Submitted by
caid
a Racer
from redlands, california, earth
Date Reviewed: September 26, 2011
Strengths: frame, crank, geometry, headset, BB, if i was a normal person the fork would still be good, and the rims are alright, transmission.
Weaknesses: fork kinda, rims are alright, seat.
Bottom Line:
im liking it so far. had it a month and the fork met its demise on the fist day of ownership after a 180 that about sent me home with a high pitched voice and a lazy disposition. steer tube and crown are both toast. lowers are fine. frame is fine, headset is fine, front rim is ok. back rim is tweaked a little bit (3mm). i do XC, am, urban freeride, park, and 4cross. yes i do it all with v-brakes and a judy, but im just that cool. or crazy! the shifts are smooth, the crank is nice and straight, the gears are straight, the chain is rusty, the derailure tried to eat my finger. its a really nice build platform aswell. parts can turn this bike into anything. swap the forks, rims, and seat for your needs!! buy one and you wont regret it. this bike holds up to me, who has destroyed RS jett, judy, bombers, manitous, and DT swiss forks, trek frames, and the like, tweaked triple walled sunrims, ect. 175 lbs, 6' tall.
Similar Products Used: marin hawk hill, salsa ala carte's, trek 7500, trek 4500, trek 8, gary fisher opie, gary fisher Xcaliber, klein of some kind.
Bike Setup: stock. soon to have new everything. only the frame will be stock. well if a funn stem counts then thats not orig.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Rachel
a Weekend Warrior
from Hampton, VA, USA
Date Reviewed: May 28, 2010
Strengths: Frame, shocks, brakes
Weaknesses: Derailer, Saddle
Bottom Line:
I've been using this bike for about 8 years now and I still love it. It's taken a lot of abuse and never left me stranded out in the woods.
The brakes need to be adjusted from time to time to prevent squeal, but that goes for any bike. I still have the original tires which are amazingly still in good shape, and I just recently upgraded to a new derailer. The original derailer was ok, it never got completely hung up, but it would "hesitate" from time to time which was a little annoying, but not so much that it kept me off the trails.
Love the weight and frame, feels solid underneath me. I did switch out the saddle when I first bought it. The original was like sitting on a brick.
Recently rode a Haro ICS 4.0 while my Specialized was being tuned up and couldn't wait to get my bike back. The fit and feel was just not as good.
For the price I paid, I have no complaints about this bike whatsoever.
Submitted by
dchenong
a Downhiller
from Dekalb, IL, US
Date Reviewed: February 15, 2009
Strengths: Great Frame, Good Tires and Rims. Good Breaks for the money
Weaknesses: Derailer, Seat for sure, Front Suspension hardens up considerably 35 F degrees and cooler
Bottom Line:
This is a great bike for those looking to take there beginer experience to the intermediate level. Some detailed components could use improvements, but its a great bike for the money. Frame is amazing.
Bike Setup: Aluminum Frame, SrSuntour XCM Front Fork, Avid 5 disk breaks, Shimano shifters and derailers. Hard tail, Resolution tires
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
flowjoe100
a Weekend Warrior
from Hackney, London, England
Date Reviewed: June 11, 2008
Strengths: Very strong feel to it, even if abit heavy feeling sometimes. Good feel at speed and pinpoint handling on a light trail. Strong brakes and slick gearchange although it has worsened slightly since new. Comfortable saddle and riding position. Ive found it to be good on the road and for commuting.
Weaknesses: Rattles occasionally, crankset needed dismantaling and cleaning, I will replace this eventually. The fork is not bad for the price but not suitable for serious riding.
Bottom Line:
A decent enough bike, good for starting out and then upgrading as time progresses.
Strengths: sturdy frame it's light and easy to carry around on rough terrain. componet wise you get what you pay for. cool paint jobs
Weaknesses: stock seat gets a bit uncomfortable after some lengthy riding,but thats about it
Bottom Line:
Great bike for recreatinal and fitness use. overall i love it, I use to get to school and I use it on the trail. it has been good to me and has taken the abuse well. this bike is not for kids! recomended use for the knowladgeable. you do need to adjust and tweak with the brakes and gears and get to know your bike.
Weaknesses: everything else. iv broken every other part multipul times and upgraded each time (except the fork and some other parts)
Bottom Line:
awsome frame, rims to warp and dent fast and easily, shocks arnt that good, V brakes suck, derailer blows bends easily, tires are only 26 x 2.0 06 model comes with 2.3 so tires are great but mine wore out fast. paint chips but you can't complain with a red frame. i loved this bike for the 3 years iv had it and even now that i have a new one, im just gonne fix it up and continue riding it hard!
