Bike Setup: 1993 Purple Race
Ringle Super bubba(Angry bee)/mavic wheel set
Ringle seat post clamp
Ringle bar ends
Ringle bottle cage
Sakae Titanium handle bar
Syncros Titanium seat post
Syncros Titanium Stem
Syncros Titanium bottom bracket
Salsa Titanium skewer
Topline Anodized blue crank set
Shimano 545 spd
Shimano XTR brakes
Shimano XT 7/8 speed thumb shifter
Shimano XTR derailleur
Shimano XTR 8 speed cassette
Selle San marco Squadra seat
Chris King head set
White Brothers SC70 front suspension
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Scott
a Cross Country Rider
from Utah
Date Reviewed: July 17, 2007
Strengths: Smooth as butter. Keith Bontrager new how to build a sweet bike. I bought the frame, used from a bike shop employee that wanted to be able to use discs. I live in utah and don't believe discs are necessary for a XC rider here. If you have the opportunity to get one of these sweet bikes do it, they ride incredibly well with a modern 80mm fork, I actually have a 100mm fork and still love it (with lots of sag though).
Weaknesses: not made anymore!
Bottom Line:
Steel is a great material for bikes, unless your the kind that needs to impress the Mountain Bike Action crowd. i have had my steel bike for over 5 years and it is just as good as the day I bought it. COMFORTABLE, my bike is much more comfortable for even two hour rides than any aluminum bike I have ever ridden, and the fram only weighs a half pound more. Durability over Weight any day.
Similar Products Used: Many other aluminum hardtails:trek, canondale, specialized, etc.
Bike Setup: Privateer S w/rasta paint, Fox F100 RLC 07, Full XTR, Red King headset, Thomson post and stem, Dirt Rag ti saddle by Selle San Marco (looks great and is super comfy), Green and Yellow Salsa grips with red bar plugs, Easton Monkeylite SL bar, Continental Vertical Pro 2.3 tires.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Mattman
a Cross Country Rider
from Harleysville pa
Date Reviewed: February 18, 2007
Strengths: almost everything! lightweight steel frame, mostly xt component set, x-ray grip shifters, super comfortable, super reliable!
Weaknesses: 1" threaded headset makes it impossible to upgrade the fork! my q21r's finally failed and i had to replace it with an RST fork. even trade if anything. would have liked to get an upgrade out of it.
Bottom Line:
this is the greatest bike ever! steel frame will NEVER wear out and is lighter then many aluminum bikes, climbs, decends, and goes like mad, ALWAYS ready to ride! i've had this bike for just about 10 years now and like wine, it just gets better! the headset is finally failing which will be difficult to replace because of it's 1" threaded nature...but im sure as hell gonna try! if i lost both my legs in some aweful accident i'd still keep this bike just so i could say i have one and you don't!
Bike Setup: rst front shock, profile carbon handle bar, xtr v-brakes and levers, panaracer fire xc pro tires, most shifter components replaced with stock.
Similar Products Used: Tried lots of bikes, too many....
Bike Setup: I've two Privateer Comps First bikes setup: Tange Prestige Switchblade fork, Campy ATB headset,original x-ray gripshifters, Bontrager super stock wheels, the original XT group, those old red shimano DX pedals, and some slicks my city bike Second Bike: all original except the shifters and rims, shifters were switched to LX 8sp, still has the Quad 21 on it
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Michael Murphy
a Weekend Warrior
from Mankato, MN, USA
Weaknesses: Not the absolute lightest frame, but light enough for me.
Bottom Line:
I had my most catastrophic crash on this frame. I hit a protruding root with my pedal and went end-over-teakettle, slid into a tree on my head, bike on top of me. The rear wheel came down upside down hard enough to pull it right out of the dropouts; luckily the wimpy XT v-brake pivots folded out of the way, so my brake studs were not damaged. The rim was trashed but the frame is still right as rain; I had it checked for alignment and it's good to go.
Privateers are the low-budget mass-produced version of the Bontrager Race. I wanted a Race, but I wasted my money to pay off my girlfriends bills, so I ended up with the Privateer; 98 percent of the performance at half the price of a Race (Keith's words, not mine). It's just a little heavier, but not too bad. I love my Privateer; both wheels brake evenly into corners, the steel frame is forgiving (it doesn't beat me senseless like an aluminum frame), it climbs great, and it's Tonka-tough. The slim (by today's standards) True Temper tubing is so elegant, particularly with the wishbone stays and no-bridge chainstay. The dropouts are not only heavy-duty, but in the event of a failure (not very likely) they can be bolted back together with a bottle cage bolt to get you home. No aluminum frame could take the abuse that a Privateer can.
I would say this is probably the most durable mass-produced frame ever. It's at least in the top-five, and I'd recommend it to anyone. Anyone.
I bought this frame second-hand six months after I sold it to a guy from the shop I worked at. He was going into the service and no longer had a need for it. I only paid him $280, and I felt a little guilty about it, but he needed the money right away and that was all I could get together on short notice. I upgraded everything to Deore XT over time. This frame will hopefully outlive me; if I ever have kids and grandkids, I hope they fight over this bike. I've got a Marzocchi Comp coil with a 1" steerer I plan to install soon.
