Made for those who demand excellence, performance, and high strength (at a very light weight - 2.8 - 3.1 lbs.). The 2003 SFL hard tail frame is constructed of Fiber Lite Alloy - a proprietary biaxial butted tube set drawn from heat treated AN6 alloy.
Submitted by
Robert Turpin
a Cross Country Rider
from Louisville Date Reviewed: February 25, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Waverly Park
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$200.00
Purchased At:
pedalshop.com
Strengths:
Very light. Seems solid and strong so far.
Weaknesses:
Water bottle cages. The seattube cage screws are drilled to close to the front derailuer. The downtube cage rivet was loose and needed some love to get the screw out, but my lbs tightened it up with a special tool. This is supposed to only be a problem on the anodized frames, but is apparently also a minor problem on some cannondale frames.
Similar Products Used:
Schwinn moab, Giant Rainier
Bike Setup:
Manitou skareb super, king headset, east monkey lite carbon riser bars, thomson seatpost, bontrager stem, bontrager race lite saddle, bontrager select wheelset, truvativ firex cranks, sram x9 v-brakes, avid levers (nice), sram rocket shifters (twisters), xt rear der., xtr front der., time xs pedals, various tires.
Bottom Line:
This bike seems great so far, it is very light and because of that I'm not planning on doing any drops but I am trying to become an XC racer so drops don't really do much for me. It feels solid to me and I'm anxious to ride more and see if I can tell a difference in vibrations. I think I am the only one in these parts with this bike and that makes me happy. I also love the anodized black which came out more of a deep purplish-brown color. I got the bike cheap cause it was a demo. pedalshop.com has been awesome to deal with, even though I have never visited the store personally. I just got this bike in 2005 so I am not sure if it was made in 2004 or 2003. I'll post more after really getting to break the bike in.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Matt dowling
a Cross Country Rider
from minneapolis, MN USA Date Reviewed: May 21, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Lebannon Hills
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$299.00
Purchased At:
Bikeparts.net
Strengths:
I was very pleased and surprised at the vibration dampening qualities of the frame. My previous frame was steel and the ride quality is a remarkable improvement here. The geometry is very suited for climbing hard technical uphills. I found I was able to climb the same training hills in a larger gear than on my previous frame. The price can't be beat, believe me, I did my reasearch. My 16 inch frame weighs in at 1373grams! I was a bit worried that the quality of the welds would be lacking for a frame of this price but out of all of my MTB frames I've owned so far this one has the cleanest weld work.
Weaknesses:
The decals are shameful. Not worthy of a Kmart or Walmart Murray.
Similar Products Used:
Trek 8500, Stumpjumpers
Bike Setup:
2004 Sid Race, Race Face next LP crank, SRAM Plasma Dirt RD, XTR FD, SRAM rocket shifters, Mavic Crossmax XL wheelset, Easton EC90 Bar, Syntace stem, American Classic Ultra Lite HS.
Bottom Line:
I did my research and found no better deal for a lightweight XC frameset. The ride characteristics, quality of welds and geometry are spot-on. I took a risk with this no name frame and so far so good. My only complaint is the decals which look like something you might get out of a cereal box. But I quibble.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Andrew K
a Racer
from Granby, MA Date Reviewed: June 30, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Twister
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$379.00
Purchased At:
The Pedal Shop (www.pedalshop.com)
Strengths:
Light as hell. Very stiff. Vibration damping material compared to aluminum. Anodized black.
Weaknesses:
Sticker graphics.
Similar Products Used:
Schwinn Homegrown Factory 2000, Raleigh M80, Kona Munimula
Bike Setup:
18" Ano black frame. Marzocchi Marathon fork (Kona Team-Issue), Sun-Ringle RPM wheelset, XT Shifters/Derailures/Cassette, Sram PC-89R Hollow Pin/Plate Chain (very sexy), RaceFace Prodigy XC cranks & BB, Avid SD Ti/Mag Brakes, BP Stealth Carbon Handlebar, Ritchey Pro stem, Salsa Shaft seatpost, Selle Italia Flite seat, ODI lock-on grips, Time ATAC Carbons. Variety of tires. Cane Creek S6 Headset
Bottom Line:
Great deal for racers or riders on a budget. The price above is not what I paid, as I am not allowed to disclose that, but what a deal this bike is. One major strength is when courses get muddy, it's really easy to run with because of its light weight. It absorbs small trail vibrations very well and is not too mushy when stomping on the pedals. One problem that I do have is that the BB creaks when I'm really mashing, but I guess that is a regular occurance with all bikes, including my road bike. The chain/seat stays also allow for up to 2.35 size tires.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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