Submitted by
Doug Holzman
a Cross Country Rider
from Milwaukee,Wi,US
Date Reviewed: March 21, 2006
Strengths: Rear lockout is nice for the hill climb and the fast portions of courses. Really light for a full suspension. Good bike for a 24 hour race.
Weaknesses: None, any chain suck was my own fault; not enough lube and sandy conditions.
Bottom Line:
I own a fuel and it is a tank compared to my Sugar. The sugar is truely a superior bike. Its a shame you can't get it anymore, and that Gary Fisher(Trek) never made a carbon fiber Sugar. It is lighter that my buddies Specialized Epic.
Bike Setup: 03 frame with 04 world cup fork, full xtr(old style) custom built wheelset(hugi hubs)
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
John Lamb
a Racer
from Jacksonville, Florida, USA
Date Reviewed: November 12, 2004
Strengths: The bike combines the comfort of a full suspension with the weight of a hard tail. It is very responsive in tight turns and if dialed in well, excelerates quickly. The bike is equipped with mostly top of the line components and is race ready out of the box. Good warranty support from Fisher. Being able to adjust the amount of air in the rear suspension and front fork allows to try different things for the change in terrains.
Weaknesses: The rear triangle on the 2003 is going to break (design flaw). Well that is great is you have 2 bikes, but if not you will be with out one for several weeks. I must admit that my bike shop went extremely out of their way to put a loaner rear triangle on the bike while I waited for the repacement. The front fork (Skareb) broke at the crown. I have experienced chain suck on several occasions and during the race it really sucks (no pun intended). The saddle (Titec) is ugly.
Bottom Line:
After riding and racing a hardtail for several years I researched the many full suspensions to choose from. The Sugar met all of my specs and was very affordable. The swapping of components is a matter of preference. I prefer the XTR brakes over the avid (more responsive, look cooler), and the carbon fiber handle bars and seatpost was for comfort and weight. I am old school and prefer tube tires in the case you flat but I am quickly liking the tubeless with the stan's. Overall this bike is awesome and with my tendacy to break things the suppoer staff is very understanding and customer service oriented.
Similar Products Used: Lite Speed Pisgah (Hardtail)
Bike Setup: Swapped brakes to XTR, Swapped seatpost and handle bars to carbon fiber.
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Submitted by
Chris Handy
a Cross Country Rider
from Corte Madera
Date Reviewed: August 30, 2004
Strengths: Light and tight. It's almost a hardtail really. Fisher's warranty. Responsive support staff. Replaced rear triangle that cracked for free.
Weaknesses: Almost a hardtail. The rear suspension is really stiff even when the pressure in the Cloud 9 is dropped down to 75 psi. Chain suck. After 2.5 years and a lot of riding and over a dozen races I can't take it anymore. Sure, everything's fine when all the chainrings and chain are new and clean and perfected lubed, but the Genesis frame amplifies and exacerbates the effects of chain suck. There's no doubt about it. I've been on enough group rides in adverse conditions to know the difference. I even took it in to an authorized Fisher dealer to have the alignment checked and they came up with nada. I never planned to unload this bike after such a short time, but after my only DNF in a race because the chain sucked and broke on me I'm done. It's a shame really. It really is a great XC race bike otherwise. Fisher really needs to do something about this.
Bottom Line:
Until these chain suck problems go away and you can see that the frame is changed, beware. It's been too painful for me to deal with such a frame related issue that I can't do anything about. Unless you plan on extra chain/chainring maintenance and don't anticipate muddy or even highly dusty conditions be careful.
Strengths: Handles great, climbs better than any hardtail
Weaknesses: Brakes flex the rear seat stays
Bottom Line:
I have not had any problems with chain suck with this bike or my 2002 +4. However I never use my small chain ring, it is not very hilly were I live. I love this bike it is very quick and has handled 3 and 4 foot drops with no problems with chain drop. The rear brake feels a little weak at times because of some flex with the rear stays. Buy one on ebay and build it up if you can find one, then you can pick the parts you want to build a kick butt ride.
Similar Products Used: Raven,Sugar +4, Schwinn Homegrown 4 banger
Bike Setup: Full XTR, Sid Race, Spinergy rims
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Submitted by
Chris Wesley
a Cross Country Rider
from Battle Creek, Mi. USA
Date Reviewed: August 1, 2004
Strengths: This is my first FS bike. I>ve been riding hard tails for about eight years and just didn't want the headaches of the full suspension bike and costs. This bike changed my mind. Going from a Fisher Mt. Tam to a Team Sugar, it didn't take long for my to adjust. The bike is light and fast. I rarely use the lock outs on the shocks. It climbs the steepest hills with ease. The bike handles and fits me well. I went from a 16 inch frame to the med. size Sugar, didn't have to adjust anything. I wondered at first if I spent too much, but after a season and a half, I'm glad I made the purchase.
