Submitted by
Comanche Pilot
a Cross Country Rider
from Claremont, CA
Date Reviewed: December 10, 2011
Strengths: Light for the money - great suspension - easily tuned
fun to ride - good looks -
Weaknesses: Blew out a derailler hanger on day 3 - prob damaged from last owner
Bottom Line:
This took 5 min off my ride the time around the park once I had it all dialed in. Bought it used - it looked like it had been ridden less than 50 miles -had dust places that don't usually have dust from sitting - cleaned it, tighten it, tuned it and upgraded it over a rainy weekend - the difference in ride quality between this 'ancient technology' FS bike from 2002 - yet with a few upgrades it rides like a modern bike - sure - it gives up 5 lbs to the modern monsters on the trails with carbon fiber seats and titanium posts and unobtanium bits but in the last 6 months of riding 5 days a week I have not seen any of those on the trail. So -as a daily rider on the local trails it has 5 chilis. These 'older' top end bikes can be had for sub $500 on Craigslist and upgraded for $150 to modern high end discs - there is NO reason really to spend $2-3k on a new FS bike when these recent editions kick rear.
Today I was riding the Maxxis Ignitors and have to admit that they are much better than the Nevegals on the uphill part, but the down hill the Stick E's do stick - the Ignitors slide quite a bit at higher speeds [I am running 45psi which might explain that a little bit - I"ll have to air down and see how they run] so my times are now limited by tire traction instead of ability to withstand the jarring ride . . .
Bike Setup: Stock except for Nevegal Stick E's - also have Ignitors set up - second set of wheels is Ace 18's with the Ignitors.
upgraded to '12 Avid BB7 discs with HS1 - bike is dialed in.
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Submitted by
TurboSN95
a Weekend Warrior
from Wallingford, CT, USA
Date Reviewed: December 19, 2008
Strengths: Light, good suspension, stops well, comfortable, I was very happy with this bike.
Weaknesses: None really except that I wanted disc brakes.
Bottom Line:
Very nice bike for the price, I am not a pro by any means, but had a lot of fun on this bike. It was light and efficient. Eventually I put on some Hutchinson Barracuda tires (heavy), and the bike climbed and turned incredibly. Now I sold it and went to an '06 Epic Comp and I am a little happier with the Brain setup, even though the Epic weighs a few lbs more.
Similar Products Used: '98 Stumpjumper M2 hard tail, '06 Epic Comp M5
Bike Setup: SID Titanium fork, Race Face stem, Pro Taper flat bars, Shimano platform clipless pedals, WTB seat, Race Face XY seat post, Specialized Roll-X tires, Mavic rims.
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Submitted by
Daniel Smith
a Cross Country Rider
from Payson, Utah, USA
Date Reviewed: May 17, 2006
Strengths: This is a very light bike and it has a great setup. The rear shock is one of the best that I have ever ridden.
Weaknesses: The regular (stock) front fork, I think that it is the Sid something, is one of the worst front forks ever.
Bottom Line:
This is a great bike. I have taken it off 4 foot drops and not had anything break. I love this bike and I would not use anything else. I am giving it four chilis for the stinky front fork that does not work. I went off a 2 foot drop and bottomed them out and then they did not work any more.
Bike Setup: All stock except front fork, I upgraded to a Manitou Black Elite, SRAM shifters.
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Submitted by
Jake
a Cross Country Rider
from Ann Arbor, MI, US
Date Reviewed: May 13, 2004
Strengths: Light weight for dual suspension (23.5 lbs with few mods). FSR design. Dual lock outs.
Weaknesses: Weak rear derailleur hanger. Chain suck. O2 Fox rear shocks had a problem with leaking seals (replaced)
Bottom Line:
I absolutely love this bike. Check all the reviews though. All the problems listed are consistant. I didn't think I'd have such problems, but I did with my new bike too. Take note and modify the bike as needed and you'll be ready to rip on this bike. It's a fast and strong climbing dual suspension. It's very responsive compared to other dual designs... much more than the Trek Fuels. I was never a huge fan of Specialized until I rode this bike. I purchased it new on ebay from a horrible auction description until I called the seller (deal of the century). I won't purchase another brand bike now. Bottom line, this bike has a few, but easily fixed, manufacturer problems... expect that as you purchase. However, the bike is extremely fast and responsive as a cross-country racer in Mid-West terrain. I've has zero problems with components other than the Fox's seals leaking and snapping the hanger a few times (carry a spare). I ride hard and often and it's held up to some serious beatings. Oh, tires are great (fast and super light), but wear quickly.
Bike Setup: Stock w/ Easton Monkeylite riser bar. SS eggbeater pedals. Thompson seatpost. Forte Team saddle. SRAM Rocket gripshifters
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Submitted by
Paul
a Cross Country Rider
from Davis, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: September 3, 2003
Strengths: Relatively light weight, decent suspension isolation from braking and pedaling forces.
Weaknesses: Low bottom bracket height with appropriate sag in suspension. Relatively cheap Specialized Taiwanese wheelset looks good on the showroom floor, but develops problems on the trail.
Bottom Line:
This is a great bike for a cross country rider that desires enough suspension to take the edge off without losing a lot of efficiency. It's a bit piggy at wheelies and drop-offs, and will definitely beat the rider up on technical, rocky, downhills, but it is sweeter than a hardtail on rough going and more efficient than a URT when headed up. It's a great bike for going fast if one is careful with the line.
Similar Products Used: Various hardtails over the years, and a few URT types.
Bike Setup: RockShox SID Race, RockShox Float R, Specialized wheels and tires (soon swapped out for Cane Creek WAM wheelset and Nokian tires)
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Submitted by
Tivo
a Cross Country Rider
from Annapolis, MD/ Southhampton, NY
Date Reviewed: July 19, 2003
Strengths: Quite light indeed, for a dualie. good component mix but the rims deserve better hubs, especially the back. love the Avid Ti brakes, levers are mo' comfortable than the big "S". Never owned a Rock Shox before and the SID Race w/ lock out has made me a convert 4 ever! always smooth and never bottoms.
Weaknesses: main pivot @ bottom bracket, bolt backs out unless heavily threadlocked with blue locker, not that wussie red stuff. took me (a barnetts trained wrench)almost a year to get the gremlins out of the frnt derail and 3 lowest gears in the rear. still chain sucks or drops to lttl ring on a whim sometimes >>any bike with a 2K+ price tag ought to have a chainline that doesn't try to defy the rules of physics!! crankset is about as stiff as overcooked pasta, with soft rings to boot. never heard a bb or cranks creak so often.
Bottom Line:
this bike was purchased soley for 24Hrs of Snowshoe last year, and it did itself proud. it is light as all get out and climbs like a spooked monkey, though it hunts around a bit at low speeds. with enough (read: to much) air in the rear shock it behaves like a hardtail unless you really hit something. I run the shock at almost 300psi and I love it. on climbs, flats, rollies and dh's this bike is a piss to ride. stay off the brakes and pick a decent line and you'll win every time. if you are a hardtail rider looking for an intro to dualies, this bike is for you. maybe specialized got the pivot/chain suck-skip thing figured on the '03 bike with that funky shock. otherwise they ditched a proven design...
Similar Products Used: first timer on a dualie. still ride a rare old steel framed rockhopper hardtail with (real)ritchie dropouts and full '00 XT group.
Bike Setup: stock but for conti explorer front tire/ michelin wildgripper rear, speedplay frogs, monkey lite flat bar, SDG saddle, Thomson post, King head set
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Submitted by
TR
a Cross Country Rider
from Calgary, AB Canada
Date Reviewed: July 8, 2003
Weaknesses: Bottom Bracket pivot broke and cannt get out of frame. Squeeked from day one. Handle bars too long had to shorten them. Had to repack my shock.
Bottom Line:
As a first time dual sus rider I cannot get over how many issues there are with this bike. Having the bike in the shop has brought me back to my hard tail and although downhills suck, climbing, rolling and non-bike issues make this pleasurable. If you ride hard stay away from this bike.
