Submitted by
dirtstud
a Cross Country Rider
from Knoxville, TN, US
Date Reviewed: September 1, 2010
Strengths: Good Ride. It eats up the bumps and climbs efficiently for a heavier bike. It maintains good stability and traction in the corners and always feels aggressive when coming out of a tight turn or dip. The FXT series is back when KHS used to make a quality product.
Weaknesses: It's a tad heavy and the original Hayes brakes are garbage. Spend the money and replace the wheelset.
Bottom Line:
A solid value especially if you can find some genius at the trailhead ready to scrap it because the rear shock doesn't work. It helps if you put air in it. I could have paid more and still been very happy with it. I have put this bike through the ringer and it has always performed.
Similar Products Used: Santa Cruz Blur (the KHS is a better value), Giant Anthem X2
Bike Setup: XT drivetrain, psylo race fork, SID rear, Chris King headset and Easton stems, post & handlebar.
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Submitted by
TheAgent86
a Weekend Warrior
from Tucson, AZ
Date Reviewed: November 9, 2005
Strengths: Solid frame, good handling, nice brakes, predictable ride
Weaknesses: Steering not as tight as my new Kona King Kikapu. Slightly heavy. Rock Shox predictable, but not particularly plush.
Bottom Line:
A good bike for an incredible price. Mine was stolen, and replacing it I realized just how much bike for the money it was. It's a pity KHS's current offerings are no longer so high end. However, for the money, the 2002 KHS FXT Pro rocks. A solid all around bike with good, reliable components. Not for weight weenies, but not overly heavy.
Similar Products Used: Kona King Kikapu, Raleigh M-80
Bike Setup: Stock - Hayes Magnesium Hydraulic Discs, XT derailleurs, generic hubs, etc.
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Submitted by
Tarka
a Cross Country Rider
from Ithaca, NY USA
Date Reviewed: August 18, 2005
Strengths: handles well, nice shock on the frame, good trail bike
Weaknesses: seat tube cracked at weld... I am a mechanic and do know how to run a seat-post. sorry KHS rep below
Bottom Line:
This bike was sweet... until it broke on a sweet singletrack in Maine... subjecting me to a long hike in blackfly infested forests.descending:great, climbing:good, handling:great, cruising the flats: nice and fast.
weight is good and frame is rigid enough for a light rider (I'm 140), but breakage is lame. KHS took two months to replace. not sure if I will sell the frame or ride it until this one breaks too.
Bike Setup: built up from frame, marzocchi DJ2, XT/XTR, hayes, Race Face, King, easton monkey, vuelta FR wheels, mutano's
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Submitted by
Bwk
a Weekend Warrior
from ardsley, ny, USA
Date Reviewed: July 12, 2004
Strengths: Rock Shox Sid Racer (air adjustment is amazing and is simple to tune), XT comp., avid mechanical brakes are great, overall a sick bike!!
Weaknesses: None really
Bottom Line:
I think this bike is a great all around bike, I ride mostly xc on it and it handles fine, but it can also handle nice drops too. If you want a nice full suspension bike that can do it all this is the bike for you. Its listed prices is a little expensive, but you can sometimes get good deals at online stores or ebay like i did. overall fun on trails
Similar Products Used: My first full suspension bike
Bike Setup: XT components except for brakes which are avid mechanical disc brakes, Judy air front shock, UST tires, rocken the yellow grips
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Submitted by
Jamie
a Cross Country Rider
from Denver, CO
Date Reviewed: May 26, 2004
Strengths: Good ride. Little to no bounce and eats up the bumps. Handles great. Good value for a full suspension. Weight is just under 30lbs.
Weaknesses: Broke rear suspension arm after 13 months/one season. Have to jump through hoops to get them to repair. Also came with cheap pedals and cheap plastic headset. P.S. to Derek - mine broke at a weld - sorry dude you'll be seeing it in a couple of weeks or so.
