Strengths: Great suspension design, good quality, great price. Great Company- DW link one of the most responsive systems I've ridden as well as one of the most efficient, pedals like a hard tail, NO feedback in middle chain ring.
Weaknesses: none
Bottom Line:
Writing not to express my satisfaction with the bike, but instead the company, and the warranty claim. I read some bad posts so i wanted to show how great my experience was. I don't live close to a dealer right now so I emailed the company, they were so helpful, and simply asked me to take some photos of my bike, etc. Within a week I get a note that they shipped me out a brand new frame, and i didn't have to do anything further. I have several Ironhorse bikes and love them all. I know there were some problems with the 2002 frame cracking so I was pleased to see that I received the new reinforced frame. Just want to express my gratitude for the great service and pass it along. I know that I can trust Ironhorse, they respond quickly and aim to please.
Similar Products Used: Specialized, Santa Cruz, Giant. Lots of others
Bike Setup: Stock, (this isn't my primary bike)
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Milt
a Weekend Warrior
from Gilbert, Az, USA
Date Reviewed: December 31, 2003
Strengths: Component mix - Excellent price for what you get. Plush ride
Weaknesses: Rear suspension link hits the seat tube at end of travel. So far I haven't had any frame problems as reported in other reviews - cross my fingers.
Bottom Line:
I've been riding for about 22 months so I'm still evolving my bike skills. I love the ride this bike provides but I came from a fully rigid Raleigh so anything was an improvement. So many adjustments available on the fork and shock it took me a while to get the bike set up so it handled correctly. (Two endos later and help from my LBS I think I have it right) Six months ago I would have said that this bike was too much bike for me but I'm starting to grow into it. Thanks to the suspension on this bike my ability to make it up technical climbs and to hammer on rocky downhills is getting quite good, for me. The Hayes discs are awesome but I would prefer a little more progressive engagement - hence the endos. I've almost quit using the front brake because I can't feather it very well. I've had almost no problems with this bike after almost a year of 2 rides per week. Fixed a creak by tightening bolts on the large chain ring. There seems to be a little bit of lateral flex in the rear but, again, my level of riding doesn't seem to be too affected by it. I would recommend this bike to riders of all skills since it will help make a novice a better rider and a seasoned rider will love the long travel and handling. The only problem I see with an expert rider might be that the rear suspension link hits the seat tube when you take a big hit and a better rider than me might cause this to happen often enough to break the frame. Regardless, I love this bike.
Similar Products Used: Test rode only: Santa Cruz Blur, Trek Fuel 98
Bike Setup: Changed the following: Panaracer FireXCPro rear tire, Weyless CRX-2 graphite bar, SRAM 9.0 shifters, Selle San Marco Arami seat
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Sean C
a Cross Country Rider
from Reno, NV
Date Reviewed: December 8, 2003
Strengths: My original review is below. Bike does ride awesome. Great customer service from both my local bike shop (Bicycle Banana's) and Iron Horse.
Weaknesses: Frame broke on a warm up ride while in Moab. Never had a chance to fully test it out as it broke on a smooth trail. Frame broke at the DW link. Talking about ruining what was to be a fun week. Boy would I have been happier with a 2004 frame replacement, oh well.
Bottom Line:
Got my new frame back from Iron Horse. The turn around was fairly fast but it was ground shipped from back east so took a lot longer than the gentleman who dealt with Supergo below. They didn't argue or question me, just had me send it back and shipped a new one to my LBS. They did a great job getting it put back together for me. I'm still a little disappointed in the frame breaking in the first place. It's obvious that there is a tremendous amount of stress placed at the DW Link location on the seat tube. Just flex the bike and watch where the frame bends. I've heard this has been corrected in the 2004. Ironhorse shipped back a 2003 frame. I have to admit that I was really hoping it would be a 2004. Oh well, hopefully this one will hold up. I do like Ironhorse's customer service and still recommend the bike overall. The bike rides great and the parts are awesome. I'm going to give the bike five chili's on this one to average out my rating. I would give the bike four chili's overall. Not perfect, but pretty darned good.
