Submitted by
Brandon
a Cross Country Rider
from Seoul Korea Date Reviewed: July 15, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Korea
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$290.00
Purchased At:
ebay
Strengths:
Good fit and finish. Paint still doing good, but a few nicks and tics here and there.(mostly from crashing or crashing}. If you have been riding as long as I have and tried all the fads (extra-lite Alum, Carbon,) Go back to that old feeling of steel, it will be like riding something new.
Weaknesses:
None to speak of.
Similar Products Used:
Cannondales {the old school stuff}, Trek, Author(non-US brand)(columbus airplane tubed light and stiff)
Bike Setup:
Full xtr drive line, hope mini moto f&r, custom wheels on hope 2 hubs, ritchey wcs carbon cockpit, fox 100 rlc, big old comfy Brooks B17.
Bottom Line:
Ok, I have ridden this bike over 4500 km this past year. I have 3 bikes and this one is the one I ride on the weekends when I put on the most miles(km) behind me. I love this bike.(I built it myself.) I have no complaints. The rear is soft and compliant and it climbs well. Gets a little light on the front on the steep stuff, but proably due to seat height and that big ole brooks seat. I have the best of the best on my bike and the frame is one of the least expensive aspects of the bike. It is functional and comfortable and gives back what I put into it. It is set up like a long haul XC bike and I sit pretty upright, but that works for me since I ride 60% bike path/road and 40% xc. It has never let me down. I have a 8kg non suspended rocket the (Author) and a single speed slider, grinder that I put together. They all get my love all week long. I do not have a car here. Just do not need it. But when the weekend comes I "Groove" it as much as possible.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
chris
a Cross Country Rider
from manchester Date Reviewed: May 15, 2008
Favorite Trail:
bear brook trails
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$319.00
Purchased At:
price point
Strengths:
nice paint and craftsmanship, sloped top tube gives great stand over height, frame geometry allows sharp steering.
Weaknesses:
none
Similar Products Used:
RM Element, ETSX, Hammer
Bike Setup:
Easton Monkeylite bar, Easton EA 50 stem, Thomson seatpost, Avid BB7 brakes, LX front der., XT rear der., Marz. MX pro fork (80mm), XT hubs laced with Sun Rhyno lite rims.
Bottom Line:
Great frame. The craftsmanship is very nice (welds and paint are solid). Top tube is perfect length for me and gives plenty of space on stand over height. Great bike for tight singletrack and gives a solid feel while riding it.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Scott
a Cross Country Rider
from Denver Date Reviewed: November 19, 2007
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$200.00
Purchased At:
mtbr classifieds
Strengths:
Price-bang for the buck- well made steel frame.
Weaknesses:
None
Similar Products Used:
none- all alum frames
Bike Setup:
fox f80 rlt-xt-xtr- 1x9
Bottom Line:
Wow, for $200 you can't beat this frame anywhere. So smooth, light and nice paint. I have this set up as 1x9 and it is now my favorite ride.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Michael
a
from Dallas, TX, USA Date Reviewed: August 24, 2007
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
Great value. Smooth riding steel frame. Good Geometry. Not super heavy.
Weaknesses:
Could have better paint, chipped off fairly easy near chainstay and dropouts. Drop outs-tough to get the skewer to drop out easily.
Great riding frame. Great Value. Steel is a great material for making bikes. The more I ride steel frames the more I can feel the difference between steel and other materials.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Brandon
a Cross Country Rider
from Seoul Korea Date Reviewed: June 21, 2007
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$290.00
Purchased At:
????
Strengths:
Very nice fit and finish. Super paint job! Light and Strong. Nice to go back to steel. Love the Blue!
Weaknesses:
None as of yet.
Similar Products Used:
cannondale, other exotic material/tubed frames
Bike Setup:
Full xtr drive line, hope mini moto f&r, custom wheels on hope 2 hubs, ritchey wcs cockpit, fox 100 rlc.
Bottom Line:
I ride the city/trails of Seoul, Korea and ride 150km+ a week rain or shine. After being jarred to death from every little road bump on a columbus airplane tubed (light, but very stiff) I was looking for something a little less rigid. I did not want FS, so I went back to where I orginally started. STEEL! I could not be happier. The price was right and the setup works well. There is enough give from the steel to soak up the road chatter, but strong enough to keep me planted on the nonpaved stuff. Overall I am happy and I have not seen another one in Korea, so I get the oogles and the where did you get that???
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Frank Longtine
a Weekend Warrior
from Casper, Wyoming, USA Date Reviewed: May 17, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Deathtrap
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$265.00
Purchased At:
Mountain Sports
Strengths:
EXCELLENT finish quality, very light. More upright riding position, very comfortable. Down tube cable routing is excellent and bucks the cookie cutter trend of top tube routing. Reinforcement collars on the head tube show attention to detail. Braze ons for rack, reinforcement for disc brake.
Weaknesses:
Frame wasn't chased & faced from factory. Breeze in dropouts won't allow me to remove my wheel without removing skewer nut first. Maybe my derailleur is too old, though. Rear brake cable requires the use of adapters to allow housing guides to be used as housing stops. Numbers 24 and 44 on seat tube refer to (Giants?) baseball team jersey numbers- no big deal, but I'm not a sports fan and I didn't like it. But not enough to not buy this frame.
SunTour XC Pro drivetrain, hubs, & seatpost, Cane Creek headset, Avid SD7 brakes, Brooks B17 Champion Special saddle, Surly 1X1 fork. Kind of a mix of retro-grouch and modern components.
Bottom Line:
An excellent value for the money. The best finish I've ever seen on a production bike, bar none. Great riding position for those looking to ride, not race. I suppose you could race this bike, but it seems from the catalog that the bike is purpose built to be comfortable. It succeeds. Buy this bike if you want a comfortable bike you can commute with, or just ride for enjoyment. You may want to keep looking if you want to race, though.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Bill R.
a Cross Country Rider
from Stratford, NJ, USA Date Reviewed: April 19, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Brandywine
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$300.00
Purchased At:
Jenson
Strengths:
Light(for steel), paint, finish, old school styling
Weaknesses:
Cables running underneath....nothing else
Similar Products Used:
trek 8000
Bike Setup:
XT Drivetrain, Manitou Skareb Platinum front susp., Race Face evolve xc post, Answer pro taper bars, Continental explorer tires, Bontrager rims.
Bottom Line:
A strong, light steel frame. Excellent finish and quality for the money. Not a run of the mill frame, very unique.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Larry Pelowski
a Cross Country Rider
from Frmington Hills Date Reviewed: September 6, 2006
Favorite Trail:
pontiac lk.
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$200.00
Purchased At:
trails edge
Strengths:
Quality for the money, details, paint and graphics
Weaknesses:
none yet
Similar Products Used:
giant steel hardtail, K2 Razorback, Gary Fisher alum hardtail
Bike Setup:
Fox fork, xt shifters, xtr v-brakes, carbon seatpost and bars.
Bottom Line:
Excellent value, after riding a full suspention for the last seven years, this brings me back to why I originally got into MTB. Simple is better, and steel is real, only 1/2 lb. heaver than ti.
$
Overall Rating:
