Submitted by
Brian McCulloch
a Cross Country Rider
from Bristol
Date Reviewed: June 2, 2005
Strengths: A springy no-nonsense British bruiser! I went full suspension for two years but found myself constantly reaching for the P7 when riding. The gears were thrown away a couple of winters back and I now single-speed it. My P7 has been thrashed around the local trails winter and summer, raced, been to South Wales, Brecon, Wye valley, F.O.D and The North Downs etc. It is my second P7 and I am still very happy with it. Do you want a bike that feels like a friend? This is the kiddie! The frame soaks up far more trail obstacles than you might realise – the property of a well thought out piece of steelwork. If you stick good kit on it you, can get it down to very decent weight without sacrificing strength. Think Middleburn, DMR, Hope, Thomson etc. Stick some good forks on it and whopping discs, a good headset and off you go. Orange offer a great 'upgrade' facility on new bikes and it is well worth checking out. You get the ability to spec the bike more precisely, added to which is a good local shop who will buy back or swap out equipment for you.
Weaknesses: To be honest the biggest problem is my mates getting all panicky as I get fitter by the minute and kill them on the trails! The only niggle was the seat post needing a shim because of the odd seat tube diameter. I bought a 'tough enough' Selcof seatpost (huge range of sizes) and this sorted the problem relatively cheaply.
Bottom Line:
I guess all bikes are essentially two wheels, with some metalwork and rubber to get them going. My goal has always been to build something that just feels like a sweet extension of the body. I think my current P7 is just such a bike - it really is a very happy relationship whenever I swing a leg over it. Anyway, the sun is fighting to come out again and I have a friend I want to take up the trails. She is silver and black with two wheels, a handlebar and a bell. I think we may have some fun up the woods later! Oh and don’t try and pass us unless you are very good, you may get your fancy ass kicked on those hills!
Similar Products Used: Marin EastPeak Orange 5 Pro Specialized Stumpjumper Cannondale
Bike Setup: Singlespeed, short Thomson stem, Middleburn square taper 180mm cranks, Hope M4 up front, mono mini rear, DMR revolver singlespeed hub (man it's strong!) White Industries thread on freewheel (super sealed and mud-proof), good wide Azonic bars, Fox Floats .. like I say .. nothing super light but all proving to be very strong kit. If you have had lightweight kit fail horribly - you will appreciate this weight vs strength compromise!
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Submitted by
bruce watson
a Cross Country Rider
from omagh, nor'n lreland
Date Reviewed: May 26, 2003
Strengths: bring back steel! - this bike is great for all-round riding, ie a 2 hour spin on your fav track, but the tail of the frame has enough 'give' unlike alloys to ride all day with out having to go into traction for your nackered back . Anyhow the price is for the frame alone, it handles great, light, strong, nimble, tracks great,& feels solid when nailing fairly hairy stuff. Ok it may weight a knat's excrement heavier than an alloy, but the extra strength and compliant rear by far push that into insignificance. This bike (steel hardtail!)beats the crap out the specialised fsr xc frame with this the excrement fox shock and snapped chain stays, it was bough to replace.
Weaknesses: don't be daft?!.....
Bottom Line:
if your a real trail blazing-mountain biker, not some trendyarse bandwagon jumping XXX twat who wouldn't remember what a real steel frame was like to ride, buy this frame, it is sweet. If you love trail riding, buy this, remember its still lighter than an alloy suspension frame by a long shot, but with the 'give' in the rear tail it's brillliant. I use mine for 1 hour spins, climbing like a mountain goat on speed, trail riding, enduro all day, and now starting overnight log distance riding and camping up. - happy riding!
Similar Products Used: specialized fsr xc, spec' hardrock, peugeot, claude butler, trek vrx, GT chucker, carrea Kraken, and others
Bike Setup: matt black P7 frame, eatson 50 riser & seatpost, azonic stem, XT F&R mechs, LX shifters, Deore chainset ( great value good for the money) HOPE XC hubs built onto mavic 317 hoops continental explorer and escape rubbers and one very tired looking but much loved flite selle italia saddle - Duke xc 80mm - oohh yummmy
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Submitted by
Julian Taylor
a Cross Country Rider
from London
Date Reviewed: July 26, 2002
Strengths: Perfect mix of stiffness and suppleness in a very elegant British-designed steel frame. Not as harsh as my alloy hardtail and absorbs the nasty stuff, but still a direct and exciting ride cross country, and deserves its cult status. Alternating the P7 with my alloy hardtail really underlines how the P7 doesn't lose any directness and yet is much more forgiving than the alloy bike. Nice paint job, too.
Weaknesses: Hard to find! I bought the rigid version and switched the forks. No longer made in the UK. Cheap looking decals.
Bottom Line:
This is no Taiwan/US alloy clone machine. I can ride the P7 all day, or hack for a couple of hours and throw it along singletrack. It looks and rides brilliantly and makes me smile! Buy this bike if you want some UK MTB engineering that has stood the test of time. The abilities of this frame stand out when you ride, and that's the point, isn't it?
Bike Setup: Marzocchi Z2 Atom forks, Orange riser bars, Deore drive train, Bontrager FS2000 saddle. Plan to upgrade drivetrain with XT and LX bits.
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Submitted by
Steve
a Weekend Warrior
from Nottingham
Date Reviewed: April 19, 2002
Strengths: I can't believe there are no other reviews for the P7. This is such a great hardtail; a real standard when it comes to steel frames. I am on my 3rd. I have had both new and S/H frames and everyone has been full of life with plenty of zing. Although not the lightest bike it is very forgiving and easy to control
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
Just get one. If your new to XC this is a great starter, if you want a singlespeed pick up one S/H, if you want another bike (no one needs another bike and can never have to many) get one.
