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Submitted by
l7chedda
a Cross Country Rider
from san antonio, tx, bexar
Date Reviewed: May 16, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | OP Schnabel | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$1399.00 | | Purchased At: | Bike World | | Strengths: | Very Light, Solid Frame, Great Handling, Great response on sharp trails and hills. | | Weaknesses: | Chain suck, Almost every time I ride chain falls off. Swithing big gears 2 to 3 is when the chain falls off. Bought a new chain and it still falls off. | | Similar Products Used: | N/A | | Bike Setup: | Stock no changes. Always had it on 2.8 recently changed to 4.1 much better. | | Bottom Line: | Overall great buy, money well spent. Nothing has broke. The only purchase I have made is a new chain. As soon as I saw it I knew it was going to be mine. Still is and no substitutes. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
jerthebike
a Racer
from Manorville,New York
Date Reviewed: January 3, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | Manorville motor cross trails | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$450.00 | | Purchased At: | 2nd hand in mint con | | Strengths: | The frame feels incredible when you are sitting on the bike. I guess the body placement over the frame is perfect for me. The bike overall is incredibly easy ride. | | Weaknesses: | Chain shifting on rear derailler is a little tricky as it misses the gears at times of grest stress, on a uphil where there extreem push to move the bike, it will jump amd miss. This may also be due to the age of the bike 4years old and may need a new chain. Overall the rear shifting is the only weakness. | | Similar Products Used: | GT Avalanche, Rocky Mountain, Ross Mt St Helen | | Bike Setup: | Stock. | | Bottom Line: | The overall bike is well worth it at $450.00 used it was a steal as the bike was in excellent condition with minor schratches and wear and tear. A great ride. I plan n keeping this bike and hammering it to the ground. I was out in the snow riding the trails and the bike did exceptionally well. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
d16gt
a Cross Country Rider
from Amarillo, Texas, USA
Date Reviewed: July 22, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Givens, Spicer & Lowry | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$1100.00 | | Purchased At: | lbs | | Strengths: | Bike is tough and rides smooth. With the right components can get within "race" weight. Phenomenal geometry. A true workhorse. | | Weaknesses: | Weak, weak, weak stock components. | | Similar Products Used: | ... | | Bike Setup: | X.0 Carbon RD, X.9 FD, Truvativ Noir Carbon crankset, SRAM 990 cassette/chain, King headset, Thomson Stem, Kore elite flat hb, avid sd7 brakes, mavic 717 XC on XT hubs, WTB Veloceraptor tires / Forte street tires for occasional urban assault. | | Bottom Line: | Overall, this bike has been a 7 year workhorse with almost no problems - and I have given this bike plenty of abuse. This a great XC bike, with the potential to be a race bike easy. Fisher has virtually stood by this frame design for years. I have not had the chain suck or frame weakness other Fisher owners complain about. This bike has a tremendous frame for the money, and once upgraded components were added the bike was a beast. First, get away from stock drive train and upgrade to something a little smoother and lighter. Replace shifters and derailleurs at first sign of wear - you will fight this if you don't. I will never part with this bike - a few more upgrades and this thing will be flying as light and as fast as anything comparable. Four chili's for value - stock components are junk! Overall the frame has been the best - wouldn't trade it - five chili's overall!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scott Boye
a Weekend Warrior
from Friday Harbor, WA USA
Date Reviewed: November 23, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Comfortably Numb, Whistler | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$600.00 | | Purchased At: | Wildlife Cycles, Orcas Island | | Strengths: | Great steering geometry, nice rear suspension geometry | | Weaknesses: | rim brakes, stock seat sucks, get chain drop during rough shifts. | | Similar Products Used: | My friends and I swap bikes during rides, a bunch of full suspension bikes like K2, Novara, Kona. Can't remember specific models. | | Bike Setup: | Upgrades - disk up front, Hutchinson rock & road up front (hey, it looks whimpy but it works), Hutchinson rock & roll in back, bar ends for long, flat trails and to snag the branches while downhilling in the trees. Crank Bros. Mallet C pedals.
Drivetrain changes - replaced big chainring w/ Dangerboy aluminum bashguard, replaced 32t middle ring w/ 36t ring that is now the 'big' ring. Am considering a BMX bashguard on inside of small ring to combat chain drop.