Submitted by
TR
a Cross Country Rider
from Calgary, AB Canada
Date Reviewed: July 8, 2003
Weaknesses: Bottom Bracket pivot broke and cannt get out of frame. Squeeked from day one. Handle bars too long had to shorten them. Had to repack my shock.
Bottom Line:
As a first time dual sus rider I cannot get over how many issues there are with this bike. Having the bike in the shop has brought me back to my hard tail and although downhills suck, climbing, rolling and non-bike issues make this pleasurable. If you ride hard stay away from this bike.
Weaknesses: Low BB that causes peddle knock when not paying total attention. Pivot bolt near BB that works loose.
Bottom Line:
This is my first FS bike and I love it. Itis amazingly fast and eats up the ground. Very controlable on down hill sections and cruses on the trail. Suspension take a little while to dial in but once sorted is sweet.
Take out the suspension pivot near the BB, re-grease, reverse it and put loct tight on the tread so that you do not have the unpleasent experience of it working loose on a ride.
Have experienced the Fox rear shock loosing pressure, resulted in having new air and oil seals fitted. As bike was US purchase was told the warrenty did not stand and so had to fork out for this (not a happy bunny).
Would recommend this bike to anyone who races on a regular basis and does not have the dosh for the s-works. It is abit pricy foir the recreatinal rider but, with a few personal compenent changes you have a real beast of the bike that fly's on the trail and climbs like a mountain goat, legs willing of course.
I wanted to get the Comp because I was keen on the Fox fork rather than the SID (too many complaints about them being noodly - is this why skewer on front wheel has such large diameter I wonder?). Unfortunately, by the time I'd saved enough shekels to purchase, the Comp had sold out in the UK, so ended up with a Pro. My LBS (Condor Cycles, London) very helpfully sorted me out with a Fox Float 100 RLC in place of the SID, which convinced me to go with the Pro. Extremely happy with way bike rides, albeit all modifications listed above occurred before I left shop, so can't really comment on stock ride.
Drive side crank kept coming loose after riding for more than an hour (causing chain suck). Specialized sent me a new drive side crank and problem disappeared.
I swapped Cane Creek headset out to my old Zaskar. I am convinced that the Cane Creek is the single worst piece of equipment I have ever had attached to any of the bikes I have ever owned. It is a disgrace such a terrible component is specced on a bike that costs this much.
Bike Setup: Stock, but for: Thomson stem & seat post; Easton Monkeylite low riser bars; Tioga factory XC tyres; Mavic X517CD Ceramics on XT hubs; Fox Float RLC 100; Chris King headset
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Submitted by
Nate
a Cross Country Rider
from NW Louisiana, USA
Date Reviewed: October 25, 2002
Strengths: Light weight, XT/XTR mix, great handeling
Weaknesses: Seat post, handle bars, low bottom bracket
Bottom Line:
Awesome bike! I am 6'4" and weigh 190lbs and the bike fits me great. The bike floats over terrain like a dream. The rear shock can be locked out which is cool. This is a good bike. However there are some areas to look out for: 1. The REAR SUSPENSION BOLTS have a nasty habit of backing out. Be sure to check the one in the lower swing arm behind the chain rings! Mine sheered the bolt off which caused the chain ring to eat away some of the metal on the lower swing arm! The broken bolt had to be taken to a machine shop to get removed with a tap set. 2. One of the Titanium rails on the Specialized saddle snapped in half during a ride in the mountains of New Mexico so the seat was replaced. 3. The factory seat post is a piece-o-crap. Replace it with a Thompson ASAP! 4. Factory handle bars suck... replace them ASAP as well! 5. Specialized Rockster tires DO NOT inspire cornering confidence on anything but bone dry hard pack. I use WTB Velocerapters for rocky and muddy trails. Just keep an eye on theses items and you will love this toy! Hasta! -N8
Bike Setup: Riser bar, Italia Flyte saddle, XTR crank set and bottom bracket, Thompson seat post, Crank Bros EggBeaters
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Submitted by
Texter duno
a Cross Country Rider
from UK
Date Reviewed: October 16, 2002
Strengths: weight, looks, fast, some nice bits as standard...oh and did I say fast!