I bought another Privateer which I plan to paint this summer; it's got a 1 1/8" steerer tube, so I can stop hunting for 1" steerer forks.
Similar Products Used: North Star Estrella, Balance XR 750, Diamondback Response Sport
Bike Setup: Bontrager Privateer S, size medium (15"), maroon, Indy XC, Tange headset, Bontrager bars, quill 1" stem, L-bend bar ends, grips, seatpost, Mustang Rims, Selle San Marco / Bontrager saddle, Deore XT v-brakes, 8 spd shifters, cranks, derailleurs, front hub, IRC Mythos XC 1.9 tires, GT / Hadley rear hub.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Mario
a Cross Country Rider
from Randolph, Vt USA
Date Reviewed: November 28, 2004
Strengths: Beautiful in form and wonderful to ride. Super nimble and agile. Not Clunky like aluminum, but bery snappy.
Weaknesses: Only that it's outdated, which limits what upgrades I can get.
Bottom Line:
I have the joy of riding a 1994 Santa Cruz race lite which is absolutely the best bike out there. No qualms about it. It handles like nothing else, and there is no F/s that will match the sheer rideability of this machine. Too bad Keith is no longer making these. We will miss them when the last one rusts away a hundred years from now. What a beautiful and pure period in biking history before sensationalized tech took over. A million chiles to this beauty!!!
Bike Setup: hope hubs, mavic 517's xt drivechain, HS33 brakes, salsa stem, easton ct2 bars and seatpost
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Jamie Estep
a Cross Country Rider
from Crested Butte, CO, USA
Date Reviewed: July 23, 2004
Strengths: Great Smooth Ride. Perfect Bike.
Weaknesses: 1" headset and fork combination makes it a b**** to upgrade the fork. Otherwise this is a perfect bike.
Bottom Line:
This bike is almost 10 years old and I still have to find a comparable bike. With the exception of the 1" headset, this bike is X country perfection. Total weight is still under 22lbs. If you ride a lot of harsh trails the steel provides a softer ride than aluminum without sacrificing performance. Steel may be old, but it still rules. I will ride this bike until I get a new bontrager or this one breaks. If you can find one of these snag it and hold on to it. I've never met anyone who didn't love the ride.
Similar Products Used: Voodoo Hoodoo, GT, Klein, Cannondale.
Bike Setup: Raceface Cranset, XTR derailleurs, XTR Cassette, XTR brake system, AVID flack jacket cables, Chris King Headset, MARZOCCHI MX COMP fork, XTR hubs w/bontrager race light wheels. Raceface Stem w/1" - 1 1/8" shim. Titec Ti handlebars, Bontrager Grips. Time ATAC pedals.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
G.
a Cross Country Rider
from Fort Collins, CO
Date Reviewed: December 16, 2002
Strengths: Excellent bike. Sturdy, handles well. "Small" frame actually fits a short person--5'5"
Weaknesses: would have been nice if they could have seen into the future and put a 1 1/8" headset and Disc tabs on the frame.
Bottom Line:
Grrrrrreat bike. If you've got one and you want to upgrade the fork but are afraid of messing up the handling by changing the fork-rake, don't worry. I upgraded from the stock Judy. It didn't seem to effect the handling, and the improvement in suspension performance is phenomenal. Happy Trails.
Bike Setup: Marzocchi Z.1 Atom Race, XT/XTR drivetrain, Raceface cranks. . .
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Alan
a Cross Country Rider
from Sedona, AZ
Date Reviewed: January 10, 2001
Strengths: drove out to cali just to get this bike after breaking my FTW alum(ouch)hardtail. no more. steel is my friend here on the rocks of Sedona. Everyone else here rides FS. relativity i guess. remember rigid forks? this bike will steer up a 15% switchback w/o the need for a track stand turn-just rolls through it if you keep pedalin'. on the down it corners like a ferrari! just like those Italiains...design, design, design. it makes all the difference. but, i'm glad it's made in the USA.
Weaknesses: mine came with a Judy XC(bontrager offset). after blowing the cartridge twice, i decided to get a real fork and found a 1" marzocchi Z-2. It was like having a new bike! a couple of rides got me used to the new geometry(1/4" offset ). no offense keith, but the bike handles even better with the slack offset. also, the wheels had to go. i replaced the mustang/XT wheels with some 2 cross 3 hand built Mavic 217's(3 years ago my friends). the rear is still going. the front was left at the red canyon parking lot near Bryce,UT in july 2000. if you found it i'll pay a reward!
Bottom Line:
i hope this bike lasts forever. the only other bike i haven't broken in my life of mtn biking(13 years) is my rigid '91 prestige stumpy. the bontrager will not become a 'towny'!
Similar Products Used: nothing compares at the price, but my rigid stumpy set it all up for the future.......
Bike Setup: full XTR with Z-2 75mm
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Ben
a Cross Country Rider
from Boulder
Date Reviewed: October 13, 2000
Strengths: Very good handling - agile, with tight, quick steering Works best when ridden very aggressively. Handling is best in fast, twisting single track.