Submitted by
Sean C
a Cross Country Rider
from Reno
Date Reviewed: November 6, 2003
Strengths: Love the ride. Does everything except. . .
Weaknesses: Frame snapped at DW Link while riding along a smooth single track.
Bottom Line:
Well, loved the bike until it broke. The frame snapped completely at the DW link on the seat tube. Besides making a big bang it surprised the heck out of me where it broke. I just had my local Iron Horse dealer give me a big hand in getting it shipped back to them (Grats to Bicycle Bananas). I'm hoping to have as good an experience in getting this fixed as the other reviewer. I'll update as soon as I get more info. If you read my review lower down you'll see I really like (liked?) the bike. It broke on smooth single track. I'm too old to jump the thing and ride it as carefully as anyone can. Iron Horse's customer service has been great so far, so let's see what happens. I do recommend the bike as far as how it rides, but very disappointed at the frame snapping.
Submitted by
Scott Hallock
a Cross Country Rider
from Irvine,CA
Date Reviewed: November 1, 2003
Bottom Line:
UPDATE,see previous review... Broke frame on a Monday night ride... returned bike to Super Go Tues AM... Iron Horse corporate e mails me Thurs "frame on the way"... Following Friday AM Super Go Calls "Come get your new bike"... PLUS, Super Go fixes some extra little items for free... WOW THIS IS GREAT SERVICE ON EVERYONES PART ! Bravo Super Go Bravo Iron Horse
Submitted by
scott hallock
a Cross Country Rider
from irvine
Date Reviewed: October 20, 2003
Strengths: I like this bike. I love this bike. I clean this bike I wax this bike. Lite,premium bolt on's,great on the ups & downs..sweet..
Weaknesses: this thing broke in half tonight. that's right the seat tube broke clean in half below the 'DW' link i was just shifting at the time...what the f...?
Bottom Line:
I used this forum to make my decision to buy an Ironhorse everyone seemed to be happy Now we shall see what Super Go is made of and what Ironhorse is made of you really get to know what companies are made of when there are problems to be fixed oh yeah, I will keep you posted that's for sure i'll give them medium chilis for now...
Bike Setup: Stock=28.5 lbs Fox TALIS Fox Ava rlc Mavic CMX XTR Hayes HYD disks Dude the works, all over the place...
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Kathy
a Cross Country Rider
from Northeast USA
Date Reviewed: October 3, 2003
Strengths: The ride - plush, plush, plush! Fabulous traction on climbs No noticable pedal bob Not terribly heavy for 5" travel (mine is 28 lbs) The price - excellent parts package for the money.
Weaknesses: The paint. Mine has a piece of packing tape painted to the BB shell, and there are thin spots around the shock mount. Need Frame Saver tape wherever the cables touch paint. Rear tire clearance - you can't use much more than a 2.2. Fortunately, I use 2.1's, but on a 5" travel bike, you might expect room for bigger tires.
Bottom Line:
I refer to this as my "save-my-ass bike". The handling is stable without being slow, and all that travel compensates for quite a bit of pilot error. ;^P This is the bike I take out for night rides when bumps seem to sneak up on me. It climbs great, and is wicked fun when the trail points downhill. I haven't taken it on vacation yet, but I expect it to be a great all-day bike with the shorter cockpit and plush travel. The biggest problem I've had comes from the Fox Talas RLC fork. I had to play with that a lot to get all the travel out of it due to my light weight (125 lbs). The rear end of the bike is still sucks up hits better than the front, but the whole package is working pretty well now.
