Submitted by
Joe Hook
a Downhiller
from Escondido, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: November 14, 2007
Strengths: Very maneuverable on ground and in air, Strong Frame, Decent shocks(Dont do any Big Drops or land hard on the front)
Weaknesses: Some Components are Weak, ive broken my Derailer hanger twice just doing light Jumps and trail riding. No disk Brakes.Seat post may need to be cut in order for it to not rub on the frame when Put down.
Bottom Line:
Very Tough, Strong bike. can defiantly take a Hard Hit.
I WOULDN'T Recommend it for doing DH,Xc or Big Jumps.
I WOULD recommend it to someone who rides arround town, on light offroad Trails and who doesn't hit Jumps bigger than 5 Ft
Submitted by
Benjamin
a Cross Country Rider
from Singapore
Date Reviewed: October 27, 2007
Strengths: Accelerates really quickly, forks and rear shock doesn't bottom out, no equipment failure so far, handles really well
Weaknesses: Weight, certain components, lack of disc brake support, hard to clean
Bottom Line:
Basically i wish it had more gears (it's a 21-speeder) and lockouts for both shocks. If i'm not wrong it was built for downhill rides but i hardly go downhill so i try to stiffen it up as much as possible. it's a tad heavy though, so get some new components. what irritates me the most is the lack of disc brake mounts on the frame (since it's old) and so discs can only go in front with a new fork. i'm planning to get a fox dhx air for the rear shock and possibly a fox float for the front. its 7-speed cassette also makes it hard to integrate with high end derailleurs like Shimano's XT and XTR, as well as SRAM's X.O. all in all i still love it as it can go really fast and i have not suffered from any handling mishaps so far. if you have a knack of switching gears really quickly and overtaking anyone on the road, get this. i'm not sure of how it'll handle downhill since i'm not a downhiller, but there are people who tell me it's not bad.
Submitted by
quadzilla
a Racer
from springfield, VA
Date Reviewed: October 18, 1999
Strengths: good frame
Weaknesses: all the components
Bottom Line:
The bottom line is that I traded a pair of old hockey skates for the frame (brand-new). You cannot beat that! I will sell the frame for $250.00 if anybody would like to buy it.
Similar Products Used: huffy F/S Team Wal-Mart Series
Bike Setup: w/ XTR comp. MARS front, Vanilla rear, Race Face crankset.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Emili
a Weekend Warrior
from Birmingham, Michigan
Date Reviewed: September 12, 1999
Strengths: What a beautiful bike! All you kidz are talking about how you got it so cheap - like $650.00? Well lucky me, I got mine for 600. Can't find a better deal than that! The bike handels VERY WELL. Great for those looong descents. The rear suspension's good and the front's even better.
Weaknesses: This bike just doesn't stiffen. Nooo way possible, and believe me, I've tried. Keep your chain AS LOOSE AS POSSBILE. I know I don't know much, but what I do know, take my word on it. The seats' just shitty so get a new one and the bike's really heavy. But for $600.00 you couldn't find a better one.
Bottom Line:
Awesome as all get out. It looks even better and people just can't help but talk to you about it.
Similar Products Used: a dual fischer Joshua F5 and various trek's.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Craig
a Weekend Warrior
from St.Louis Mo
Date Reviewed: July 26, 1999
Strengths: I loved the bike, really. IT was cool. And I lot a lot of attention. but..
Weaknesses: IT NEEDS A REPLACABLE DROP-OUT! The first time I got a stick in it, the dropout got screwed! The derailer went in the spokes and it ripped the threads out of the dropout. The second time, a twig the size of my pinkey got stuck in the chain. This time it ripped the dropout right off! The frame is now for sale(it was the only good part on the bike anyhow!) Dirt - Dirt Cheap - Cheap Fun - Fun Sucks- Sucks
Bottom Line:
OK if you ride where there are not any sticks.I give it 3 crappers for being cheap!
I guess i'm really just rating the frame, here. Right below here, is me a little while ago. I've since then, replaced almost everything except the frame. I still give it 5...
Bike Setup: I have JUST put a Fox Vanilla RX on my warp. I know the factory doesn't recommend it...but i have now jumped from 3 to 6 of rear travel! HALF A FREAKING FOOT OF REAR WHEEEL TRAVEL!!!! I'm trying to find a Manitou X-Vert Ti to put on, but haven't found one yet. I have made alot of other improvements to my bike, and it's worth about $2500, now. The Vanilla was the best, though!!! I recommend it to anyone who wants a WHOLE lot more performance out of their DS2! (7.5 length 2 travel shock)
Strengths: I got my Warp DS2 about a year ago. I paid nearly 850 for it *Which is a pretty low price for such a good DH bike* I know it will never get the respect it deserves from professional DHers, since they are so used to their $2000 bikes, but honestly, this bike handles EXTREMELY well going DH at 45MPH.
Weaknesses: Some people say this bike is too heavy. probably due to the fact that some of the parts should be upgraded eventually. The frame is not what makes it heavy, though, it's aluminum and very light.
Bottom Line:
All in all, i LOVE my bike. Of course i want to upgrade sometime, but who doesn't? You'll never find a hard tail or dual-suspension under 800, better than the DS2 *Unless it's a cheaper DS2 :)* For its class, i give this babe a 5.David,
Similar Products Used: Even though it's not the greatest dual-suspension in the world, it's certainly better than ANY hardtail i've ever ridden.
Bike Setup: I kept the GTM rear shock and plan on replacing it with a Vanilla at some point. The front RST 381DH is nice! I love it! 4 inches of travel, and i've never found anything that could soak all 4 inches of travel up...I would like to replace it for a Marzocchi Xvert sometime, but right now, this will do fine. Again, back to the weight problem. The first thing i did was to take all the excess rubber off the front shock. *Boots, and the pads that keep the tubes from hitting the frame* Even though the tubes will still hit the frame, it doesn't scratch or ding, because the brake/shifter cable housing takes it's place. Since i've removed it, i get alot more respect from my bike, *It makes it look a WHOLE lot less Childish* Plus it took off about half a pound of rubber!
I picked up a '99 model after my Trek 7000 hardtail was stolen >:( I thought I'd try a fully suspended bike - and for $650, why not?I like the frame gemetry - it is more comfortable than my laid-out Trek. The rear suspension design (BB behind the swingarm pivot) means you don't use the rear shock unless you are in the saddle. Stand up and you have a hardtail. The bike's heavy, but what should I expect for $650?The bike is good for rocky trails and seems to work well on steep, bumpy descents. The WTB TyrannoRaptor tires have good grip. The Alivio derailleur doesn't shift as well as my old STX-RC setup, but not bad really. The Dia-Compe 733 V-brakes stop very well, so far. The Suntour MAG 80 front shock seems quite soft to me, and I don't seem to be able to stiffen it up much. I swapped the saddle for a Specialized Body-Geometry model which is very plush. I would highly recommend it. The bike comes with riser bars and no bar ends. I swapped for a straght bar and some ends. Overall, a very good deal for $650, but I miss my fast, light hardtail Trek. If I had it to do over, I might have spent a little more for a Specialized FSR (lighter, better rear design) or the like. Normally, this would be a 3-pepper bike, but I'll give it an extra chile for bang-for-the-buck.Check it out here: http://www.giant-bicycle.com/usabikes/warpds2.htm
Submitted by
tom
a cross-country rider
from woodstock ont canada
Date Reviewed: January 19, 1999
Bottom Line:
This is a great bike for the money. The STX parts have worked just fine for me. That with about 2000 km on the bike. The RST fork is great but a little it stiff for my weight. The fork can handle any thing and every thing. With the triple clamp, full suspension and 32 pound weight this bike just rips on the down hill(that's with the rear shox and stiff as it can get). The WTB seat is perfect for a full-s but to hard if you are on a hard tail. The only problem with the bike is on sprints and climbs because of the weight on the climbs and the low pivit takes the blame of the sprints. Its really annoying all of the power that the suspension takes away.
Bought one of these DS-2's on a demo day at a ski area in Maine. They quoted me a bit low by mistake, then had to live with it when I said I would take it for $600, no tax(Bike shop in NH) Been doing a lot of single track. Rides very good. Compares, for ride quality, to a friends Kona at $2500. That is, except for the weight. His Kona is 24-25 lbs, but he spent $2000. The Warp was a bit heavy at 32 lbs, so I got some kevlar tires, titanium bb, deore lx crankst(99 model), spd pedals, titanium seat, syncros hardcore seatpost, profile stiffy stem. Weight is down by 3 lbs, to 29 lbs. Not bad for full suspension. Now have all of $950 into the bike, still less then the retail. Like the blue/yellow paint scheme. Great descending bike. With the rear suspension cranked down, road rides aren't too bouncy. Might get some superlight wheels. Looks like Bikeworld in Tx has some good deals on the internet. Nice totally Syncro all black wheelset for $375 .Alloy nipples, skewers incl!
I bought this bike about one month ago. What can I say? It rules in many ways. First, I get lots of attention and questions. Second the price. At $850 you cannot get a better deal with parts and performance. THe front shocks are awesome and smooth out the whole trail absorbing large and small hits, I've NEVER bottomed them out! I will upgrade when the money comes. I got a GTM rear shock-its great! Compression damping and rebound damping. Sorta a clone of the Rock Shox. Entry level STX comes with it along with rapidfire. DiaCompe Vee's and levers are powerful enough. The cranks, wheels and every thing else works great. The WTB seat is suspended in it's design. The aluminum box frame is strong and not a hint of flex. The rear u.r.t design actually helps me uphill and no sign of rear wheel slop. All in all a great deal and even a better bike. Don't pay attention to Alex cause he doesn't know what he's sayingFive flaming crappers!!!!!
I bought the bike about a month ago. I have read reviews at other sites saying that the front shocks on this bike suck. I don't know much about bike shocks but they seem to do okay for me. The bike looks good with the blue/yellow color scheme. I believe it's a good bike for a entry level full suspension bike. Also, the pedals have to go I hate them. Buy some shimano pedals.
