Similar Products Used: cherokee climber from zellers. supercycle from canadiantire
Bike Setup: super t,easton bars, race face stem, hayes purple 8", double tracks.
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Submitted by
Erwing Parra
a Downhiller
from Bucaramanga, Santander, Colombia South America
Date Reviewed: September 22, 2005
Strengths: The frame fits perfect. Awesome weldings. Nice Rear shock with a lot of set ups. Marzocchi Junior T, very responsive and plushy. I`ve upgraded the stock 7.5 wt oil to a 15 !!! It changed from hell to heaven.
Weaknesses: Grips, stock pedals, hard to find 24 inches wheels. I hated the 2 small chain rings... The seat post keeps on loosing it. The frame has dents where the fork hits the frame, it should be more beefy there.
Bottom Line:
This bike rocks for the price you`ve payed. If you want a pro downhill machine, you`ll need almost the double of the price of this bike.
I`ll never change my bike for anything less than a demo 9.
Similar Products Used: Specialized Demo 9, Santacruz Super8, Azonic Eliminator, Specialized Old FSR, Trek y26, Giant DH one.
Bike Setup: Almost stock. Crank bros mallet C and ruffian grips in the 1st day. I`ve changed the 2 small chain rings to a 1 big chainring with chain guide. Ready for downhill racing
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Submitted by
Daniel Leon
a Downhiller
from Tucson, Arizona, US
Date Reviewed: August 20, 2005
Strengths: Super strong frame! Hucking 15 foot drops dosn't fase it! Rear shock super adjustable, good pedeling for 40 lb!
Similar Products Used: Kona stinky, dosn't compare!
Bike Setup: Stock
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Submitted by
cameron
a Weekend Warrior
from edmonton, alberta, canada
Date Reviewed: August 10, 2005
Strengths: so meny. the fork is great, eny were from as soft as you can sit and they will go half way down, too rock ass hard. i had it not evan half way did a 15 foot drop and used maby 2 1/2 inches of travle. the rear shock it good too a little hard to set just right but its all worth the time. i dont evan have it set it on its full 8.1 inchs of travle and it feels bottomless. evan the off set tires, i dont eavan realize it ( 26' in the front and a 24' in the rear )only when going up hill gets hard to pettle. shifters are good , brakes are great, stop you on a dime. every thing from ground up on this bike is just great! .
Weaknesses: the smaller rear tire make it hard to go up hill
Bottom Line:
great bike for 3200 canada this bike was worth every pennie. i can do 20 foot drops ( with trany ) no problem , it dosnt evan bottom out. the forks are great kuzz they get stiffer as they get compresed so its hard to bottom them out too. so if your looking for a cheap but sweet beginers bike this is the one evan a better riders can buy this bike and find it to be better than more expensive bikes.
Strengths: Very stong and agile, like the angle that it takes when jumping makes the landing smooth and fast. Can do anything form big hucks to twisty donwhills. Thoroughly enjoyable ride all round
Weaknesses: 24" back wheel limits tire choice. Only two different travel setting for rear shock.
Bottom Line:
Its a lovely bike to ride, it will get you through anything and can take you all the way to world cup races with the right set up. SPec out of the box is not brilliant as the junior T's have only 170mm of travel. Excellent value for money for the bike. If you are looking for a specific donwhill racer though other bikes may be better e.g the demo 8. But all in all a fantastic bike for the money paid.
Favorite Trail: Ski run at Pedal a bike away centre in the Forest of dean, ENGLAND
Duration Product Used: Tested or demo'ed only
Similar Products Used: Kona stab, Orange patriot and 223
Bike Setup: Forks: Marzocchi Monster T, Rear shock: 5th element progressive shock, Brakes: Hope mono 6-Ti's, Chain device: MRP Bones,
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Submitted by
Andrew Palmer
a Downhiller
from Halifax, UK
Date Reviewed: May 3, 2004
Strengths: This is impossible to break so far, this is the first full sus bike ive owned, ive been through frame after frame of hardtails but this is 1 hell of a step up.
Weaknesses: I havent found any on my build. Weight is to be expected....
Bottom Line:
This bike, for its price, is damn good. I was lucky and got it full spec'd for extreme huckability. I ride with monster 8" travel forks upfront aswell. No snapage yet but pleanty of time 2 go. So far it is trouble free riding. I recently, last week, travelled up to Fort William, Scotland and Les Gets, French Alps (just when i got it) and i done some massive drops on those DH courses. Yesterday i did a 12ft drop onto the flat of a stream, no problem it didn't even bottom out, but there again I am only 16 yrs old. You will all become Josh Bender's on this rig.........