Bottom Line:
Great value for componets, but frame seems to be poorly made. I really loved this bike until I snapped the frame. Still waiting to see the "Bottom Line" from KHS. Hopefully it won't take the whole season for them to fix my bike.
Bike Setup: All XT except Rims and Braks. Brakes are Hayes Hydra and Rims WTB. Added Chris King NO-Thread headset(ssswweeeettt)and Shimano PD M-545 pedals.
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Submitted by
Aaron
a Weekend Warrior
from Central CA
Date Reviewed: February 1, 2004
Strengths: Solid performer. Nice feel. Bike corners well and doesn't seem to want to bobble around in the bumpy stuff. Excellent setup.
Weaknesses: Hayes Brakes... Brakes... And OH did I mention BRAKES. I don't knopw if I just got a bum set, but my brakes squeek and rub constantly. After numerous attempts to "adjust out" the trouble (with only temporary success)I've finally given up and come to terms with my plight... squeek, squeek, squeek.
Bottom Line:
Great bike with the exception of the brakes. I haven't heard about this problem from anyone else so I'm assuming I am the chosen one. Eventually I'll get sick of it enough to replace the brakes. KHS could have done a better job with tire selection. The Panaracer Trailblasters that came on the bike really seamed like they had zero traction, but thats probably personnal preference. Over all I'm very happy with the purchase
Bike Setup: Basically stock with the addition of eggbeaters, ea70 monkey bars, and UST tires.
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Submitted by
Rob Tarran
a Cross Country Rider
from Oakland, CA
Date Reviewed: March 11, 2003
Strengths: Great frame design, good price.
Weaknesses: Non so far
Bottom Line:
I love this bike. I purchased the frame and fork from Jenson and swapped parts over from my old TREK8000 hardtail. So far i've not been disappointed - most of my friends ride hardtails and I can still keep up with them on the climbs and now totally loose them on the descents. Having the psylo shock works really well and after a bit of playing, I managed to get the SID rear shock set so the peddle bob was minimal (I weigh 165 lb and set the posative pressure at 175 and the negative pressure at 150). I chose this frame over the xc904r since I wanted a slightly burlier frame for jumping and all in all the whole bike weighs in at 30lbs which is quite acceptable.
Before I give my overall review let me say that this design is similar to the Specialized FSR frame with the uninterupted seat tube frame minus the horst link linkage. The 2002 model bike is virtually the same frame as the 2001 KHS FXT Pro 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. The 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 pro 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 PRO series is 2001 with the ultra light RS SID fork and Romic Coil over shock. 2002 replaces them with a RS DUKE fork and an air shock. I have ridden them both and I lean towards the 2001 by a nudge because of the ROMIC shock. If KHS fitted the frame with a ROMIC shock & RS PSYLO fork then we're talking overall winner for a 2003 model. 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 Underrated underdog that quietly goes undetected on the radar screen for producing quality products.
Similar Products Used: specialized enduro, Giant Warp DS-1, Giant NRS-1
Bike Setup: Stock
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Submitted by
derek ford
a Racer
from long beach,ca,usa
Date Reviewed: December 11, 2002
Strengths: great strong mtb frame no one has had an all around mtb for awhile this is it.
Weaknesses: bushings but hey it is about 100 dolleres cheaper...
Bottom Line:
bottom line is darren below is a moron i am the warranty manager for khs his frame wasnt broken at a weld or any other warrantiable place it was broken due to the seat being to high right at the top of the seat tube.....to bad mtbr doesnt have the moron meter cause he would have 5 chilies..... always feel free to email khs for questions or concerns.... darren get a life....
Weaknesses: this bike seemed okay untill about 10 rides.. the seat tube broke off at the weld..it took 6 months for a replacement for some reason.. then the new one lasted a few months and the swing arm cracked....then khs offered to sell me another bike at cost...no thanks.. there's a reason why everyone is selling these for dirt cheap on the web.. they are made from sub-standard material in some japanesse bikesweatshop... so now a have an 1800 pile of junk sitting in my garage... should have got the kona
Bottom Line:
if you ride often and don't want to get ripped off just pay the extra money and get something that will last for a few seasons.