Similar Products Used: Titus RacerX Ventana El Fuego
Bike Setup: Replaced the Mavic UST wheels with King/Mustangs because I don't see the need for tubeless. Replaced the Hayes Mags with Avid Mechanical discs so I would have common spare parts with another bike. Replaced XTR shifters and rear der with SRAM 9.0 because I prefer to twist. Replaced Flite Gel saddle with Terry Fly to fit my bod.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Ron
a Weekend Warrior
from San Diego, CA
Date Reviewed: September 16, 2003
Strengths: Suspension design is excellent. This bike climbs with little to no bob. This compares with my old NRS which is also a good climber but this ride is much more plush. The downhills rock! Great components for the price.
Weaknesses: Like other reviewers had said, the paint is a little thin. The paint has worn off from cable rub after one ride in several areas. The saddle is horrible. I couldn't even complete my first ride sitting down as my butt hurt so much. I replaced it with a WTB from my old bike and it's much better. Not completly satisfied with the Maxis Larson tires yet. I may try lowering the air pressure some more.
Bottom Line:
I am completey satisfied with this ride. I ride a lot on trails that are really rocky so I wanted something that is more active than my NRS but can still climb and pedal well. This bike fits my needs and am completly satisfied.
I read the MBA review and don't know what they were smoking. I weigh 165 lbs and have my shock pumped at 175 producing the correct amount of sag on the rear shock. I can't see how they said that they had too pump their shock to 300lbs. to get it to ride correctly. Maybe, a defective pump. I looked at the pump while pedaling on the streets, and their is virtually no movement in the rear shock until you hit a bumb and then the shock reacts just like it is suppose to.
Submitted by
Aaron
a Cross Country Rider
from Kings Canyon National Park, CA
Date Reviewed: August 21, 2003
Strengths: The suspension design is outstanding!!! Climbs nice with little to no bob, soaks up everything, stable at speed, and resonable weight for a 5" travel bike.
Weaknesses: Well, it has lasted longer than my 2002.5 so that is good. Suspension linkage bolts loosen ocassionally, even with medium loc-tite.
Bottom Line:
This is an update to an earlier review. The frame is a warranty replacement for the 2002.5 I broke. I have moved from Seattle to the Sierra Nevada's and have been riding this bike three times a week. It has been very reliable with no problems what so ever. The guys at MBA must have had their heads up their you know whats because I weigh 205lbs and run my SID rear shock at 215lbs with 50lbs in the negative spring. It rides perfect with those settings. It is a full suspension, if you want a race bike look elsewhere, but if you want a nice pedalling trail bike then this is a good choice.
Similar Products Used: Schwinn Rocket 88, KHS FXT Pro
Bike Setup: Manitou Black Elite 100/120, SID Race rear shock, Easton Monkey Lite Bars, Titec Carbon Seatpost, Flite Saddle, XT/X.O. drivetrain, Mavic Crossroc Disc, Hayes Hydrolics, oh ya, and Stitch!
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Perry G
a Cross Country Rider
from AZ
Date Reviewed: August 8, 2003
Strengths: The bike rocks on the trail! Every ride ends with a grin on my face. The new links really smoothed out the ride. All other components are top notch. Had to lower the Talas air pressure below recommended setting to get full travel out of the fork. Now, it's just awesome!
Weaknesses: This is a follow up after 3 months of use. The original linkage caused a severe side load/stiction on fox ava shock. Supergo ordered new links and it seems to have solved the problem. Main pivot bolt broke in half. The bolt appeared to be a very low grade steel. Supergo had to extract and replace it.
Bottom Line:
Once Iron Horse works the bugs out that I mentioned, I can't see how anyone wouldn't want one! The price and performance is unparalleled.
Favorite Trail: National, Submarine rock, Hawes trail
Duration Product Used: 3 months
Purchased At: supergo
Similar Products Used: Mtn Cycle San Andreas (my technical riding bike)sweet! Cove Stiffe hardtail (set up for all types of riding) Specialized big hit (2000) model (got rid of it in favor of the San Andreas)
Bike Setup: stock except for new links and DH monkey lite bars
Just an update to my previous review. Took the bike to Winter Park Colorado for 3 days and 90 miles of trail riding. The bike performed like a champ, great on the climbs and even better on the downhills. Went thru mud, creeks, gravel, loose soil with no problems. This is the bike to have for an epic bike adventure. Sent in the warranty card and recieved the new, redesigned shock links and a T-shirt, pretty cool! Thanks Iron Horse!
