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Specialized
Stumpjumper FSR XC Comp
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Submitted by
John Stults
a Cross Country Rider
from Santa Barbara, CA
Date Reviewed: May 21, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Cold Springs | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1600.00 | | Purchased At: | Bicycle Connection (Thanks Sergio) | | Strengths: | All around great bike. Suspension has a lot of travel, and can really take a good pounding. Holds me real well. I'm 6-2, 280, and stays very comfortable. The front and rear shock lock out is a nice feature as well. Really helps for the climbing. | | Weaknesses: | Two things that I really don't like and will have to ugrade later is that there isn't an on the fly lock out. Have to bend down while riding to lock/unlock both shocks. Other is i had to trim down the seat post. When it's as far down as it goes, still sticks up about 7-8 inches, so you can't get down low when going downhill. | | Similar Products Used: | GT/Trek/Marin | | Bike Setup: | rock shock recon front suspension, specialized X air shock rear | | Bottom Line: | Wonderful bike. Have ridden other full suspension, and this is definately the most comfortable I've ever ridden. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tim
a Weekend Warrior
from champlin, MN
Date Reviewed: February 14, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | 3 rivers trails | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$1700.00 | | Purchased At: | Erik's- Dinky Town- MPLS | | Strengths: | Have used this bike for 5+ years, Have to say this is the best bike I have ridden, I have a very bad back and weigh 200 lbs + so a full suspension was the only way to go (doctor recommended.) As with any full suspension bike maintenance is key, take care of what you paid for and it will take care of you. Yes BB was loud after break in but once properly adjusted no problems. Swapped out rim brakes for disc's and rims/hubs also, stock seat is harder than nails. But to get a good workout your not in the saddle much anyway, right? | | Bottom Line: | Weekend rides with guys who work at bike shops who have the latest and greatest (trek fuels blah blah blah)and can outlast them on a 5 year old bike, says it all! ( no, I'm not a triathlete. Bike just lets you ride very clean and easy!
4 chili's because some upgrades are needed. Overall VERY pleased with my purchase - have not rebuilt shocks as of yet, even after 8-10 foot drops year after year. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Freerider Dude
a Weekend Warrior
from Scottsdale AZ. USA
Date Reviewed: September 18, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$450.00 | | Purchased At: | From a friend | | Strengths: | So far this bike is varry good.The guy I buyed it from upgraded the rear shock to a Fox vinilla float, and the tiers to tubless. | | Weaknesses: | I just had it tuned up at a bike shop but about 2 days after the crank started to sound like a stuped cricket that wouldent shut up! Now It's turned into a creeking sound. | | Similar Products Used: | Havent tryed enything good enugh to list. | | Bottom Line: | This is an ausome bike. Pritty plush. I would recomind this bike to enyone.Have only crashed once because I culdent get out of the silly toe clips(or traps), so I took them off.So 5 Flamin' Chillis! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Daniel Stromborg
a Cross Country Rider
from Eagle Rock, CA 90041
Date Reviewed: February 1, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$1650.00 | | Purchased At: | Super-Blow | | Strengths: | front / rear suspension lockout, downhill capability, overall versatility. | | Weaknesses: | Just plain crap for hardware. I've had to trade out most the bolts that came stock on the bike for stainless. I also had the drivetrain side front pivot bolt slide out on my one of my first rides-- left me 10+ miles from home, had a nice walk in the cleats that day. I also have had to replace the bearings in the 4 bar linkage twice now. I haven't noticed anyone else having this problem. Going to call Specialized tommorow.
I also have had a number of major creak issues, which get old. People have told me Specialized tend to be loud.... | | Similar Products Used: | Titus Racer X-- a buddy lent me his bike when I was looking for a new bike and this was the closest feeling bike I could afford. | | Bike Setup: | lots of new stuff, original tires were a joke, as were the grips and bar. Cranks wore out on me. | | Bottom Line: | Before I bought this bike, I read the reviews posted. The low BB was a common issue for many. Personally, I have no idea what the problem is. I ride everything from fire roads to rocky, technical single track. I've gone Superman many a time, but I can't blame a single crash on the BB. Maybe it's me. For an all-around ride (it's my only bike) it performs great. But there are a number of pain in the ass maintance issues I have had to deal with repeatedly. The rear suspension is great, but the bike can be noisy. I ride 4 days / week, maybe 40-70 miles. It's treated me great so far, just those issues I put forth above. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steve
a Weekend Warrior
from Gilroy, CA
Date Reviewed: November 9, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Pogonip, santa cruz | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$2100.00 | | Purchased At: | Cupertino Bikeshop | | Strengths: | Light weight, well designed, very upgradable, great handling bike, gusseted well to last years | | Weaknesses: | Stock components which I switched out over the years. I think only the frameset is original | | Similar Products Used: | Haven't ridden anything recent to compare | | Bike Setup: | Race Face crankset, Avid Ultimate brakes (just as good as Avid Mechanical Disc), Mountainspeed linkage and bearing kit, Chris King Headset and hubs | | Bottom Line: | I've had this bike for over 3 years now and over the years Specialized made minor changes, all of which I made in component purchases to upgrade my FSR. I've never been happier with this bike. I keep contemplating replacing it with another bike, but I keep coming back. There just isn't anything out there worth the money to replace it. Sure the Blur, Intense's Spider, Turner frameset and others would be a great choices, but the bottom line is that I wouldn't get that much of an improvement to what I have now. Granted my upgrades substantially changes my original purchase. My Marzocchi 100mm coil Marathon changes the front geometry to 70 degrees, perfect for high speed descending and raises the BB height to 13". Then I changed my tires to 2.2 Specialized Enduro Pros. I now have 13.5" on my BB and can clear most log crossings without scraping my chainrings. I'm thinking about changing out my Fox Float, but it's working so well and doesn't leak, so don't fix what isn't broken. However, a Fifth Element may be my next upgrade. Total weight for all my upgrades is 25.8 lbs, 4" of front travel, 3.9" in the rear and Avid "Ultimate" Brakes, the best v-brakes bar none. My perfect all around trail bike that I can occasionally race XC on. I might consider a Turner if I ever break this bike.
Five flaming turds for overall ratings and three turds because I had to change out so many parts to make it my perfect bike. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a Cross Country Rider
from Dallas, TX
Date Reviewed: September 6, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Northshore in TX, Sedona & Tucson | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | 1,600 | | Strengths: | Fast. Great climber. Way increased my confidence and skill -- learned to just go straight instead of picking lines. Awesome suspension. Rockster Pros great on asphalt. | | Weaknesses: | Ditto on most of the compaints. Great frame/suspension combination with weak components for the price at the time. First to go were the Avids that required endless adjustment weak. Fox steerer tube cut too short, no room to raise the bars. Endless "creak" in the cranks still dealing with, multiple shops have worked on it. Did lose a linkage bolt behind front cogs. Tires were horrible on anything loose with no bite on the rocks. Loathed the 515 pedals. Much adjusting of front deraileur required, rubs. I suspect something to do with it mounted on a bracket, not frame. Grips slipped from day one. | | Similar Products Used: | Nothing comparable | | Bike Setup: | Crossmax tubeless, pythons and fire pros, XT cranks/bottom bracket, xtr v-brakes, easton monkey light riser bars, odi, egg beaters | | Bottom Line: | Bottom line, this bike changed and improved my riding immeasurably. Almost two years on it now. Looking at new bikes I wish I had a reason to dump it, but over all I don't. In spite of the headaches I'm completely comfortable on this. The crank noise is the only thing I can't shake. After this much time most of it has been pretty well gone over: new cables, chains, etc. I ride 30-40 miles a week mostly intermediate and technical stuff, so it has the miles on it. Both the rear shock and front fork have been back to Fox for rebuilds but they didn't charge. But with my miles it's expected. I think and've heard others say this '02 stumpjumper was the last best specialized fsr. 03' I think are heavier. If you can find one in good shape I say grab it. Upgrade as needed. It's a fast light bike that'll do you no harm.
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Submitted by
Dan
a Weekend Warrior
from Lafyette, CA
Date Reviewed: August 19, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1700.00 | | Strengths: | Killer looks, great suspension performance, great value, and a great ride. | | Weaknesses: | Not really any weaknesses if you use it for its intended purpose. Although, some discs would be nice to have stock. | | Bike Setup: | Fox Float RLs, Mavic 317s, Eggbeaters, Selle Italia, Avid 185mm Discs, Monkeylites, Thomson, and XT/XTR. | | Bottom Line: | This is an awesome bike for trails and cross country. It's light enough to go uphill, yet plenty strong enough to take a lot of abuse on the way down. There is hardly any noticable suspension bob when it's set up correctly, and the geometry is awesome. This is not the bike for World Cup downhill courses, but if you're into all around speed and efficiency, and you enjoy taking a few hard hits, this is a great choice. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Adam
a Cross Country Rider
from Toronto, Can
Date Reviewed: May 6, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | climbing, relatively light, well matched fork and shock | | Weaknesses: | low BB, sub-par components, chainsuck, squirrelly rear end | | Similar Products Used: | many tested | | Bike Setup: | mostly stock with Team/Master tires, Thomson seatpost, RaceFace flat bar, barends, and Time ATAC Carb pedals | | Bottom Line: | All of the problems associated with this bike are well covered by other reviewers. 9-speed wears really quickly, but that's a problem with the industry. Be very careful of the suspension bolt coming out by the bottom bracket. Mine stripped itself out, so they had to replace the frame (gave me red/grey Pro colours). A helpful solution to the low BB is to convert the Fox Forx to 100mm - it rides way better. Also, the steering was a bit quick with the stock 80mm setting on the plush Fox. All 2003 bikes now come with 100mm.
It's a good bike to ride, but you have to have patience with the quirks and flaws. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steve
a Racer
from Dallas, TX, USA
Date Reviewed: May 5, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | As many as I can get to | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$1000.00 | | Purchased At: | SUPERGO | | Strengths: | Excellent entry to middle of the road full suspension | | Weaknesses: | Wide stock bars & low BB | | Similar Products Used: | MAny | | Bike Setup: | Monkeylite bars, Crossmax wheels, Raceface Cranks & BB, Hayes Disc | | Bottom Line: | I am a big kid around 220LB and I beat this bike. I ride hard & have a ton of fun. Only after 3+ years of riding 3 to 4 times a week am I seeing components break at this point, thus the upgrades. It would get 5 if the BB were higher. There is a trick I have learned around that, crank the psi a little higher in the back shock. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris Messina
a Weekend Warrior
from Orange County, CA
Date Reviewed: March 18, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Carbon Canyon | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$1590.00 | | Purchased At: | Jax Bicycles in Fullerton | | Strengths: | This is a follow up review: The suspension on this bike is it's greatest strength. Specialized made an excellent choice by going with the Fox Floats for both front and rear, and this suspension setup does nothing but impress me. The bike itself still climbl like a mad dog, it has impressive DH capability, and it's an attractive looking bike. | | Weaknesses: | There are a couple of things here that, over the months of riding this, have caused me to not love the bike quite as much as I did in the beginning: 1. The bottom pivot bolt (where the front of the rear triangle attaches to the frame) came shooting out during a ride and severed all the teeth off my granny gear. Specialized replaced everything, but it's kind of a dangerous thing to have happen. 2. CHAIN SUCK!! No, I'm not saying the chain sucks, but this bike gets massive chain suck when shifting into the granny gear under power. Fortunately, I rarely find myself in the granny gear but if you're one who spends some time there, be sure to ease almost completely off before downshifting otherwise it's end-over-end time! 3. As mentioned time and again here, the rear end is somewhat "squirelly." There seems to be a lot of play in the rear triangle area that feels a bit odd until you get used to it. Just remember that when you first start riding this bad boy. 4. The Avid brakes blow! Before I replaced them with discs, it seems that all I was ever doing was tweaking these stupid things so that they either wouldn't rub or wouldn't have too long of a pull on the brake levers. If you have the coin, replace these things right off the bat! | | Similar Products Used: | Santa Cruz Ultra Lite, Cannondale Scalpel, Trek Fuel | | Bike Setup: | XT Crank, Eggbeater Pedals, Crossmax UST rims/hubs, Panaracer FireXCPro Tires, XT Disc Brakes, Azonic CF1 Carbon Riser Bar, Yeti Grips, Specialized Comp Computer, Lizard Skin, Sram Powerlink Chain | | Bottom Line: | Very good frame set for the most part, but it's definitely worth upgrading if you can. There is very little left on this bike that's still factory and that's mainly because most of the parts I've replaced have been below my standards. If you see one in your local bike shop on clearance from last year, I'd definitely recommend picking it up because the frame set and suspension make it worth it, but set aside a little extra cash to do a couple of upgrades (especially the piece of crap brakes) and you'll be much happier. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bob
a Cross Country Rider
from Woodbridge, NJ
Date Reviewed: December 30, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$1500.00 | | Purchased At: | local shop | | Strengths: | Great suspension, climbs extremely well and handles singletrack better than any other bike I've ridden. | | Weaknesses: | The tires are useless for the trails I ride... I'm not sure what they're designed for, the BB is low, the pedals seem to pack up with mud quickly and the LX front derailleur seems a bit low end for the price. | | Similar Products Used: | Tested: Fuel, Sugar & Scalpel | | Bike Setup: | XT brakes(because I had them sitting around), shortened handlebar, Panaracer tires... otherwise stock | | Bottom Line: | This is my first full suspension bike and I love it! I tested a few of the other popular brands and none had nearly the suspension performance.
- The handlebars were too wide for me but this allowed me to cut them down to my ideal width.
- It took me a 2-3 rides to get used to the low BB (I crashed a few times) but it doesn't bother me anymore.
- I blew the seals out of the rear shock twice. The shop tried fixing it the first time but after the 2nd time, it was sent back to Fox and it's worked flawlessly ever since.
- I love the fork... it's heavy but I wouldn't even consider giving up it's performance just to save a nominal amount of weight.
- I plan to replace the pedals, front derailleur, seat and perhaps seat post in the near future.