Similar Products Used: specialized fsr, k2 evo, kona bear
Bike Setup: stock + xt crank, 2.4's, easton bars and stem
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Submitted by
king fly
a Weekend Warrior
from karns city pa butler co
Date Reviewed: August 7, 2002
Strengths: good frameset,excellent shock - rcr t2,sexual braking prowless - grimeca system 8.
Weaknesses: floppy jalopy of an @$$ end due to crappy bushings. Feels like you're making love to a rubber chicken. Also the headset is so chincy that it bends a rubber phallus into my canal. Low quality seatpost is reminisent of the time I was rectally romped by a herd of sexually confused and frustrated bison with oversized genitalia.
Bottom Line:
excellent bike and value. fair to good stock componets. I would gladly pay for better bearings in the rear end. single and looking to purchase bearing kit or equipped rear end to solidify my operation for maximum pleasure and ridigity. would rate 5 chili's on overall but the incompetant bushings chap my @$$!
Bike Setup: Black elite 100-120, the fender, tooth fairy rock ring, panaracer trailblasters
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Submitted by
M. J.
a Cross Country Rider
from Knoxville
Date Reviewed: July 31, 2002
Strengths: Stiff frameset, durable, quiet, climbs well, decends well
Weaknesses: None thus far
Bottom Line:
I bought this bike out of desperation as my 2001 GT I-Drive cracked. Since GT doesn't appear to be honoring warranties, I needed a frame quickly. My local shop carried KHS so I bought one. As it turns out it was a great move. The bike isn't that sexy and is very understated. However, it performs unbelievably and has yet to make a sound. That it very uncommon with full suspension. I am a heavy xc rider at 200+ lbs and this bike seems to be a good choice. The bike climbs better than my I-Drive and descends as good or better. It definitely handles singletrack better and corners very well. KHS was quick to respond when I bent a hanger on one of my first rides. They immediately sent a few hangers to the shop at no charge. That's the kind of service you don't get from the likes of Pacific/GT. This is my fourth FS bike and thus far it is the best. Even the custom hi-zoot FS bikes only last a couple of seasons. So save your money and take a look at KHS.
Bike Setup: Psylo Race, SID race rear shock, full XT group, Hayes hydraulic brakes, King headset, Mavic Crossroc wheels
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Submitted by
Felix
a Weekend Warrior
from newbury park,ca
Date Reviewed: January 18, 2002
Strengths: Frame strength,& durability,not a beer can with wheels, duke sl forks,xt shifters, xt derailers f&r,Hayes disc,Tires
Weaknesses: a little heavier compaired to some, nothing to cry about, not even noticed on hills,or trails, the seat sucks,big deal replace it with something you like
Bottom Line:
Great bike, I love it. Climbs well, very little to no bobng if set up correctly. you don't notice the little extra wieght.like everyone says,the hays disk rock. The duke sl fork is great, no flex detected, works very smooth. Good value for a durable bike that will last. good components. it's a great ride
Submitted by
Cabin Fever
a Cross Country Rider
from Kirksville and St Louis
Date Reviewed: January 14, 2002
Strengths: plenty of travel, grippy tires,
Weaknesses: rather heavy, some suspension bob, no lockout i guess. flexy front fork (sid 100)
Bottom Line:
My buddy let my borrow this bike for a ride, and it was actually the first full suspension i'd ever taken for a full ride over an entire trail.
The thing decends marvelously, to the point where i'd go faster than i should have. Fortunately, i had some beefy Grimeca hydraulic discs to effortlessly curb my speed. i never felt the rear tire leave the ground, and that is a new feeling, being used to a hardtail like i am. the front fork had more travel than i am used to. So combine a tall fork with too much flext and you have some questionable handling on fast downhill singletrack. i did notice some rear suspension bob, however, i am not in a place to say whether or not there was a lot or a little. i do know that it was there. the frame feels very strong, and i would feel very confident in durability of the frame.
