Strengths: 1) Very progressive suspension design, the first bit of travel is plush then it ramps up considerably. This is great for fast and hard riding, it almost never bottoms.
2) Stiff rear end - double bearings and cleavis bushings at the horst link keep the rear end tracking very well.
3)Adjustable travel - 4.5" for long epics and dirt jumps, 6" for aggressive trail riding/light dh.
Weaknesses: 1) Weak replaceable hangers, Ive been through a few allready.
2) Downtube could be beefed up.
3) Longer chainstays would be a plus, the wheelbase feels a bit short.
4) A 30.9 seat post option would be nice so you could run an axiom telescoping post. I have 2 posts now, one for dh and one for trailriding, this can be a pain sometimes.
Bottom Line:
Good all around bike for an aggressive rider. Does really well at speed, but I really do wish the wheelbase was a tad longer (Id like to put a 7" fork on there but it would mess up the handling). Its the perfect bike for what I wanted at the time, but now Im looking for something with more travel and a longer wheelbase.
Similar Products Used: Owned - Titus Switchblade (sold it for the Quasi). Tried- everything, I work at a shop.
Bike Setup: Vanilla 125, Sun Ryno Lites, Easton 70mm stem, EA70 2" rise bars, Hayes Mags, DX pedals
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Steve
a Cross Country Rider
from Brighton, Co USA
Date Reviewed: October 19, 2002
Strengths: 12 sealed cartridge bears for the smoothest, stiffest FS ride imaginable 4-bar Horst link design interchangeable seat towers Interchange rear shocks w/different pivot positions for air or coil. Amazing ride performance Beautifully crafted frame
Weaknesses: 1. A little heavier than most cross country specific production bikes 2. 5.9" setting in the rear is not very effecient going uphill or going slowly through gnarly, technical stuff,
(*but is a blast going fast downhill) 3. Standover listed on their Website states 26.75" which is not true with a 100mm fork. My standover clearance
with bike built as listed below is 28"
*Maybe they used a 63-70mm to get this reading.
Bottom Line:
Titus did not designed the QM as a light cross country bike. That's what the Racer-X, Loco Moto and Switchblade
were suppposed to be for. I wanted a frame with more travel than the RX and better standover than the SB had. Enter
the QM. With the help of Speedgoat, Titus and JensonUSA that is exactly what I've built my Quasi into. Here were some of my challenges:
It took me several attempts to get the stem length/angle correct to keep the front end on the ground when climbing
steep terrain. I had to match the stem to the bar to get lower in front and farther over the front axle. I wound up
using a 120mm 5 degree Thomson Elite stem and inverting it to get the best balance/length/weight distribution, with
a flat bar. For Ski-lift/mountain bombing a shorter more upright stem with a higher rise bar works best.
I might have been able to get what I wanted by setting the front shock to it's 80mm setting but the 100mm is much
better for descents. (*I've tried it both ways) I'm 5'4" w/30" inseam so I was looking for a 4-bar FS frame to move my Ti HT parts over from, (some of the above
don't come equipped w/V-brake bosses), that had adequate stand-over, a good ride both uphill and down, solidly
built,(*as I didn't want to have to buy another one in a year or two), that wasn't too heavy for a good price. The
build puts my bike at 27lbs. Not the lightest but very acceptable fors I wanted it to do.
Titus built a frame that can take everything you can throw at it and leave you wondering if you will ever be able
to put this bike into a situation it cannot handle. I have done some pretty stupid moves on this bike and it has
saved my butt more times that I can tell you. It pedals uphill very well,(*in the 4.5" setting). It is very
manageable at slower speeds. And it literally RIPS down steep, difficult technical trail like you're riding over a
grass covered hill in a city park. Amazing!!!! The most forgiving, dynamic, tuneable, adjustable 2 wheeled vehicle I have ever had the pleasure of spending time
or owning. I would buy another Titus product in a heartbeat.