- This bike is perfect for XC / trail riding. I ride mostly technical trails with rocks, roots, mud, sand and moderate climbs / descents. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
N8
a Cross Country Rider
from Monterey,CA
Date Reviewed: December 27, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Sea Otter Loop | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1499.00 | | Purchased At: | Aquarian | | Strengths: | Solid X-Country bicycle. I opted for the '02 over the '03 because the '02 is lighter (no disc brake attachment - which on the '03 is -cheap-) has one less weld point, better brake levers and a better stem. Shifting is actually very smooth except for... | | Weaknesses: | My bike doesn't like the middle ring I often have grinding or problems finding one of the rings....it just won't connect. Seatpost looks pretty generic.... | | Similar Products Used: | Trek Hardtail | | Bike Setup: | Stock, save Eggbeaters | | Bottom Line: | Wonderful bike. I couldn't imagine getting more bike for the money...I would have to spend a considerable amount more to top this bike. I would recommend this bike for anyone except extreme DH'rs it rides like a hardtail most of the time....but the suspension responds very well when called upon. I love it...it rides well....the shocks soak up -A LOT- of bump...I am a ~240lb rider and I love every minute....it does bob a -little- on uphill especially if you stand up and star digging in. Overall, the best bike that can be had for under ~$2500. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Attilio Petrini
a Cross Country Rider
from Frascati, Rome, Italy
Date Reviewed: November 13, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1850.00 | | Purchased At: | CicloTech | | Strengths: | Fox fork and rear shock, light, very good handling, XTR shifter, Avid brakes | | Weaknesses: | maybe front derailleur, Strongarm II crank (chainsuck), seat | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized S-Works FRS XC 2002, Cannondale F800 | | Bike Setup: | standard: lowered the handlebars moving the spacers...considering to replace the front derailleur with a 2002 XTR one and fitting disk brakes | | Bottom Line: | Was a very long decision process with the usual hardtail vs full suspended issue, but after I tuned the suspensions and adjusted the position of the handlebars (it took a couple of rides) realised I made the right choice: fantastic climber, superb traction and very very fast on descents, the handling gives loads of confidence and the suspensions soak up anything.... Now all my mates are considering buying a full suspended. I recommend it to all those who are not looking for a pure racing MTB but want a great one for hours of fast and serious XC riding. Dont' buy it only if you are a hardtail fanatic. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
PeteDog
a Cross Country Rider
from USA
Date Reviewed: October 25, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1900.00 | | Purchased At: | lbs | | Strengths: | OK I love this bike, its just what I needed. I like to just go riding, and I tackle a variety of terrain and this bike handles them all. The Fox Fork is very smooth, and I haven't had any problems with it. Also the color scheme is very nice! Overall, with a few minor upgrades you'll have a top quality bike that you can take anywhere! | | Weaknesses: | The tires, atleast upgrade the front tire to something wider and with better traction. The Rear Fox is average, but gets the job done. Some of the "Specialized stuff" needs to be upgraded. | | Similar Products Used: | Giants, Treks, Gary Fishers | | Bike Setup: | Raceface crank, Eggbeaters, Continental tires, Lizard Skins, Easton Carbon Bar, Thompson Elite post | | Bottom Line: | Great bike! Specialized are worth the money if you have it, you won't be dissapointed. I will point out that you will need to upgrade a few parts though. The most important are the tires and the crank. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jason Webster
a
from USA
Date Reviewed: October 24, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1800.00 | | Purchased At: | lbs | | Strengths: | Great Frame! The fork is awesome. Just about everything else. | | Weaknesses: | The only weakness I found are the seat sqeaks a bit and the crank sometimes slips. Also it's a little pricey, but it's worth it. | | Similar Products Used: | Trek Fuel | | Bike Setup: | Stock | | Bottom Line: | This is a great bike, it'll do everything you need, plus like looks awesome! The FSR is the best full suspension bike I've ever ridden, and I've ridden lots of them. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris
a Weekend Warrior
from Jackson, WY
Date Reviewed: October 18, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Pato | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Bike Setup: | EggBeaters, Flite saddle, EA 70 stem, Thomson seatpost | | Bottom Line: | This is my follow up review. I have a really good feel for this bike now. I must say that the Fox Fork as I have said before is still incredible. It holds air amazingly well, it is extremely low maintenance, as of now I have worked on it 0 times, still going strong.
The XTR rear deraillure is the best on the market. And the frame is impeccible. It i last years S-Works. It is completely active, so when you need it it is there.
The Fox rear shock is decent, it could be more adjustable, and mine blew a seal, need to get it replaced, but right now it is only leaking small amounts of air. Just gotta pump it up before each ride.
As for the ride itself, it is amazing. It is extremely quick in the tight technical singletrack, tracks extremely well. On the uphills it is amazing. No hint of pedal bob and traction you couldn't dream of on a hardtail. As for the weight, I find it hardly an issue, for the fork, the frame, and the rest of the stuff it is well worth it.
Complaints: Non really, I hated the 515's so I got rid of those, stem was too long for me, got a shorter one. Once you get the bike fitted to your preferences, it simply flies. No joke. As for the person before this, they are just screwing over the reviews, I assume they have never ridden it. Now get out there and ride!
4 for price
5 honest chili's for performance. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
herbert van leemputten
a Racer
from belgium
Date Reviewed: September 30, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | mountains of austria | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$3000.00 | | Strengths: | The fox fork and dampers rule + saddle | | Weaknesses: | The bushings between fox damper and frame wear out fast ( after 6000 miles = half a year). The Damn octalink combined with 4-armed crancks are just too weak, I've bend and distroyed a set after just 1000 miles of gentile riding ( I have a fair amount of legg-power ) So I would advise to go for the race-face system or the good old square BB. Original tires are no way usable in wet conditions, they 're only good in sandy and asphalt roads. | | Bike Setup: | original + hs33 brakes + mavic UST crossmax wheels | | Bottom Line: | super bike, although a fully definitively requires some getting used too(at least a month or 1000 miles ). I would not recommend it for pure racing purposes ( its too heavy, if you just want to race it, buy a Trek fuel 100) unless you're a very good uphill rider ( + the track is very technical ) and you lose some of your confidence if you try the downhill part of the race ( long high speed downhills ), then it might just be a good step to try it. It definitively helped me up'ing my downhill-gutts. Keep in mind that the pedals come closer to earth on this Fsr then for instance on a hardtail like my trek 8000. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Justin
a Weekend Warrior
from Flagstaff, AZ
Date Reviewed: September 20, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | brookbank | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1300.00 | | Purchased At: | From some guy.. | | Strengths: | fOX SHOX are great,I am 200+ lbs and they work great. Bike is very fast on the downhills but a very capable climber. good value for all the fun you get... | | Weaknesses: | lower pivot bolt backed out, seat tore,tires are a joke. Seems like there is excessive chain slap. | | Similar Products Used: | specialized Enduro,Specialized FSR pro, Big Wheels: Dukes of Hazzard Edition... | | Bike Setup: | Stock.. except: Kore stem, ringle riser, IRC tires and specialized Ti seat, Time ATAC's | | Bottom Line: | This is a great bike, I was riding a Trek 8000 hard tail until the frame cracked and it took so long for the warranty replacement to arrive I bought a new bike. I will NEVER own a hardtail again. This bike is very fast and responsive, comfortable on long rides.
I can see how they cut corners to keep the cost down. I do not mind the LX stuff but the cheasy seat and tires....come on.. If you want a good value on a tough x country ride I say buy this bike but leave some cash for upgrades, lock-tite the pivot bolts and tear off the "Made In Tiawan" sticker before anyone sees it.. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeff
a
from SF, CA
Date Reviewed: September 17, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Mt. Diablo Mitchell Canyon Loop | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1800.00 | | Purchased At: | California Pedaler, Danville, CA | | Strengths: | THE COLOR (doesn't black just look so much cooler than the S-Works white and red or the Pro's grey and red?) Frame, Shocks (very adjustable) esp. the 90mm travel in the rear, Rear Derailleur, brakes (yes the brakes). The looks of the saddle. Buying it at CA Pedaler... the 3 year FREE tune-ups nearly pays for all my upgrades! You guys rock (and no I don't work for them)! | | Weaknesses: | Chainsuck sucks! Saddle is comfortable...if you had a rock mounted to your bike as a saddle. Front Derailleur shifts like a Pinto with a worn out gearbox. | | Similar Products Used: | sugar 2 | | Bike Setup: | XT Bottom Bracket, Cassette, Front Derailleur, and Shifters; Mavic Crossride Rims; Eggbeaters; Laser V saddle | | Bottom Line: | This bike is quick, nimble, and stable! But to make it truely a speed demon, I'd change the wheelset (and hopefully not have to worry about truing as much) and the bottom bracket (which is Decore, not even LX). After throwing a pair of the Crossrides on, the bike accelerates on downhills like Ferrari on the straightaways... I've had to squeeze my brakes so much harder on steep, technical downhills. A result of this braking, I've been skidding and eating it (totally my lack of experience though). Which by the way is how I know the brakes are good. I know they aren't discs, but for rim brakes, the stopping has been precise and strong (and light)... until I wore out my brake pads and had them swapped from Rim Wranglers to the 1/2 Ceramic-1/2 regular WTB pads which have no braking power. They do last, however, which is nice.
The rear derailleur shifts with precision; it's also super smooth. But the front derailleur has frustrated me so much, I forked out the extra $26 bucks to buy an XT. When tuned, it shift alright for the most part, but every now and then, it'll take a big hard push -- sometimes two -- to get it to drop to the correct chainring... This is especially frustrating when you are about to climb a steep hill and have to hop off your bike cuz you can't drop the gear in time (I've even tried shifting way before I get to the hill). I opted for the XT shifters just cuz.... there really is nothing wrong with the stock ones.
The tires are alright for asphault or fire roads though my next pair will have more knobs.
I know I didn't write too much good stuff in here, but don't get me wrong. If it's good, I expected it (esp. for the price) and don't have much to say about it. And besides, you don't want to hear a bunch of guys saying, "This bike rocks," and nothing else. You want to hear the stuff that you may give you second thoughts.
