Submitted by
wdgators
a Weekend Warrior
from Houston, TX Date Reviewed: August 16, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Double Lake
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$700.00
Purchased At:
Cyclone Cycles
Strengths:
Very sturdy bike
Weaknesses:
Pedals
Heavy weight
Similar Products Used:
None
Bike Setup:
Stock
Bottom Line:
Very sturdy bike on the trails. I've had some pretty good crashes and the bike has held up well (trees, asphalt, roots, into a ditch, sand, gravel - you name it, I've crashed on it or into it (I should probably give up MTB and stick with road bikes)). It has very few scratches, no dents and no cracks. The stock pedals are no good. I crushed them on my second or third ride. Be brave and go clipless.
It rides heavy on the road, but is quick and easy to maneuver on the trails. The brakes need constant maintenance, and I noticed today they were a little slow to grab on a slight downhill trail with lots of roots. The suspension is great - even over the roots (8 miles of it this morning). Shifting the front chainwheel is my biggest complaint. I usually have to hit the left shifter a couple of times before the chain gets in place. It's near impossible on the trail to move the chain on the front chainwheel. I haven't upgraded the derailers - that may help. The seat is comfortable, and the tires are sturdy. I pulled a 1/2-inch piece of metal out of the front tire last month, but it didn't affect the integrity of the tire (had to replace a few tubes before I found the metal, but the tire is still running fine).
Overall, for a newbie mountain-biker like me (2 years, 1-2 times a week on easy singletrack), I think this is a great bike. It's stood up to a ton of abuse and is great fun on the trails. And the price can't be beat.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Leon Walker
a Weekend Warrior
from Auckland, New Zealand Date Reviewed: April 26, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Redwoods, Rotorua
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$450.00
Purchased At:
R&R Sport
Strengths:
Great all round bike, have used it on all sorts of tracks and gets the job done.
Weaknesses:
Possibly slightly heavier than similar size bikes I've tried out, although not noticably. Wouldnt affect the performance for what I do
Bike Setup:
Standard
Bottom Line:
I've had for ~1year now and has proven to be a great, no hassles bike. Ive done a bit of various MTBing, cross country and also use it as my daily commuter by chucking some road tyres on it. Sweet as
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
arekieh
a Cross Country Rider
from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Date Reviewed: August 2, 2008
Favorite Trail:
River Valley
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$699.00
Purchased At:
Reids Cycle and Spor
Strengths:
Theres not one part that is cheap, all entry level decently high end parts,
Weaknesses:
Cant really think of any except that the break rotors feel cheap and i plan on replacing them, also that the breaks are really annoying to adjust till u get the hang of it
Similar Products Used:
Norco Charger, Norco Rival, Jamis Dakar XC,
^^^all 3 of these felt really cheap like they were gonna fall apart
Bike Setup:
completely stock, plan on changing the seat, and rotors,
and maybe in the future changing the breaks and deraillures and fork
Bottom Line:
great entry level bike, i love it, and its amazing for the price
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tom
a Weekend Warrior
from Melbourne Date Reviewed: October 25, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Blue Lake, Forrest
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$700.00
Purchased At:
Anaconda Australia
Strengths:
Great 1st MTB, value for money, solid component choice
Weaknesses:
front derailer, fork, brakes
Bike Setup:
added CB candy pedals, LX front derailer and a new seat
Bottom Line:
Have had a great time on this bike and done plenty of kms on it. the front fork can at times not have great feel too it and the brakes start to fade out on more challenging DH sections. The Spec though for the price is great and a top choice as a first bike. THe frame and handling is great and have not had to spend much on this bike at all. Buy it if you want something to get into MTB and it will show you a good time..
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Gabirel Casas
a Cross Country Rider
from Cd. Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico Date Reviewed: October 24, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Chupacabras 100 km
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$650.00
Purchased At:
Local Store
Strengths:
Robust frame, excelent overall components for a new rider.
Weaknesses:
Brake line for the front arrived brocken.
Similar Products Used:
Giant Yukon
Bike Setup:
Stock
Bottom Line:
I raced the Chupacabras 100km with only adding liners and slime to my tires.
The bike performed well and took a lot of abuse.
Only took it for a tuneup after the rase and needed to adjust the Shifters and Brakes.
THIS IS ONE NICE RIDE FOR A RELATIVE SHEAP PRICE.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Armando Toledo
a Cross Country Rider
from Miami Lakes, FL Date Reviewed: January 11, 2007
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$489.00
Purchased At:
Active Cycles
Strengths:
Great starter bike! Very tough. Takes a beating. I am 295 and it takes me and much more. Shifters are different but nice. It kicks the stumpjumpers a** in speed.
Weaknesses:
Front fork could be a little stronger.
Similar Products Used:
Rockhopper, Stumpjumper, Avalanche 2.0
Bottom Line:
Great bike for the price. Great climber, nice brakes, comfortable ride. Definately a great choice for the starter.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dan Neitzling
a Cross Country Rider
from Bozeman, MT Date Reviewed: September 10, 2006
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$599.00
Strengths:
Great Frame Geometry. SRAM derailleurs are great. AXEL fork is extremely smooth. The disc brakes are great, but these are my first pair of discs.
Weaknesses:
The gear shifters are set up so that you shift both ways with only your thumb. This becomes annoying when you go off a minor drop and your hand rotates on the grip causing your thumb knuckle to press the gear shifter. Whenever I go off of a little drop this happens and I land while shifting gears. So far that's the only thing I've noticed.
Similar Products Used:
I tested the Jamis Dakar, Giant Rainier, and Specialized Rockhopper Comp.
Bottom Line:
This bike has been good to me so far. I'm continually surprised at how smooth everything operates and how well set up the geometry is. Jamis is a great company that doesn't spend their money on advertising. Instead they put that money into the quality of their bikes. Find a Jamis dealer and get more bang for your buck.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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