Similar Products Used: Specialized HardROck Comp 2006
Bike Setup: well stock, deore rear derailer, rhino light rear rim on WTB tires. (didnt want to spent the money to upgrade to disc so i just bought the 06 version)
bought lightly used, upgraded the componets to lx; my first priority. extended(fast al)stem and switched to a flat bar. all in all this is a sweet bike. i'm 6'2", 230,i've put it through a lot, jumps, drops, curbs and it rides strong!!! very impressed. thought about selling but reread reviews and decided to keep!!! what can i say $$ well spent. might eventually upgrade wheels and fork, but originals are doing just fine!!!
Weaknesses: Judy fork not nearly strong enough. Other components not so great, replace them when they break.
Bottom Line:
Great bike for the price. I bought this as a grocery hauler, then moved to the desert and started trail riding 3 days a week. I weighed 285 lbs when I started, so I'm not easy on bikes. As my fitness level improves, I've started breaking things, starting with the cranks and bottom bracket. Next were the rear wheel bearings, Santa brought new wheels on XT disc hubs from PricePoint for Xmas. Juicy 5 disc brakes are on the way to replace the weak and worn v-brakes. Next will be X.7 drivetrain and a new 9-spd cassette and chain to replace the worn 8-spd original gear.
Upgrading to better, lighter parts is a lot cheaper than buying a new bike and I'm very comfortable on this frame.
4 chilis for value - this is a good buy in a basic bike. 5 chilis for overall - a bike this cheap should have broken a long time ago. ;^)
Bike Setup: Evolve XC X-type crank and bottom bracket, Sun Rhyno Lite rims on XT disc hubs, just upgrading to Juicy 5 brakes and X.7 shifters and derailleur. Will replace anything else that breaks as needed.
I love this bike Mine's actually an '04 but it's about the same. Great for DJ, and awesome for all mountain no need for a full susp. unless you'r doing downhill.
Bike Setup: Marzochi MZ comp shock, hayes mechanical disc, bashguard, 24" rear rim,
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Richard
a Downhiller
from Moraga California
Date Reviewed: July 20, 2005
Strengths: The frame for sure, that probably it.
Weaknesses: I would say everything else because it slowly falls apart
Bottom Line:
Keep your frame and cranks and change everything else. This bike is great for beginning until about middle skill. Great for dirt jumping. Not for a serious downhiller.
Favorite Trail: Joaquin Miller, San Ramon Dirt park, and Moraga
Duration Product Used: 2 Years
Price Paid:
$420.00
Purchased At: Cycle Path Hayward
Similar Products Used: My first mountain bike so yea.
Bike Setup: Stock, but i hope to upgrade it soon.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Martin
a Weekend Warrior
from St. Louis
Date Reviewed: May 30, 2005
Strengths: The Frame.........ummm.......not really anything else
Weaknesses: umm maybe the components could be stronger
Bottom Line:
Buy it if you want a frame to build up a DJ or urban bike with, then strip the components except wheels cranks and other stuff and sell the drivetrain.
Submitted by
william
a Downhiller
from new zealand
Date Reviewed: November 2, 2004
Strengths: awesome frame for the price
Weaknesses: the compnentry is sh133y replace it as soon as possible
Bottom Line:
this is a great frame but the componentry sucks you can turn it into an awesome bike with some better components i only give it four flamin chilis cos of the crap componentry
Bike Setup: marzocchi exr comp shimano xt f and r derailleurs truvativ hussefelts alexrims dx 32 hayes mag discs
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
paul j
a Weekend Warrior
from chicago
Date Reviewed: September 22, 2004
Strengths: the frame!
Weaknesses: the components
Bottom Line:
very beefy frame for your buck, the components will hold up until you can afford better ones, i striped the origional cranks, and the fork wasnt enough, i cut down the bars to learn x-ups and tabletops eaiser and i cut down the seat tube so i wouldnt get thrashed jumping and especialy doing 180s, i ride my bike urban, north shore, park, downhill, and dirtjumping, and once my cranks come in the mail next week i am getting a new riser bar and stem for peace of mind, the 2 bolt stem creaks if you let it get alittle loose, i also may get my fork traded in for a dirtjumper, but not after i get new wheelsets,
overall- very good beginers bike, just remember to draw the line between replacing another busted part and buying a better bike.
Bike Setup: marzzochi zi freeride fork, panaracer fire fr tires, raceface good n evil grips, cut down riser bar, cut down seatpost, truvativ hussefelt rock garden cranks, giant mosh bmx pedals,new skewers to replace violently bent ones, new wheelsets to come because rear hub has failed me.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Matt Kelley
a Weekend Warrior
from Belmont MA
Date Reviewed: August 19, 2004
Strengths: I have beat the shyt out of this frame... itr still is fine with NO problems.