All in all, you can probably get a better equiped bike for the same price, but you may lack the shock lockouts and rebound adjustability, and THE FRAME. Even without upgrades the bike is awesome, but to bring it to a place you can climb more efficiently and race, think about upgrades... (you'll really only need a few) This bike rocks! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Alan vl
a Cross Country Rider
from San Diego, Ca
Date Reviewed: August 27, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Sweetwater loop | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1800.00 | | Purchased At: | Mission Cyclery | | Strengths: | Everything, the bike is awesome. Fox makes the best suspension around, at first I considered getting the Pro model because of the SID's weight, but after riding Fox Forxx I dont think I can ride anything else. The suspension is just dialed. Super Smooooth. | | Weaknesses: | The rockster tire is not good on the front, ok on rear. Some people complain about the bottom bracket height but it gives great control and stability. The race courses in Baja are very rocky and I dont have a problem clipping pedals | | Similar Products Used: | I tried the Fuel and Sugar, but they are not true full suspension bikes, they don't feel like they can take the beating of a race. | | Bike Setup: | Stock | | Bottom Line: | This bike is amazing I dont think I can ride a hardtail after having my baby. The chumps that buy superlight hardtails are missing out on the advantage of full suspension. On descents I don't even touch the brakes, I can take nasty lines and put on a show for the spectators, it allows me to get into the dh mentality and I don't even worry about the trail. On nasty steep sections I scope out lines for the following lap. On climbs it gives better traction and the lock outis more of a mental thing because there is no bob, the bike just reads the trail. It inspires confidence in every aspect of riding. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Pepe Bakshi
a Cross Country Rider
from Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: August 26, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1200.00 | | Purchased At: | Impala Cycles | | Strengths: | Fox front/rear fork, XTR rear, overall value | | Weaknesses: | seat binder design, avid brake pads | | Similar Products Used: | Klein Adept Pro 2000, Fisher Sugar 3 | | Bike Setup: | stock, but narrower bars and turbomatic saddle | | Bottom Line: | Bought end of season and got a break on the price. Overall very happy with bike, especially front fork. First fall (minor), sheared off avid front brake pad from housing which is rather disappointing. Better fit than on Klein (for me)and better components than on Fisher.
Upgraded from no suspension bike (ridden for 12 years)and can't believe ride quality and lack of compromises (front end easy to lift over logs, rocks etc). Still have to change riding style slightly to take advantage of suspension capabilities.
Good buy for value concious, aggressive but not full out racing cross country rider. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kevin
a Cross Country Rider
from Richmond, VA, USA
Date Reviewed: August 21, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Pocohontas St. Park & Poor Farm Park | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1890.00 | | Purchased At: | Extreme Sports in Charlottesville, VA | | Strengths: | FSR, Fox Forx, Fox Shock | | Weaknesses: | Tires, Narrow gap between third ring and chainstay. | | Similar Products Used: | Schwin Mesa hardtail (Hey, had to start Somewhere) | | Bike Setup: | Stock except Tires. Switched out to IRC SeracXC. | | Bottom Line: | Granted, coming from a Schwin Mesa has skewed my perspective to the positve end, but it really is an amazing bike. I've read the BB is too low and folks tend to have probs with pedal digs. I've had that too, but noticed I'm getting them in sections I never used to pedal through before. With the suspension setup right, I pedal all the time now, and have to time my strokes better when cornering or going over obstacles. Since I've gotten better at that, no more pedal digs. I researched alot of FS bikes and chose this one for the shock, fork, and suspension design. And man, I'm not disappointed with any of them. I can go so much faster on the bike, and can climb hills with ease that I couldn't with my hardtail. And the rebound is so adjustable, I can easily change them on the fly, that I can ride confidently on any terrain now. It's to the point I never use the lockout at all now, as I just don't need to.
Now, some of the negatives. The narrow gap between the ring and chainstay forced me to be very careful when shifting to the first ring. Chainsuck can put a nice gouge in the frame if you don't, as I found out :( The tires were good tires, but not suitable for my area (lots of dusty sandy stuff and roots) so I had to switch them out to something with more bite. Yes, handlebars are wide, but I kept them wide for a long time to make me better in the tight stuff so when I cut them down a few inches, tight stuff will be that much easier. I eventually plan to swap out much of the bike, bars, post, stem, rims, disc brakes etc., but it was worth every penny just for the frame and shocks imo.
I'm giving it a full rating, as it was cheaper then another frame with full xtr stuff, so I think the mid range components they put on it fit the price and were a good deal. If you're looking for a great suspension design and setup, looking for a bike that can fly right off the bat with little mods, and don't mind getting less then the best components for cheaper, and don't mind swapping things out over time as your money allows. This bike can't be beat. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Todd
a Weekend Warrior
from Englewood Co. USA
Date Reviewed: August 19, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | any in the dirt | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1500.00 | | Purchased At: | Treads Cyclery | | Strengths: | Handling, climbing, forks-forks-forks | | Weaknesses: | Stock chainrings, seatpost, & pedals | | Similar Products Used: | Specalized 99FSR Comp | | Bike Setup: | WTB seat, Easton carbon bars, Eggbeaters | | Bottom Line: | Having spent three years on an FSR I'd had high hopes for this one. While yes it handles very well, climbs like a goat, and the Fox Forks are superb, this bike has had it's share of problems. The most significant being the lower swingarm attach bolts backing out and stripping the mount holes. Additionally when the bolt fell out the swingarm levered into the chainrings and gouged the bejeesus out of the arm. Bike is currently in the shop for frame replacement because of the stripped mounting holes. This is not the first time my LBS has had this problem, and so far have been pretty good about replacing all the needed hardware. And too don't get me started on the lousy shifting out of the front rings even when the swingarm is attached. XT shifts like butter in compare to this. Bottom line, If you buy this bike make darn sure you lock-tite the S/A attach bolts, and then go riding. | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
tony
a Cross Country Rider
from colorado springs
Date Reviewed: August 12, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1800.00 | | Purchased At: | criterium | | Strengths: | Everything except.... | | Weaknesses: | -seatpost bent too easily
-saddle sucks in at least two ways
-stock cassette doesn't seem to shift very well
| | Similar Products Used: | This is the first full-suspension bike I've owned. I'm coming off of a Cdale with a headshock | | Bike Setup: | stock except for an S-works wheelset, LX crank, Time pedals, XT shift/ brake levers, XT cassette, and Panaracer Fire XC's. I recently switched the fork (which is, by the way, incredible) to 100mm. | | Bottom Line: | I love this bike. It's awesome at high speeds (something I always desired on my tweaky cannondale), does well in technical stuff, corners nicely, climbs just fine, though the suspension definately robs you of power if you try to hammer out of the saddle (which is why it has lockouts) , and helps me blast through rocky descents with way too much confidence. I am an all around better rider in this bike compared to my cannondale.
The bottom bracket, like many have mentioned before, is a little low, but don't let that dissuade you.
The seatpost is bent merely from bearing the force of my body; I'm about 155 lbs and don't go out of my way to take big hits, so I guess you could say it's a little on the weak side.
The seat creaks at the point where the rails join the nose, and the the orange material on the corners of the seat (which I was fooled into thinking was kevlar) is actually more like flimsy pieces of recycled t-shirt material. And though I applaud Specialized for their attempt at environmental concern, used t-shirt cloth doesn't have much abrasion resistence.
All the above gripes are mere tips, a "heads-up" if you will, for potential owners, for I highly recommend this bike to anyone who just loves to get out and ride.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
C.J.
a Cross Country Rider
from Orange County, CA
Date Reviewed: July 25, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | I'll let you know when I've ridde all of them | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1590.00 | | Purchased At: | Jax Bicycles in Fullerton | | Strengths: | Specialized really did an excellent job designing the frame on this bike. It rides exceptionally well and climbs like a demon. It's not great for hike-a-bike but that was a trade off I chose to make. It's also pretty light. I love the Fox suspension set up they have on here and am thuroughly impressed by it. I'm a hardtail convert so the lockout options as well as adjustable damping on both the fork and the rear shock were a big selling point for me. Specialized seemed to really put their most time and effort into building a great frame and setting up with some great suspension. In order to do this however, they did have to skimp on the componentry a little (see below.) | | Weaknesses: | While, overall I love this bike, I did take to heart a couple of the things I read on this site when buying it. I noticed immediately that the crank wasn't what one might call the highest quality so I tossed a Shimano XT crank on there and love it. Another thing I noticed immediately was the fact that the Avid SR5 brakes felt (and looked) like cheap plastic that might break the second I put them under some harsh DH testing. I opted not to upgrade these but after having ridden them a couple of times, I know this is the next investment area on the bike. I'll qualify this by saying that the brakes haven't given me any real problems- other than being a little soft- but they still feel cheap in my hands so I'm going to replace them. Another thing I would recommend (and this is just personal preferrence) is different pedals. The Shimano 515's they have on there are a little too stiff for my taste and, regardless of how many adjustments I make, they are somewhat difficult to clip out of. I replaced these with some Crank Bros Egg Beaters that suit me a lot better. The tires were another area that I read a lot of people complain about so I replaced those with some Continental Explorers before I left the shop. The stock tires are now on my hardtail and seem to be OK but I like the knobbier Explorers better. Finally, I could also feel the rear end get a little "squirrelly" during some more intense DH rides. I also popped some Lizard Skins on the chain stay (as a result of advice given here) and haven't had any problems there. | | Similar Products Used: | Cannondale, Scalpel 1000 & 2000; Trek Fuel 98; Gary Fisher Sugar 2+; and the Stumpjumper FSR Pro | | Bike Setup: | XT Crank, Continental tires, Crank Brothers Egg Beater Pedals, Lizard Skins, Mr. Tuffy tube protectors, and Specialized Computer. | | Bottom Line: | I love this bike! Regardless of Specialized skimping some of the componentry, I feel like the overall package was certainly worth the money. It's a wicked climber and, for the first time since MTB'ing, I didn't have to stand up for all of my rougher decents- that made it worth while right there! I almost bought the Scalpel 2000, but at almost $1000 more, I just didn't feel that it was worth it, and the 1000 model's componentry wasn't great at almost $500 dollars more (besides, I just couldn't get past the headshock thing- limited travel, no options, and an ugly lockout.) In the end I came down to the Stumpjumper Pro and Comp and decided on the comp for the simple fact that there were things that I would change on either one and I could get the Comp for less money, upgrade the componentry, and have a comparable, if not better bike, than the Pro. All in all I would say I'm very impressed with this bike and look forward to countless hours in its saddle. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Claudio
a Cross Country Rider
from Ivrea
Date Reviewed: July 25, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$2300.00 | | Strengths: | very confortable; very speedly on the rocks (it depends from your legs and your tipe of ride); marvellous fork (fox forx);good brakes (avid single digit 5R);te original weight is 27,3 lbs (12,4 kg);the original weight is 27,3 lbs (12,4 kg); my weight is 173 lbs (78,5 kg); | | Weaknesses: | let's see | | Similar Products Used: | FSR; giant HT; cinelli | | Bike Setup: | 80 psi (front - fox forx RL 80mm)
175 psi (rear - fox float)
front tires: Specialized team control 35 psi
rear tires: Specialized team master 35 psi | | Bottom Line: | It's really funny; I think that the bike is really at the top (for this price); be carefull to the frame: it's very nice (dark blue/yellow race); | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Randy Anderson
a Cross Country Rider
from Nevada City CA US
Date Reviewed: July 24, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Downieville | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1800.00 | | Purchased At: | Sports LTD (Tahoe) | | Strengths: | Fox Float RL 80 fork, Float RL Rear,as light as an NRS air, XTR rear. Feel during ride | | Weaknesses: | wide handlebar, skinny stock tires | | Similar Products Used: | fsr rockhopper comp (2000) | | Bottom Line: | Light, Fast, Fun, Fox shocks front and rear came stock for a sale price of $1,700. My second bike, and would be a nice first or fifth bike. Locks out for climbs. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Gary Fisher Dude
a Cross Country Rider
from Texas
Date Reviewed: July 18, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Lake Bryan | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1850.00 | | Strengths: | Quick, feels light, good with turns, the shocks are unreal for this price range. Great bike if you are looing for a speed demon, that can climb hills and go trough the tightest places. | | Weaknesses: | Favors quickness over strengh-but for some people that is not a weekness. The brakes, handles bars are wide, the tires are more for speed than the rough stuff, again that is not a weakness for everyone. | | Similar Products Used: | Gary Fisher Suger 2, Trek Fuel 90, Kona Bear, and Giant NRS 2 | | Bike Setup: | stock | | Bottom Line: | Awesome forks, for a person who like speed and quickess over tough freeriders this bike is nirvana. This bike is made to go fast, so if that is what you want go get one and hit the trails. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steevo
a Cross Country Rider
from CA, USA
Date Reviewed: July 16, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1900.00 | | Strengths: | The fox suspension (FSR rocks), the frame, qaulity parts | | Weaknesses: | Crank, saddle | | Similar Products Used: | Trek Fuel 90 | | Bike Setup: | Stock excpet LizardSkins and a new saddle | | Bottom Line: | This is a really awesome bike! I love it! I've never had any probelms. I have to recommend installing LizardSkins to protect your bike's paint job from the chain. The bike is great on any trail and even on smooth surfaces, just lock out the shocks! I don't think I could be happier with my purchase! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Neal
a Cross Country Rider
from Tx, USA
Date Reviewed: July 14, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Lake Bryan | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1850.00 | | Purchased At: | Aggieland Cycling (1850$ with Tax) | | Strengths: | Awesome forks! The front fox is rock solid. Quality components (except the ones listed in the weakness section), The bike rides like a it's ten pounds lighter than it really is. Also it doesn't bobb when your pedeling hard, but it's active on all but the smallest bumps. Also this bike is at home as a downhill bike as well as a uphill bike. | | Weaknesses: | Cranks, Handle Bars seem a little long, a few other small problems. Most can be easily upgraded later on. | | Similar Products Used: | Gary Fisher Sugar 2, Trek Fuel 98, Giant NRS 1 & 2 | | Bike Setup: | Stock | | Bottom Line: | Out of all the best I tested, this bike and the Giant NSR 2 were the best value. In the end though I felt this bike was better suited to me and it just felt more solid to me. Overall this bike rules! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Peter
a Racer
from Ann Arbor MI
Date Reviewed: July 13, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Poto | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$2000.00 | | Purchased At: | Two Wheel Tango | | Strengths: | FAST, FAST, FAST, and did i say FAST. The suspension system takes up all the bumps and i can never feel it bobbing. Believe it or not but i think this thing is faster uphill than downhill, or is that just because i'm a climber. Either way this bike rocks.FOX FORX rule!!!!!!!!!!!!!! | | Weaknesses: | the rear derailuer hanger is like butter-it bends easily. i've been through 3 but no biggie. Got it replaced quickly each time | | Similar Products Used: | Never used any other F/s Bikes but did demo a NRS 2, and Fisher sugar 3+ | | Bike Setup: | Stock except for thompson seat post, panaracer tires, and eggbeater pedals | | Bottom Line: | This is a follow up review from one written earlier and i must say how much i appreciate this bike. I rode a hardtail at my race today b/c my bike was broken(my fault. the seat slipped and punctered the shock) and i HATE hardtails now. The FSR is so smooth and so fast i would never ride a hardtail again if i had the chance. This bike takes all the bumps for me and doesn't beat me up like the hardtail did today. If you are even thinking of looking at this bike buy it. if you don't like some of the stock parts switch'em because you get the FSR rear end and that's what's important. and did i mention how much i love my fox forx. I've put air in it once and it's never been a hassle
This bike is fast, the weight isn't bad(26LBS but you don't notice it i rode a 24 lb hardtail and didn't notice a diff) it climbs exceptionally well and helps you in the rocky corners. If you forgot how nice this bike is go ride a hardtail and feel the differance
THIS BIKE ROCKS!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Gonzo
a Cross Country Rider
from WPG
Date Reviewed: July 7, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Ingolf | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$1600.00 | | Purchased At: | Gord's Ski Centre | | Strengths: | Light, sweet, nimble, long legs, 4 BAR SUSPENSION DESCENDED FROM THE GODS... and the sensational FOX shock | | Weaknesses: | brakes... less than sexy components | | Similar Products Used: | 2001 SJFSRXC, Rocky Element TO | | Bike Setup: | stock... although I'm thinking about XTR brakes and levers | | Bottom Line: | All other full suspension bikes are mere wanabes to specialized... long live the king!... Wait... am I being transparent in my loyalty to the ruler of full suspension? | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
brobbo
a Weekend Warrior
from Mississauga, Ontario
Date Reviewed: July 4, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1700.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Fox Suspension
XTR rear Der
FSR rear linkage
Supper light for a FS | | Weaknesses: | Stock Breaks, Bars, Crank, Post ETC
| | Similar Products Used: | GT Zasker Hard Tail | | Bike Setup: | Swapped To:
Race Face Forged Crank and BB
Mavic Tubeless Wheels
XT Disck Breaks
Easton Carbon Riser Bar | | Bottom Line: | Me:
200lbs, 6.3 tall
Ride technical trails etc
Bike:
Originally all I wanted to do was upgrade my GT to the Fox Front suspension, super plush, no plastic and exceptionally strong (ridged). What was initially stopping me form buying a brand new FS bike was when I would test ride other FS bikes I found them sluggish and arduous. When I test rode this bike, it felt like a hard tail (clearly the best of both worlds). The added bonus of the top end suspension components on the market clearly sealed the deal.
I did switch out a few components so now my FSR is built solid. The stock breaks on this bike does not do it justice. Being that this bike is so fast it certainly behooves one to invest in binders that will allow them to stop in time.
Issues:
The through bolt for the BB - Chain Stay linkage worked its way loose and bent the small chain ring on the crank. Obviously no Locktite. This was warrentied so no real issue.
Tips:
Get some lizard skins for the Chain stay, it stops all that racket from the chain chipping away at that nice black paint job. Also one for the rear shock. The suspension design lends it's self to spewing crud all over the suspension unit. This is not good for the longevity or the performance of the shock.
Performance:
Once you dial in the suspension to your requirements, this bike will move. I personally feel that bike is biased to down hill rather than up. Not to imply that it is poorly suited to go up hills, not at all. It accelerates very similar to that of a Hard Trial, which inherently helps in the climbing aspect. Besides one could simply adjust the bias from front to back by the ride heights on either the front or rear suspension. By raising the rear, it will track better up hill, not to mention help cure the Low BB issue. Going down hill this thing freaken goes. Even Going slow through steep technical descents, it's incredibly stable with minimal tendency to endo over.
I gave it 4 for value to due to some of the low end components (which I swapped out) . A 5 for Overall rating because this truly is an amazing bike to ride. A FS that performs like a Hard tail.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike Keltz
a Weekend Warrior
from Overland Park Kansas
Date Reviewed: July 3, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Burp | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$2400.00 | | Purchased At: | BikeSource | | Strengths: | Suspension
Frame Geometry | | Weaknesses: | Shimano mix and match parts, brakes. | | Similar Products Used: | Klien adept, Fisher Sugar | | Bike Setup: | Not stock set up. Bought with Shimano upgrade, and Hayes disk setup from shop. | | Bottom Line: | After having bike through various rock gardens and technical terrain I'm convinced that this was the right bike.
Bike climbs well if you get fwd on the seat. Suspension needs to be dialed in for the roughness of the terrain. If you don't have a shock pump, you have the wrong bike.
Bike is good in technical terrain, but you have to be mindful of the wide stock bars, which are good for control, but can get 'hooked' in areas with lots of trees. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John
a
from Denton, TX
Date Reviewed: June 10, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Bar-H Horseshoe & Devil's Backbone | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1700.00 | | Purchased At: | Bicycles Inc Bedford TX | | Strengths: | FSR frame
FOX forx | | Weaknesses: | nothing that can't be swapped out. | | Bike Setup: | CrossMax wheelset, Thompson stem & post, rest stock | | Bottom Line: | After listening and reading all the benefits of FS, I started test-riding the different models. Santa Cruz, Giant etc. Can't believe it took this long to convert. Since I already had a good wheelset & components on my hardtail I decided I needed a frameset and a fork. For my weight the Fox fork (STIFF) seemed like the best option. The frameset and fork and rear shock are easily worth the 1700$.
If you fiddle enough with the set-up, these things have phenomenal traction going uphill (standing or seated) Goes downhill even faster. I have noticed that I do bang my pedals more than I used to. (I haven't switched the fork to 100mm yet... that will probably cure that) I thought that I would switch out the cranks to Shimano but I find that they shift as well my old ones and seem stiff enough. I actually like the saddle. Great bike that I would recommend highly. If you sanded these down and took all the Specialized stickers off them all those SantaCruz and Intense, etc riders would sing its praises. Just the frame and fork make this bike a no-lose proposition. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ted
a Cross Country Rider
from Boise,ID
Date Reviewed: June 6, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only | | Weaknesses: | Rockster tires. | | Similar Products Used: | Santa Cruz Superlight, Rocky Mountain Element | | Bike Setup: | Stock | | Bottom Line: | I was surprised that I could tell the difference between the FSR, and the Superlight and the Element. The FSR did not climb as well as the Superlight and Element. The FSR had much more bob even though the suspension was set to a firm ride for my weight. It was probably my riding style, but for the Element and Superlight they accelerated uphill more like a hard tail. The tires on the FSR are horrible for sandy terrain, which made riding it even more fustrating because of constant spin out on the uphill. On the upside because of the lack of knobs on tire, it made for a fast downhill on hardpack.
The best thing to do is test ride a number of bikes before you buy, especially if your spending that much money. Don't buy because some magazine raves about it. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tim Dierauf (aka OldSchool)
a Cross Country Rider
from Portland, OR USA
Date Reviewed: June 4, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | all of them | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1700.00 | | Purchased At: | River City Bicycles | | Strengths: | Listed down below | | Weaknesses: | * Low BB, and this was my chief complaint. 12" is too low for me -- even on a HT. The FSRxc is 12" unloaded. So, it goes lower with sag. I needed to recalibrate which rocks I could safely roll over or wheelie up. So, I increased the fork to 100mm. This raised the BB by over 1/2 inch. All my low BB concerns have gone away. My posture is a bit more upright then I like, but I can always get a lower rise stem if I can't adapt.
* Very small clearance between big ring and chain stay. Your first chain-suck will cause some damage. Use a lizard skin or something.
* The rear brake noodle rubbed my left calf -- very irritating. Fortunately, I noticed this when I emoted the bike (spent the whole day on it -- great shop). I had the shop swap out the stock noodle for one with more curve before I purchased.
* The seat post always seems to be slipping. I really need to yard on the binder bolt to keep it the post put.
* Saddle is not for me. Does anybody like that Body Geometry?
* Keeping the shifting running smooth is a pain. But that's probably a 9-speed issue. I'd upgrade to 8-speed in a flash if Shimano went back there for their higher end offering.
* No disk brakes -- and I live in muddy Oregon. I'll put on disks when this stock wheelset is worn (should take about a year). Actually, this isn't a weakness issue. It was a price-point/component spec issue. I wanted the better shocks. Ergo, I didn't get the FRSdisk.
| | Similar Products Used: | tried most all 4 bar in similar price range | | Bike Setup: | Swapped pedals to Times, tires to Tioga Fact XC, seat to WTB Leaser V, shifters to XT, the rear derailer to a rapid-rise, and the rear brake noodle. I also increased the fork travel to 100mm.
| | Bottom Line: | I have a steel HT that I love (Team Marin), but I was seduced by the dark-side of full suspension. After much research and riding, I chose the 2002 FSRxc Comp and went this way for the following reasons:
* I already have a great HT. So why get a FS bike that has HT traits? I wanted an XC bike that was on the opposite side of the spectrum -- but oriented for XC. This bike is fully active and independent. The suspension works whether hammering or braking. Specialized has been refining their Horst-link design over the past 5 (??) years. It is very sweet. In fact, the Specialized is often used as a yard-stick in bike magazine reviews of other FS bikes ("... not quite as active as the FSR ... bla, bla, bla). You'll have to pay a grand more to get a similar design elsewhere (i.e. Titus).
