Shoddy saddle, poor tires, and a back wheel (Sun Rim ZJ 18) that split at the seem without any hard hits
Similar Products Used:
I also own a Giant Iguana SE 6000 series aluminum
Bike Setup:
I upgraded the stem to a longer, steeper rise (I'm 5'9"). I upgraded the saddle to a women's Specialized split saddle(much more comfortable on the @$$. Recently replaced rear wheel w/ Rhyno lite rim and Panaracer XC Firepro and a Specialized Team Control up front (damn good and grippy combo)
Bottom Line:
Other than the upgrades for comfort and poor stock parts this ride is so not what I expected. Pick a line and the bike goes. Have to play aggressive though or you get bucked. I'm ~ 150lbs and the size is 18.5", a size I am pleased with. Basically you can't go too wrong with LX-XT and a solid fast frame. Try it.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
ryan
a Weekend Warrior
from vancouver Date Reviewed: July 20, 2001
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Strengths:
it takes a beating. for the money, i think that this is one of the best deals you can get. the newer models have some poor component choices (air fork), but this one is solid and sensible. I paid about 1100 cdn in vancouver on sale as the 2000 models were coming in. I love the polished paint job =).
Weaknesses:
mine didn't come with a riser bar, so i bought a 2" steel beast for 17 dollars. the stock pedals suck, but it keeps costs down, and MEC has cool flats for $8 (they're amazing for the price). I do not like the lx brakes, or the stock tires (no grip here at all, and got a lot of flats). the stem might be a bit long, but i should have checked that at the shop. Disk brake tabs might be nice. Oh yeah, the headset is not normal and is a pain to retighted properly.
Bike Setup:
changes: new bar, put on a 2.4 motoraptor front and a 2.35 kenda kinetics kevlar rear. Replaced rear rim with rhyno lite after i destroyed it. Added stem and toptube pads. changed stock pedals to other metal flats (victor i think). Added a blackspire bashguard and an electrical tape chainstay protector.
Bottom Line:
This is a really solid entry level bike. I think I'm starting to outgrow it, and the 2.5" travel fork is overwhelmed with the lite shore stuff i ride. Its really smooth and durable, but it doesn't have rebount adjust and 2.5 will never be that plush. It sucks up the small stuff wonderfully. This bike has withstood a lot of abuse, jumping, drops up to about 3 feet, multi day cross country treks, etc, with the only casualties being my rear rim and right hand gear indicator. The frame is solid and has a geometry that can do it all, and would stand up well to upgrades. All that being said, i'm saving as quick as i can for a '02 specialized enduro expert. I could keep the frame and turn it into a sweet jump bike (actually, it does it pretty well already, under my clumsy hands), a freeride hardtail, or a cross country beast. A warning though. all bikes require love to run smoothly. clean it, lube it, take care of the bearings and the fork, and it'll last a while.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dante
a Downhiller
from Ontario, Canada Date Reviewed: June 12, 2001
Favorite Trail:
brunet park
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$1000.00
Purchased At:
courtesy west
Strengths:
sweet bike, would make awesome freeride but needs shock travel. awesome selction of components, sweet look and great value.
Weaknesses:
lx cranks g2g. they work good for the first year, but than they fall apart. needs more shock travel
Similar Products Used:
kona manomano, shwinn 4 banger
Bike Setup:
all stock except i got rid of those crappy vp clipless and put no some shimano m545
Bottom Line:
most bike 4 ur value, i am a hard core racer and have tried out many bike, and this is one of my favourites. with a canadian made bike, u know the performance is going to b there. if ur looking for a mid thousand dollar bike, i recommend u give this one a look and a ride.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Juan
a Weekend Warrior
from Victoria, Australia Date Reviewed: April 24, 2001
Favorite Trail:
too many good ones here
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
easton elite! fast, great climber, strong, light, very nice slack angles. its snow white (I have the 2000 frame)
Weaknesses:
none, I love this bike (but I can only speak for the frame)
Bike Setup:
Nitro frame, 99 Z1's (set at 4" travel) LX/XT drivetrain, avid Arch Rival 4's, Azonic double wall risers, kalloy shorty stem (I need this at 5'4"), Mavic 221 front, F519 rear, Conti Explorer pro's, SDG saddle, Oury Grips
Bottom Line:
I bought this as a frame only and then added bits to it. This bike not only outruns all my mates' bikes, but looks fantastic being white (beautiful, pure). The angles are very slack and comfortable, and yet I hardly need to get out of my seat when climbing steeply. how did they do that? I am happiest when riding my bike, rain hail or shine:- what else can I say?? Buy this if you want a light strong bike that goes fast and is for all-round enjoyment, not suitable if you want to really abuse your bike ie: dirt jumping, stair drops etc Note that the ratings are for the frame only:
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
colin mccaig
a Cross Country Rider
from Canada Date Reviewed: March 27, 2001
Favorite Trail:
????????
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
Gus' bicycle shop
Strengths:
Very strong frame and shifter works well under a lot of conditions
Weaknesses:
Stock rims bend easily and stock handlebars do not have enough rise and they are to wide to ride no some trails
Similar Products Used:
I also own a giant warp full suspension that does the job a lot better
The bike works very well for what i paid fir it and I wo
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
cmack
a Downhiller
from Whis BC Canada Date Reviewed: March 13, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Binty's
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$800.00
Purchased At:
Whistler Bike Co.
