Submitted by
Ti
a Weekend Warrior
from Boulder County
Date Reviewed: November 14, 2007
Strengths: i-drive, what can you say? It works very well. Even in 2007 IMO this is still a great suspension system.
Weaknesses: I'm writing this review as I've owned this bike for 6 years now. I built the frame with nothing but the best. I built the bike to ride Kokopelli. The first day of Kokopelli the Fox float air shocked detonated, within an hour of the start of a 4 day ride! The frame came with the shock - I won't ever own another air shock. I rode the bike with a broken shock the rest of the day. Back to town(Moab), I put a fox coilover on for the rest of the trip. Fully adjustable rebound and dampening - no lockout. But most of all, a coil spring to keep the ass end up.
Bottom Line:
I built the bike for the kokopelli trail and after the shock was replaced, it didn't miss a beat. The bike is setup for XC geometry, but it bombs downhill as fast I need to go. I would say that I don't ride this bike every weekend but it has seen some epic riding and has held up well. I have disassembled the i drive one time since I owned it to clean and regrease, and have had no trouble with the bike. If you run dirty, wet, muddy conditions keep an eye on the eccentric bearing maintenance. I have replaced brake pads twice and F/R rotors one time.
Similar Products Used: First and only full susp. bike.
Bike Setup: The works: purchased NIB frame as closeout from CBO in 2001. XCR 1000 Large Cosmic Sunrise. Hanebrink LT8 dual crown fork with 8 inch titanium rotor disc brake, profile stiffy titanium stem, LP composites riser carbon/kev bar with LP comp bar ends. Hanebrink Fr hub laced 14/15g black to Mavic F219 rim. King Titanium headset. Paul thumbies with Shim 8sp barcons, Hayes first gen hydraulic brakes, Woodman disco rear hub and disc brake conversion laced 14/15g black spoke into mavic F219 rim. 6 inch rear titanium rotor. Profile design carbon crankset, XTR bottom bracket, Action Tec ELS titanium chainrings 25/32/42,Ti ring and crank bolts, Crupi Ti spindle pro square pedals with toeclips, Wipperman 8 sp stainless chain, XTR 8 sp cassette 12/28, XTr Fr derailluer, Precision Billet Rear derailluer w charmichael pulleys. All bolts are titanium except for GT i-drive parts.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
jason chambers
a Cross Country Rider
from uk
Date Reviewed: June 16, 2001
Strengths: the bike performs great here in the english lake district which offers some challanging landscape.
Weaknesses: The firsy i drive i had cracked so I sent it back and got a warranty replacement. 6 months later the other one cracked in the same place around the seat tube area.
Bottom Line:
I think there is a major fault with this frame for both frames to crack in the same place in a short period of 6 months !
Submitted by
KURT HUTCHISON
a Cross Country Rider
from HONOLULU,HAWAII USA
Date Reviewed: April 26, 2000
Strengths: A very rigid ride for FS bike. The transition from hardtail was like vanilla.(No product endorsement intended.) The "I-Drive" works flawless when pushed hard. A lock out for racing would be beneficial, but not necessary for those of us in competiton only with ourselves, and there is little, or no deliniation of the back wheel. The faster you push it, the sweeter the ride.
Weaknesses: Seems a bit heavy for battling the inclines, but Im thinking I just need to train a little harder on this frame. In its favor, Im finding it gets lighter all the time, as I get used to it. Im currently using what would be considered a politically incorrect front fork,(RST HSL) and high rise bars, but Hawaiian trails not prepared for racing have a lot of slippery rocks, and roots to contend with, and the stuff I've been hauling carcass over would not be hardtail country for the weak of heart. More than once, while getting used to my new horse, I'd make a screw-up that would have sent me endo-ing over some good drops, that they would have had to call the Coast Gaurd chopper to lift me out for.(Ever kiss a bike?) I like having a bit of a beefy front end with a lot of travel, but if I had set up purely for XC, Im sure I would have no problems.
Bottom Line:
Im having a blast,folks. I had brought in a 3000 DS wich a friend had killed,(Broken bottom swing arm. A nightmare for me, and Carl-the-ever-patient, one the GT Rep's at "Bike Factory" of Honolulu. One wich we will both recover from with the help of loving family, and friends.) and I had purchased in hopes of getting it repaired. I think I got to ride it twice before its untimely demise, and it seemed sturdy enough too me. and I did not have high hopes of finding something satisfactory as a replacement, but overall, Carl was right.(He has one, also) This bike is much more stable than the DH inspired DS,from what little comparison I can make between the two, and has a great combination of agressiveness, and manners over all terrain. I gave a road biker hell on the way to the trail, and he had to pull hard to leave me. Not to mention, I was having a plush ride over the crappy roads we have out here, while he was feeling every pothole.(NYUK!) Its a great bike, and I would recommend it for anyone who likes a good XC bike ride. It really likes the long haul, and seems to be as stiff after warming up after a good four or five hour ride, as it was when you hop on.(Its still pretty new, so lets see what happens after a good three months more.) A true, "Jack of all trades", I havent found it wanting in anything asked of it yet. If I end up face planting on this one, I'd wager it will be my own fault. Quality, ride and fit and finish are excellent. I dont have much experience with FS bike's, (my first) but if this what to expect from them, Im impressed. I stay on this bike for a lot longer than I ever did on any hardtail I've ever owned, and when I get off, Im not as fatigued, join, or back-wise, and I regret not having the strength, and fuel, to keep going. Very addictive.(Dirty, rotten, GT bike guy's slipped me a "Bike Mickey".) With a little TLC, Im sure this one will take a lot of hammering, and still last for years without a single whine. Bottom line is, I really enjoy this bike, and its showing no signs of becoming a pain in the ass at all. There are deals to be found on 98's if you look around, and the only reason I say that is Ive seen the mango, red and black color scheme for 2000, and Im not overly picky, or anything, but yeesh! Some "ad guy" in the design dept. steered that choice for sure. Some mutant will love it, though. Fortunately, beauty is in the ride, AND the eye of the beholder.
Similar Products Used: Poor old hardtail Diamondback loses a home. I miss it, sometimes. NOT.
Bike Setup: 98 XCR 1000, Shimano STX RC front and rear derailluers, RST HSL front fork,(HI 5 replacement after recall) STIFFY headset, ASTRO PRO bars, WTB Enduroraptor front, Velociraptor rear, and SHIMANO V's for brakes.
This is one of the hot new xc full suspension rigs. it features Sid 80mm front, Fox Air Vanilla R, XT & LX kit. Priced at about $2600 and weighs about 25 pounds. Well our GT rep finally brought us one of these fine beauties and I got a brief ride, an in depth demo is promised for the near future. The bike has 3.2 front and 4.6 rear with the bike I rode set up for xc racing, a PLUSH '99 SID (they are actually good this year!) and stiff rear the bike felt pretty good. I'd like to try it with a SID rear and SID triple (with 4 of travel & 3lb weight), I think that might help balance it and make it a light-weight trail bike. The geometry is good, GT doesn't mess around like with their last LTS... The bike is a little overpriced for the kit this year due to the design costs,the '00 will probably be a lot cheaper. Keep your eyes out for the $899 and $1049 models, they feature heavier non-Easton tubes and lesser parts. The $899 has the new Judy 100 C (open bath) and coil-over rear shock, 8sp. Should be an excellent bargain. Will only give 3 stars for now, need to get one adjusted for my weight (a very light 125lbs) before a final verdict. This is the bike I am favoring in my new bike quest.