*note Titus has redesigned the QM in 2002 and beyond to a more FreeRide specific frame. Unfortunately this leaves a gap
between what the Switchblade & Quasi Moto do the best in regards to available sizes and adaptability. An Extra
Small Switchblade w/4.5" of travel would probably fill this gap. There are quite a few short riders out there, such
as myself, that this market is not being addressed for.
Similar Products Used: I tried 'Titus Racer-X, Switchblade, Loco Moto', 'Ellsworth Truth & Id', 'Intense Tracer & Uzzi', Turner XCE,
'Specialized S-Works, Stumpjumper, Rockhopper and Enduro) I immediately ruled out any single pivot design after
understanding and then riding 4-bar designs. I wanted a bike with as many options as possible as this was my first
FS bike and I wasn't exactly sure which direction FS riding was going to take me.
Bike Setup: 2001 Quasi Moto Xsmall Polished front triangle, 2002 Swithblade rear triangle,(*the SB rear triangle lighter and comes with
V-brake bosses which the stock QM rear doesn't), Chris King hubs & HS, RaceFace ISIS cranks & compact rings, Mavic
519s, Hutchinson Python Air Lites, Thomson stem & post, Fox Float RLC-frt & Float RL-rear, Sram PC99 & Rockets, XTR
D's, Terry Fly, Avid Black Ops brakes & levers, Avid Rollamajig & Cables, Titec Ti bar, Speedplay Frogs
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Chris
a Weekend Warrior
from Northern California
Date Reviewed: October 13, 2002
Strengths: Beautiful frame. Adjustable rear suspension travel (4.5 or 5.8 inches). Coil suspension. Real headbadge. Lots of fun to ride. Climbs technical stuff well. Descends well. Somewhat rare in my neck of the woods.
Weaknesses: The wait for the frame was a drag (a few months - I caught Titus between production cycles and during the Loco-Moto recall). It's kinda heavy. Some might say expensive, but certainly not compared to rides of similar ilk.
Bottom Line:
This is a sweet bike. I bought the frame from Hammerhead Bikes, and the build kit from my LBS (Sunshine Bikes, Fairfax CA) - both are excellent. Titus was also good to work with - Alan (sp?) in particular.
My bike built to 31-32 lbs, so it's no lightweight, but it still climbs well in the 4.5" travel setting. The 5.8" setting is a ball on descents, but impacts climbing efficiency negatively. I run my fork at 125mm - the Quasi with 100mm in the front wasn't as much fun.
This bike likes to go fast - I find myself going much faster than before on descents. Technical stuff is much easier - the high bottom bracket was a little sketchy at first, but now I like it - clearing obstacles is a breeze.
Riders looking for an all-around trailbike (heavy XC/light freeride) should look at the Quasi-Moto. It can also be built as a full-on freeride rig. Weight weenies will be happier with another bike.
Strengths: well, it's pretty much the same as the old model(as the way the rides go), but with some good improvements. now you can fit a real size tire in the back (up to 3"),the rc from fox is a good upgrade, and the BIGGER bearing are sweet. other than that it's still the good old quasi moto.
Weaknesses: i cant really say yet, but i had the 99 model and the only thing that was wrong with it in terms of design is fixed on the 2002. besides that, i guess the fox shock is sort of crappy (i'll upgrade to a 5th element when i get the cash), and how long the frame will last (it looks a lot stronger now) but only time will tell.
Bottom Line:
like i said i had the 99 model and i really liked that bike. i had some problems with it in term of durability (i crack it 3 time) but the warranty at titus is pretty good and i was upgraded to a 2002. so in terms of bike i give it a 5. BUT where i was really disappointed is how long it took to get my 2002... 5 months!!! i know they had manufacturing problems... bla bla bla bla... so i will not bore you with the details, but man that was long! i was so pissed! but once i saw the bike i somewhat forgot about it. so for that i give it a 4.
