Submitted by
steven
a Cross Country Rider
from adelaide
Date Reviewed: September 2, 2004
Strengths: well built, sturdy, and rides great. looks v cool too!
Weaknesses: sram rear derailer is crap, seat is awful and bike is heavy.
Bottom Line:
i use this bike for commuting and general urban fun. with slicks it rolls beautifully and the size and geometry are great for maneouverability. i am uncomfortable getting too daring on this bike however as the sram rear derailer loves to change gears on its own which is a little unpleasant. this is a great bike but you will want a new seat and to get rid of the sram gear if you want to hop so much as a curb.
Submitted by
Scottie Ozment
a Weekend Warrior
from the Coal region PA.
Date Reviewed: June 6, 2004
Strengths: Hard core right off the line,Urban or trail this Blackula is up to the test.it's got the back breaking strenght to hold up to DH ,freeride or just Bashing the H3ll out of the local street the $$ Price $$!!!!
Weaknesses: Seat that would kill most humans,No rear set up for disc brakes
Bottom Line:
well worth the small amount of cash you might have to dig out of the couch to buy it.you might have to add a few things to get it just right for you... but it's gona carry the day.!!!!
Bike Setup: WTB pro V seat,'04 Marzocchi DJ3,e.thirteen chain guard, Hayes disc. brakes on the front,Ditch Witch rims
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Submitted by
Dan Rogers
a Racer
from California USA
Date Reviewed: February 5, 2004
Strengths: Well, this bad boy is pretty good. It is currently my Four Cross racing machine. Everything on it stock was put on Ebay and I had a little fun. The stock wheels were great until I tacoed both on a roof gap. Whoops. PS i 16 keep that in mind, And i got the hookups at KHS. (I got the bike 4 free, the price above is costs into the bike)
Weaknesses: All stock parts but wheels, no tabs.
Bottom Line:
This bike is the best cheap racer you can buy. Put money into it and u will fly!!!!
Strengths: NO flex whatsoever. Before I got my fork I just about broke my wrists its so tough. Price was really good too. This thing will take anything you can dish. I cased a 28foot double at the crank and I was the only thing that buckled. Toss on a suspension fork, replace the drivetrain, bashguard, and a disc brake up front and you have the sickest hardtail around. I did a drop that 2 other guys cracked their Chameleons on. :P Super nible with the right fork. Overall really fun bike to ride and you'll surprise people that you're going big on a hardtail. I did.
Weaknesses: Snapped the SRAM derailer, cracked both wheels doing a really big stair gap. No rear disc bracket. That's it. Put some 521s or Trailpimps on it if you're planning on busting huge.
Bottom Line:
This thing rocks. But it does take its toll on the body. Watch those ankles and wrists if you're doing stair gaps. Ride it like it should be riden. You can charge harder than the guys riding full suspension if you're up to it
Bike Setup: Single speed right now, Marzocchi 105mm fork, 521 36 spoke in the back with Tioga factory DH tire, in front have a beaten ditch witch with a Nokian 2.6
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Submitted by
Rhys Hughes
a Weekend Warrior
from Cairns, QLD Australia
Date Reviewed: April 2, 2003
Strengths: A cruiser and bruiser, Negligible flex from the CrMo frame. This bike is a point and shoot, who says it`s gotta be an alumunium frame to be stiff. It`s easy to land, nothing but two point landing on this thing. The 2003 model now has a rear disc mount if you think the current anchors aren`t up to the job. It`s different! Good equipment level for what essentially will become a jump bike!
Weaknesses: Haemorrhoid stimulating saddle. Unpredictable treads. Weight is comparable to that of a B`52 bomber, but that`s the idea. Crash and burn, but still fly home. I hope the SRAM 5 derailler last more than a gutter drop off!, Wheels out of true out of the box. One size, What if Mr Steve Peat wants one?
Bottom Line:
A cruiser and bruiser, A MTB that feels a 20 inch BMX in the air. First look at it says "I have purpose wont break" Regardless of what you teacher said about BLACK not being a real colour, the Rigid One is Gob smackingly beautiful, almost phallic(Hence the name) Stable off drop offs. Rockets out of berms, changes direction very quickly, A fun bike for not much dollars. This means even a novice is going to get a great intro to MTB/urban/slalom without having to consult a bank manager.
Similar Products Used: Kona Roast, Liquid, Rocky Mountain Grind.
Bike Setup: Marzocchi MXComp 03`s, Azonic Bars,stem,seatpin
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Submitted by
Nathan
a Racer
from Marquette, Michigan,
Date Reviewed: November 15, 2002
Strengths: Crazy tough frame can take anything. I weight about 180 lbs and i did a 6.5 foot drop onto flat ground and nothing happened. I dont know how someone could fold two of these bikes in half to me that seems impossible.
Weaknesses: components that came stock like the sram crap is going to break. Just replace it with deore and then everything is cool again. it weighs like 34 lbs which is a little heavy.