Have wrapped right chainstay with foam tape covered in electrical tape to combat chain slap. | | Bottom Line: | Bought the bike used from a friend that is too tall for the bike. I get a kick out of the punks teasing me at the freeride park at Whistler about an "old guy riding an old skool bike" then riding past them while they walk up hills. The Fisher has been a great all-around bike for XC, mild to medium freeride, gravel paths and short pavement jaunts. I regularly get offers to buy the bike for more than I paid for it. The mechanic at the local bike shop never fails to tell me how much he admires the bike. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Lee
a Weekend Warrior
from Cambria, Ca. USA
Date Reviewed: September 30, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Fiscalini Ranch | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$800.00 | | Purchased At: | Copeland's SLO, Ca. | | Strengths: | Solid (like me.) | | Weaknesses: | A little heavy (also like me...) | | Similar Products Used: | Kona Lava Dome, my last | | Bike Setup: | Stock | | Bottom Line: | Mountains, seaside, sunny, rain, asphalt, dirt, this bike runs. It is sturdy, shoots downhill with great ease, cruises like a Cadillac, and eases uphill. I have done very little in 5 years to upkeep, brakes and chains and cables exepting. People look at it with respect, and I simply enjoy it. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Manu Singh
a Cross Country Rider
from Vancouver, BC, Canada
Date Reviewed: February 15, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Downtown Urban | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$1500.00 | | Purchased At: | AKA, The Bike Shop | | Strengths: | Looks awesome, rides even better, very smooth and requires minimal maintenance. Comes with high quality components (mostly) and easy to upgrade. | | Weaknesses: | Suspension bushings start to squeak after time. I ended up disassembling the entire bike and lubricating all bushings with Permatex Anti-seize - problem solved. Stock brakes aren't great for someone who does a lot of downhill. Stock seat sucks bad. | | Similar Products Used: | Brodie 9 Ball - not that similar, but hey... | | Bike Setup: | Stock except for studded pedals, cut seat post for DHing, Maxis Highroller front tire. | | Bottom Line: | I'm very impressed with this bike. It's as capable going downhill as it is rolling down the street as a commuter - which makes it perfect for the urban assault on downtown concrete. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Michael
a Cross Country Rider
from Escondido, CA
Date Reviewed: December 24, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Lake Hadges | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$850.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS in Escondido | | Strengths: | Climbs with ease, strong lightweight frame, full suspension, balance, great value. | | Weaknesses: | Initially, needed far too many trips to LBS for adjustments. Initially, I experienced chain drop as well as inability to up shift on occasion. In my case the problem was the cables kept stretching. However that has stopped a few months ago and now the bike continues to shift perfectly. | | Bike Setup: | Mostly stock - clipless pedals | | Bottom Line: | The 2003 Sugar 4+ is a great value. It uses the Zirconium 9000 DB Aluminum frame, for example. However, an upgrade of the rear derailleur to at least XT class is probably in order. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
J. P.
a Weekend Warrior
from Portland, Oregon, USA
Date Reviewed: November 24, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$900.00 | | Purchased At: | GBC | | Strengths: | Smooth ride, handles very well. | | Weaknesses: | That seat totally sucked. | | Similar Products Used: | Kona Kikapu | | Bike Setup: | Stock | | Bottom Line: | Bike is sweet. Have not had any problems with this bike. I do wish it had disc brakes. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kelvyn Panici
a Cross Country Rider
from St.Catharines, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: October 2, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | 12 Mile Creek | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1500.00 | | Purchased At: | Liberty Bikes | | Strengths: | This bike is great for any XC you may do. Its light and look great. I do some XC racing and this bike holds up well. | | Weaknesses: | Im a 150lb rider and I broke the 80mm setting on my fork (doing some moderate downhilling on the 80mm setting), so now it won't stay in 80mm mode. No Disk brakes! I will probably be getting a hydro front disk and mech rear disk. Also mabie change the tires from the stock 2.1 to 2.2-2.3 The fork bottoms out on the 100mm setting (with the spring at the max preload) on any drops higher then 2-3 feet. Fast/technical XC riding can sometimes bottom out the fork. | | Similar Products Used: | 2004 Schwinn DSX 240, 2005 Kona Fire Mountain | | Bike Setup: | Stock except with all the reflectors removed and speedo added. | | Bottom Line: | I paid $1500CDN NEW because the bike was almost 2 years old, so i got $500 off the regular price of $2000CDN. If you are in to XC biking and some XC racing, this is the bike for you. The bike handles all the technical stuff i can throw at it, even light highspeed downhilling (50+ KPH). The balance is great with the genesis geometry and i can wheele this thing down the street! The only thing i wish i had on this bike was disk breaks, for the stopping power and the looks. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Singletrakmind
a Weekend Warrior
from Strong Island
Date Reviewed: October 4, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$1250.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Great handling on tight singletrak, climbs like a goat, accelerates with ease. Black comp fork consistently performs well. genesis geometry.
convenience of Sybil suspension.
| | Weaknesses: | stock brakes and seat suck. Had a chain slap problem but was easily fixed by replacing chain w/ SRAM powerlink chain run tight. wish it had disk brakes. Myhtos front tire not good for loose dirt. Genesis geometry not for everybody. | | Bike Setup: | Stock except for easton seatpost, flite gel saddle, time atac pedals, SRAM powerlink chain, Fire XC front tire, and aviud single digit brakes and levers. | | Bottom Line: | Great XC bike, all you have to do is keep peddling and you can tackle almost anything in this bike without leaving the saddle. Sharp handling in the twisties. Heavy, but fine if your not going to race. Had some doubts when I first bought the bike, but its really grown on me, but considering how much Ive spent on it so far, would probably have forked out the extra bucks for a comaparable bike with disc brakes.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ray
a Cross Country Rider
from Tucson, AZ
Date Reviewed: October 3, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | 50 Year Trail | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$1099.00 | | Purchased At: | lbd | | Strengths: | Light, stong wheels, good full suspension | | Weaknesses: | I am still trying to fix the chain suck after 18 months! I also loose the chain quite often when shifting from the middle ring to the small ring. I switched to Sram shifters and that has helped a ton since they incrementally will let you sift up and down from ring to ring. Ghost shifting was a problem, and again, the Sram setup seems to work much better. | | Similar Products Used: | Various | | Bike Setup: | I have changed a ton. | | Bottom Line: | Bike is hard on chains. I have had to remove the chain from being lodged between the small ring up front and the crank several times. My frame is really scarred up from that. Although I was going to change out the Promax brakes, I found them kind of handy. They don't throw you over the handle bars so easily. It seems like they give you a bit more control in a strange way. I like the brakes now that I have used them for 18 months. Weird. When it is all said and done, I really enjoy the bike. If the chain suck and chain falling off could be fixed, I would be even happier. For my all around riding, I recommend it. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a Cross Country Rider
from Dearborn, MI USA
Date Reviewed: September 7, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Poto | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$995.00 | | Purchased At: | D & D Bicycles | | Strengths: | Excellent in climbs, responsive, takes abuse very well | | Weaknesses: | Chain suck - misaligned front deraileur when the travel is changed, axel super fork is awful | | Similar Products Used: | trek fuel | | Bike Setup: | stock so far | | Bottom Line: | This bike has been in the shop for deraileur adjustments more often than it should. Once you choose the travel setting on the rear shock, several adjusments have to be made and then made again if you change back. The LX components are bad news. An upgrade to XT or XTR is imminent just so it brakes and shifts as well as my bottom of the line Marlin. I cannot overstate the deficiencies of the Manitu Axel Super fork. I weigh 175-180 and the thing is super flexy - the pitch on a big downhill is quite pronounced.