Weaknesses: rear brake cable noodle :( Tries naughtly in the wet (watch out)
Bottom Line:
This is my second FSR XC bike and I must say it fly’s. My last bike was a Orange X2 very nice loved it but this takes is a XC racing dream. I love bombing it along trails, and this is perfect for the job! I was lucky to get this bike, can only be a handful left in the UK and was even luckier to get it for £1399 (2,173.66 USD) on realise it was £1900 in the UK (2,952.07 USD). The rear noodle is a pain. But I will take up some of your advice and get a smaller one. My big complaint is I am new to air shocks and the dumb shop didn’t put nearly enough air in the shocks I had a 2 hour journey back with the bike and was on such a buzz that only till I took it to my local shop for a crud catcher did he notice the lack of air in the shocks. Plus the chain kept slipping gears, which I am guessing is down to there being no service on the bike before it left the shop.
Bike Setup: just got it standard so far...oh a front crud catcher :)
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Submitted by
j h
a Cross Country Rider
from denver, co. usa
Date Reviewed: October 16, 2002
Strengths: overall package is o.k. a few tweaks and replacement parts make it even better
Weaknesses: stock tires, bar, post.
Bottom Line:
a few words to the wise. routinely check pivot bushings for tightness. i experienced three episodes of chain-suck. replaced chain with sram pc99, no further problems. learn to rachet pedal to avoid hitting pedals and crank arms on trail junk. stock tires have no bite on anything except hard pack dry earth, luckily they wear out after a ride or two. i have ridden this bike for a full season on many different trails in colorado and utah. it has its limitations when faced with downhill riding but i understand that is not its intended purpose. for all-around recreational riding this bike is great.
Similar Products Used: 2001 specialized enduro expert
Bike Setup: easton riser carbon bar, chris king headstet, easton carbon seat post, race face grips, continental explorer pro tires,
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Submitted by
Brian Kinley
a Racer
from Oceanside, CA
Date Reviewed: October 13, 2002
Strengths: 4-bar specialized suspension design, lightweight, rockshox sid, fox float
Weaknesses: specialized stem, seatpost, and crankset
Bottom Line:
This is and incredible bike! It climbs like a hardtail and smoothes out any obstacle when pointing down. The bikes suspension is so effecient it allows me to ride longer, and faster with less fatigue and more enjoyment. Of all the bikes I've owned this is by far the best designed, and best riding. If you race and can't afford the s-works buy this bike, don't waste your time with any other suspension design.
Bike Setup: stock except XT crankset, and panaracer fire xc pro tires
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Submitted by
Randon
a Cross Country Rider
from Gilbert, AZ, USA
Date Reviewed: October 7, 2002
Strengths: Handling, lightness, highend components, lockout fork and rear shock
Weaknesses: Not a necessarily a weakness, but I would like to see a little more room between the big ring and chainstay.
Bottom Line:
I love this bike, it is sweet! Had two hardtails prior to this machine so when I switched to a higher quality bike and full suspension I was expecting some big changes--and that is what I got. Immediately I felt like I had more control and maneuverability. My skills will excel with this bike.
A couple of things to look out. The rear shock would drop from about 160 PSI to around 80 psi early into a ride. After a few rides like this I took it back to Supergo to correct. They rebuilt the shock (free of charge of course) and haven't lost a pound yet. SID fork, not a single problem.
On a more serious note, South Mountain's National trail (Phoenix) surfaced a problem where my suspension bushings were loose on one side causing the big ring to cut into the paint on the chain stay. This happened when my rear suspension retracted hard and quick. Again Supergo fixed this and found loose bushings. Lesson to learn, keep an extra close eye on things while "breaking" in your new bike.
I did have a creak in the seat rails. A thin film of lithium grease corrected this.
This bike is fast and smooth! I am amazed at how fast I can fly over rough terrain and maintain perfect control.
If you can get one of these babies before they're gone you will be glad you did. Check out the 2003 Stumpjumpers, they have lower components and are geared toward a less expensive consumer market.