* Bearings at all pivots. This results in plush and stiff rear travel. I haven't noticed any rear-end flex -- and I'm coming from a HT. The bike tracks wonderfully. In fact, I can keep a high line on some off-camber trails that I could not on with my HT.
* Fox shocks all around. The suspension has a great front to back balance. In that some of my trail rides are linked by many miles of road, I often lock-out the front and back shocks.
** Note, there is a press-release on the Fox web page about bad seals. My rear shock was affected (discovered on my demo ride). I had the shop make the necessary repairs before purchase. Rock solid performance since then.
* Finaly, I actually like the bars just the way they are. The bike fit me very well from the get-go.
Page me on the "General Discussions" Board if you have any questions. Ask for 'OldSchool'.
Cheers,
Tim | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
B Penn
a Cross Country Rider
from Aliso Viejo, Ca. USA
Date Reviewed: May 30, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Snow Summit | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1800.00 | | Purchased At: | Superblow I mean Supergo | | Strengths: | handles very well all around
great front and rear suspension | | Weaknesses: | like everyone else says: tires, handlebars, seatpost and
low BB | | Similar Products Used: | Santa Cruz Superlight which has a slight edge but much more exspensive | | Bike Setup: | stock except for new tires and handlebars. | | Bottom Line: | I read all the reviews on this great website and they are very accurate. If your thinking about buying this bike you can count on all the reviews to guide your decision. The bike has many strenghts and a few weakness'. So far I've ridden the bike about 5 times and I really love it. Climbs really well, it's really fast and handles like it should for the price. My only complaint would be the low BB - that can be a bit annoying at times but you quickly forget about it while flying down the trails. Anyway, you can't go wrong with this bike - you just have to make a few upgrades to make it really good. For chillis on value because of weak parts. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
tj
a Weekend Warrior
from Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: May 28, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | hydro cut, waterloo | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1700.00 | | Purchased At: | Duke's | | Strengths: | Fox Fork Vanilla 80 RL on the front,
no frame bob when pedalling
brakes decent [avid 5's]
xtr on rear
m4 frame is light and fast as a rocket
---------
The fox in the front is amazing. I haven't had one qualm with it at all. Super precise, stiff, yet absorbs decent hits. The lockout is dead simple, and you can easily flip the switch, even on a bumpy sand hill climb. I'm fairly light [150 lbs], so it isn't much of a challenge on the fork. I met a guy at Duke's who was 6'3, and well over 220 on the same bike, and he claimed the fork could handle him as well. I can't say enough about the fork.
The M4 frame was top of the line last year, and it is super light. Pedal bobbing? None existent. It makes the lockout on the rear shock almost irrelevant. | | Weaknesses: | - seat is suprisingly light considering it's made of concrete
- my arm is healing after smoking a tree, the handlebar that comes as default needs to be narrowed
- gone through 2 tubes, bad luck or bad tires?
- back shock [Fox Float RL] had to be rebuilt twice from a faulty seal
- pedals that come with it i left at the shop, my eggbeaters are better, hands down
- requires a helmet, it's super fast ;) | | Similar Products Used: | similar? none, this bike rocks | | Bike Setup: | I threw on my eggbeaters [they rock!] and left the rest factory, afterall, it's a decent setup already:
Fox Vanilla 80 RL on front, fox float rl on back, xtr rear, lx front
one note: you will be changing the seat, guaranteed. that is the hardest seat known to mankind. even my old bmx's plastic seat is a cushion compared to specialized's. | | Bottom Line: | With the fox forks, you can't go wrong. The m4 frame is super, no pedal bobbing at all. This bike is super fast, and it climbs like a rocket. Comes fully decked out from the factory, and doesn't need much tweaking. Toss on some eggbeater pedals, and you have an amazing bike. I'm happy, and can't see selling it anytime soon. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Matthias Ratzel
a Cross Country Rider
from Heidelberg / Germany
Date Reviewed: May 21, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Ronda Marocche at Lake Garda/Italy | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$2200.00 | | Purchased At: | Bikeschmiede Offenbach/Germany | | Strengths: | front/rear suspension, frame, geometry | | Weaknesses: | being mocked by my hardtail buddies | | Bike Setup: | changed stem/handlebar to Ritchey Pro/WCS, added WCS-barends, changed both tires to Ritchey Z-Max 2.1 | | Bottom Line: | It was hard to decide, to say goodbye to my old Breezer Thunder (hardtail from 1993) and to buy a "fully". But after reading the reviews about the Specialized FSR XC Comp on this gorgeous site, every doubt was blown away.
I first rode the bike during a tough and rainy week at the Lake Garda in Italy, one of the most famous mtb-areas in Europe. Every kind of rideable trail was on my way through the southern Alps. Anyway going up- or downhill, no problem for the Comp. It climbs as good as it rolls fast downhill, always following the riders movement. The front and rear suspension worked perfectly, anyway if there were rocks or roots of trees.
Don`t hesitate if you`re in the situation, whether to change to a "fully" or a new hardtail: buy the Specialized FSR XC Comp and feel more of the fascination of mountainbiking. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joey
a Weekend Warrior
from Atlanta, GA
Date Reviewed: May 20, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Dessault | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1625.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Frame, Fox suspension, cable routing, handling | | Weaknesses: | tires, seatpost, bars, low BB | | Similar Products Used: | Proflex, GT, Cannondale | | Bike Setup: | Raceface bars, Thomson seatpost, eggbeater pedals | | Bottom Line: | I had to wait for the bike several weeks due to back orders from Specialized. I believe this was due to the demand for the Fox fork. It was worth the wait!
The bike handles and excellerates exceptionally well. The suspension is balanced and picks up all the bumps, big and small. No pedal bobbing noted. A few of the components could be improved, but they still did a pretty good job (shifting, braking, etc.). I will probably upgrade on a few of them, but only after they wear out. I did upgrade on the main "feel" components as listed in bike setup. The tires are exteremly quick on hardpack, but failed me in rocky and root technical sections. Also, the low BB caused me to bottom out a little more than I would have liked. Overall, the bike is an incredible smooth handling and confident inspiring machine. I am very satisfied and I am having a great time riding this bike. I highly recommend it. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ron
a Cross Country Rider
from Costa Mesa, CA
Date Reviewed: May 15, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1800.00 | | Purchased At: | Supergo | | Strengths: | Fox forks soak up the bumps effortlessly. Tracks really well and likes to run fast. Feels pretty light. | | Weaknesses: | Some stock components not up to the level or price of this bike. I'm getting a lot of noise from the front brake pads and my derailer has been slipping gears on steep climbs. | | Bike Setup: | Mostly stock but I swapped out some parts including an Easton carbon Monkey bar, Fire XC Pro tires, and WTB Laser V seat. I also plan on upgrading the stem and seat post to Thompson. After that probably the front derailer. | | Bottom Line: | I bought this bike after 4 years on a hardtail. I am early on in my relationship, but it's but I think this bike is incredible! It moves really fast downhill and I find myself steering for the biggest rocks and drops, because this bike can take it. It's almost a little too good and instills a tad more confidence than I have skills for. But, I'm learning to hold back a bit until I get adjusted to this new rocket.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Peter
a Racer
from Ann Arbor Michigan
Date Reviewed: May 11, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Vasa trail | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$2000.00 | | Purchased At: | On Two Wheels | | Strengths: | Suspension design, full cartridge bearings, decent component spec, handles very well in the singletrack and climbs suprisingly well. air shocks front and rear and the fox forx handle very well | | Weaknesses: | Low botton bracket height=sometimes hit your pedals
stock tires suck, stock bar a little wide for my liking and the cranks flex a little | | Similar Products Used: | Gary Fisher Sugar 3+, Fuel 90, Giant NRS 2 | | Bike Setup: | Stock, except for eggbeater pedals(SPDs suck) Panaracer Fire XC tires, thomson seat post, and maby a new crank set | | Bottom Line: | This bike handles very well. It saves me some agony on the downhills and helps me going back up. The suspension design does as it claims; it's fully active w/o pedal bob. I feel like i'm floating through the singletrack on this thing b/c i don't feel vibrations anymore on the trail. It's worth the money. when it came to deciding between the NRS and FSR i went with the FSR b/c i liked the suspension design and front fork better b/c sids suck.