Strengths:
lasts, good spec, comfy
Weaknesses:
too cross country-ish - needs a longer travel fork and a shorter stem - if you weigh a lot you might brake it - i only weigh 110. i tore the derrailleur into the spokes and wrecked the hangar - luckily it was replaceable, but make sure you replace it with a compatible one.
Similar Products Used:
giant iguana - cheap pile of SH_T
Bike Setup:
stock - full lx but xt rear derrailleur. one excellent thing is the LX brakes - not found on many bikes that are similiar but much better than its avid counterparts.
Bottom Line:
if you are looking for aq durable crosscountry free rider - you should get one but if you are looking more for something free-ride oriented, look elsewhere (NEEDS REINFORCEMENT, MORE TRAVEL, SHORTER STEM, ETC.). Excellent value.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Matt Floyd
a Cross Country Rider
from Waterloo, Ontario, Canada Date Reviewed: February 11, 2001
Favorite Trail:
hydro cut
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$999.00
Purchased At:
Cyclepath
Strengths:
Kick ass all around bike. Super strong on climbing and decending. Good for free riding too!
Weaknesses:
Crapy pedles. Needed to be upgraded
Similar Products Used:
Specialized M4 Brodie Dynamo Rocky Mountain Oxygen Race
Bike Setup:
Marzocchi z4 fly light air, XT rear derailer and crack, Aximo dh bar and seat post, so on and so on
Bottom Line:
BEST BIKE i have ever had. Gonna stick with Norco from now on. MMMMM Norco. YEA AND ITS FROM CANADA> Muhahaha
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Lorne ********
a Racer
from Vancouver Date Reviewed: January 28, 2000
Favorite Trail:
norco nitro
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Fast exceleration. lite. I found that i is a lot better with a Z3 QR20. The lx crankes work better with a ring god
Weaknesses:
The z4 suck for free riding. The frame is really for cross country.
Similar Products Used:
nothing really
Bike Setup:
axiom dh stem with a QR20 fork. Lx and xt components. And modfid drive train
Bottom Line:
This is a good bike but i really needed to make those changes.
the rating that i give this with the changes i have have made is:
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Rispie
a Weekend Warrior
from Vernon Date Reviewed: September 23, 1999
Favorite Trail:
spankys
Duration Product Used:
tested or demo'ed only
Strengths:
everything
Weaknesses:
what is the meaning of this word
Similar Products Used:
to many to list
Bike Setup:
stock
Bottom Line:
A very nice bike. Almost too responsive. Stick a Z.3 LT on it with a pair of race face cranks and avid arch rival 5.0 brakes and this bike would just plain kick some serious butt!
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tobin
a Racer
from Bala, ONT Date Reviewed: September 12, 1999
Favorite Trail:
Porcupine Ridge
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Shocks are smooth,Riser bars,clipless pedals, gotta love the LX brakes.
Weaknesses:
The V-Raptor's are a bit heavy and don't roll well on paved roads.
Similar Products Used:
Norco Sasquatch
Bike Setup:
What came with it
Bottom Line:
This is a heavy duty bike, it will take whatever you throw at it, Its a smooth ride for the downhill riders with the bombers, and the V-Raptors will grip even the wet rock
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jimmy
a Racer
from Brookstown, Ontario Date Reviewed: August 18, 1999
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
Everything
Weaknesses:
None
Similar Products Used:
Rocky Mountain Thin Air
Bike Setup:
Stock
Bottom Line:
Excellent bike! I recently won the Canadian Championships by 22 minutes with this bike. My only complaint is with the extremely heavy spoke nipples. After upgrading to titanium nipples, my bike came in 5 grams lighter. What a difference!
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
SeanO
a Cross-Country Rider
from Vancouver Date Reviewed: July 19, 1999
Duration Product Used:
less than 1 month
Strengths:
Reasonably light, excellent value, great singletrack machine.
Weaknesses:
Not great balance for climbing, mostly due to the riser bars.
Similar Products Used:
Rocky HammerRace, Kona Cindercone, KHS Comp
Bike Setup:
Stock - LX/XT, Z-4, Sun ZJ-18
Bottom Line:
A nice ride. Not the best climbing, although it outclimbed a Rockhopper, Cindercone, X-Caliber last night on a loose, steep climb. The riser bars take some getting used to, at least for a dyed-in-the-wool flat-bar rider like myself. I still think I'll probably go back to a flat bar with bar ends when I break this one. I like the drivetrain: smooth as butter. Veloci-Raptors hook up well, but high rolling resistance on the road (I rode there once, won't again soon). All in all, a recommended ride. Price and parts are comparable to the Hammer Race, another nice (steel) bike.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mikey Boy
a Cross-Country Rider
from Edmonton Date Reviewed: April 15, 1999
Favorite Trail:
My Own
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
This damn bike takes a lickin and keeps on tickin. I dropped this bike (by total accident, I'm sure you'll realize) on the highway going 120km/h (60 m/h) the other day and damn it all if the ony thing that was broken were my two Sun RIms (still awesome rims ill admit). This bike is so lite and fast and the LX-XT combination just kix some serious butt. I have never been so happy with a bike as I am with this one
Weaknesses:
Thoes damn riser bars gonna take some time to get used to, thats got to be my only complaint
$ 899.00
Overall Rating:
Overall Rating:
