005
Strengths: Sturdy Frame, nice front fork, good breaking power.
Weaknesses: Wheelset
Bottom Line:
This is an excellent All-Mountian Bike. I don't classify it as a XC Bike because of the weight. Yeah, you can ride cross country, but like others have said, you can ride a wide variety of things with this bike. I bought the bike used from a friend and I have had to replace the bushings and get a new wheelset. I truly dont like the stock wheelset. The hubs are pretty cheap and I constanstly had to retrue the wheels. The Ryno Lites have proven superb in the type of riding I am doing now. For the price I got the bike, I am quite impressed. You probably wont find this bike new anymore but if you find it used, it is worth the buy.
Bike Setup: 17" Frame, Sun Ryno Lite Wheels with Shimano XT Hubs, Shimano PD-M324 Pedals.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
easy ellis
a Downhiller
from norman, ok usa
Date Reviewed: July 19, 2004
Strengths: nice frame fit, fairly light comparatively, hella cool colors with a sherman on it!
Weaknesses: piece of crap. broke the frame twice in front of rear drop outs on non drive side, TWICE. geometry is set on the rear sides with pivot points on both sides, but none opposite to counter act the torque put on from the disc brake. oh yeah did i mentioin that it happened TWICE! that i did not have a bike for two and a half months! the second time it happened was only four days after i had got the bike back from being repaired and replaced from the first incident. yes...FOUR DAYS, SAME BREAK. so, sent back, no delays, and im pissed.
Bottom Line:
if you ride, and you like to to have fun, do not, let me say this again, DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, drunk whatever, buy this bike. it will break. it is weak. but hey, if you break it enuogh times like i have, they send you a brand new model of your liking. i paid 650 for this p.o.s. but because i physically raped this bike, i am now recieving an fr 2000, worth $2399 free of charge!? so if you find one,i guess you could pay close to nothing for it, beat it to death (about four good hearty rides), pee on it, send it back and get a better bike. yea customer service... note this was not fun, so if you take my route, have another bike!! bottom line- CRAP with a label.
Similar Products Used: specialized big hit, gt i drive (its old i know)
Bike Setup: factory
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Submitted by
Mark P
a Weekend Warrior
from San Antonio, TX
Date Reviewed: April 1, 2004
Strengths: read prior reviews, they are more specific and right on!
Weaknesses: only problem I had was the crank loosining on me during a tough ride, probably my fault, should always preflight
Bottom Line:
what all the other reviews touting bikes strengths have proved true, have not found any real weaknesses. very pleased with this bike and would buy it again if I needed another, i would recommend to anyone who wants a great FS without spending a fortune. I have since looked for other great deals in this price range but have found nothing comprable. Just bought the wife an Ibex ign 2, should get it next week for just under $500, but that's another review...
Submitted by
Ken
a Weekend Warrior
from Seattle, WA
Date Reviewed: September 23, 2003
Strengths: Value, Magura Julie Brakes, Duke XC fork, all around trail bike ability
Weaknesses: Stock chain, heavy wheels, stock stem too long.
Bottom Line:
I purchased this bike for my 13 yr. old son. It has been a more impressive bike than mine which cost 3 times as much. My son wanted a full suspension bike w/disk brakes since he and I ride together quite a bit. But since he still is growing, I didn't want to invest too much money into one. This bike has been perfect for him. I had a hard time staying with him when he was on a hardtail. Now I'm lucky to keep him in site. The bike is probably a little heavy for him since he weights 125 at 5' 9", and the bike is around 31 lbs. (guess). So he suffers some on long sustained climbs. But the plus side is that it is very durable and has withstood everything he can do. We purchased the 19" frame for him because how fast he is growing. It was a little big for him at first, but now with a little shorter stem it fits him well.
I have set the bike up as follows 62 lbs. in the fork and in the SID frame shock 125 lbs in the + chamber and 62 lbs in the - chamber. This seems to be the best set up for him. Plush with no noticiable suspension bob.
If you were interested in making this bike lighter, I would start with the wheelset and the cassette. I think that these items would be the easiest to replace and get the most bang for your buck if you felt the need to upgrade anything. But the stock wheelset has proven to be very durable. We did have to true the rear wheel almost immediately after purchasing the bike. But that was my son's fault not the wheels.
As far as the brakes go. They have been more hands off than the Hayes on my bike. I like the feel of them better than my Hayes HFX-9's and if the levers can withstand the abuse of my teenager than they are reliable enough for me. And the levers don't rattle or need the attention that the levers on my Hayes do. I also like the look for a 7" rotor in the front with the 6" in the back.
This has been the best purchase I ever could have made for my son. You can't put a $ figure on the great times that we have had on our bikes.
Similar Products Used: Son's bike. He has ridden a variety of Schwiin and Specialized kids bikes, Had a real nice Bianchi hand me down bike from his cousin. And rode his Mom's Gary Fisher X-Caliber until he outgrew that.
He also currently rides a GT BMX bike.
Bike Setup: Stock, except I up graded the chain almost immediately and the shifting has been great since then.
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Submitted by
JP H
a Cross Country Rider
from BURTON
Date Reviewed: August 16, 2003
Strengths: Great Value the bike was less than allot on frames I was looking at. Also, the quality of the bike has far outweighed the price.
Weaknesses: I was not found of the Greameca brakes, I never could get them dialed in. Also, I replaced the wheelset after the rear hub blew out but that was after I jumped it bent the axle and rode on it for the rest of the day, gouged out the bearing races. Those type things will happen to any wheels. if
Bottom Line:
The bottom line this bike is a great deal. I have used it for two full years on a regular basis and though it looks a little beat it is mechanically it great shape.
Bike Setup: All stock except wheelset "King", brakes "avid"
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Phil
a Cross Country Rider
from Anchorage, AK
Date Reviewed: July 24, 2003
Strengths: Price, Very nice components
Weaknesses: Weight?
Bottom Line:
This is my first FS bike, and made me a better rider, or at least very forgiving. I'm 5'8" and got the small, and it fits very nice (for a 17" bike it runs large) I felt a little too stretched out, so I ordered a zero degree 75mm stem. The bike is doing everything I wanted it to do and more, very nice stock components for the price! It weighs in at 30lbs, so its a little heavy for the occasional racing that I want to do with it, but couldn't afford another $1500 to drop 5-6 lbs.
Similar Products Used: Diamond Back Ascent, Giant Iguana
Bike Setup: Stock, except stem
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
unrealtrip
a Weekend Warrior
from Burbank
Date Reviewed: July 2, 2003
Strengths: The frame is amazing. The Duke shock is nice since it is air on one side, coil on the other, so adjusting stiffness requires only a pump- not a rebuild, very nice.
Weaknesses: Depends on how you ride, see below.
Bottom Line:
This is an update to my previous review. I ride some of everything, street/dh/fr/xc whatever, I try to do it all on one bike. The 4" front and 4.5" rear travel seems to work well for almost all conditions (except for really big hucks of course) I've been dialing in the bike over time. Here's what I've done.
1- Replaced the seatpost, the single bolt clamp style is bad news, trust me. Also cut it down, so I can lower the seat just about all the way down, but still raise it for XC. 2- Got 27mm Sun rims w/XT hubs. The Powertools hubs were good, just the rims were more XC oriented and kept needing to be retrued after repeated rock pummeling. :) 3- The Kore XC stem was just too long, replaced it with a 70mm RaceFace Diabolus, very stiff stem. 4- Grips twisted too much, got the ODI Ruffian lock on grips 5- Rear shock leaked right from the get go, got a Fox VanillaR w/600# spring (although I'm 185 and really should get the 700# spring I think) The on the fly adjustment of rebound via the dial on the shock is a w e s o m e. I highly recommend this upgrade. 6- The tires were a bit narrow, so I got Maxxis High Rollers, 2.35, good width and they are pretty soft, stick like mad to rocks.
Lastly 2 minor complaints: 1- I'm sure the intention of the plastic brake levers was to cut overall bike costs, although during one good endo I snapped one of mine off. 2- The cranks are definitely XC oriented, however they hold up amazingly well and have withstood a good deal of abuse, although there's no substitute for chromoly cranks. ;)
CONCLUSION: I'm still keeping my value rating at 5 because the bike at $899 was a great deal.
My overall rating I'm leaving at 5 as well, because in spite of the things I replaced for my riding style, in its true stock form it is still a perfect all-mountin/trailbike/xc rig/whatever they are calling do it all bikes these days.
Who should buy it? Riders looking for a bike that can handle most any terrain, though from the factory it is setup a bit more for XC.
Who should not buy it? People doing big drops, this bike is clearly not designed for that.
Strengths: Solid frame with good welds. Incredible value at 900 bucks. Good components. Beefy frame for larger riders like myself.
Weaknesses: Maybe a bit heavy, but at over 225lbs myself, I can't ask my bike to be a lightweight. No real weaknesses.
Bottom Line:
Great ride. As mentioned above, I'm a big rider and could produce pedal bob on a fully rigid bike, but have had no trouble with this suspension. This thing is rock solid. I've so far been happy with all of the parts. The Duke XC is nice and stiff and handles my size without complaint. I'm not looking for the crankset to last under me for too long, but at thins price, you can swap alot of stuff and still come out ahead. WELL worth the money.
Strengths: Price. Disk brakes. Good name brand components. Army Green color with flames!
Weaknesses: Handle bar is to high for XC type riding. Needs a straight bar with 0 degree stem. Comes with three spacer rings under the stem. I've since moved the spacers to the top of the stem to drop the stem/bar down.
Bottom Line:
This bike rides a lot like a hard tail. I havn't noticed any bob in the rear. It's not as light or as fast as my Cannondale, but I wasn't expecting it to be. KHS did a nice job with this bike. To bad 2002 was the last year for it. KHS should have given this model a few more years to catch on.
Weaknesses: Rear air shock. A frame this good should be mated with a coil over like a fox or Romic.
Bottom Line:
Before I give my overall review let me say that this design is similar to the Specialized FSR frame with the interupted seat tube frame minus the horst link linkage. The 2002 model bike is virtually the same frame as the 2001 KHS FXT Comp with a different paint job and rear shock set-up.
This is probably the one of the most underated bike on the market. Because it is not produced from one of the top tier manufacturers (cannondale, trek, specialized) people overlook it and think it is built substandard. The 4-bar linkage rear shock is fully active and absorbs everything. The steering is nimble and quick and the handling is grippy around dirt pack trails and supple on rock garden terrain. The ride closely resembles the specialized FSR series, but the KHS has a longer travel and heavier burlier build. If it were compared to the specialized bikes it would fall between the enduro models and the stumpjumper models. The Magura hydo disc brakes have a strong bite and contribute in differentiating it as a non racing sled. This is due to the fact that the FXT COMP is targeted as a heavy duty trail bike with a light freerider mentality. The frame and weldments are quality and jointed with the same techniques as KHS's downhill and dual slalom models. The debut year for the FXT Comp series is 2001 with the bomber Marzoochi fork and generic brand air shock. 2002 replaces them with a RS DUKE fork and an RS Sid air shock. I wondered why KHS fitted the frames with an air shock when the bike is tough enough for freeriding. At 30lbs the Comp is out of its league as a purebred racer, but fits perfectly as an all mountain trail bike, which 85% of us who buy this bike do. Unfortunately, the FXT series are discontinued for the 03 season and are being replaced with single pivot Dualies (I guess Santa Cruz is the frame to imitate nowadays). In short ... Very good bike, proven frame design, respectable component selection, smooth and confident ride, single digit drop capable suspension, and fair price. KHS is the ultimate underdog that quietly goes undetected on the radar screen for producing quality products.
Similar Products Used: Specialized FSR stumpjumper, Norco vps fluids
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Submitted by
James Nessler
a Cross Country Rider
from Escondido, Calif. U.S.A.
Date Reviewed: March 26, 2003
Strengths: Very good handling, decent components, very smooth suspension, excellent price.
Weaknesses: None mechanically, but some people don't like the army green color.
Bottom Line:
Rides like a Specialized FSR with great handling and no bob when climbing. Very comfortable. Great brakes. Almost unbelievable value; every bit as good as bikes selling for twice the price. Dealing with Jenson was a pleasure. The guy above who claims to have broken his rear swing arm must not realize that this is a cross country bike that is not intended to do 9ft. drops. Anyone wanting a good, competent mountain bike for a terrific price should try to find one of these. I love mine.
Strengths: Don't listen to the f ucker below. Don't listen to the f ucker below. Don't listen to the f ucker below. Don't listen to the f ucker below. Don't listen to the f ucker below. Don't listen to the f ucker below. Don't listen to the f ucker below. Don't listen to the f ucker below. Don't listen to the f ucker below. Don't listen to the f ucker below. Don't listen to the f ucker below. Don't listen to the f ucker below. Don't listen to the f ucker below. Don't listen to the f ucker below. Don't listen to the f ucker below. Don't listen to the f ucker below.
Submitted by
Trevor M
a Weekend Warrior
from Windsor, ON, Canada
Date Reviewed: February 11, 2003
Weaknesses: PRICE!! The total cost of the complete was cheaper than some of the frames I was looking at. Who cares if a few components weren't up to snuff, the fact that i'm basically getting the components free with an average priced frame is good enough for me.
Bottom Line:
Deore LX drivetrain, kore cockpit parts. Junkie platforms by default, I swapped those with some clipless pedals. Also, I found a good deal on a Grimeca rear disc brake, turns out a plastic replacement part for the Julie costs only $20 less than a whole new brake!!
Similar Products Used: Brakes. To think that hydraulic disc brakes would come with cheap, plastic brake levers is rediculous. Even cheap department store bikes have aluminum or alloy brake levers nowadays. The rear blade to the lever snapped on the first ride, and wimpy little snowhill.
Bike Setup: Only bike to compare is a 1994 2" travel GT RTS-2, SO, this KHS feels absolutly amazing.
Hi, first of all, this is my first post so bear with me and if this post is in a wrong forum, feel free to move it to the appropriate ones. Thanks! :)
Ok, I am planning to start Read More »