Still, the bike itself feels good and handles really well. The addition of a micro-bushing in the front derailuer set up fixes the shifting problem. An extra bushing in the back gives proper clearance for the cassett. I like the 4.1" travel setting so I won't be adjusting that in the near future.
Its a fine mid range bike, decent frame and it should last through a couple of seasons; good if you upgrade but it certainly won't be my pride and joy and I won't buy another one | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from Madison, WI
Date Reviewed: June 26, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Blue Mounds | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$350.00 | | Purchased At: | Trek employee | | Strengths: | Good Geometry, great for steep climbing. Looks awesome (is the picture wrong in this site, mine is black and silver). Cheap, for me, trek connections :). Good suspension, soaks up most bumps. | | Weaknesses: | Heavy! But that can be corrected. As everyone has heard, sugars have chainsuck reputation. The reason is cuz it has a bad chainline. In the 2/1 combination, the chain looks as if its gonna get pulled off the crank. Thus, resulting in chain falling off when stressed or under bumpy conditions. However, theres things that can be done. Promax brakes, common! But what do u expect for the price. Sacrifices have to be made. Fork has slight knock on high travel, barely noticable. | | Similar Products Used: | Klein Palomino Comp, Trek Fuel 90 | | Bike Setup: | Swapped some parts. Avid SD 3, LX crankset, XT rear derrailleur, Bontrager Select Disc Wheels, Klein Deathgrip tires | | Bottom Line: | Overall, an excellent bike. Worth every penny! The new crank and derrailleur pretty much eliminated the chain problems. I wouldn't race with this bike, but it's perfect for the weekend trips. With some more upgrading, this will be a sweet ride. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bengt
a Cross Country Rider
from Sweden
Date Reviewed: June 13, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Frame geometry, suspension, handeling then xc (very fast and fine in quick turns on smal trails) | | Weaknesses: | Brakes, some chain suck, pedals.. | | Similar Products Used: | Giant mostly but tried out other brands like Specialized, GT etc. | | Bike Setup: | Stock but planing to upgrade brakes later. | | Bottom Line: | I really like this bike. When i bought it i was chosing between Specialized epic and Giant NRS 1 + the Gary Fisher bike. The GF was the bike that suited me from the very begining. The Genesis geometry suits me perfectly (i´m 177cm and weight about 75kg) So the natural choise was the Sugar 4+. It was the cheapest bike of the them!!?? but what can i say? Love at first sight or something? My style is quite hard pedaling both upp & downhill but the Fisher just keep on handling all my foolish atempts to be a xc-warrior whith great results.
I whould buy this lovely bike again but maybe whith upgraded v-brakes (xt?) or discs(hayes?). | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
anthony
a Cross Country Rider
from ste-adele,quebec,canada
Date Reviewed: June 11, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | chanteclerc no1 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1100.00 | | Purchased At: | source du sport | | Strengths: | good bang for the buck,suspension,frame | | Weaknesses: | cheap brakes and pedals.lx instead of xt components | | Similar Products Used: | none just upgraded from my 11 year ols univega alpina | | Bike Setup: | stock except for ritchie pedals and longer radical stem. | | Bottom Line: | Paid 1100 canadian b4 tax. Great deal for last years model.
best deal i could find for a double suspension with minimum lx components.Rode the bike 10 times and no chain suck problem so far. I am 6,2 and 215 lbs and have riden this bike hard and no complaints so far except for cheap brakes(must upgrade).
Would buy it again
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rob
a Weekend Warrior
from Calgary Canada
Date Reviewed: June 3, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Not sure yet | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | Single track cycle | | Strengths: | Awesome ride, Great frame, I like the components on the bike. | | Weaknesses: | The brakes. The seat kills my ass, but I'm not used to it yet | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized FSR. Jamis Dakar. Giant | | Bike Setup: | Stock | | Bottom Line: | I got the bike for $1600 canadian. Which is a great deal, so far I have no complaints. This bike oozes confidence and seems to do what you ask it to do, I only wish it had rims set up for discs, but that is a minor complaint. For some one getting back into biking like myself, or a new rider starting out on FS, this bike can do no wrong. I am very happy with its performance. No chain suck yet. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scott Bedwell
a Weekend Warrior
from Summerdale, AL, USa
Date Reviewed: May 17, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Swayback Bridge (Wetumpka) | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1050.00 | | Purchased At: | Local Bike Shop | | Strengths: | Climbs great in both modes (increase the pressure in the Fox when in 4.1" mode to reduce what little bob exists), comfortable geometry, handles great in the air/easy to land (which was a problem on my previous bike), very predictable in the turns. | | Weaknesses: | Stock Breaks suck (i actually saw the same brake setup on a wal-mart bike), stem, bars, seat post, pedals (but I knew that when I bought it, I scored some sweet replacement components at a bargain basement deel), stock fork undersprung in long travel (I weigh 190 lbs.), front hub keeps comming loose.. | | Similar Products Used: | This is my first f.s. bike, I test rode all kinds of fsxc bikes including Klein palamino, trek fuel, giant xtc.., specialized fsr stumpjumper,... | | Bike Setup: | Easton EA50 Monkey lite bars, EA50 Stem (100mm X 10*), EA50 seat post, Seat from my old bike (forgot which brand but it's way more comfortable), LX shifters/levers/deraleurs, XT V-Brakes, Race Face headset, 2002 Black Super Air 100/120mm fork, Stock float shock, XT Cranks/BB, IRC Serac tires, Shimano clipless (545?)pedals. and a set of night lights (a must for summer in the south) | | Bottom Line: | Bike performed pretty well stock, but with a few modifications, it kicks ass. I chose last years model on sale over this years newer because of the fox shock and the Platinum Series ZR9000 frame (which is not the same frame material as the newer sugar 4+, now of the "gold series" persuasion) The 2003 frame is stiffer, lighter and tougher than the 2004. I have really come to love this bike. I try my best to abuse it and it just wants more. I love the way it handles in fast singletrack, in the air, going up hill and coming down. With all the adjustments I've made to this bike it weighs just under 28 lbs, which is significant compared to the 30-31 lbs. it was when I bought it. I still want to get a new set of wheels, maybe go disc, but other than that, I pretty stoked. I thought about getting the Cake or VT but the terrain down here in L.A. (lower Alabama) doesn't call for it. And when I go to Oak Mountain, Cheaha, Swayback, Tsali, or anything with any elevation change, the sugar does just fine in the 4.1" travel. If you are on a budget and looking at the sugar 4+, I would recommend finding the 2003 frame even if it's used before buying the 2004. Sorry if my spelling is off, I'm from Alabama and can't find the spell check icon on this page. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David Lukas
a Weekend Warrior
from Little Rock, AR - USA
Date Reviewed: March 21, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Camp Robinsion Trails - NLR, AR | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1000.00 | | Purchased At: | Arkansas Cycle & Fitness | | Strengths: | This bike has been great for me. Granted, I did spend about $1500.00 in upgrades after I purchased it originally. The bike rode great even before these upgrades. (except for the elcheapo stock brakes) I really like the suspension travel set on 4.1" over the 2.8" setting. I just recently changed it to 4.1" and it felt like I was riding a completely different bike. | | Weaknesses: | The stock pedals and brakes suck. I fixed this when upgrading. | | Similar Products Used: | I have not ridden anything similar to this bike. My last mountain bike I had was a GT Karakoram I think it was a 1990-year model. Before that I had a Redline mountain bike I purchased around 1988. | | Bike Setup: | 2004 XTR Componets, XTR Wheelset, XTR Disc Brakes. Hutchison Python Tubless Tires. Shimano PD-M540 pedals,stock manitou black fork | | Bottom Line: | The 2003 Sugar 4+ is a much better product than the 2004 model. Gary Fisher downgraded the frame from the Platinum ZR9000 to the Gold series frame. For the price the 2003 model was a much better deal. You will notice there are many $2000.00+ bikes on the market that have the same ZR9000 frame. So for the $1000.00 I spent, I felt it was a good deal. Since then I have made several upgrades, but even before the upgrades, I did not ever experience the "Chain Suck" that a lot of reviewers spoke about. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mark oatney
a
from santra cruz, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: January 14, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$900.00 | | Purchased At: | pacific bikes- navato | | Strengths: | frame geometry is perfect for me; price | | Weaknesses: | paint (but so what), stock cranks/bottom bracket | | Similar Products Used: | about 100 different bikes-- you name it | | Bike Setup: | non-stock--truvative cranks and downhill isis bottom bracket, wtb disc hobs with rhinolyte wheels, hayes front disk, XT shifters | | Bottom Line: | I spent a year compulsively riding everything I could and kept coming back to this bike. It has a low bottom bracket-the lowest of any non-slalom specific bike I could find- great for handling, in-air control, and my mile-long legs. I can bunny hop well and live in the Califonra Coast mountains-- I'm not worried about bashing the front sprockets. Much more worried about having a bike that fits me PERFECTLY.
REGARDING CHAINSUCK:
I'm a very torky rider, and used to race slalom and mountain cross and had major chain suck problems on my Rocky Mountain reaper (until i installed a chain guide of course). So i was scared about the rumors of chainsuck. The on-sale frame I bought measured out at 3mm off true-- getting towards the 5mm zone which exacerbated chain suck.
