Submitted by
Jeff
a Downhiller
from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Date Reviewed: January 14, 2008
Strengths: Great Geometry for XC, climbs like you're on a rocket. The stock components at the price point were impossible to beat at the time. Show me another bike for the price that had lockouts front and back and weighted under 28lbs stock? The bike at the price point is geared to beginner/intermediate riders that ride only once or twice a week that do not ride overly aggressivly and wanted to try out racing for the first time with one or two races in a season.
Weaknesses: Minimal seat height adjustment due to the interrupted seat tube, paper thin stock tires and tubes used to keep the weight down in the showroom and completely useless on the trail (a Specialized trademark!), cheap front fork not up to the task at all. In the first month I ruined the rear wheel, broke the rear shock mounting bolt on the connecting link, crushed multiple bearings in the linkage, and blew the Manitou Axle fork seals. Granted I was doing small jumps and drops no larger than 2 to 3 feet on it, the bike was not designed for this. So, I gave this bike the benefit of the doubt to it's unreliablility since I was riding this bike aggressively and not for its intended use so I fixed everything and kept riding it but never left the ground (keeping in mind its intended use). Low and behold, I blew the fork again, bent the shock bolts, crushed the bearings in the linkage! This time I knew the bike was not meant for an aggressive XC rider either!
Bottom Line:
For an aggressive rider that wants a XC race bike that can double as an all day epic/enduro type bike look elsewhere. Keeping in mind that this was not the right bike for my riding style I wouldn't recommend this bike for the intended mountain bike rider either. I find the initial impression of a great spec for the price point to be an illusion and the old saying that "you get what you pay for" rings true. I found out in short order that this bike was not designed to leave the ground. Since fixing the first month of riding abuse I dished out, I finished the season on it with a 3rd place in sport in the over 19 category at the National XC finals at Whistler in 2003 and have ridden it no more than 100 hours in 4 years since because it was trashed! I did and still do attack downhills and rolling sections of trail with lots of square edge hits and rocks typical of riding in the mountains on this bike once or twice a season but I'm prepared to have to rebuild it after ever couple of rides since I can't afford another bike, but I have now learned that it was only meant for riding to 7-11 and back. So if you see a used one for more than 100 bucks don't buy it.
Similar Products Used: Rocky Mountain Expert, Rocky Mountain Element, Schwinn S10, Santacruz Bullit x 2, Santacruz VP Free
Bike Setup: Replace the Axel Fork in the first year to a Float 100 R which couldn't keep oil in either, replaced the Avid V-brakes with Hayes Comps, Replaced the stock post with a Thomson.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Jason
a Cross Country Rider
from Chicago, IL, USA
Date Reviewed: December 10, 2004
Strengths: Great frame geometry and four-bar suspension linkage works well, especially under breaking. Fun to ride either racing or trailriding but stay away from big drops (that's what trashed my stock front wheel).
Weaknesses: Component group; XT and LX just don't cut it. Pedal bob in rear due to older shock; wasted a lot of energy on hills and starts. Chain suck; not horrible, but just every once in a while to remind me.
Bottom Line:
Solid bike for the money with the upgrades. Stock derailleurs (XT rear and LX front) were junk; those were the first to go. I rode this bike for a full season of XC racing, some endurance rides and over 2000 miles of training rides with only one (other than two flats) mechanical breakdown (a snapped master link on the chain due to crossing from big ring to big cassette too often). Otherwise this bike ran great, just the usual needs for adjustments and tuning. It even performed great in mud thicker than oatmeal that dropped other riders from two nasty races. Rear shock linkage (bushings) wore out midway through season but I couldn't get the bushing sleeves out, so that replacement waited until the end of the season. I had to replace the lower rear shock mount bolt after it bent (too much pressure in the shock over some big drops; that was my fault).
