Bike Setup: manitou 2 fork, ringle hubs, nukeproof bars, all the rest is stock.
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Submitted by
Ian Bowles
a Weekend Warrior
from Leeds, UK
Date Reviewed: May 27, 2006
Strengths: 29ers are great fun. cut thru anthing.Fast and furious.
Weaknesses: Headset, Forks, bottom bracket.
Bottom Line:
A great frame. Wheels make for a lot of fun. However, after one year I've replaced the headset, bottom bracket and those poor entry level manitou forks. They fell to bits! Now have roc shox which set me back £350 due to poor market supply for 29ers.Really disappointed all in all and wish i'd bought something else.when will we be seeing more 29er replacement parts? Difficult just to get inner tubes!
Submitted by
Carlyle
a Weekend Warrior
from Ocilla, GA, USA
Date Reviewed: February 11, 2006
Strengths: Well I guess the frame is alright, but I have never punished a bicycle to the extreme that the frame might bend and probably never will. I bought the bicycle brand new hoping to get a reliable bike with a reputable brand from a dependable dealer. My first 50 miles of riding were excellent. The bike just goes with what seemed less effort to pedal. I really enjoyed riding it.
Weaknesses: Then the problems started. First the front presta valve stem separated from the tube leaving me a flat. I live in a remote area so getting a replacement tube wasn't easy. Anyway I get a replacement tube with a shrader valve and convert the rim to fit it. I just hate presta stems, they're too clumsy for me to deal with. All is well again for a couple of months, then one day I go out and find the rear tire flat. This time the fibers in the tire separated allowing the tube to pop through and explode. The bike is only 2 years old and has only 50 miles on it. I just would have expected the tires to last a lot longer than this. The front and rear tire by the way have lots of minature cracks along the edges. I e-mailed Gary Fisher to address the issue but they insisted the tire failure is not their problem and refused to replace them. So much for the reputable brand. Now I have to buy new tires and a new tube before I can ride again.
Bottom Line:
If you've just bought a late model Gary Fisher Montare with IRC tires, look foward to replacing them and the tubes soon as they will simply just fall apart as mine did. If you were expecting to get great support from Gary Fisher after having paid over a thousand dollars for the Montare you can forget it as they do not back up the products they sell.
Similar Products Used: Wal-Mart brand 10- speed Murray. Probably about 15 years old, still have it and the original tires still hold air.
Bike Setup: Bontrager rims IRC Mythos Slick CX 700x42C replaced with Maxxis Overdrive 700x38C
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Submitted by
Robert Pippin
a Weekend Warrior
from Ft. Collins, Co
Date Reviewed: August 6, 2002
Strengths: Killer frame, great for fat guy
Weaknesses: bottom bracket
Bottom Line:
Wheels suck. They never stay true, but since I bought this bike used, I don't know if those are the ones that came with it. They are about to be upgraded. This bike had a straight fork when I bought it, so I added the Z2 after bending the fork. The components are crap, but I added Avid V-brakes, and all is well with stopping me now. It is a 14.5" frome. Some would say too small for a 6' tall guy who weighs 250 lbs, but I like the versitility and flexability of the small frame, not to mention it feels a little tougher to me. A new headset, neck, bars, ends, grip shifters helped the size issue, and I am overall very happy. That is until the bottom bracked broke and put my left crank on the ground during a decent. Bottom bracket seems to be an issue with these bikes though...
Similar Products Used: used to own a Bridgestone MB3 in the day...
Bike Setup: Bontrager rims, upgraded avid v-brakes, hard seat, Atom Bomb Z2 fork, aggressive fatty tires, soon-to-be new bottom bracket and a smile :)
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Submitted by
Jon Boy
a Cross-Country Rider
from Wakefield, RI
Date Reviewed: November 29, 1999
Strengths: One tough frame.
Weaknesses: Origional component group.
Bottom Line:
This bike is one serious frame. It's one of Fisher's best in my opinion. I threw on AC hubs, solid rims, and slowly scrapped the rest of the components along the way. With a lighter wheelset and components I've dropped it down around 23lbs. I loved the paint at first, but over time (and plenty of NE rocks) it's starting to look like an old nag. It's always had some flex in the bottom bracket, but it's often a nice thing when riding an aluminum hardtail over rock gardens. It's one of the best bikes I've ever climbed with and will have a fitting funeral when I finally retire it next year.
Similar Products Used: GT Avalanche and Zaskar, Schwinn Homegrown, Specialized Stumpjumper Comp.
Bike Setup: Raceface Cranks, 99 Manitou SX, XTR shifters, Avid Brakes, AC / Mavic wheelset, King headset
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Submitted by
Hari Astu Anggoro
a Weekend Warrior
from I N D O N E S I A
Date Reviewed: May 29, 1999
Strengths: This bike is strong enough in frame, i like it.
Weaknesses: I always have a problem with my bottom bracket. After i bought my Montare in 1994, i really enjoy it, but after six months,the problem came in bottom bracket. The bike is became heavy to ride although i had given maintenance in it. I have changed ball bearings in bottom bracket, but it's still heavy to ride. Now i never use my Montare again in events.
Bottom Line:
What is solution for my bottom bracket, because i really want to ride my Montare again.
Similar Products Used: Kona Cindercone that i bought one year after my montare is more comfort and easy handle
Bike Setup: Gary Fisher Montare
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Submitted by
Jon Judson
a Cross-Country Rider
from Woodbury Heights, NJ
Date Reviewed: April 9, 1999
Strengths: Great frame.Not too heavy.Bead blast finish is the next best thing to brushed titanium.
Weaknesses: Component group a little weak.
Bottom Line:
Took the frame and dumped everything else. A great bike to build on. One of the best aluminum frames in the biz. The bead blast finish is fantastic and durable. Wish Fisher would have stuck to it for his new funny-lookin' bikes (a little too mod squad for me).
Bike Setup: one a the first mt. bikes about. 775 east coast with deore XT everything
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Submitted by
Jeremy Howe
a weekend warrior
from Alton Bay N.H.
Date Reviewed: March 8, 1999
Bottom Line:
I bought a 98 Montare last summer. The price wasn't to bad. I have done some crzy stuff so far and dont have many complaints except for the mavric rims. They warp really easy, ecspecially after the had been trued a couple times. Other than that this has been my best bike yet.
I got a 97 Montare for a great price at the end of the year. The bike is great, never any problems. One compliant, Fisher spec'd some sketchy stuff on the otherwise great frame. Those heavy Trek wheels suck. I snapped the front one and the rear got so bad it couldn't even be trued any more. So I replaced those along with almost everything else on the bike. I'm lucky to work in a bike shop so I can get good stuff for real cheap! I've replaced the entire drivetrain with XT, including cranks and hubs. Needless to say , clipless pedals were the first to be added. Overall, I'm very happy with my bike now. It's essentially only the frame, fork and shifters that are the same but now I have a bike that rocks. And besides, half the fun of having a bike is to be able to upgrade and work on it.
Well, I still like the bike, but not as much with a couple of twisted links and a couple of teeth snapped clean off the middle ring...guess I don't know my own strength...
Got a deal I just couldn't pass on, so I picked up a close-out special of around 700.00 for a '97 Montare with the Manitou Pro and standard hardware. This bike handles my size (~220lbs), and tracks beautifully. After riding GT for years, I now know what is like to be able to go uphills too. Remarkably, while not as fast as a GT or similar stretch-frame bike, it still blows by my friend's KHS Comp. I like it more the more I get out on it, but I don't quite love it yet. I think I'd buy it all over again, but me in a bike shop is like a kid in a candy store, so who knows.
Submitted by
Greg
a cross-country rider
from Mankato, MN
Date Reviewed: September 4, 1998
Bottom Line:
I purchased a 1994 Montare frame (new) last summer and built it up with an XT kit. I am very pleased with the light weight of the bike and am happy with its handling characteristics. The 6061 aluminum is straight gauge and very responsive without feeling excessively stiff. All said and done I'm very content with this bike and plan to ride it until something new and shiny catches my eye.
Submitted by
T-Bone
a cross-country rider
from Atlanta, ga
Date Reviewed: July 27, 1998
Bottom Line:
I need some help.....I bought a Montare from a buddy for pennies and am not even sure what year it is. 93 or 94. It has the elevated chain stays and brazed on front deraileur hanger. To make a short story long.....It is the most responsive bike I have ridden and am in a dilemna with the upgrading. I put a manitou SX, XT wheels and shifters with great success. My next move is a compact crankset and front deraileur but the braze on hanger is a problem and the seat tube is oval as it gets to the bottom bracket. To me, the bike is worth the upgrades and I would appreciate any suggestions........
For the money, the '97 montare was a great deal. Compared to all other bikes in the $800 price range, it has the best components, frame, etc. Although it is a great bike, there are only a few drawbracks, it might sound petty, but I much rather have the velociraptors, than the primal raptors. I'm definatly not a big fan of the crank, but it'll do unil I break it. I have so much fun on this bike and can't wait to ride it more. You can't ride too long in 30 degree weather!
Hi. New member/rider here. I found my dad's Gary Fisher Montare in the storage a few nights ago. We tried researching information, but came out unsuccessful. Just trying to figure Read More »