I immediately installed a truvative downhill bottom bracket-- the stock cheap bottom bracket flexes A TON-- easily compromising deraileur/ sprocket relationships-- (part of the original problem I had on my reaper before I snapped it on a bad jump and replaced it-- and discovered the massive difference that a quality bottom bracket makes). I also went with a slightly shorter-than-stock spindle in the bottom bracket as other readers ahve suggested, and shortened the chain. At this point I have truvative front sprockets, s-ram chain, XT rear cassette-- and no chain suck. The above solutions are i think more important than keeping all the parts in the same family brand.
I am overjoyed that I've not tossed the chain yet though I am riding this bike very aggressively both up and down hill-- I hit the bumps, have some slopppy shifts here and there, weigh 195 lbs and really crank on the beast, but NO CHAIN SUCK!!!
What else? The black comp 80-100forks-- on my first ride in 80mm the lock out failed-- easy to fix (needed ten minuted to open up the bottom of the forks and re-set it by hand) but was annoyed at the fl;imsy design, and that the adjustments are at the bottom of the fork, where they can't be adjusted on-the-fly (very easily) and are easy to damga. Plus I'd love a 120mm option-- if only i could afford Talus....
all in all I love this bike-- am so glad I was so slow and thoroughh researching out the perfect ride. I've ridden it a lot over the last month-- will report back if any problems arise in the future | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
terry harvey
a Cross Country Rider
from auburn, californnia,usa
Date Reviewed: December 29, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | stagecoach/foresthill divide | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$850.00 | | Purchased At: | bobs cycle fair oaks | | Strengths: | smooth ride, great handling on turns and climbs great for a full suspension bike. handles rocky bumpy descents very well. a nice step up from the giant hardtail i was riding. i like this bikes geometry, it fits me like a custom frame, i'm 6'2" 190lbs. | | Weaknesses: | the brakes, seat, pedals, but that was easily corrected. i just cannibalized my other bikes components. i guess i am one of the few who got one of these frames that works as designed. i've only dropped the chain (when i was being a dork) during extreme climbs when i was unprepared to ascend and shift properly, coming off a fast turn - any chain will drop, i did this on my friends specialized epic as well and it would happen on my giant hardtail. chainsuck is not an issue with my bike but i have heard from other bike shops around the area that have had lots of problems with the sugar 4+. have the shop make sure the derailler is properly aligned and chain tension is correct. make sure the frame is not bent or misaligned.
| | Similar Products Used: | specialized stumpjumper fsr and epic, giant carbon fiber hardtail | | Bike Setup: | LX V brakes, shimano group, stock manitou black fork and fox float rear shock. | | Bottom Line: | i would recommend this bikes frame technology, it has a great feel and handles extremely well for its price range. i can't address the problem people have had with the chain suck issue as it is not happening with my frame set up. i like this bike!! i would buy it again!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
RedRaider
a Cross Country Rider
from Austin, Tx
Date Reviewed: December 18, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Barton Creek Greenbelt, Walnut Creek | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$950.00 | | Purchased At: | Bicycle Sport Shop | | Strengths: | Smooth ride, Great adjustable shocks, Great stiff feel when riding. | | Weaknesses: | Nowhere to really comfortably pick up the bike to cross water or other obstacles. That is really my bigest complaint. | | Similar Products Used: | Mongoose FX.6 hardtail | | Bike Setup: | Stock | | Bottom Line: | I love this bike. It is such a step up from the hardtail I used to ride. It is really a lot lighter than the hardtail I had. A lot of people seem to complain about the weight but I don't really see any drawback. They should lug a heavy bike around and then they would appriciate this one. I have also heard about the chain suck problem. It has happened, but it wouldn't keep me from buying this bike again. It happened on the hardtail I had too. I have found that it really only has happened going up rocky inclines and changing gears. just change gears before you go up the hill. The other thing has nothing to do with the bike, but I have gotten a lot of snake bite flats. But I think I have that taken care of too. Overall I believe this is a great bike. I rode this bike in the muddy buddy race and it handled great. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
frankdelara
a Cross Country Rider
from CCS, Venezuela
Date Reviewed: December 14, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$950.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | frame, fork, cassette, shock | | Weaknesses: | tires, pedals, sometimes chainsuck, PROMAX BRAKES!!! | | Bike Setup: | LX V-Brakes, San Marco Arami, Shimano 515 pedals | | Bottom Line: | It's a very good bike for the bucks. Chainsuck can be a pain in the a$$ some times...the ZR9000 frame it.s only found in top of the line bikes so if you are in a budget get this bike (frame) and latter on save some money to update it. I'l be soon getting the new XT 2004 line... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bonercoaster
a Weekend Warrior
from Las Vegas, NV
