Description:The Sette Ace offers everything that a die hard XC rider could ever wish for in a cross country bike. The Ace’s light weight frame and compliant suspension design work together to create a bike that is light and efficient enough for those extra long rides. The Sette Ace was designed to provide pure cross country performance; its light weight design was built using oversized and butted 7005 series aluminum tubing. Oversized tubing and a reinforced head tube keep this bike strong yet light weight. The Sette Ace breezes through the trails with 4 inches of rear travel, while sealed cartridge bearing pivot points keep everything operating smooth and trouble free. Full hydraulic hose and cable guides and a replaceable derailleur hanger help to round things off.
The best $500 that I ever spent. Outstanding value, with very good performance. It climbs exceptionally well, handles very well, and handles technical descents with confidence. Overall, a very good XC bike. I have paid more and received much less. I would compare this frame to the much higher priced $1100-$1500 range frames. I have hammered on this frame all season in Colorado, and have no issues whatsoever aside from a slight clicking noise, which turned out to be remedied by zip tying my cables along the top tube. No creaking, no pivot or BB noise; nothing but smooth quiet performance. I recommend this frame, especially for the money.
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Submitted by
ljsmith
a Cross Country Rider
from Olney, MD Date Reviewed: July 30, 2008
The is a great budget FS bike. I have always been a diehard hardtail guy, but I thought I would get a FS to try out. I didn't want to drop a ton of cash, so this frame looked like a great deal. It came with a Marzocchi XC 700SL, which is a total pain in the butt to get set up, but once setup works pretty well. But I would recommend not getting this fork just to save yourself some hassle. The bike rides great. I initially set the rear shock at 30% sag, but I didn't like how it climbed or the pedal bob. So I pumped it up to 120psi, and it now has about 10% sag. It climbs really well, but not as efficiently as a hardtail. But the suspension will allow you to climb faster on rooty and rocky climbs. The rear shock does have a lockout, but I don't find myself ever using it. The bike descends very well. Especially is you increase the travel on the fork to slacken the headtube angle. I find that I can ride much faster downhill than I could on my hardtail. But the steering is a little slower than my hardtail, so while it is much more stable I have to be careful when going fast because it won't respond as quickly. The bike is really light, 26lbs. with pedals. So there is very little weight penalty over a hardtail, in fact most hardtails weigh more than 26lbs. I would highly recommend this frame to anyone who wants a nice FS bike without shelling out a lot of money, as long as you can live without a pedigree name. I shopped around for deals to assmeble the bike and used the follwing parts from my spare parts box (cranks, BB, handlebars, stem, grips, shifters). So the total price of the built up bike was $1600, which is not bad at all. How many 26lb, XT equipped FS bikes can you get for $1600?
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Submitted by
Jasen
a Racer
from Tempe, AZ Date Reviewed: February 9, 2008
Favorite Trail:
National- Phoenix, AZ Bell Rock Loop- Sedona, AZ
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$500.00
Purchased At:
Pricepoint.com
Strengths:
Super lite (5.44 lbs.), affordable, good looking frame, good climber, and a smooth operator...
Weaknesses:
Felt slight delay when hammering technical sections at first, but when I got used to it it seemed to climb just as weel as my hard tail.
Similar Products Used:
None. Unless you want to count a proflex in 1992. Rided hard tails ever sense.
Bike Setup:
Avid juciy 7's, SRAM X9 in the back, X7 up front. Race face Next SL carbon bar, Race face Deus Xc Hadset, Race Face Deus XC crank set, Fox F-series RLC100 fork, Bontrager ACC carbon seatpost, WTB silverado Saddle, Soke/Dart classic combo tires.
Bottom Line:
This was the first FS bike I’ve since a ProFlex in 1992. I’d always thought that only a hard tail could climb the things I like to climb. Well, to my satisfaction, I was proven wrong…well, mostly. I went up a trail with some pretty technical climbs today and while I did very well for the most part, I found myself putting down my foot in areas that I’d climbed numerous times in the past. It almost felt like there was a delayed reaction when I need to hammer it the hardest. Towards the end though, I realized that this was just how this bike felt and that if I kept going with steady motion, I would roll right over those tough spots. I’m anxious to go back to those other sections to see if I can climb them now that I’m more used to the feel. Although I’d felt like I was climbing a little sluggish, I’d actually gotten to the top faster than usual.
I’m sure I don’t even need to mention how much more fun I had coming down. I found myself cruising down without even thinking about my brakes in sections where my bike used to bounce all over the place forcing me to take it easy. Instead of jerking down technical rocky areas, I almost felt like my bike was conforming to the trail like a snake. I was amazed at how smooth this ride felt. I had people telling me all the time that I would enjoy the benefits of a FS bike and I’m glad I found out. I’m rebuilding my hard tail and will definitely still take her out every once in a while, but I can strongly say that I have been converted over to the darkside, and I’m no longer a “hardcore Hardtailer”
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Submitted by
Chris
a Cross Country Rider
from Vancouver/Squamish, BC Date Reviewed: October 7, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Seven Stitches
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$550.00
Purchased At:
Pricepoint.com
Strengths:
Really light. Balanced. Simple.
Weaknesses:
Needs a high-clamp or top swing front derailleur, not mentioned in the specs.
Bike Setup:
Dropoffs up front, SRAM X.7 fore & aft with X.7 trigger shifters, Avid BB7, Truvativ Hussefelt cranks on a Gigapipe BB.