Strengths: 1/ DW-Link: this is as close as you can get to the climbing sensation of a hardtail. I've tried most suspension systems on the market and very easily place this one above all others. 2/ Bike Spec's: Very few (if any) bikes on the market can compete with the components that come STOCK on this bike - especially when you consider the "value for price paid" equation. Thompson, XTR, CrossMax - need I say more... 3/ Customer Service: My experience with the IronHorse staff has been an extremely positive. They have a passion for not only cycling, but also the industry and educating the consumers on all aspects. Each phone call has resulted in a ton of info being exchanged.
Weaknesses: 1/ Cable routing but as one reviewer said, who DOES do this right ? Some paint has rubbed off in a few areas but after all, it's a mountain bike. 2/ Not an IronHorse issue but the SID Race fork has been problimatic with an average customer service response.
Bottom Line:
Having been involved in the sport since the early 80's as a racer, Level II mountain bike coach/instructor, course designer, writer, tester, etc. I have had a chance to see many bikes, riders and technology changes in this industry. After puting well over 800K on this bike to date, I am totally blown away with the performance - so much so that I really question the validity of the review in MTB mag. Knowing what happens in the industry, I am assuming that they received a pre-production model that wasn't quite ready but was required for reviewing - especially in light of the rave reviews on the SGS Pro. I say this because their negative comments we not an issue on my bike nor with those in the other reviews. Recently I had the opportunity to try the 2004 linkage and after thinking that the 2003 was something that could not be improved upon, was almost in disbelief as to how little pedal feedback I received. It's now to the point where a rear lockout is NOT required as I can honestly say that it is very difficult to tell if it's locked or unlocked ! This bike is fast, smooth, handles in all conditions, climbs effortlessly in all types of terrain, corners with predictable results, works very well in mud, has NO CREAKS, has just the right amount of torsional rigidity (for my riding style), no noticable frame flexion points and has a very appealing look. In hindsight, I should have not changed out the Fox fork - was obsessed with weight reduction. This bike is a true joy to ride. If you are looking for a solid product from a reputable company that believes in giving their customers the most they can for what you pay yet still make money (afterall, that's what the bottm line is all about), then this bike should be on your short list for bikes to buy. If not convinced on paper, take the bike out for a ride and you will be sold !
Similar Products Used: owned Marin Mount Vision Pro (3 versions), Mount Vision (2 versions), hardtail Marin's, Ritchey Equip and a few others. Tried many bikes but enjoyed the Mt Vision Pro, Blurr, Superlight, a few Kona's, Brodie, Litespeed, i-Drive, Tomac, Trek, Cannondale and a Merlin.
Bike Setup: Changes: tires to Michelin UST Light, fork to SID Race, rear shock to a Black Box (team racing version of a SID), bar to MonkeyLite SL, XTR front derailleur, XTR cogs, Ti bolt kit for Hayes, TIME Carbon Titan pedals, etc.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Sven
a Weekend Warrior
from Phoenix, AZ
Date Reviewed: August 5, 2003
Strengths: I do but repeat what everyone else has said, the components are just awesome with the suspension being the jewel. Fox TALAS forks and AVA RL shocks are just excellent. Ironhorse customer service.
Weaknesses: Cable routing, which was easy to fix; stock saddle, which is a torture device, disk brake dragging which seems to need constant adjustment. The real issue is the swingarm hitting the seat tube making the rear end kick up and potentially terminally damaging the bike over time. Ironhorse have a fix for this where they send out a new linkage when one calls.
Bottom Line:
Savage bike. I rode it 65 miles on it's 3rd ride with some gnarly rutted fireroads and downhills, long flat gravel roads, long (20+ miles) of uphill gravel roads and it worked really well. I am very very impressed and very happy Ironhorse have a fix for the linkage problem because I would have hated to demand a refund. I mark the overall down one chilli due to the linkage problem.