Weaknesses: A few instances with chain suck and the paint on the drop outs has peeled away a bit. The bike does sqeek here and there a bit. I did replace the straight handle bars with a riser bar. Other than a few minor problems, I think it's a good buy.
Bottom Line:
I'm sure there are ways of making the bike a little better, but from what I have learned from this bike is, A full suspension bike may cost a little more, but in the long run, I would have gone through two more bikes before I got what I have out of the Team Sugar.
Similar Products Used: Trek fuel and Specialize Stumpjumoer
Bike Setup: THe bike came with all the top end XTR stuff...Bontrager Race rims, I bought the Eggbeater stainlees steel pedals (luv them), and replace the rear tire once with the same IRC Sarac tire.
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Submitted by
Jose Rovira
a
from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico
Date Reviewed: June 17, 2004
Strengths: Colors look great. Got with the warrantee after a broken MT Tam Frame.
Weaknesses: The paint job started to peel off. The nuts & bolts of the rear suspension rusted and the bike all ways "squeeked" untill I replaced them with stainless steel one's. The bolts that hold the swing arm at the bottom of the frame cracked. The right brake boss(the stem that is attached to the frame that holds the V-brake in place) broke of. The chain suck, it took me 4 months to adjust the bb so it would not happen and it almost eate
Bottom Line:
If you weigh 200lb and like to go down fast don't buy this bike.
Strengths: Lite weight climbs great love the shock on this bike it goes where you point it.
Weaknesses: Chain did come off once.
Bottom Line:
I love this bike to avoid chain suck make sure you are not in the big cog in rear when you shift to the small chainring in front.I know this sounds like a pain but its faster than puting your chain back on.This bikes fits me great I tried the Trek fuel but did not feel as good also liked going back to the tubeless 26 inch wheel over the 29er.If you can get the bike on sale buy it the full XTR is great.This is a great bike for the racer or the weekend rider.
Strengths: Handles great, climbes well, and very fun to ride...when it's not in the shop.
Weaknesses: Very poor shifting,(mis-shifting) chain suck, problems with the Skarab front fork.
Bottom Line:
I like the bike, but very irritatated with the time I've had to have it in the shop because of very poor shifting. In the 6-8months I've had the bike, it's been in the shop approx. 8-10 times. I recently took the bike in because the shop claimed to have a sure fix for the shifting problems. It seems to have fixed the problem, but I've only ridden it 20 miles since then. The shop has been helpful, but I think they could have done more to make me, the customer happy with the $3000 I spent. If I was to do this all over again,I would have bought the Fuel 100 instead of the Gary Fisher Team Issue.
Strengths: Light, fast, no bobbing and very stiff.Great handler and easy maintenance for the suspension linkage. XC racer at heart
Weaknesses: It´s a racer type, so requires finess to drive. Extreme trail riders look elsewhere. Paint in carbon chain/seat stays chips off. Cable routing kinda annoying.
Bottom Line:
After being racing and riding hardtails for years, this is my first full suspension race bike. I was skeptical at first about full suspension for racing, but my dealer gave the bike for a test ride and it never came back to the store. I was sold! The bike was definitely a little heavier than my last hardtail, but once on the saddle, the extra weight is not noticeable. First ride out, I started climbing up fireroads and steep, rough singletrack. It felt just like my hardtail, except traction was exceptional. It climbs like a goat. Once I locked out the shock, I noticed everything the bike wasn´t doing before, like bouncing and skidding. Once pointed downhill, the bike is extremely fast and agile. My only complaint is the Manitou fork, which was kinda sketchy at speed. The Marzocchi Marathon came to the rescue. A bit heavier (1/4 pound)but worth it. It´s not a plush bike, but for XC racing it´s great. Just enough travel for keeping control over rough terrain. Non racers should opt for a bike with more travel. The Marathon fork that I upgraded to really helped for bike control at speed. I´m upgrading the shock with a 5th Element for superior pedaling, although bobbing is almost non existent as stock. So far I´ve never had chainsuck problems or any other problem with the bike, except that the paint in the stays seems to be a bit fragile. Also, I had to cut the cable covers because they came too long.
Bike Setup: Bontrager Race Lite rims, Marathon SL(100 mm), Race Face cranks, XTR derraileurs and cassette, Carbon seatpost and handlebar.