Weaknesses: In a lot of situations, this bike rides best when you ride it aggressively and shift your weight around. I think this is good, but for an inexperienced rider, it could be detremental. Due to its tight handling, on long sweeping turns the bike can feel unstable in the front end is not correctly weighted. I don't get along with this bike when descending paved mountain roads. If you are a beginner, get a bike that feels more stable with slightly slower steering, or you may fall more often than necessary. For an experiance rider that likes to go fast both up and down hill, get a bontrager.
Bottom Line:
This is an amaizing bike, basically the more aggressively you ride it, the better it feels and performs. Ever since I upgraded to a more rigid front end, with a strong wheel on a Phil Wood hub and the Marzocchi fork, the steering when descending has just been phenominal; bike goes when you point it, and holds a line perfectly. Due to the quick steering, you can change direction instantly. Technical sections of trail are also great to ride because you can really through this bike around under you, and change direction quickly.
Bike Setup: Privateer. The only remaining origonal parts are the stem and the seatpost. 99 Z2 Atombomb, Racelight riser bars, full xtr drivetrain, Magura HS33, King HS, Phil Wood front hub, time pedals.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Anthony Anzaldi
a Weekend Warrior
from New jersey
Date Reviewed: October 11, 2000
Strengths: This bike is handles awsome. What a deal I got I only paid 500 bucks for it. After picking it up I felt guilty,and after riding it I felt even worse. What a steeeeeeeeeeel.If you can find one buy it!!!!!
Similar Products Used: Origanally had a Bridgestone then a Specialized. Ah steel a dying breed luckly I found one>
Bike Setup: Stock full XT,with rock shock Judy>
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Gene Choo
a Weekend Warrior
from New York, NY USA
Date Reviewed: May 8, 2000
Strengths: I have a '97 Racelite. And simply put, it is the best handling, best riding hardtail out there. Beautiful hand-crafted, Santa Cruz-made steel frame. The stock Bonty components are light and durable. From tight, twisty singletrack to steep, technical climbs, this bike can do it all. And unlike aluminum bikes, you don't feel beat up after a rocky descent. Too bad Keith sold out to Trek.
Weaknesses: The 1" steerer tube. Your options for fork, headset and stem upgrades are extremely limited.
Similar Products Used: Specialized Stumpjumper Gary Fisher Pro-Caliber Cannondale F1000 Schwinn Homegrown Litespeed Tsali GT Avalanche LE
Bike Setup: Full XT with Bontrager components and Judy XC fork.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jan Mork
a Cross-Country Rider
from Stockholm
Date Reviewed: November 3, 1999
Strengths: It´s light and nimble, making you something of a daredevil even though you´re not one really. Seems it´s probably built to last with light but strong components.
Weaknesses: The Crowbar was NOT a fave of mine at first. It made my fingers go totally numb. I´ve got used to it now and maybe the bar isn´t that bad after all.
Bottom Line:
It´s a blast to ride this bike! I really wanted the racelite but couldn´t afford it(damnit). As substitutes go this is a winner, including the stunning rasta paintjob. It´s a real shame Trek´s not going to build them anymore. Luckily I got one and the smile I had when leaving the store hasn´t faded one bit.
Similar Products Used: Trek 930 shx ´97 Trek Y33 ´97
Bike Setup: Privateer Comp ´98, stock w/Judy XC. Changed cassette and chain to XT.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Chris Holme
a Cross-Country Rider
from Wells, Somerset, England
Date Reviewed: September 14, 1999
Strengths: Excellent geometry, well specced, old school steel appeal
Weaknesses: Nowt, although stay alert
Bottom Line:
I've always had a thing for steel frames: the appeal of other stuff doesn't just pass me by, but I do believe that well made steel frames have got soul. Having ridden Specialised, Rocky Mountain (all nice rides) etc for years and years, I eventually brought a Privateer comp, and it pretty much blew me away handling-wise. The bike is an absolute dream, and, for me at least, is the perfect machine for those all-day rolling rides that take in equal part hard climbing (you have to go up to get down, after-all)and tight, thru' the trees soulful singletrack. I've have the utmost respect for Bontrager, esp. with regard to Keith's stance on the industry and so I was fully stoked, then, when the chance came to buy one of the last (pre-Trek) Bonty Race frames. Like the girl you know whose gonna be 'the one', it's the bike for me. The Privateer, meanwhile, compares more than well, and for the money, nets you one very well thought out bike that's not only got history, but is going to last a long time. No short term consummerism here.
New here, and not sure if this has been covered all ready (quick forum search got me nothing) , but I just wanted to mention a program that my work uses. I'm hoping someone out the Read More »
Thinkin' about selling my Superlight. Reason not important. It's a nice bike. No problems.
Custom build. Cost me $3300. I did most of the work. Had LBS guy install HS and fork.
Read More »
Im buying an 08 ReignX2 from a buddy tomorrow and was wondering; what is the best bike shop to get a giant checked out at, also which are the best beginner to moderate AM trails to Read More »
Hello, I am new to biking and really need some good advice. I am 52 years old, 5’ 10” 225 lbs. Typically I plan to use the bike after work for exercise and weekends for fun. I live Read More »