Date Reviewed: December 11, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Cottonwood/NORBA Loop | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$800.00 | | Purchased At: | eBay (used) | | Strengths: | Adjustable travel, good ride with upgraded components | | Weaknesses: | Nit-picking: Saddle, Conti tires don't work well in sand/pea gravel; Avid 1.0's don't hold a candle to XT V-brakes. | | Similar Products Used: | hardtail Trek 7000 (XT)...my "old yeller" | | Bike Setup: | XT rear and crankset, LX front and shift/lever pod, Avid 1.0 brakes. Fox Float rear, Manitou Black Comp fork. Bontrager rims. | | Bottom Line: | To all those below complaining about chainsuck: Upgrade your components, or take a link or two out of your chain. In the first two weeks I owned this bike, I thrashed it hard trying to see if I could induce chainsuck...with no success. The previous owner upgraded pretty much everything but the seat, tires, wheels, and brakes, and frankly, once I got the tire pressure right and the suspension tuned to my weight, it's a great ride. I give *my* bike 5 chilis for value cuz I got it on eBay; 4 overall, cuz it could benefit from disc brakes and an air sprung fork up front. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
steve
a Weekend Warrior
from salt lake city, utah
Date Reviewed: November 26, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$800.00 | | Purchased At: | brian head mountain resort | | Strengths: | frame, shock, forks | | Weaknesses: | hate the seat. very cheap factory pedals. chain suck problems. | | Similar Products Used: | giant f/s, cannondale | | Bike Setup: | sugar frame, xt shifters/brakes, mavic rims, xt hubs, xt cranks/bb, specialized 2.2 pro tires, mallet pedals | | Bottom Line: | I purchased this bike used, with one 3/4 season on it from a resort rental place. I paid $800. I had an older cannondale with new parts and wanted to upgrade to f/s. I then changed out alot parts to upgrade the Fisher stuff. I have always experienced chain suck, but it virtually went away with the change in tranny parts and alot of adjustment from my bike shop dude. I do however have the ever popular chain-in-the-spoke problem when I shift even under the slightest load, even though it has been adjusted several times. Maybe I should have stayed with Cannondale, maybe a Jekyl or waited for the Cake. overall fairly happy, but nothing like crashing because the chain is happier off the cogs. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a Cross Country Rider
from Unionville
Date Reviewed: November 19, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$900.00 | | Strengths: | falling apart and being a piece of crap | | Weaknesses: | cant handle a simple 110 pound rider racing it without chain suck and the pivots breaking tons of times
| | Similar Products Used: | the older fisher sugar 4 | | Bike Setup: | stock with race face crank | | Bottom Line: | i work at a bike shop and get money off and this wasnt worth the money i spent on it i tryed racing this bike and all i got was broken chains, chain suck, and broken pivots worst bike i have ever owned i have switched over to a salsa and havent regreted it yet save your hard bikes for a while and buy a better bike it may seem like a deal but the money spent on fixing the bikes stock probablems make it not worth the cheapness this is the worst bike ever im surprised fisher actually had a designher design this sugar the old ones were better go back to that geometry fisher | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bryan Hunt
a Cross Country Rider
from So. Burlington, VT
Date Reviewed: November 2, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Catamount, Camp Johnson | | Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only | | Strengths: | Great bike, nice feel, no rear suspension bobbing. | | Weaknesses: | Chain fell off 3 times (I kid you not) in a half hour test ride! | | Similar Products Used: | Finally bought an '03 Big Sur for $790, inc. tax! | | Bike Setup: | Stock '03 Sugar 4+ | | Bottom Line: | I didn't believe all the feed back I've read about this bike until I rode one as a demo. If they solve the chain problem, it'll be a Great bike. But I've been riding for 40 years and I've NEVER seen anything like this--really, it's unacceptable. The chain fell off 3 times in 30 minutes! The bike store said it was just an adjustment problem, but after reading all the other reviews with the same problem, I don't believe it. You probably won't have any problem if you are VERY careful with your shifting (like, don't downshift while going uphill, etc.), but is that how you want to ride after spending $1100 on a bike? Save your money, unless you enjoy frustration. I hear they solved the problem with their Cake bikes, but I've decided I don't need a full suspension for my style of riding, and I got a good deal on a Big Sur. So overall I have to give it a value of 2 chilies, and an overall of 3, just because it is a real nice machine, if the chain stays on. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Freak Boy
a Cross Country Rider
from Ashland, MA 01721
Date Reviewed: October 12, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Ashland res | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$950.00 | | Purchased At: | Bicycle Alley | | Strengths: | handles great, no bob, suspension is awesome | | Weaknesses: | Constant CHAIN DROP under load over bumps even with the chain as straight as can be. (mid front/mid back gears) | | Similar Products Used: | Fuel 80 (same defect), Trek 930, EPIC, Bridgestone MB4, | | Bike Setup: | Stock, Then with many upgraded parts trying to fix factory defect. Frame was finally replaced with a Sugar 2 frame but still has CHAIN DROP issue. (got decent turnaround time of 10 days after I did a little complaining, Originallly Trek said 3 weeks ( hence the S2 frame) | | Bottom Line: | There is a serious factory defect with some of these bike frames. the pivot point is not aligned with the BB and causes Chainsuck or in my case DROP. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. Took a serious header when riding off >2' drop cause as i pedaled the chain dropped. Why Trek/Fisher has not had a lawsuit against them is beyond me. I asked questions about this problem before i puchased, the shop owner flat out lied and claimed he has had no problems and has sold many, he felt as I did that that it was isolated to single bad batch of frames that did not end up in MA.
On my 2nd frame and 5th trip back to the shop I find out from the head mechanic that they have had problems with Fishers and Fuels and Trek is well aware of it. In fact they are making some kind of adjustable bushing to fix the problem now. Not all the frames are bad but I got 2 in a row so learn from my mistake of taking chaces.
