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Submitted by
Mix Master Jon
a Downhiller
from Flower Mound, TX, USA
Date Reviewed: February 13, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | (Not avalible) | | Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only | | Strengths: | I'm a downhiller,(Or at least want to be) and I ride crosscountry to train for the future, and out of all the full-suspension bikes I have sampeled, this one knocks the rest off the charts. Great suspension, good pedal strenths, great frame, great handle bar. | | Weaknesses: | Shox sqeak sometimes. | | Similar Products Used: | Univega 6000. Vertical. | | Bike Setup: | (Unknown) | | Bottom Line: | Great bike for 400 bucks. Add ons make it one killa bee. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
scott
a Racer
from d,texas
Date Reviewed: September 19, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
northshore | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Strengths: |
bought it for my girlfriend.....for the $345.00, you cant get a better deal for a full suspension. She likes it alot and works perfectly for what she needs it for...
I would say though that if your looking for a good begginer bike you might try the 600 ds for a beaner or so more, the 400 ds comes equipped with low end gear that doesnt withstand alot of abuse...the mj rear shock didnt make me real happy either...not alot of travel and tends to bottom out with alot of force...overall it will get the job done for the price you pay. She is already ready to upgrade...she rides the darn thing to hard..gotta love that though!!!! | | Weaknesses: |
on the heavy side....
mj rear shock bottoms out and tends to losen on its own
suntor front forks have no travel
low-end components
shaft isnt real smooth
bitch on the climbs | | Similar Products Used: |
i ride the Gt XCR-2000
probably one of the better bikes ive had the pleasure to own...some of you guys may ride the 1000..or the 5 granders but i have to say....for the 2g's i payed for the bike...man i love it! the i-drive is smooth beyond compare and it handles like a bently..tight corners on the descent...alittle heavy...30lbs....but you dont even notice its so plush.
gotta hand it GT on its migration into the full-suspension...its one of the first fully's i would consider racing. | | Bike Setup: |
gt xcr 2k...vanilla float r in the rear
marizzochi front fork!!!love it.
gotta love the riser bars too...i'm done with grip shift..i'm all about little levers!! | | Bottom Line: | dont buy it if your planning on real aggresive type riding...it will do the trick for you, but you will find yourself upgrading all the time...and if your like my girlfriend...though she was very happy with it..after a month she had outgrown it and ready for a new bike. Its a great bike for the price...but always remeber that you get what you pay for. I say save for alittle bit longer and maybe look at a few others..i mean hey...you saved 4 beaners already..whats another 4-5...be patient and pick your bike carefully for what your looking to do with it....another bit of advice....a light bike is not nesacarily all there is....weight is important for some types of riding but you can save a bit of dollars if you look at the steel frame jobs.... | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark Grasela
a Weekend Warrior
from Houston, TX
Date Reviewed: April 24, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
Full suspension at a value price. Nice starter platform. At $400, it's worth a look if your on a budget, just starting out, and want to bypass the hardtail scene. Nice platform for future upgrading. | | Weaknesses: |
Heavy. Below average components. Heavy. Heavy. | | Bottom Line: | I was looking for a good starter bike and happened to land in a shop specializing in Motobecane and Univega. The DS400 caught my attention, because at 400 bones, it was the cheapest full suspension bike I'd seen. The drivetrain components are mostly low-end Shimano Alevio stuff, w/ SRAM GripShifts, but O.K. for starting out. V-brakes are equipped front and rear, with Tektro levers. The front shock is a low-end Suntour (which I've decided pretty much sucks), but again what do you want for $400.
The frame shock is M&J (a name I'm not familiar with). It looks to be an adequate spring, but time will tell.The frame has three positions for the shock, but the bracket design only allows the shock that comes with the bike to be positioned in the center hole. A little gotcha that I didn't even notice until I'd ridden the bike for a few weeks. Pissed me off! I'm hoping I can get another shock that will fit into the other positions without modifiying the bracket.I've since added a few extra goodies and upgraded a few items. It's starting to grow on me, but for $100 bucks more, the 600 DS looks like a much better buy. Oh, by the way, totally disregard the $795 price for this bike on the Motobecane website. Don't pay a penny more the $400 for this bike. If it really was $795, it would be a ripoff. Bottom Line: 4 chillies. Lotsa bang for the buck. | | Overall Rating: |
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