Submitted by
Steve A
a Cross Country Rider
from Toronto, ON, Canada
Date Reviewed: November 9, 2004
Strengths: Frame is tough as nails, tires are great, i ride lots of rocks and before it all went down hill it was a nice solid bike with great handeling
Weaknesses: Without gloves on rough trails the grips are a little hard on the hands, seat is hard and somewhat uncomfortable. One day on the trails TOASTED my bottom bracket. on my last race of the season it rained all day, the breaks stopped working within the first 10Km (still had 30 to go) and by the end of the race i had disloged the cables. sports check service is no good
Bottom Line:
The bottom line here is it is a good entry level bike if you are willing to put a little more cash into changing some of the faulty parts (ie. bottom bracket) or if you arent a hard rider. if you are looking for a bike to ride hard and ride often you might want to look elswhere but if you want to learn the sport invest a little more money and get something a little higher end... myself i am getting a Specialized Stumpjumper for the up comming season.
Similar Products Used: Gary Fisher Marlin, Cannondale F600, Cannondale Scalpel 900 (all friends bikes)
Bike Setup: Stock, spare rims with Specialized Hemespheres for road
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
RYAN BARRINGTON
a Cross Country Rider
from LAKESIDE
Date Reviewed: July 14, 2004
Strengths: Great frame, can upgrade to disk brakes (practically bolt on) speed shifters work great. Nice color scheme. Sturdy rims that can stand up to punishment.
Weaknesses: Shocks are less to be desired. After about 1 year I'm looking for replacements. Seat is hard as a rock.
Bottom Line:
A great bang for the buck. I especially like the ability to upgrade the components on the bike(as I brake them). You won't find a better mountain bike with options for the money.
Strengths: Nice Shifting,Gears:Shimano Rapid Fire 24-Speed, Brakes are fine (FRont Rst Disc) i'm 11 and the frame is just right for me 18'
Weaknesses: You'll need a new fork for cross country, mine came with a Rock Shox Jett, Seat is like a brick
Bottom Line:
It's a nice bike for the price I got it for I do a little bit of Dirt Jumping so you'll definetly need A New fork for that, but if you're just starting cross country this is the best bike you can get
Similar Products Used: Gt Saddleback but the Saddlebacks frame is different
Bike Setup: 18' frame, Shimano 24-Speed Rapid fire shifters, Rock Shox Jett, Rst front disc, Shimano Deore rear Derailer, Cyclone Precision Cranks
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Submitted by
Angela
a Weekend Warrior
from Victoria, BC, Canada
Date Reviewed: September 11, 2003
Strengths: Great frame: I'm small and this frame fits me perfectly. Took me ~2 weeks to get used to the seat (as one other reviewer said, it's like a brick) but now I love it. The stock Manitou shocks are plenty sufficient for me. Brakes are good, haven't had any problems in wet weather. Gorgeous color ;)
Weaknesses: SportChek assembly/warranty tuneups are useless. The Acera front derailleur is sloppy and gets out of tune quickly; also chain is liable to fall off when shifting. The bottom bracket is nearly shot, after a year of (mainly) road riding.
Bottom Line:
Too bad Iron Horse cheaped out on the front derailleur and the bottom bracket. Unless you're a once-in-a-blue-moon rider, you'll want to replace those components. Other than that, great bike. I love it.
Submitted by
Stevil Kenevil
a Racer
from Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: August 27, 2003
Strengths: I have the 2003 model but i cant find it in 2003 so i put it here. Its light, has crazy handiling and nice grippy tires.
Weaknesses: Shotty sport check workmanship, horrible crank and the rock shock judys speak for them self.
Bottom Line:
for the price its good... but buying a bike from sport check is like buying ice cream from a poison store. I think that speaks for its self. its been in the shop for half the time ive owned it!
Trek 820 is better because of durability. this bike is good for beginner/intermediate riding but is not very durable. the brakes can not be tusted unless you have adjusted them because they become lose very easily.
Strengths: Handling, weight, combination of components, good tires, good weight distribution on bike alone, easy to carry, easy to maintain, goes excellent in harsh conditions such as muddy & dust terrain & xc - and the best of all this bike is upgradeable in all aspects (disks, derailers....)Good combination of chain ring sizes.
Weaknesses: Needs Deore XTR front & back as standard
Bottom Line:
In comparison to other pre-assembled MTBs available commercially this is the best value for money, not just that, this mtb out=performs all those compared - by far. Well done to iron horse for a superb end product. If this bike is so good i'd like to ride the envy or 2003 desperado replacement/upgrade.
Since the bike is upgradeable it makes for a good entry-level bike.
frame is strong and can take alot of hammering espaecially in the rigid african conditions we have over here.
Similar Products Used: Haro V3, Schwinn Mesa GSX, Kona Explosif ...
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Submitted by
David
a Cross Country Rider
from Ancaster , Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: November 24, 2002
Strengths: Great Value, The componentes on this bike are unbeatable at this price
Weaknesses: The stock suspension is cheap and needs replacing after a year of hard riding, i've gone through 3 frames this year but its covered so it doesnt bother me, the bottom bracket is CRAP if you plan on doing and sort of medium to hard riding which includes and drops replace it!! to at leaste a shimano un-52 (Lx quality)
Bottom Line:
an excellent bike for what you pay, just upgrade bottom bracket and shocks and it feels like a $1000+ bike
Submitted by
brian
a Cross Country Rider
from bryson city n.c. usa
Date Reviewed: September 5, 2002
Strengths: Great components, solid frame, excellent value
Weaknesses: Paint chips easily, seat is not comfortable
Bottom Line:
I rode and priced out a number of bikes in this price range, and dollar for dollar, this beats many of the big name bikes. If "name" isn't your concern, and riding is, this bike is for you. I bought this bike to break up the road riding, and for the winter riding season, and my road bike hasn't been happy since.
Strengths: very good for the money. Good components for the most part. A more popular brand with same components would cost 2 to 300 dollars more.
Weaknesses: Damn seat is a rock. like riding on a brick.
Bottom Line:
wonderful bike. Great components and I highly recommend this bike for someone who doest have to have the fisher's,trek's,cannondale's etc. Great for a beginning rider that wants more bang for their buck.