Similar Products Used: Identiti Dr Jekyll. Orange 222, 223, Patriot 7+, Karpiel Disco Volante and a Santa Cruz VP Free (wouldn't reccomend, i shatted the bushes on the swingarm)
Bike Setup: Stratos S8 with fork guards, 5th element titanium coil, Motocross Bar, Race Face diablos stem, Thompson seat post, Azonic hot seat, rear Sun Modo wheel with 24x3.0 intense tire and Hope Big 'Un hub, front Sun Double wide rim with marzzocchi 20mm hub and 26x3.0 gazzolodi tire, Hope Mono 6 Pots, Evil chainguide and FSA x-drive 3 piece cranks
Strengths: Great pedaling bike...have taken on 20+ mile xc rides too, strong as nutz for the money, lightweight for a DH bike
Weaknesses: Bike seems small and comes with some sub-standard parts. Get new tires, grips and pedals before you go big with it. After 5 months of x-ups, the frame has dents where the Jr. T. bump stops hit the frame...no cracks..just dents
Bottom Line:
After riding a basic '03 big hit (the black crapper) for a season, I found this to be one heck of an upgrade. Within two months after buying this bike, I found myself doing drops and jumping gaps that I had previously only dreamed of doing. It took awhile to dial in the suspension...the Jr.T took stiffer springs to get it right and the Vanilla RC took a 650lb spring to do the trick (I weigh 165lb). Also, swap out the stock pedals, tires, and grips and headset before you do your favorite drop. In the last 6 months I have raced this bike in several races and I freeride at least 4 days a week and can count the number of times I have crashed on this bike on one hand. I attribute this to an unbelievable product thats worth 5 flamin chilis!
Similar Products Used: Big Hit '03, Bullit, V10, Specialized Hardrock
Bike Setup: Nokian Gazzo Jr on rear, Maxxis Mobster on front, FSA pig headset, '03 Jr. T w/ stiff springs, MRP slalom, ODI lock-on intense grips, everything else is stock
Strengths: Plush suspension front and rear, great geometry with the 24" in the rear, no bob in the rear suspension, great components for the most part, awesome drop bike, climbs surprisingly well for this type of bike.
Weaknesses: Some people will complain by rote about the Specialized parts. The grips and stem are fine. Judgement is out on the seat still, great shape but a little hard. My only true complaint about this bike is the freakin' tires. The stock Highrollers suck in the wet, dry, loose, whatever. I've given them a chance but now they're gone.
Bottom Line:
This is a great freeride bike. With a chain guide and maybe a different fork it would make a great downhill racer. Get this bike if you want a heavy duty downhiller with a front derailleur that allows you to climb (slowly) instead of pushing or shuttling. This bike is 45 pounds +/- but climbs well given that it has 8" of travel in the rear and doesn't bob. It is harder to climb up REALLY steep sections with this bike's geometry but the rear gives great traction over rocks and roots. Buy it, huck it, enjoy!
Strengths: Front and rear shock. Incredible stopping power with the Hayes Hydraulic Disc Brakes. Super Strong.
Weaknesses: Weight, Stock Seat.
Bottom Line:
I've had this bike for a week now and have been riding the hell out of it. The bottom line is this bikes rocks!!! I'm riding more aggresive lines then I ever expected to in my life. This bike really shines over drops, I mean I ran out a 10 footer about 20 feet and wasn't even phased the bike is a beast. The hayes disc brakes also provide precise braking that hasn't let me down. I love this bike.
Strengths: Proven FSR design, balanced overall handling, strong fade-free braking, excellent value, life-time frame warranty, drop dead good looks.
Weaknesses: Stock Pedals, heavy (expected).
Bottom Line:
The BigHit was meant to supplement my 00' Enduro for more demanding trails and DH racing.
My first ride included a demanding uphill to fully assess the FSR suspension on such a heavy/travel endowed bike. To my surprise, it pedaled almost as efficiently as my Enduro. As long as you stay seated and spin smoothly it goes just fine. Of course the overall weight, slacker head angles, and heavy wheels flat killed me on the long climb. But that has to do with my leg strength and fitness, not the bike's design.
Downhill it just rocked!! I ride some pretty agressive lines on the Enduro but the BigHit as expected just ate it up. The handling was very similar to the Enduro's but with two bottles of Nitrious added! I just love the FSR design! The 24" wheel didn't bother me. Great for wheelies and manuals. Maybe took a tick off the net top speed but oh well. 3.0" tires next?
