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Submitted by
tom
a Cross-Country Rider
from ACT australia
Date Reviewed: September 20, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
more than 3 years | | Strengths: |
reasonably light, strong, active, comfortable, PREDICTABLE | | Weaknesses: |
the stock shock (fox alps 4R), occasional creakiness | | Similar Products Used: |
nothing much comes close | | Bike Setup: |
deore xt, judy XCs, cane creek ad8 shock, mavic 117/217 rims with machine tech/xtr hubs | | Bottom Line: | the habanero rules. i built this bike up with mixed parts early in 1996 and have ridden it hard ever since. at the time i thought it would have to last because it cost me lots of aussie $. it's nice to be able to say that i haven't had to worry about that aspect at all. i've gone through two alps 4r shocks (they both blew in exactly the same STUPID irrepairable way) and then found a cane creek ad8 which works really nicely on this frame (these blow too, but not as badly as the alps do). 3 inches of travel front and rear is cool - IT'S A CROSS COUNTRY BIKE. the bike just goes and goes and goes. while there are plenty of sexy new machines out there now, i can't justify buying one because none are better (usually not as good) as this understated beautiful design. it works so well, why bother? five little smileys (more if i could) | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark Jarecki
a Cross-Country Rider
from Ft. Worth, TX
Date Reviewed: September 5, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Tyler State Park | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
Great Compromise, good cush, nice handling: supposedly same geometry as Marble Peak, very well built | | Weaknesses: |
Slightly industrial rear triangle, non-adjustable shock | | Similar Products Used: |
Stumpy M2 hardtail, various FS's around the parking lot, or barely into the woods, so not an expert on its competitors. But seemed to like it better than Santa Cruz, Rocky Mtn, or Speclzd's, or GT's. Have since ridden Heckler XL that impressed me. | | Bike Setup: |
XT parts robbed from Stumpy, plus Manitou FS, Paul's brakes, WTB 98 saddle (for my unborn chidren) | | Bottom Line: | Great frame. Pivots replaced once (I never greased them...duhh) for cheap after 1.5 yr. Not as nice as Marble Peak, but was $600 less at time. Weak link is fork, not frame, and non-adjustable Vanilla shock. No frame / bike is perfect in all conditions. You probably wouldn't CC race this thing, but is one of the lighter FS's without being noodle/eggshell. Gets pounded, takes it. Climbs reasonable well, descends reasonably well, handles reasonably well. Rider lasts longer than on Stumpy. I'd do it again. If I had more money, I would have bought Marble Peak, Turner, or equiv. Would have better fork (White Bros? or Atom Bomb), lighter wheels, and experiment with air shocks, or at least adjustable Vanilla. Could lighten to 24#'s with $$. Frame is 5.75# actual, in 18 inch. I'll leave 5th star for Marble Peak. | Overall Rating: |
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