I ride on root ridden rock infested terrain and go fast. Very little jumps or drops. Ridden H/T for 10 yrs at same spot described and was told this bike can handle it. Wrong. I had some close calls with the chain drops and would only recomend this bike for flat trails and a trophy peice that stays in the garage.Rode my friends EPIC on the same trails and had no issues, too bad its so $$$$$. This bikes suspension rode as well as the EPIC in those few streaches without problems. Now that I've ridden a F/S I cannot ride my H/T anymore.
If you take a chance to get a good one of these bikes make sure you have the shop put in writing that A) they will give you a loner bike. or B) They will give you your $ back if you have problems.
Also buy as close to home as possible to save on commuting time back to shop.
Check on Bustedspoke.com for full story or e-mail me if U have questions I'll be happy to reply just give me a few days.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
William Shea
a Weekend Warrior
from Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
Date Reviewed: August 11, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Laie, Hawaii | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1100.00 | | Purchased At: | McCully Bike's | | Strengths: | Nice Suspension. Sweet Geometry. Great for climbing. I have never experienced chainsuck. | | Weaknesses: | None | | Bike Setup: | stock | | Bottom Line: | Great Bike. No complaints. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kenny Miller
a Downhiller
from New York
Date Reviewed: August 10, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | RCA (NY) | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$1700.00 | | Purchased At: | Carl Hart Bikes | | Strengths: | SMOOTH RIDE, SICK SUSPENSION ON NEWER MODEL (2002), | | Weaknesses: | NONE TO SPEAK OF YET | | Bottom Line: | SICK BIKE FOR A GOOD RIDER | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Frank C
a Racer
from Wading River, New York, USA
Date Reviewed: August 3, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Rocky Point | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$900.00 | | Purchased At: | Carl Hart Bicycles | | Strengths: | Frame, back suspension, pedels, brakes, forks, and sprocket and such | | Bottom Line: | Best Bike i have ever bought!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jose
a Cross Country Rider
from Elmwood Park
Date Reviewed: August 2, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | RIngwood State Park NJ | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Genesis Geometry | | Weaknesses: | Chain suck | | Bike Setup: | monkey lite handlebar, Mavic Crossmax wheels, mavic hubset, tx cassette, PC99 chain, XTR crankset,xt shifers, avid disc brakes, Selle Italia trans AM saddle, BOntrager JOnes tires, Marzochi comp ETA fork.. | | Bottom Line: | THis is a follow up review. I am very dissapointed with this bike. THose of u who own one will notice that I have replaced most stock components specially the drivetrain hoping it would correct the major chainsuck problems I am having with this bike. I already had to replace my chain whick got destroyed thanks to chainsuch forcing me to jog back to my car for about 3 miles. Believe me guys, after a couple hours riding all singletrack, those 3 miles felt like at least 5.
Let me summarize this....DO not buy this bike. There is something wrong with the geometry on all sugar models. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark
a
from Montague, Ma. USA
Date Reviewed: August 1, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1050.00 | | Strengths: | Rides smooth, looks great, grips are comfortable. | | Weaknesses: | I already had a problem with chain suck. I brought it back and they adjusted something in the crank area. So far so good. Brakes are a little less than I would expect on a Fisher. Original seat was crap. | | Similar Products Used: | K2- Zed 2.0 | | Bottom Line: | It a nice bike, it rides great when there is no chain suck, it climbs hills great and it is just plain fun to ride. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scott
a Weekend Warrior
from Manchester, Ct
Date Reviewed: July 14, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Mt. Nebo | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1150.00 | | Strengths: | Manitou Black, Fox Float, Genesis Geometry | | Weaknesses: | Pro Max levers, Pro Max levers, Titec Seat | | Similar Products Used: | 03 Tassajara Disc | | Bike Setup: | Switched to XTR shifters/brakes, Wtb Saddle, XT crank set, Deore | | Bottom Line: | Great bike for the money. The guy who got it for $850 at The Bike shop here must have known the owner cause there is no way. The Pro Max breaks suck, I mean come on Gary, I saw the same brakes on a $200 Mongoose at Wal-Mart. Up graded to all XTR parts. Also switched to XT Octalink crank set..much better! The Fox Float is an upgraded shock from the Cane Creek. The Titec seat sucks!!! I saw it selling seperately in a bike store for $94.99 and about had a heart attack. The bottom line is that if you are an aggressive trail rider this is the bike for you. It runs trails like a champ. I ride a medium in a 2003 Tass Disc but gave it to my wife and for some reason I prefer a Large in a Sugar. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tyler
a Cross Country Rider
from Breckenridge, CO
Date Reviewed: July 7, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | anything out west | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1150.00 | | Purchased At: | Mountain Sports Outlet | | Strengths: | good value, LX front and rear derailleurs, adjustable rear travel to 4", decent fork, reasonable weight | | Weaknesses: | Promax brakes, fork is a tad soft (160lbs) but only on big hits | | Similar Products Used: | demoed trek fuel 90, rockhopper fsr, kona kahuna deluxe, jamis dakar XC comp (yes, you could say I shop around a lot) | | Bike Setup: | upgraded brakes to Avid 5's and Ti SD levers, and threw on my SPD pedals from my roadie | | Bottom Line: | I've had this for just over a month and I am very happy with my purchase. Although it is my first real mtn bike (old bike was a rigid chromoly Giant), it has had two brutal Moab trips and several rides around the mountains. The 4" of rear travel is real plush, but I may need to get a stiffer spring for the fork, bottoms out easily. This is a great bike for the rec rider who's out just to have fun. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dan
a
from white plains NY
Date Reviewed: June 18, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$1000.00 | | Strengths: | Good geometry. I like the way the bike feels. Minimal bob. Responsive. Not bad componentry for the money. | | Weaknesses: | Beware I have had endless drivetrain problems with this bike and I know Im not the only one. Chain Suck. It was almost impossible to get this bike shifting right and its still not perfect. I changed out my cassete and crank to both shimano xt and put on an xtr chain. This helped quite a bit but its not as good as I'd like it. It did eliminate most of the chain suck but the shifting still isn't great. I have never snapped a chain before but I think because of poor alignment Im on my fourth, and just had to put on my second cassete afte snapping the largest cog. The chain also has a bad habit of falling off the rear gears and getting lodged between the wheel and cassete. | | Bike Setup: | Shimano XT brake levers, XT cassete, XT crank, RockShox Psylo XC fork | | Bottom Line: | If it didn't have the above mentioned problems or if I could have even gotten ALL the kinks out I would have been happy with the bike. As it is now its not terrible but I wouldn't buy it again if I could do it over. If your gonna get one it would be worth getting the next model up because I haven't heard any problems about it and you'll spend the same money at the bike shop. I think this is the only sugar frame manufactered in a different location than the rest. My only guess is if its the frame alignment thats why its not quite right. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jim
a Cross Country Rider
from Putnam, CT, USA
Date Reviewed: May 21, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$850.00 | | Purchased At: | The Bike Shop | | Strengths: | Great Design. Rear shock stays clear of dirt and has a XC/ more agressive switch (very nice). not too heavy | | Weaknesses: | Front fork is awesome exept its a tad soft on 100mm setting, i wish it was more stiff. Promax brakes???? Still do the job of stopping though | | Bike Setup: | Stock | | Bottom Line: | Kick butt bike! good bang for the buck. If your into XC and agressive(not DH) riding, and you cant spend too much, this is the bike for you. I had a ton of chainsuck before (see last post), but i was stupid and just had to aline the rear derailur. Its all good now. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
jose
a Cross Country Rider
from Elmwood Park
Date Reviewed: May 11, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | RIngwood State pArk NJ | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1099.00 | | Purchased At: | Bike Workshop | | Strengths: | value, minimal bob. Same frame as Team Sugar model, good suspension (front and back) | | Weaknesses: | 30+ pounds, cheap brakes (Promax?), heavy components, no clipless pedals, | | Similar Products Used: | Gt Avalanche, Marin, sugar 3+, trek fuel 80 | | Bike Setup: | all stock except for clipless pedals and a more comfortable seat, Marzochi Comp with ETA (great fork!) | | Bottom Line: | I only have about 4+ hours on this bike, so this review is based on a first impression. I will update my review in a couple weeks.
THis bike offers a good value. I was expecting a little more though. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dan
a
from Santa Barbara, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: April 29, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1200.00 | | Purchased At: | Hub Cyclery | | Strengths: | Suspension, frame, Lots of Bonty stuff if you like that | | Weaknesses: | Not really any....could use some better brakes | | Similar Products Used: | pretty much stock with a few tweaks and addons | | Bike Setup: | pretty much stock with a few tweaks and addons | | Bottom Line: | This bike is a super great deal for the money. The frame and suspension are sweet and well worthy of upgrads if you choose to do so. Over all this bike is just awesome, I've had such a good time with it. It's a good compromise between cross country ridin' and have some fun bombing sh*t ridding. Definetly recoooomended! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
jeff
a Racer
from JAX, FL
Date Reviewed: January 5, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Razzorback | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | bicycles etc... | | Strengths: | Solid performer, especially at this price point.
| | Weaknesses: | Somewhat heavy in stock form.
| | Similar Products Used: | Previous generation sugars, NRS | | Bike Setup: | too many tweaks to list- now a 25.4 lb size XL rocket | | Bottom Line: | A great bike with no shortcomings.I use mine for training, but it works so well I will likely use it for a few races this season. The new + design sugar with ZR9000 mainframe tubing is a major step forward over the previous generation sugar design.Genesis geometry evokes riding with conviction. At this bike's pricepoint it's a very solid purchase. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nick
a Cross Country Rider
from New Hampshire
Date Reviewed: November 20, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | The FOMBA trails in Auburn NH | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1200.00 | | Purchased At: | Nault's Cyclery in Nashua NH | | Strengths: | Great frame, the suspension is perfect. The guys at Gary Fisher got rid of the chain suck problem that the 2002's were notorious for by putting a Shimano crankset on instead of the Bontrager, and by also slightly tweaking the geometry. This is a great overall bike | | Weaknesses: | The only thing that I dislike about the Sugar 4+ is that it has Promax brakes that are alright, but aren't nearly as good as Avid or Shimano. | | Similar Products Used: | Some similar bikes would be the Trek fuel and the Giant NRS | | Bike Setup: | LX drivetrain, Manitou Black fork with 80/100mm of travel (very cool), Fox Float rear shock, Bontrager Superstock wheelset. I changd the brakes to Avid 7.0's | | Bottom Line: | The Bottomline is that The 2003 Sugar 4+ is an EXCELLENT bike, and very worthy of the $1200 price tag. The Sugar is a perfect bike for someone who wants to ride any kind of trail enjoying all the trail has to offer without worrying about technical failures or geting beat up due to a bad suspension design. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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