Bottom Line:
Light, clean, frame, with a smooth and simple rear suspension system. I took my time building it up as a frame and fork swap project, switching my XC ride from a hardtail to FS. My forks are on the heavy side, and have a little more travel than the rear, but that's solved with preload, so you can get away with a longer travel fork if you want - the geometry will handle it. I have been pounding the daylights out of this frame on Squamish singletrack, deep in the autumn muck. The bike feels great. It climbs great, and sticks to the ground on the uphills like it was clamped to a track. Standing on a climb (a hardtail no-no) still keeps the rear wheel glued to the ground. Chunky downhills are smooth - but this is truly an XC frame - I wouldn't want to do massive dropoffs with it. You get just a bit less plushness in exchange for the light frame. I used the rear lockout on logging road ascents, and it works just fine, but I could easily live without it - the bob is minimal. No slop at all. I can now get away with all kinds of riding that would have put me off the trail with my hardtail. I hesitated for a long while before buying the frame, and I don't regret it at all.
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Submitted by
Joe
a Weekend Warrior
from Atlanta Date Reviewed: September 28, 2007
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$580.00
Purchased At:
Price Point
Strengths:
Weight, handling, responsiveness, good looks, build quality, bike fit, Manitou shock, delivery time from Price Point.
LX/XT mix (Square taper!), Thompson post, Avid BB7, Crossrides, Mutano Raptor 2.4s, Marzocchi EXR Air 100mm
Bottom Line:
Excellent frame for the recreational XC rider (I am converting from a hardtail). 35 miles on it so far. The frame geometry is as well-sorted as anything I have tried for our tight bumpy Eastern singletrack, and compares favorably to a Rush 5 I tested (except for my fork, which does not match a Lefty). There is absolutely no sign of any frame flex when hammering a hillclimb, as with the Hollowpoint I had. It feels like a hardtail. What I notice is that I'm not bouncing and banging around the trail like on a hardtail. No problems at all in building up the bike. The BB threads and headtube were clean. Japanese sealed bearings everywhere. Everything works. The bike weighed in a little under 6 lbs. by my fishing scale for a 20.5 inch frame. The bike looks great in white, very clean looking. Decals are under clear coat. I would have liked to take the decals off, but it looks really sano anyway.
I would have been pleased to purchase a SC Superlight frame from an Atlanta LBS, but could not find a shop interested in selling me one (availabilty seems to be an issue). So I turned to the Internet and figured for $550 plus shipping it was worth taking a chance, as long as I'm ordering out anyway. If you have components and just need a new frame this deal is impossible to beat.
The only reservation I have about the Sette is, what kind of warranty support if you have a problem in two years? I called PP before ordering the frame and asked for them to fax the warranty but they never did, even after a follow-up call. The warranty booklet that came with the bike appears to provide a 5-year warranty, but with so many disclaimers I don't have much confidence that it's woth anything. Overall highly recommended for DIY types, docking value 1 chili for the sketchy warranty.
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Submitted by
Nelmar
a Cross Country Rider
from Daly City Date Reviewed: September 21, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Skegs point, Resolution
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$600.00
Purchased At:
Pricepoint.com
Strengths:
Price, durability, and weight (frame weight 5.3 ilbs)! Built my bike from the frame up and it weighed just under 30 ilbs! Tested and compared with Santa Cruz Nomad.
Weaknesses:
none
Similar Products Used:
GT i-drive, Ellsworth Faith, Santa Cruz Nomad
Bike Setup:
Shimano XT and Lx components, Chris King headset
Bottom Line:
I was looking into building a Santa Cruz Nomad, but I decided to try an unknown name brand and luckily ran into this frame. I've been riding this bike hard practically everday and hasn't failed me yet. If you're looking for a lightweight bike that would take the abuse to compete, train, or just plain have fun with, this is it. Added with quality components and you have a bike just as good or even better than other quality bikes. It has great weight and balance distribution, control, and durability that made me want to get another frame and build it for other people to try. For the price you can't go wrong. with the money I saved, I'm buying another one. You get more than what you pay for.
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Submitted by
Mark Dickinson
a Weekend Warrior
from San Jose, CA. USA Date Reviewed: August 2, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Water Dog / Purisima Creek
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$599.00
Purchased At:
PricePoint.com
Strengths:
Sette XC Ace
Weaknesses:
None yet
Similar Products Used:
Santa Cruz
Bike Setup:
RaceFace Cranks, Bombshell FatDaddy wheels, Fox Vanilla fork.
Bottom Line:
This was my second attempt at a full suspension and if my first bike was like this I would still be riding it. Love the rear suspension with no bob or bounce. Nice feature of the lockout rear shock but have not really needed it. I setup the shock per the manual and it has worked great. Bike handles great at low speeds and is very strong. If you like building your own ride I highly recommend this frame.
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Submitted by
Patrick Fullenwider
a Weekend Warrior
from Dallas, Texas, USA Date Reviewed: August 2, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Grapevine NorthShore
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$600.00
Purchased At:
PricePoint
Strengths:
Light, Very Strong, Quick
Weaknesses:
none
Bike Setup:
Manitu Nixon Platinum Intrinsic fork. Race Face cranks. SRAM X-9 rear, X-7 front
Bottom Line:
This bike cannot be beat for the price. I am very large, 6'5" and over 250. I was worried about strength and durability and I love to go off rocks and speed down hill. This bike holds up. It has a lockout on the rear shock (standard) but I have never had to use it. With my weight I was worried about peddle bob but this bike does not move.
If you are thinking about building an XC bike, dont look past the ACE. You cannot go wrong for the $$
$
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