Submitted by
jeffrey4js
a Weekend Warrior
from Newport Beach
Date Reviewed: October 7, 2009
Strengths: First off, WOW! Really nice full-susp.
Weaknesses: A little on the heavy side. But that too me means a well built machine
Bottom Line:
Bottom line is, try hitting a fire road at 40+ mph with your buddy who is semi-pro hardtail rider and guess what happens to this "weekend warrior"; He takes a mean digger and broke his wrist and two ribs, ouch!! BUT for real it is a supurb climber and begginer/novice DH, AS well a it does pretty well on the pavement
Similar Products Used: First DH bike, and have owened now for 9+ years. Hard to part with it, and have thought about it many times!!
Bike Setup: WELL- Done a few things, haha; first put a BigBoy seat which is mando. for DH. Second put Marzzochi Bombers 180 mm to lift up the front. New Orange DH riser bars that you NO MATTER what you do can't bend (reccommended highly). THEN MOST IMPORTANLY I through on Spinergy SPOX rims in the color red to match the bike. I have also converted the front deralor to xtr, which make not a bit of difference. She stands on MaXXiS 2.4 as well (a little heavy though). F-ING cool bike.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Jamie Patrick
a Weekend Warrior
from St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: October 12, 2004
Strengths: Wow is this a tough bike, havent really had to do anything to it other than upgrades and routine maintenence. Great ride on trails and road, almost feels like im riding on air.
Weaknesses: back shock is really squeaky
Bottom Line:
I have layed a huge beating on this bike since i bought it from my buddy brian and it has taken all the beating and is still able to handle what ever i throw at it, whether it be trail riding or six foot drop offs. Wouldnt want another bike for the world, cause this bike gives me the feeling of riding on air.
Bike Setup: manitou black comp fork, noleen back shock, magura hydraulic v-brakes, LX derailers, dual ryno lite rims
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Michael Karlovich
a Cross Country Rider
from Belmont, Ca, USA
Date Reviewed: July 11, 2001
Strengths: The suspension dampens even the most rough terrain, yet hinders the climbing effort very little. Very light bike. It is lighter than many of my friends' hardtails.
Weaknesses: Wheels go out of true easily.
Bottom Line:
This bike kicks ass. I ride it almost every day on very technical terrain, and even small jumps. After a year of pounding, it is still going strong. I've only had to true the wheels and replace the brake pads -and routine maintenance. I ride sometimes with friends who have paid more for lesser bikes than this. The suspension system works awesome and makes off road riding feel like a ride on the road. I think you would have to pay over $2000 to find a bike that is noticeable better.
Bike Setup: At the present time, it is all original parts( XT-LX, Un 52, shimano, i have upgraded the bar to an easton monkey bar, upgraded stem to easton mg70 and the breaks to shimano XTR, and the seat to a sella italia flite gel
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Scott
a Weekend Warrior
from Richmond,CA,U.S.
I was a hardtail hold-out. It took this bike to convince me that full suspension is the only way to go. Not to mention the fact that I am now the ripe old age of 36, and these getting old bones took a beating on an aluminum hard tail. This bike is, how should I put this,"Awesome." That is the only way to describe it. This bike does everything better than my hardtail, including climbing. I didn't think it was possible. In fact, it climbs so much better, that after my initial ride I came home and measured the cranks to see if they were longer than my hardtail cranks. They weren't. After the easy climb, what comes next? That's right, the ride down. Most of the time it is possible just to stay seated and steer. This is impossible on a hardtail. Did I mention fire roads? No? Well, let me mention them now. The only thing I can say is that after a 1.5 to 2 hr. long ride I come home and I only feel 30 yrs. old. Oh, yea, did I mention that I LOVE MY BIKE......And because of the price...$710.00 dollars I have to give it 5 Flamin' Chilis across the board baby!!! So, if you are getting a little older, and coming home a little on the sore side after your rides, stop holding out and go full suspension.
Similar Products Used: Specialized M2 FS. Hardtail
Bike Setup: All stock, except for XT brake pads,Specialized Team Master and Team Control tires, and Specialized Body Geometry seat.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ron
a Cross-Country Rider
from West Hills, CA
Date Reviewed: December 31, 1999
Strengths: Simple solid design.
Weaknesses: The rims while lite, don't stand up to well.Bad seat.
Bottom Line:
Been riding this bike at least twice per week for a year and 1/2. I only ride off road and the average ride time is 2 hrs. I have only replaced the seat, filed down that stupid seat post stopper and shortened the seat post. (I can't stand doing downhills with the seat at the usual hieght.) This is an excellent bike. The smart shok is an added bonus. I feel that this and the 5000 reached their peak in 98. The 99s are a little step down. The bike is rough and ready and takes whatever I put it thru. It handles like a dream! And no pogo! I am impressed that little maintainence has been required. My only real complaint are the Sun Sub IV rims. I only weigh 150 and yet I still need to true the rear more often than I would like. I wonder if the squirrelly feel that some have attributed to the rear swing arm might just be the rim flexing? I will just replace these at some point. No big deal. A legend of a bike!!
Submitted by
Alain
a Cross-Country Rider
from Concord, CA
Date Reviewed: October 31, 1999
Strengths: Great rigid fork Good downhill Good rear traction
Weaknesses: comes LX equipped
Bottom Line:
I previously owned a Proflex 857 on which I rode more than 5200 miles in a year and half (70% commuting to work and 30% on trails). The bike handled very well, was equipped XT. I was a bit skeptical of the sturdiness of the rear suspension but it didn't give me any problems. I bought a K2 4000 because of the esthetic of the bike and also because of the great reviews in different MTB magazines. I changed the wheelset to Cross Links and the brakes, crank to XT. The ride is excellent, the rear suspension doesn't pogo under effort, the front shock is rigid and is more sensitive to small bumps that the 97 forks. The big hits are no problems for the fork. The bike performs well on the fire roads as well as the single tracks. Going downhill is a pure pleasure. I forgot to mention that the seat provided with the bike went in the garbage and was replaced with a WTB SST and the bike needed a complete lube before it was ridable.
Bike Setup: K2 4000 frame Cross link Smart shock fork All XT Mavic Cross Link wheelset WTB tires
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mr. K2
a Cross-Country Rider
from scolleran@hotmail.com
Date Reviewed: September 21, 1999
Strengths: light strong almost no pogo good looking
Weaknesses: tires don't always hook up
Bottom Line:
I'm actually reviewing the 4500, It doesn't have it's own page. It's basically the same except for a CF frame, and servowave levers. This bike is simply amazing, I don't notice any rear pogo, and the fork bounces less than anything I've ever tried. I thought such non reactive suspension would feel rigid on the way down, but it's incredibly plush, especially at high speeds. I'm currently in the middle of saving some weight. My budget will allow me to reach about 23 pounds, but I once saw a mag build it down to 22 lbs and 5 ounces with noleen suspension. Air shocks front and rear plus new tires would save another 1.5 lbs off that! This is my second nr-4 eqipped bike and it's delivering the same great performance and adjustability as the old one. However, the noleen ELTS fork has been my first experience on a noleen fork. It combines the rigidity of a triple clamp (a little more rigid actually), and the weight of a single crown. It tracks like it's on rails and delivers the ultra smooth performance of a rear shock up front. The smart shock is my favorite feature though, it tunes the compression damping 1000 times a second and feels perfect over every sized bump. The light weight easton CF frame is the strongest frame I've ever ridden and looks great. So far I've upgraded the derailluers, crankset, BB, brakes, and saddle- but this was strictly for weight savings, the stock parts worked great. Once I get new hubs, skewers, tires, tubes, and a new cassette, I'll be done. But once again, if I'm only doing this to save weight, every stock part works flawlessly except the tires. I like them in some conditions, but around half the time they just dont hook up.
Submitted by
Erich Schunter
a Cross-Country Rider
from Seattle, WA
Date Reviewed: August 13, 1999
Strengths: Suspension, frame, handling.
Weaknesses: A bit heavy, terrible seat.
Bottom Line:
Very capable bike, very plush, tracks like a train on downhills. The Smart shock is awesome, though I think I may drop down to the 175 spring, or start running the shock in 'soft' mode. I weigh about 165, right on the threshold between the 175 and the 200 spring... So far I've added a peranaum-saving seat, new Ti seatpost, and chopped some length off the handlebars. I also filed down the seatpost stop, after much debate... Certainly don't want the seatpost to drop down and impact the rear shock, but wanted to be able to drop the seat nice and low to tackle those 70 degree trail drop-ins we tend to encounter out here in Washington! Threw on my existing Cane Creek straight-pull wheelset, with Velocirapter tires (heavy, but bulletproof): the bike is an absolute goat up steep, loose stuff, and a rocket sled sprinting out of corners and up and down rolling hills. Don't know how much of that is the wheels, as they've always treated! Ti riser handlebars are forthcoming, as is a new crankarm/bottom bracket/drivetrain assembly, mainly to save some weight, but I've burred up the stock chainrings several times already. Going to look into disk brakes, may have to settle for Maguras... Would love to get the bike down to about 26 pounds, will let you know if it's doable!
Favorite Trail: Preston Railroad Trail, Issaquah, WA
Duration Product Used: 6 months
Similar Products Used: Trek FS (model?)
Bike Setup: Medium frame, Smart shock on Noleen fork
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Batman
a Weekend Warrior
from Northwest
Date Reviewed: July 19, 1999
Strengths: Quality Stock Components Bike Handling Rear shock's compression and extension adjustments Front fork's electronic damping adjustment.
Weaknesses: Seat-post stopper bump in frame
Bottom Line:
It definitely climbs much better than anything alse I've tried with a full suspension. The wheelbase is long, hence the bike is a rail downhill. The fork is really stiff laterally, due to its homogeneous leg design, and is very accurate (point and shoot). The bike is fast downhill. The intelligent fork is a real useful feature. I was afraid it is some sort of gadget, but thinking about it, it makes sense. What all the other front shocks suffer from is the difficulty to adjust them 'on the fly'. The headshock has this handy knob you can turn but it only acts on the precompression (so do most of the other forks top-knobs) and any motorcycle/car suspernsion specialist will tell you that dampening is what really matters. Wether you lean to the front of your bike or to the back, your weight distribution will change and you would need to adjust your shocks accordingly. The smart shock does it accordingly, regulating the oil flow hence the dampening. It's an awesome idea, I'd even say the only way to go. Wait a few years and you'll see other bike/shock manufacturers will use a similar technology. The XC ride of this bike on rough terrain is amazing. Even a bold rear tire does not lose traction on wet roots or rocks. It climbs anything, soaks up the bump and sticks to the ground. I am not sore after a ride as I used to be, and can resume normal butt activity.
Similar Products Used: Cannondale Super V Cannondale M500
Bike Setup: Stock everything
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jacob
a Cross-Country Rider
from Rockford, Il
Date Reviewed: July 15, 1999
Strengths: great suspension set up- love the weight- superlite for full suspension-
Weaknesses: tires gotta go- my front end slip all over on high speed singletrack- OH! and the seat kills!
Bottom Line:
Excellent XC bike- love the way it handles- very light , although I worry about the toughness of the carbon fiber swingarm.... anyway the suspension is tight- as long as you treat it right- and the components are decent. wanna good deal on one? www.bennetts.com- GET IT!!!
Well, since I reviewed my bike last, I've converted her into a freerider. I've upgraded to an x-vert-r fork, XTR V's, XTR rear der., XTR front der., XTR crankset and B.B., 636 pedals, bonty crowbar xxx dh handlebar, fire XC tires, and ODI rogue grips. Everything else is still stock, except for the shock which I had replaced after my little incident. In my eyes, the 4000 was made to be a freerider. The rear travel is perfect and the frame is as strong as they come. The suspension doesnt budge while climbing if you stay in the saddle, but it's still 100% active and absorbs everything perfectly, especially at high speeds. I love the wide range of adjustments on my nr-4, which are now matched by my new fork. The crankset was mainly a weight saving upgrade, but the new XTR B.B. is the smoothest one I've ever ridden. The new derailuers shift like only XTR can. I love the 636's giant platforms and my fire xc tires hook up great in every condition. Next year I'm upgrading to disc brakes and disc wheelsets, maybe a new headset too. While Judy (as I call her) tips the scales at 29.5 pounds, she can more or less hold her own on climbs due to the great designing but it's still a royal pain on extended steep climbs. However, the downhilling makes it all worth it. I realize this bike is now one of a kind, but I strongly recommend test riding a similarly spec'd bike. You wont be disappointed.
Submitted by
Art Ballelli
a Cross-Country Rider
from Westerly RI
Date Reviewed: July 10, 1999
Strengths: The best bike ever made! I changed most of the parts but the frame and fork I love!
Weaknesses: My 3000 came with some lousy brakes. upgraded to '99 XT Vs.
Bottom Line:
The best bike a cross-country freak could buy. The frame and fork can't be beat. Some of the parts are cheap but with a little love and cash you can build the nicest ride. Toss some Azonic riser bars on and some Panaracer Fires and it'll grab hold of a trail like a PitBull. I've owned 4 bikes now from Offroad/ProFlex/K2 and this is the best thing going. I ride some pretty nasty s#!t and this bike just laughs it off. If you want the best bike for any amount of money look no further than the 98 K23000! p.s. I ride in Freetown, Mass the real place they designed my bike its just down the road from the old HQ.
hi all, im new to this forum, so please let me know if im posting in the wrong section,
thought id show you my latest retro gt, its the xcr 4000, i think its from 1999 (correct Read More »
Ok so I was looking and found a 2001 GT XCR 4000 Full suspension on craigslist for $200. It looks like it's in good shape but, I don't know and couldn't find the specs for this spe Read More »
Ok so I was looking and found a 2001 GT XCR 4000 Full suspension on craigslist for $200. It looks like it's in good shape but, I don't know and couldn't find the specs for this spe Read More »
I hope this is an appropriate post - if not, lock it down....
I "inherited" this, and I don't have room for it, since it doesn't fit me. Bikepedia tells me this is a 1998 or so Read More »
