The Black Widow has risen again in the form of our top of the line hard tail. With an amazing new CNC Enigma seat stay yoke that increases lateral stiffness by over 30 percent. The Widow also features lighter CNC disc brake dropouts, revised geometry for quicker handling, and a new head tube and bottom bracket shell that is the envy of the industry.
Submitted by
Brian Peeler
a Cross Country Rider
from Montgomery, IL Date Reviewed: May 6, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Palos
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$1300.00
Purchased At:
Airborne.net
Strengths:
Smooth feel that only Ti can give ya. No noticable flex when you're mashing the gears.
Weaknesses:
Uh....none.
Similar Products Used:
Specialized SJ M2
Bike Setup:
Full XTR, Thomson stem/seatpost, titec handlebar, Selle italia seat, CK headset, XTR wheels
Bottom Line:
Received the bike super fast, 5 days i think it was. I'm a ti bike virgin so I was a little leery of it. Would it meet up to my expectaions?
Well it did and then some. No more feeling like my fillings are going to fall out like when I rode the stumpy. Snappy when you need it, supple when you REALLY need it.
Buy this bike if you love all the advantages of hard tails and still want to be able to ride when you're 100!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
The_Bikesmith
a Cross Country Rider
from Watertown Date Reviewed: September 26, 2003
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
Airborne direct
Strengths:
please read the review
Bike Setup:
XT, Marzocchi MX
Bottom Line:
Awesome bike. Awesome, awesome awesome. And I don't mean “awesome” in the everyday sense of the word like "that pizza was awesome"---I mean awesome as in: [adj] inspiring awe or admiration or wonder.
The transition couldn't have gone better. This bike is unreal. It screams down the trail, up the climbs, and back down the decents. While it's certainly not what I'd call a down hiller, the control and feel of descending is excellent. It corners well, has snappy acceleration, and for a hard tail is very very "forgiving" on the trail. I have always thought people who claimed hard tails could be "supple" were nuts. This bike has proven me wrong. I've added a Thudbuster and this has also helped, but I can feel the bike absorb the trail when standing. Don't get me wrong, it's a hard tail at heart, I just wanted to point out the fact that this is the first hard tail I can feel is noticeably less jarring on the trail.
Finally the looks: I can't say enough about it. It was the first time in my life I pulled up to a bike shop and had 2 employees actually walk out of the shop to scope out the Black Widow. They circled the Jeep and scoped out the license plate (I guess assuming I was from out of state). I watched them through their shop window for a bit then went out side. They were both in love with my Black Widow. After answering several questions I pulled it off the rack and let them both take a quick spin. By the time I left everyone was grinning from ear to ear.
Excellent job, beautiful bike. Thank you for making me a hard tail believer again!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Pat
a
from SoDak Date Reviewed: September 25, 2003
Favorite Trail:
crazy hills
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
airborne.net
Strengths:
Titanium, AWESOME welds, looks, the Enigma Yoke
Weaknesses:
None yet.
Similar Products Used:
Trek 4100, KHS A10, k2 razorback
Bike Setup:
complete lx, dolomite wheelset, duke
Bottom Line:
Awesome bike. I'm coming off a K2 Razorback (which I loved). I was a little worried about giving up the dulie and riding a hard tail again.
The bike has been an absolute blast to ride. I also added a Thudbuster which was a good upgrade. It shines on the climbs and in the corners.
I'm 5'10" and picked up a 19.5" because it was on closeout. I LOVE the roomy cockpit feel. It's perfect. I'm sure I would have been equally as happy with the 18.
The looks: you can't say enough about them. The natural Ti finish and the Enigma Yoke as perfect. It's simply the best looking hard tail on the trails.
I never thought I could be this pleased with a hardtail. Awesome bike.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
eric
a
from oriskany,ny Date Reviewed: September 11, 2003
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Bottom Line:
in my last post i gave the black widow four chilis for value. i meant 5 chilis.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
eric
a Cross Country Rider
from oriskany,ny,oneida Date Reviewed: September 10, 2003
Favorite Trail:
beaver creek state trails
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$600.00
Purchased At:
airborne
Strengths:
that ti feel,nimble, build quality,airborne customer service.
Weaknesses:
cockpit could be a little more roomy.
Similar Products Used:
khs alite 4000,marin bear valley.
Bike Setup:
xt drivetrain,avid mag v-brakes,517 rims,chris king hubs, manitou black 80mm fork.
Bottom Line:
this is one great bike! I picked it up from airbornes closeout hangar at just under half price!i also got airborne's ti seatpost.the frame was delivered earlier than expected and i swapped out the parts from the khs(also a great bike)and took a couple of rides. each about 8 miles long through typical xc trails.the airborne rides much smoother than the aluminium khs.it's just a touch more nimbleand man is it one good looking frame! the enigma yoke attracted a bit of attention at the local bike shop and the weld quality is beautiful.it climbs hills great and wants to go faster than I do.I bought a 16" frame and feel its a pretty good size for me (i am 5'8"),but the khs 17" frame was a little roomier. airborne's customer service is extremely helpful,and their website couldn't be any more thorough.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Josh Wolff
a Cross Country Rider
from Santa Cruz, CA Date Reviewed: August 29, 2003
Just got the bike last week. Ridden it three times now, fairly hard - this thing is great! It climbs like a scared cat, the frame has exactly the right amount of flex to eliminate the jarring of an aluminum hardtail on the rough stuff. I just got back from riding Braille up at Soquel Demo, and it was awesome - the Avid discs feel like they could stop a motorcycle, let alone a 25lb bike! This is the bike I should have bought 3 years ago....The only downside is that it took about a month to get the bike - I think that Airborne was having a problem with one of their suppliers.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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