I'm keeping this bike to race next season with a few upgrades. I just put on a Fox Float RP3 shock, SID World Cup fork w/Remote lockout, and Kris King headset. After winter, it will also get a new BB and cranks (either XTR or new Truvativ; the stock ISIS BB lasted longer than I though it would) and carbon bars. Also have a set of Crossmax SL's waiting to go racing. All of this should bring it close to 24 lbs. Even with these upgrades, it's still a good value given the initial price.
Similar Products Used: 2001 Schwinn Homegrown (hardtail) w/SID World Cup, SRAM XO rear and grip shifters, XTR front, Mavic 717 rims w/XT Hubs, Easton EC70 bars, MG60 Stem, Selle Gel Flite saddle, Time ATAC Carbon Ti pedals
Bike Setup: SRAM X.0 rear derailleur and grip shifters, XTR front derailleur, Mavic 717 Rims w/XT Hubs, Fox Float R shock (stock), Duke fork (stock), Mich Comp S light tires front and rear, Time ATAC Carbon Ti pedals.
Strengths: Great bike no problems in 2 years. The only thing I have replaced is a chainring and the seatpost to a Thompson.
Weaknesses: few weak points. Very durable
Bottom Line:
Great bike I would recommend it to any one I know. I see other riders with similar bikes that love their rides too. this bike makes you a better rider immediatly and makes you want to go to the trail. The Specialized line offers a great bang for the buck, with a quality frame that can be upgraded.
Submitted by
Josh
a Cross Country Rider
from Berkeley
Date Reviewed: February 1, 2004
Strengths: Light and responsive
Weaknesses: Unreliable, fragile, low clearance
Bottom Line:
While it was a great bike to enter into the world of FS, this bike needed to go to the shop after almost every ride. At 185 pounds I thought this bike could handle the most of the single track around the SF Bay but it was a unreliable monster. From brakes to wheels to crank case the only thing that didn't break on this bike was the frame. While this may be a good bike for cross country racing, it can't handle even moderate downhill single track. A weeny ride.
Submitted by
hanktoberfest
a Cross Country Rider
from newark
Date Reviewed: June 24, 2003
Strengths: light
Weaknesses: components
Bottom Line:
I hate this bike! Ride after ride this bike fails me. Right now I'm at 50% reliability, every other ride something goes wrong. Granted it's not speacilizes fault if a shimano component breaks but they do bear some responsability. I have so much F***ing money tied up in this bike and it sits broken most of the time. I have never had properly working deraullers since day 1. The wheels have fallen apart. the rear swing arm had a bolt that got sheard off, probably manufacturer defect or somethin. I have been thru chains, cassettes, rings, bottom brackets, cables. I've even put on a bash guard for the rings and I still bent the middle ring a few days ago, how? I don't know. Those crappy tires are wothless and are paper thin. The handle bars are junk. The headset sucks. It used to be pretty light before I started putting on heavy duty components in a attempt to keep it reliable. I ride about 3 times a week and I would not consider myself "extreme" by any means. I bought the bike to extend my riding time and to do some light racing. I few months ago I bought a used bianchi single speed for $250 and now I barely touch the stumpjumper and when I do it breaks and leaves me walking miles back to the car. I should have never bought this bike. Maybe if I was only biking on paved pathway would this bike be acceptable, anything other than that forget it. As far as maitanance on the bike I clean it after every ride and lube the chain. I have never been a mait. freak but this bike has forced me to spend an additional 15-20 minutes cleaning it up after every ride, even with minimal dirt and grime I'm forced to clean it every time. Maybe it's just my bike but I have been cursed with non-stop problems. I will never buy another specialize! My single speed gives me about zero problems, is alot more fun to ride and I believe it may even be a faster bike. I'm pulling off the parts that I've put on and I'm selling it for probably a huge loss but I don't make alot of trump and I cannot afford to let that bike sit there doing nothing. I had some cheap $200 GT before this bike and it was 1000% more reliable, my friends would get tired of my bike breaking on a ride and they would get on me to ride my old GT, thats pathetic specialize! I would give this bike a negative chili for all the grief it's caused me. Yesterday the chain snapped with such force that it went flying into the woods never to be seen again, thus leaving me stranded 5 miles out with no chain. It was the first time I have ever picked up a bike over my head and heaved it, not very rational. So if I'm throwing a bike I'm defeating the purpose of going out there in the first place and that is to have fun. Oh yeah that was the first ride since it was overhauled AGAIN at my local shop. FU specialize!
Submitted by
Lee Kline
a Cross Country Rider
from St. Pete, Fl
Date Reviewed: June 20, 2003
Strengths: Good Frame, good balance, resonable light-weight quick handling
Weaknesses: Very low bottom bracket clips your pedals on everything, rear end tends to hop like a ht on steep fast decents.
Bottom Line:
I have had this bike for nearly a year and has held up great even though the components are starting to see some wear. The bike handles good but the stock setup needs to be tweaked with a little right off the bat. First off get rid of the 80mm fork and upgrade to a 100-125mm in order to raise the bottom bracket up. If you stick with the 80mm you will clip your pedals on every little fricken rock on the trail. I changed to a manitou black 100-125 and this solved the problem, now the bottom bracket is 13 inches. The rear susp. is nice but tends to bottom out at times on rough decents which makes the bike bounce like a pogo stick. Might need to up the air in the rear shock to solve the problem. I'm 190lbs and run about 155psi will try more pressure. The rear susp. also doesn't soak up bumps as well as like the gt i drive but then again the Specialized is more of a racing rig than a trailbike. If you ride fast trails that are relativly smooth the specialized is the way to go. If you ride steep technical narrow singletrack might need to go to something with a little more travel.
Submitted by
Been- jammin
a Cross Country Rider
from Menlo Park, CA
Date Reviewed: March 13, 2003
Strengths: Frame, 4-bar design with cartridge bearings - no flex, little bob, smooth ride, stable geometry especially on DH for a XC racer, surprisingly competent Duke XC (my other fork is a Zoke BAM 80)
Weaknesses: tree-trimming handlebars, improper seatpost, heavy rear wheel/cassette, deathwish tires, can't find a H2O cage that works at seatpost position as I loose bottles if they aren't tied on with a toestrap
Bottom Line:
This bike will make you faster on all trails, especially DH compared to a HT. No more back pain, ride all day w/o fatigue. This is the one for endurance racing. I took it to Keystone in summer and was faster on it than on a rental freeride bike on all but the Black Diamond runs. Needed better brakes on the mountains... disks would be nice, but changed to XTR V's. Get the Thompson seatpost with clamp for laid back seattube angles. This bike rocks! 5 chilis for overall, 4 for value due to a couple poor components.
Favorite Trail: Steam Donkey at El Corte de Madera
Duration Product Used: 1 Year
Price Paid:
$1300.00
Purchased At: Aggieland Bikes in College Station
Similar Products Used: tried 'em all - FSR XC was the absolute best bike for my needs and a great value
Bike Setup: Thompson seatpost, XT cassette and chain - great improvement in shifting, Rolf Propel tubeless wheels for racing, lizard skins on shock and chainstay, Easton EC-90 carbon bars and bar ends (you'll need them for climbing steeps to keep the front end down even with Thompson 0 degree seatpost)
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Gaston Rebuffat
a Cross Country Rider
from Los Angeles
Date Reviewed: December 28, 2002
Strengths: Climbing, XC. Good parts spec for the price overall. Duke XC, Fox Float R
Weaknesses: Seatpost, Stem, other house brand crap
Bottom Line:
I've ridden this thing for over a month now and overall it performs well. I gave in and swapped out the post though, because the seat tube angle is only 69 and sets you too far back. You need to take back about an inch by getting a post with no layback. The crappy stem was annoying too- flexed and looked weak on an otherwise nice bike. Thomson doesn't make a 0 degree rise so I went with Easton. Stout stout stout. After changing out the tires, wheels, brakes, stem, post, bars, it is a very nice package now. Luckily all the bad things about the bike were easily fixable, keeping all the strengths. The Duke up front works well and is sufficiently rigid. I don't miss the lockout in the rear at all. Watch the seat post though- you'll nail your shock if you have it protruding from below the seat tube. Also, invest in a shock boot in the rear. The thing acts like a fender and is continuously coated in mud. Not good for it.
Just FYI in case anyone's interested, Supergo is blowing out the 02 Specialized bikes at pretty good prices. I was going to go with the FSR Disc for 1499, but then found the base model for 999. They are the exact same spec except for the brakes (obviously) and wheelset and rear derailleur (XT for XTR). I talked them down to 900 after producing my old frame which was a house brand hardtail which broke at the headtube. I took the extra 600 bucks and picked up the Hayes hydraulics and a XT/Sun disc wheelset for 380 (on sale on their site), new bars, tires. I now have a better bike than the FSR disc for about 100 less, and still have an extra wheelset I can sell on ebay for even more cash. Anyway, back to the bike. The frame is solid and Specialized seems to have all the bugs ironed out by now. The rear and front shocks aren't adjustable except for air pressure and rebound, but the feel fairly well adjusted from the factory. There is noticable bob in the rear, but I'm coming off a hardtail, so I'm probably not used to it yet. As far as the seatpost issue, I haven't had a problem with it yet, but may try the 0 offset Thompson as everyone seems to rave about it. Other than those issues, I have nothing bad to say about the bike yet. The durability will manifest itself after a few months... Bottom line: good value, good performance, but it's an unfinished painting. Be prepared to finish it with component upgrades.
Similar Products Used: Sugar, Yeti Kokapelli, Epic, Fuel, etc
Bike Setup: Hayes discs, titanium flat bars, Sun/XT wheelset
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Warren Steele
a Cross Country Rider
from Durban, South Africa
Date Reviewed: November 25, 2002
Strengths: Well finished Fantastic handling Active suspension with negligible bob
Weaknesses: Wide bars Rockster Pro tyres Avid brakes Heavy and wide bars
Bottom Line:
This is my second review after 6 months of riding. Generally the bike has been fantastic, especially in technical singletrack. Tried an Easton EC70 bar but front felt too wippy and kept lifting on steep climbs. Chopped the original bar down to 600mm and this feels better. This has effectively reduced some of the the effect of the 9 degree sweep and feels okay so far. The Rockster tyres were light and quick but you have to have your finger out in turns. Very little traction. Tried Specialised Enduros which handled great but too wide for the chainstays. Now on Specialised Roll X's which fit well and seem to be a compromise between the two aforementioned tyres. Have not riden enough in varying conditions too comment on them. Swopped the seatpost for a Thomson Elite as the general consensus is that the original seatpost was incorrectly specced. The feel is certainly different and my initial impression is that the bike feels more responsive. Need more riding too decide whether this is my imagination or reality. The Avid brakes gave me the runaround. The levers seemed rickety and I could never sort the sttings out on the caliphers. Have traded these for XT which are performing well and look better anyway. Suspension is great. In the sprint there is negligible bob and while there is a litte more in seated climbs it is hardly an issue. The bike has never felt spongy and both rear and front shocks are great.
The bike handles pretty well once you swap the bars and seatpost. I tested the Comp, but didn't feel I needed the lockouts though the Fox fork was awful nice. I basically bought the bike for the frame, knowing that I was going to upgrade most everything else, and swapped most of the parts with a dealer. Sprinting on the FSR is like slow motion compared to my hardtail, but lap times are quicker due to the increased pedal time through the rough and comfort on the descents. The fork, though heavier than my Mars, is more stable through the rough. Low bottom bracket makes catching a pedal a daily routine and makes for some wild action sometimes. The frontend wanders a bit on the steeps and I don't think my positioning is off, but maybe a stem swap would help. Definitely threadlock the stem bolts, they loosened up on one outing. I'm pretty pleased with the bike thus far and plan on upgrading the wheel setup for racing next spring. If you want to experience a quality full sprung ride, or your back can't take the XC course on your hardtail anymore, I'd recommend this bike. Value rating 5 and overall 4 chili's due to funky bars and seatpost setup.
Similar Products Used: First full suspension bike, previous hardtail:Zaskar w/USE post
Bike Setup: Thompson straight seatpost, Titec titanium bar, Flite ti saddle, IRC tires, mostly XTR components.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
david gray
a Cross Country Rider
from Plano, Tx.
Date Reviewed: November 1, 2002
Strengths: Product design
Weaknesses: Parts mix
Bottom Line:
This is a follow up report after having ridden the bike for nine months. Excellent ride quality and durability. Just a great overall performing frame. Excellent handling. A straight block seat post similar to the S works version sharpens the handling dramatically. Don't care for the stock bars too much sweep. Now that I have the susp. setting dialed in it rides like it's on rails. Bottom bracket developed an annoying creak. Simple fix, Plumbers putty on the bottom bracket threads, end of problem. Best do all frame I've yet ridden. This frame begs for the technical stuff. I race it locally from time to time and just about every other bike on the line is some version of this bike. I am very pleased with the overall everything about this bike.
Similar Products Used: rocky element devinci moonracer specialized allez comp(road)
Bike Setup: all about gripshift
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Derek
a Cross Country Rider
from Indidnapolis, IN USA
Date Reviewed: September 24, 2002
Strengths: Killer Frame Duke XC Fork Solid Design
Weaknesses: WeakArm II (errr. StrongArm II) tires (lack of traction)
Bottom Line:
This bike is sweet. I am really starting to get used to it. The first thing I noticed on the trail was how quickly the tires drifted and the lack of traction going up steep inclines. I swapped the factory tires out with WTB Velociraptors. I have complete confidence in these tires. I have ridden the bike for around 2 weeks and the StronArm II is already talking to me. I initially noticed it barking at me under a bit of strain going up hills or whatever. Now when I pedal it creaks and chatters. I plan on replacing that out with the Race Face Next LP. The bike is unusually light for a FS and it handles extrememly well on descents. I am overall happy with the bike, just know if you are going to purchase it you will need to upgrade a few components.
Bike Setup: Factory with the exception of WTB velociraptor kevlar bead front and rear tires. Time Atac pedals
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Nick Davison
a Cross Country Rider
from London, GB
Date Reviewed: September 15, 2002
Strengths: Lovely ride, great shocks.
Weaknesses: Shifting isn't what it might be, seatpost a little strange, handlebars too wide, tires are laughably bad
Bottom Line:
OK, so I'm riding on a loose, pebbly downhill when I start to feel the tyres give. I start dabbing the breaks, and this does nothing, I dab them some more, still nothing, and then I reach hard earth, the front wheel grips and locks and I flip right over and cut my back and arm so much that some guy riding past insists on calling an ambulance, only stopped by the fact that we're in the middle of woodland. My bike lands about 10 feet away. Those tyres are a health hazard! Change them. Don't do what I did, and test them out first. Now, apart from that, I'm happy. The seatpost goes back a bit far, not sure if that's meant to be the case. The shaocks are very good, like the other people say, a lockout would be nice, but not essential. The stem is a bit extreme for me, but that's personal preference. The frame, the soul of the bike, is very good indeed, and the whole thing's very light. The bottom line is this: There are very significant things wrong with this bike, but they can all be fixed with a little money. The really important things that can't be changed so easily work like a dream. Despite my bad experience, and the fact that I'm having concerns about the LX, I still rate it at 5, but with a 4 for value, because it needs work to reach its potential
PS: Don't let your seatpost come out from the top half of the tube. Even if it doesn't look like it, you'll damage your shock, and void your warranty.