Now with the downfalls. I was OK, with the seat, fork, grips, yada yada but the pedals were flat dangerous! Beyond the fact the pins were not replacable and the pedal body looked like it was carved by a high school shop class student, the pins were just too short had minimal grip. I slipped off once on steep descent and luckily kept my composure to avoid disaster. Those are going to be tossed soon. I'm adding a 3Heim Guide cuz I don't want to loose my triple. So far the Jr-T is OK but miss TPC. Wish I could get a 04' Slider or Dorado.
Overall, I was not disappointed but solidly impressed. There's more verstile bikes (Bullits), faster DH (V-10) but you'd be hard pressed to find a better performing complete bike right out of the box. And that's the bottom line!
Strengths: Lots, the 24 inch rear wheel is god for fast starts, and the suspension is easy to adjust anywhere from 6-8 inches, it also is really easy to jump, and the jr t's are a big plus, they are good for any type of riding, except X.C
Weaknesses: 24 inch wheel makes climbs a pain
Bottom Line:
This bike is awsome it works good for me in stuff from street riding all the way up to doing 12 ft drops, this bike is a good deal for the price, the only thing you need is a chain guide and maybe a better set of pedals other than that this bike is the best
Similar Products Used: Santa Cruz V10, Intense M1, RM7, Stinky Dee-Lux
Bike Setup: Everything Stock
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Submitted by
Rob
a Cross Country Rider
from Westminster
Date Reviewed: September 8, 2003
Strengths: Frame is very burly, plenty of travel, adjustable travel/spring rate, does more than just downhill. 24" wheel is great for downhill, but makes climbing a bit more of a chore.
Weaknesses: Stock pedals, seat, seatpost, grips, and tires SUCK!! 6" rear rotor is too small in my opinion. QR bolts on fork are very fragile, I stripped one out and replaced them with stronger bolts.
Bottom Line:
When I first tried this bike at my local trail, I thought it may have been a mistake to buy this bike. It was a bear to climb with, bobbed a lot, and the seat couldn't adjust to be more level. After weeding out all of the stock components that were junk, and making adjustments to the fork and shock....I now LOVE this bike! I weigh 160#, and the stock springs in the Jr.T were too stiff for me. I was given the advice to take the left spring out and add a bit of air to compensate. This made the fork WAY more plush and I'm now getting full travel out of it. The 500# rear spring seems perfect for my weight, and after adjusting the rebound in quite a bit, I don't get launched off bumps and it doesn't bob nearly as bad now. The bikes weight took a few rides to get used to since my Foes FXR weighs roughly 15 pounds less. The bike actually climbs pretty well, it's a matter of your legs being able to push it up the hill. Since upgrading to the 8" rear rotor, I have zero complaints about the brakes. They don't fade or squeek hardly at all and have plenty of power and modulation. I don't do huge hucks or drops (although this bike will certainly handle them), I wanted a bike that I could pedal uphill to get to my favorite technical downhill trails and this bike delivers. Once you spend a little extra to get the few crappy stock components upgraded, this bike is ready for most anything you can throw at it.
Bike Setup: XTR rear der, XT fr der, XT shifters, 8" rear rotor, 2.7 Mobster/Minion tires, Block 8 pedals, WTB Power V saddle, Race Face Diabolous seat post, Oury lock on grips.
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Submitted by
Erin Reed
a Weekend Warrior
from Irvine, CA
Date Reviewed: August 31, 2003
Strengths: Accelerates very Fast, seems lighter than 45lbs, bob is almost non-existant, easy to bunny hop, great for stairs, suprised the way it handles jumps for the weight.
Weaknesses: Rear shock just isnt strong enough (500lbs), popped it in a month. Getting a 700lb spring. Stock tires have cruddy grip; riding when its wet is a nightmare! Getting Maxxis hookworms.
Bottom Line:
As soon as I got this bike in the morning I rode it hard the entire day until I could barely walk. I was having so much fun! It was such an improvement from my trek 4500. I almost doubled the amount of stairs I could jump on the first day. Its a great DH bike as well it soaks up all the bumps and drops very nicely. Besides the tires, there arent any noticeable problems with this bike. But if ure into big drops with flat landings and other abusive stuff then you need to upgrade the spring on the rear shock. Highly reccomended for begginers and experts, its a great confidence booster.
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