Submitted by
Sean C
a Cross Country Rider
from Reno, NV
Date Reviewed: July 29, 2003
Strengths: -Fox Forx Talus is superb -Excellent customer service and quick response from Ironhorse when I have had questions -Only upgrades or changes have been the seat and tires -Excellent climber and still rocks on the downhill -Light enough to ride well and strong enough to take a beating
Weaknesses: -Paint is softer than I would like - lots of cable wear and dinks easy when rocks are kicked up. I've got enough clear protectors to make my bike polka dotted. -The Maxis TT tires are excellent for hardpack but were scary in soft or sand conditions -Cable Routing: Ok, I know everyone hates the routing of the cables and they are too long. I've run into the same problem. I plan on running all new shifter cables to shorten them up. As far as the brakes go, I contacted Hayes with a question and they told me the brakes are shipped preassembled to Ironhorse/Supergo. If this is truely the case then I doubt Supergo has the time to take them apart, route them correctly, and then put them back together again. Besides, I wouldn't want to use brakes that someone rushed through. -On the rear calipers I had to have a machinist build me a set of washers to properly position the brakes. The pads rode too low on the discs which was resulting in overheating. Since I've added the custom washers to raise up the calipers the problem has been fixed. -Upon arrival from Supergo the rear shock had most of its label worn off. Cosmetic only but ugly as hell.
Bottom Line:
I bought this bike in May to replace my Giant NRS1 "tin can" which died under the heavy riding I was doing. I wanted a trail bike that could handle fairly rough downhills while still being able to climb anything my body would allow. The Ironhorse has been excellent in both respects. The trail conditions in and around Lake Tahoe are a mix of loose soils, granite sand, and rocks. Lots of water bars and short stair cases also. My Giant's frame failed coming down one of these staircases and I was afraid to replace it with a new one. The Hollowpoint has proven to be a much better bike for what I need. It performs terrific on the uphills with the Talus' travel reduced and has little or no bob with the 2003 1/2 linkage. I seldom have to use the lockout and primarily only do when I have to climb a very steep smooth fireroad. The Talus front shock has performed exactly as I hoped it would and I have had no mechanical problems with it. It tracks well and absorbs everything I throw at it. The bike itself has a great plush ride over the majority of what I throw at it. There seems to be a little lateral flex in the rearend but it doesn't affect my riding. The Hayes brakes have performed well and provide plenty of stopping power. The overall stock componentry is awesome and I see little reason to upgrade except to customize the tires and saddle which I would expect to have to do anyway. The cable routing is a little annoying and so was the damaged rear shock label but nothing that would result in my downgrading the rating of this bike.
In short, if you are looking for an excellent all around trail bike that can handle everything except for large drops I highly recommend this bike. Excellent componetry, great handling, excellent customer service, plush ride, relatively light for a trail bike, good climber and descender, and looks great too.
Similar Products Used: Giant NRS-1, Cannondale F2000 Hardtail
Bike Setup: Stock except for WTB Laser saddle and Conti Vertical Pro's for the tires (very good so far by the way).
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Michael
a Weekend Warrior
from Redondo Beach, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: June 28, 2003
Strengths: For the price, you can't find a better bike. The components alone are worth the cost of the bike. The bike rides like a dream. My old bike was a full suspension specialized that I thought was great. Yet, now riding the IronHorse, I never want to ride that piece of junk again (talking about the FSR Specialized). With this amount of travel and this light weight, I can ride anything now!
Weaknesses: SuperGo lack of attention to detail on set up. After so rerouting of cables and tightening of some bolts, this bike is solid. This bike has no other weakness!
Bottom Line:
If you are looking to go to the next level in mountain biking and don't want to pay $5,000+ getting there, then try this bike. You won't be sorry that you didn't get one of those big name brand bikes and can spend your money on other things.
