Submitted by
Scott
a Cross Country Rider
from Lisbon, NH USA Date Reviewed: July 28, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Walker ranch, Mt. Agamenticus
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$450.00
Purchased At:
Philbrick's Sports, NH
Strengths:
The frame, the price
Weaknesses:
Stock parts; especially the crank, the shifters and derailers, and the stem.
Bike Setup:
XT rear derailer, STX front crank, Profile BOA stem, wellgo pedals, Sunrims with LX hubs, WTB Velociraptor tires.
Bottom Line:
The frame is really the best part about this bike,. I have been very happy since upgrading to the current setup, but the original components were crap. I would like to change out the shifters and front derailer, but have opted for a new bike instead.
This bike can certainly handle most any trail, and I would recommend it to a serious beginner or intermediate rider.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
John Fang
a Weekend Warrior
from Madison, WI, USA Date Reviewed: June 27, 2003
Favorite Trail:
any thing fast
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$400.00
Purchased At:
budget bikes
Strengths:
Nice Al frame, fairly light, cheap
Weaknesses:
crappy heavy components, can't climb steep hills with those velocirapter tires, noisy braking
Bike Setup:
stock
Bottom Line:
good bike for beginner, but i plan to spend more on a bike for more serious biking. Good bike for light to medium off roading, but anything more u would get stuck and have to get off and walk
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Aaron
a Cross Country Rider
from Bismarck, ND, USA Date Reviewed: November 20, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Greenhill park, Worcester, MA
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$500.00
Purchased At:
Dakota Cyclery in Bismarck
Strengths:
Low price, nice frame, comfortable seat.
Weaknesses:
The rest of the bike, except for the seatpost which was also decent
Similar Products Used:
An old-ass Schwinn suburban.
Bike Setup:
I am poor, so I am currently saving for a full drivetrain upgrade. I put clipless pedals and bar ends on, and also added a straight stem. Pedals helped soooooo much. The stem and bar ends enabled me to abuse the rest of the bike a lot more.
Bottom Line:
It's a cheap bike. If you want a good bike, you're probably better off spending about twice the price and getting a good one. The fork does as little as possible, but does smooth things out a little compared to a rigid one. I ride with really good folks though, who race a lot, and I can keep up pretty easily. Clipless pedals can make any bike 4x better. The stem is way to high (It feels like a cruiser) so I junked that for a straight one. As far as the Eddie Bauer logo, if you get the bike muddy enough, you can't even see it.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Chris Haarmeyer
a Weekend Warrior
from Cincinnati, OH Date Reviewed: October 9, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Ceaser Creek Lake, Ohio
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$500.00
Purchased At:
Montgomery Cyclery
Strengths:
Appealling to the beginning mountain biker. I.e., Rockshox, v-brakes, 24 speed rapid fire shifting
Weaknesses:
Riveted Crank
Similar Products Used:
Giant-Iguana, Gary Fisher-Tassahara
Bike Setup:
Stock except for replacement rims and crank bearings.
Bottom Line:
When I bought the bike it was perfect for the "weekend warrior". The cheap brake pads/rims chewed up the rims which I had replaced, and the shocks have no negative dampening. You can't even upgrade. The crank was creeking, I had the bearings replaced. I have chalked this bike up as a benchmark. I now know what I want to look for in my next mountain bike. Better drivetrain setup, shocks with negative dampening, a lower top bar, etc. I am now out from the warranty and scared that the bike is going to disintegrate.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Terry
a Weekend Warrior
from Los Angeles, CA Date Reviewed: August 9, 2000
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Nice frame Overall Value
Weaknesses:
stock seat drivetrain
Bike Setup:
Stock minus seat
Bottom Line:
This is a great bike for the beginner and intermediate rider. You should be able to get this bike for half or lower than MSRP. The money you save can be used for later upgrades.
I threw out the seat after the first ride since I found it uncomfortable. The drivetrain will be my next upgrade since it's not as smooth as I would like it to be.
Overall, I can't complain because I'm getting pretty good quality for the price.
Don't worry about the EB logo. It won't affect bike performance.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Brett
a Weekend Warrior
from Grand Rapids MI Date Reviewed: August 1, 2000
Favorite Trail:
any singletrack
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
fork, strong lightweight frame, price
Weaknesses:
drivetrain not the best
Bike Setup:
100% stock
Bottom Line:
i love this bike, its great for beginner to intermadiate riders like me, its a great value, i got for $250, plenty of extras, good commuting bike but cant take any REAL hard off-roadin, drivetrain could use an upgrade after a while 5 flamer thingys for value and overall
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jim
a Cross Country Rider
from Seattle Date Reviewed: July 25, 2000
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Pretty cheap(inexpensive), OK frame, It works
Weaknesses:
Pretty cheap(Pretty cheap), crap components, gracefull as a tank.
Similar Products Used:
Just crossing over from raod bikes: Jacoveti criterion bike.