Bottom Line:
This bike is great for anyone into urban assault or getting into freeride. It can take it all and wont clean your wallet out. For less than 500$ i am sure you can pick one up and if you get the chance go for it. I think this thing is indestructible since i have just beat it and nothing has broke. You wouldnt be looking at this if you werent thinking about buying one so go do it.
Strengths: Handles great in the air - stable jumper simple looks sweet cheeeep great customer service
Weaknesses: folded two of them in half over the course of a week needs to be burlier for hardcore use welds are a bit sloppy, but nothing terrible
Bottom Line:
I seem to have a habit of killing bikes quickly, although they usually last a bit longer than two rides. granted, the frame probably wasn't designed with me in mind. If you are looking for something that will hold up to big stupid dirt jumps and silly drops, get something designed for it. The rigid one (aka free agent betty) is good for someone who just wants a neighborhood goof off bike. KHS customer service is primo. apparantley I'm the first one to smoke one of their frames, let alone two in one week. So they hooked me up with a B1tch at no cost to me. Beautiful.
If it had held up I would have liked it- one dookie for the bike, but five for the customer service
Bike Setup: Rigid One, Rock Shox Judy, Race Face NS DH, Easton Monkey Lite bars, Avid disc on the front, deore V on the back, LX drivetrain, Rhyno lites w/Xt disc hubs and Kujo's(2.35)
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Submitted by
mr T
a Weekend Warrior
from cuse town
Date Reviewed: May 1, 2002
Strengths: the frame is solid for the money and the fact thats its como cool ass paint job love the flat finish i got the BETTY the finish is burt rad made by FREE AGENT who makes the rigid one for KHS
Weaknesses: no disc brake mounts only one size 16" but its really 17" a little bigger than i though it would be or its a big ass 16"
Bottom Line:
its a sweet all around bike it can do any thing soild on the drops smooth on the jumps and is tears up the street for the money you can go wrong the FREE AGENT BETTY looks sweet and kick ass.
Similar Products Used: bruiser 2 KHS bi!ch 99 mongooes duel
Bike Setup: 01' psylo husselfelt LX XT comp. alex dh rims tioga dh tred 80 mm stem 3" bars soon to be marzcchi DJ1 and sun mamoth hoops
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Submitted by
The DH - B.H.
a Weekend Warrior
from Bloomington
Date Reviewed: March 27, 2002
Strengths: Much beefier than I thought it was going to be...
Weaknesses: Have not found one yet!
Bottom Line:
Just purchased the frame on closeout, very nice, I really wanted a le toy but have not had the money, so found a 4130 beefy frame for cheap, seems sturdy as hell, will let you know how she rides urban and dirt jumping!
Similar Products Used: Crazy 24" schwinn bmx, with a sus. fork and downhill bars, various cross country crappers.
Bike Setup: Marzocchi Z1 CR, bmx three piece cranks, profile ss sprocket, sun mammoths, some tires (who knows what I'll choose), various other turd parts.
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Submitted by
Rich Burgess
a Downhiller
from Ridgecrest CA
Date Reviewed: March 8, 2002
Strengths: The bike is f@#$n burly. The frame and rims can take hard core urban assaulting. The bike dirt jumps as hard as my BMX jumper. The f%$#n thing gets me up the biggest hills and shreds the downs. The rigid fork keeps the bike stable kinda, but it adds to the rush-main-line to the brain. The Rigid-one can shred in any situation: Down hill, XC, Urban, Dirt. I am very, very proud of this product. It does it all man.
Weaknesses: The bikes Power Tools handle bars are f#$%n week. I rode it off a 9 foot drop, and the Power Tools got tooled. Replace the bars with some super strong DH bars. The bike would be even stronger with a 130mm fork, so one could fly over chode on the single track.
Bottom Line:
The bike is f*&^n rad. If urban is your game, this bike is for you. Just make sure to get rid of the bars from the get-go. Also KHS and Free Agent are teamed up. Free Agent makes the Rigid-One, but they call it the Beaty, or something.
Submitted by
Isaac Oakley
a Downhiller
from Cambridge
Date Reviewed: February 10, 2002
Strengths: Very good brakes, components for the every day abuse. Great styling and great wheels. Also it is the best deal for such a high end bike as it is.
Weaknesses: KHS wussied out on going the whole mountian bike style that it should be. If they are tring to make it all around bike they should get ride of the phat tires, (they are great if you are mountian biking though)
Bottom Line:
Like most of the KHS bikes, a good buy. KHS put all the efort into making this bike and others stylish and great products for even the smallest things like a seat. They think if they are going to put a price ont the bike they are going to make it the best that they can. If you are looking for a GOOD mountian bike, ALSO a GOOD getting around bike it is perfect. Soooo, I would call this the BEST all around bike. (I recomend it)