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Submitted by
Luis Ortiz
a Cross Country Rider
from San Juan PR
Date Reviewed: February 26, 2004
Strengths: light(for a FS),stiff rear end,nice geometry for my body type
Weaknesses: chain suck,chain drop
Bottom Line:
I recived this frame as a warranty for a broken STP,I had really bad problems with the cahin suck,even on the road!!(I train on pretty steep rural roads) Solved when I spaced the bottom bracket,AND changed to Race Face chainrings,after that I have had no more problems other than normal,and only in muddy conditions.But before that I broke a lot of chains and boiled over a few times ;( The frame is very stiff,though,very responsive,It climbs like its glued,very very pleasant experience(once its working)it shines on technical,steep,rooted terrain. It inspires confidence when bombing down trails and finds traction on unbelivable terrain,thanks in part to UST tires and low tire pressures ;) I dont think its a plush bike at all,its more of a racer-boy kinda thing,but the suspension does does help a lot,on the climbs and on the DH,at least if you come from a HT or ST...I also did a 13 hour survival race and my back was just fine(yeah right...) after it.
Bike Setup: Mavic Crossmax SL,Bontrager Raccelite Cranks w/Race Face chainrings
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Nick Freilich
a Racer
from St Albans UK
Date Reviewed: January 3, 2004
Strengths: This state of the art full susser is a great riding experience. Lighter than many hardtails it really digs in when climbing with no bob and I mean none. Friends following on SC blurs have commented on it's smoothness. Descending is good also with stable handling. It is a bit of a shame it wasn't built with a Sybil link for increased rear travel when riding epics (Yes, I know it is a race bike). The wheels are fantastic and look soo cool. The front end is so light I had trouble taming it when climbing on it's first outings. Kept wanting to lift off the ground! The 03 XTR kit works superbly now b/b beaking problems have been sorted. I had to get the B/B shell faced and replace the bearings 4 times! Those Avid Ultimates. Simply the best V brake on the planet IMHO.
Weaknesses: Problems with initial set up. The b/b was incorrectly spaced out of the box.
The chain sucks in the mud normally resolved by applying finishline xc lube but it is more of a problem than it should be and I don't use the granny much at all. Generally ok in dry conditions though. Cables wearing paint away around the head tube. They should braze some cable stops on there. The stock saddle must be too wide for most. left me walking like John Wayne! Now replaced with a Flite
Bottom Line:
I've very mixed feelings. The bike's performance is the ultimate for an xc racer. It is so entertaining to ride that I have decided to hang on to it even if I only use it in the summer of for epic rides. For my needs I would prefer a longer travel option and disc brakes for the uk winter. The chain suck, though not quite so much of an issue for me as for some shouldn't be there at all! The set up out of the box was un-forgiveable. It is a great great bike to ride but with those niggles. A bit like those exotic cars beginning with F?
This is a followup of my previous review of the 2002 Sugar 1 I got as a warranty replacement for my beloved OCLV hardtail. My 2002 Sugar 1 had a horrible chainline which made several gear combinations unusable or chaindrop and chainsuck would occur. I am a finesse rider and very aware of shifting under light load, being in the correct chainring, and keeping a straight chainline but it was ridiculous.
My Fisher rep sent me a replacement 2003 Sugar 1 with the Fox Float shock and all is well. All the same parts from the last DEFECTIVE frame worked FLAWLESSLY on the new frame. It sucks to get defective stuff but my gary Fisher rep got it resolved. I am glad I had the knowledge and tools to build and strip both frames myself or it would have cost some major $$$$ not to mention the time without a bike. At least nothing ever breaks on my road bike.
Similar Products Used: 2002 Sugar 1 and an early OCLV
Bike Setup: LX Cranks, XT, SRAM Mix
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Lance Romance
a Cross Country Rider
from Toronto, Ontario Canada
Date Reviewed: November 30, 2003
Strengths: Light, fast. Crisp handling for fast trail riding. (Not for hucking.)
Weaknesses: The chain-suck issue but I solved it - see below
Bottom Line:
The bottom line is that if you are spending serious dollars on a bike in the Toronto area shop at Sporting Life.
This summer I bought a beat up 2000 model year Sugar 2 from a friend and on the fourth ride the frame cracked. Sporting Life went to bat for me and presto - 2003 Team Issue with Cloud Nine - NO CHARGE. When the frame was built up chain suck was constant - even on the shop stand! Sporting Life's excellent mechanics then spent two hours testing numerous different parts and set-ups to try to solve the problem. In the end the solution was to get rid of the aluminum granny chain ring and replace it with a high quality stainless steel part. The second important change was to put a spacer that moves the crank arm and all chainrings about 1.5 millimeter away from the BB. This added space stops the chain from wedging between the rings and the chainstay in the event of chain suck. I haven't ridden the bike a great deal (I am a roadie at heart) but I have not had chainsuck since. Good idea to clean and lube drive train after every ride.
However there is no excuse for the manufacturer. It's a shame that such an excellent product is marred by such a serious problem. This situation is of course mitigated by the companies excellent warrantee. Overall the bike is fantastic but you better know how to handle it - both on the trail and in the shop.
I don't want to sound like an ad for a retail store but again I can't say enough good things about how I was treated at Sporting Life. All the extra work and parts were provided at no charge and I was given the impression that the mechanics would not give up until the bike was perfect. (And remember, I didn't even buy the original bike at Sporting Life.) Thanks to Dave Reynolds, Simon Fisher, Brian Spargo and Brian Travis and the rest of the team at "The Life".
Value for me 5 chilis - I darn near stole the thing. Only for 4 overall because of the extra effort required to make it work.
Bike Setup: Cloud Nine rear shock, Marathon SL fork, XT drive train, Comp S Light Tires, Thompson post, Easton Monkey Bar etc.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
PATRICK
a Cross Country Rider
from MORGAN HILL,CA,USA
Date Reviewed: November 5, 2003
Strengths: Great Warranty
Weaknesses: Rear Shock bushings on my 2000 Sugar 3. I noticed the design is changed for 2003 that eliminates the problem.
Bottom Line:
I rode my 2000 Sugar3 from Ohio to Moab to California and it performed very well up until the day I found a small crack in the chainstay. I contacted my local Fisher dealer for parts and to my suprise was given a brand new team issue with shock since my old one would not fit. What an incredible warranty! It shows that when you buy a new product from a respectable company that they really stand behind there product. As for chainsuck I never had any unusual problems on my Sugar 3 but I also ran my chain about 3-4 links shorter than the Shimano recommendation.
Submitted by
Hans Raven
a Cross Country Rider
from harderwijk
Date Reviewed: October 12, 2003
Strengths: faaassstttt, great steering and handling, adds comfort, light, Both fore CC racing and marathons (incl. Transalp Challenge), great looks when the bike set up is 'custom'
Weaknesses: they say, chain suck. I have no more trouble than with other bikes or other poeple driving other bikes. I shortend the chain to prevent it from falling of in downhills. There seems to be missing a link in the rear part, in part of where the brakes are positioned. I think that placing a connectionlink in between would make the rear part stiffer. Starnge why they didn't do that. The former model had it (where the mudd kept staying..)
Bottom Line:
Like most fans allready said: light, faaassssttt, f* good handling and steering, adds some xtra comfort which makes riding so much more fun.Good looks. I like the options to lock out the front and the back suspension. So you can climb very well on long climbs, or get a race bike feel when riding on the road. Before this one, I had a sugar 2 from 2000, which I also loved very much. This one though is more in balance, better fork and more space between the rear tire in case of muddy conditions. More stiffness in the front and a little bit lighter than the 2000 model. I did the Adidas Bike Transalp Challenge on this bike, and it drove very very well. And, I never got one single chain suck. (In total I drove it more than 700 miles )Once, when I just had bought it, the chain fell often off in choppy, rocky downhills. I made the chain a little bit too short as it should be, and the problem was over. I had never a lot of problems when shifting form middle to small, that is not more as with other bikes. But I must say, I never do that on full pressure. When you are riding marathons, that is mostly not neccessary. When you know what comes, anticipate and if you have strong leggs, take your time for shifting. In fast CC games, you mostly use a lot of power and never or very few times the small chain ring. I believe that a lot of bikes get trouble when shifting fast, caused by the fact that the chain falls deeper than from third the second chainring. I have the new xtr cranck, and the superb X0 derailleur. This one has much more tension on it's spring, so the (shortenned) chain is under more tension. A girlfriend of mine has a Su2/2002, and she has much trouble with the suck. But she has an xtr rear derailleur, and is way too wild on her bike. Most bikes would get the chain fall of with her riding style, but the problem is that the chain is stuck between the cranck and the chainstay. That is caused by the little space. I never drove the bike in really muddy conditions (great summer weather this year!!), and will get back to mtbr (and my shop) when it happens at my bike like other users say. But I hope it won't, cause I really like rocking this bike, which got me over the alps andother marathons in a f* good way! One last comment: the price (€ 5000) and no full carbon makes me give it 4 chills instead of five. And the fear of getting the chainsuck lik eother people in muddy conditions. This winter will learn...
Similar Products Used: Sugar 2 model 2000. Giant NRS, FUEL 90
Bike Setup: X0 rear, Xtr cranck and front, X0 shifters, crossmax XL 2002, Michelin WG 2003, front and back lock out, easton ea 70 parts, slr saddle. Look s really great, light.
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