Bike Setup:
stock
Bottom Line:
My bike just got stolen a couple of days ago and other than the normal anger of being ripped off I wasn't very upset at the loss of the bike. Granted I'm used to tooling around on a 17 lb. bike that handles like an indy car, but I was not prepared for just how ungainly this beast is. I thought that was normal till I started trying some of the slightly higher end bikes. WOW, for a couple of hundred there is a huge difference! On the EB climbing hills would make me seasick with the constant surging of the front forks. Move up to a bike with better forks and that is gone. I had to walk up a hill when I rode it to work because the front would just not shift under any load at all. If I needed to get into a good gear I had to traverse the hill, shift, and continue. I kinda thought a mountain bike would exceed my road bike in this category. I wanted to buy a bike I could upgrade gradually over time, and while the frame on this bike is OK, the components need replacing as soon as you plan to ride it. I intend to spend a little more up front next time. This bike was false economy.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mike
a Weekend Warrior
from Silver Spring, MD Date Reviewed: July 5, 2000
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
low maintenece fork, fairly light and good quality frame, lots of upped goodies but not real good, good, but heavyish steel beaded velociraptor tires
Weaknesses:
made squeaking noises(i think it was from the crank set) after i took off road in the mud- cheesy lookin eddie bauer logo on the downtube- i think there's black electrical tape lookin tape separating the two-tone paint job on the frame- it only comes in one color scheme(i think)-
you can find this bike for a fairly cheap discounted price nowdays, mainly b/c it is a 99' model and b/c of the unfortunate EB logo. other than that, my other gripe is the almost crappo suntour crankset that comes stock and the too highly angled stem. but i gotta admit that it has a strong and light aluminum frame(6010 series aluminum). this bike is calling out to me for some upgrades right now.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Peter
a Weekend Warrior
from Baltimore Date Reviewed: June 23, 2000
Favorite Trail:
avalon
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
light and strong frame good low-maintenance rockshoxT2 fork low price
Weaknesses:
the eddie bauer logo is larger and more prominent than the giant logo. the drivetrain needs to be upgraded after a couple of hard rides in mud.
Similar Products Used:
specialized rockhopper fs
Bike Setup:
stock except for grips and barends
Bottom Line:
a good value for beginner to intermediate riders a good commuting bike but will show its limits when ridden hard off road. Comes with lots of extra goodies for a giant yukon comparable bike. I wish I could do without the EB logo, but I guess this is why the bike became so cheap. I give it 5 flaming things overall and for value.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jason
a Weekend Warrior
from Alexandria Date Reviewed: March 24, 2000
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
Price, front suspension
Weaknesses:
Heavy and cumbersome. Slow in gear shifting
Similar Products Used:
Giant Yukon
Bottom Line:
You get an awful lot of extra's for the price. It is definitely a bit heavy and for hitting the trails hard, but is a great starter bike. I have been looking for a bike for a while and am reasonably happy this one as a starter. I will eventually upgrade the components in hopes of getting it a bit lighter, but overall am very pleased. If you are looking for a good in-between bike, this is a good choice.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Chris
a Cross Country Rider
from Raleigh, NC Date Reviewed: February 7, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Any
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
Price, shock, frame
Weaknesses:
Stem, EB logo
Similar Products Used:
Trek, Kona
Bike Setup:
Factory
Bottom Line:
I just recently bought this bike at Performance in Chapel Hill/Carborro NC. They had a deal on it for $377.00, so once I got past the Eddie Bauer logo, I swallowed that pride and talked myself into it. I normally ride road, but wanted to get something that could commute well to work, and maybe go off-road now and then. This bike was the smoothest ride of any model in the same price range. Good for a beginner MTB'er, and you just can't beat the price tag. Plus, If your going to buy something with Alivio, you have to know that if you ride the thing hard, you'll probably need to get a new drive train in a few months anyhow. You get what you pay for in this bike, and a little more.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tyler Mahal
a Weekend Warrior
from Millbrook, New York,America Date Reviewed: January 21, 2000
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
Good fork, grips and price
Weaknesses:
haven't found any
Similar Products Used:
A Mongoose
Bike Setup:
Factory setup
Bottom Line:
Very good for such a low price. I recemmend this bike to anyone on a budget
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Simon
a Weekend Warrior
from Boston Date Reviewed: December 19, 1999
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
price
Weaknesses:
EB branding
Similar Products Used:
Specialized Hardrock Raleigh M2
Bike Setup:
Factory (Judy T2 fork, Shimano alivio/acera drivetrain, rapid fire shifters, DiaCompe direct pull brakes, Velociraptor tires)
Bottom Line:
This is a very similar bike to the Iguana SE and is great for the money (I paid $500). Very solid, handles nicely on the trail. Vastly superior to the Raleigh I tried at the same price point. I like the fork especially. Haven't had any shifting problems as someone else suggests. Suit beginner - intermediate riders who want a bike they can punish a bit, and upgrade (though I haven't needed to myself yet).
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Joe
a weekend warrior
from USA Date Reviewed: January 5, 1999
Bottom Line:
I took this bike for a test ride in my local bike shop to see if I wanted to buy it. It seemed fine on the asphalt, but then, after I bought it, I took it out on a trail. It sux. The fork was ok, but the derailers were soooo slow in shifting, that I couldn't change the gears in time for a climb. After that I changed out everything to LX, and it was a lot better in shifting, and lighter too. I haven't changed anything else, but that really pissed me off. I should have just gone with a different brand, like a Kona Lava Dome, so I could start off with better components. Overall, I put in too much $$$ already and I've only had it for 2 months.
Overall Rating:
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