I'd recomend this bike to anybody out there, but if i dont like them i'd recomend a cannondale(blah) | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a Cross Country Rider
from Colorado springs, CO USA
Date Reviewed: May 10, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1800.00 | | Purchased At: | Criterium bike shop | | Strengths: | Great suspension. No bob even in the long travel setting. Handles very well. | | Weaknesses: | What's the deal with the handlebar? The BB height is a little low, I hit my pedals more than I think is usual. The big ring dug a gougue in the chainstay, which is kind of a bummer. I put a lizard skins guard over it, which is a band-aid fix. | | Bike Setup: | stock except easton ec 70 carbon bar and thomson seatpost. | | Bottom Line: | This is a great bike. It does everything well.
That being said, I was pissed about the big ring/ chainstay issue. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Justin T.
a
from Boise (boy-c), Idaho
Date Reviewed: April 28, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Sidewinder | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1650.00 | | Purchased At: | George's cycles | | Strengths: | Fox float front and rear, very nice. 4-bar suspension. | | Weaknesses: | OEM spec'd Bar, Stem and Seatpost could possibly be the worst things i have ever seen on a close to $2,000 bike.
Rockster Pro tires are worthless on anything except extreme hardpack terrain. Pedal spike into ground occasionaly. | | Similar Products Used: | Trek fuel, GT i-drive, Santa Cruz superlight. | | Bike Setup: | CT-2 bar, EA-50 stem, Thompson Elite post, XT front der. and shifters | | Bottom Line: | After upgrades I got the L frame down to 25pds, about the most recommended for acceptable XC racing. Even after the upgrades I would still recomend the FSR-XC comp over the pro. and the Santa Cruz superlight due to over-all value. First FS bike I have owned and never will go back to hardtail even for weight differential for racing. Money well invested. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Barry McCockinner
a Cross Country Rider
from Sacramento, CA
Date Reviewed: April 13, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Downieville | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1800.00 | | Purchased At: | Bicycle Emporium | | Strengths: | Front Fork; comfortable to ride due to revised geometry; splined crankset; M4 Frame | | Weaknesses: | Low bottom bracket, clearance between big ring and chainstay | | Similar Products Used: | Trek 8000 Hardtail | | Bike Setup: | More or less stock; upgraded wheels | | Bottom Line: | With full suspension, it seems more difficult to keep everything working properly. Maybe its the diddler and not the diddle, but I never had the same type of problems with my hardtail. Both front a rear derailleurs are constantly needing adjustment. The bottom linkage bolt has backed out during a ride. What is the deal with the minimal clearance between the big ring and the chainstay? During my first mud ride, the chain repeatedly got stuck above the chain ring and the chainstay - not much fun during a race, not to mention what it has done to the paint, and the integrity of the chainstay itself. Also, caveat emptor, this bike is not made in the USA. As I proudly wheeled my new M4 framed bike out of the shop, I realized - made in Taiwan. That is why it was "so cheap". Overall, the bike is very comfortable to ride, and I get faster every ride. When I have a chance to turn it loose, I forget about my complaints. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Daniel Acker
a Cross Country Rider
from Atlanta
Date Reviewed: April 7, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | carter's lake | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1450.00 | | Purchased At: | Atlanta Cycling, no kidding on the price. | | Strengths: | Eats up everything, feels very comfortable, light, fast, sharp in the turns | | Weaknesses: | Bottom bracket very low...pedals dig | | Similar Products Used: | first full suspension | | Bike Setup: | XTR/XT, time pedals | | Bottom Line: | I've deduced that the bottom bracket is low enough to cause me to dig my pedals much more than usual. I have never dug my pedals on the other bikes I've owned. I took this bike out the first few times and as I plowed over small roots and rocks, i noticed that on the downstroke I was clobbering roots and rocks...not that big of roots or rocks either. I was un-nerved eventually because this has never happened before on any other bike I owned. Sure, once in a blue moon I would dig a pedal, but not 5-6 times in 10 miles. This bike is full suspension...designed to be able to make a mistake on the line and still not make you pay for it. Once, it even dug on a corner when I had the outside foot down through a turn. It hit a small rock and up my foot went. Believe me, I hope its the fiddler and not the fiddle, but since this just started with this bike, I am a bit nervous. Anyone else out there have this problem?
Other than that, I am thrilled to have this bike. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bill W
a Cross Country Rider
from Ithaca, NY
Date Reviewed: April 6, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Shindagin Hollow | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$2000.00 | | Purchased At: | Dukes on Queen, Toronto | | Strengths: | Suspension design, bearings in all the pivots (anything less wears out), responsive, no bob! | | Weaknesses: | OEM componentry, tires | | Similar Products Used: | Cannondale Super V, Specialized FSR (one of the first, with bushings) | | Bike Setup: | Shimano XT disks, Thomson seatpost/stem, Easton Monkey Bars, Mesquito tires | | Bottom Line: | Get your LBS to swap out as much stuff as possible on the initial buy. I got mine as noted for 2 grand. Plush ride without compromising precision. Not only does it climb and navigate in the technical stuff, it's very stable at speed.
Eat your hear out Jeckyl and Sugar owners (you have no reason to smirk!) Why does Cannondale make the top tube and wheelbase so short?. Jeckyl's just don't handle well at speed. And WHY is everyone so impressed with the Sugar? Fischer wanted a 4 bar linkage but they didn't want to pay Specialized for the patent. And the Sugar SUFFERS for it!
Bottom line: there isn't a better production frame made. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Danny
a Cross Country Rider
from Antwerp,Belgium
Date Reviewed: April 6, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | lots | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$2000.00 | | Purchased At: | a local shop | | Strengths: | -Design
-Front & rear shox combo
-Handling , fast and reliable | | Weaknesses: | The tires ( Rockster 1.9 Pro ) , useless in the mud and loose sand envirement + side grip is bad in cornering.
Handlebar and front derailleur should have been better quality for a 2000$ bike.
| | Similar Products Used: | GT I-Drive | | Bike Setup: | EU-version , same set-up as advertised on their website | | Bottom Line: | Great bike ! Well worth the money.
Gonna change the tires tho , probably with Schwalbe Jimmy's 2.1 ( any of the EU's have a better idea ? )
Fantastic climbing but one needs to shift forward fast coz the front gets light at times.
This machine really likes to go fast , way faster than the GT which was a great bike too.
Well , this is the one and I'm a happy camper . | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scott Hill
a Cross Country Rider
from Castro Valley, CA
Date Reviewed: March 22, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Water Dog Lake Park | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1950.00 | | Purchased At: | Trail Head Cyclery, San Jose | | Strengths: | Great suspension setup. Nice frame. Good value. | | Weaknesses: | Handlebars, handlebars, handlebars. Seatpost and front derailleur suck, too. | | Similar Products Used: | Fuel, Santa Cruz Superlight | | Bike Setup: | US Comp spec with: Easton carbon fiber flat bars, Sram 9.0 SL shifters and rear derailleur, King/Mavic 517/Wheelsmith wheels, Fire XC Pro tires. | | Bottom Line: | Awesome bike. Was riding a hardtail Stumpjumper FS for 6 years, and decided to go for full suspension. The Fox stuff and excellent frame design makes this bike. The spec is a bit weak, and I've replaced all but 2 of the nagging problems, listed above. Thomson seatpost and XTR front derailleur coming later this month to cover the other 2. Rating of 4/4 due to weak spec. Would have been 5 with a better bar and front derailleur. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike Keltz
a Weekend Warrior
from Overland Park Kansas
Date Reviewed: March 21, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Landahl Park | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$2400.00 | | Purchased At: | BikeSource | | Strengths: | To early to tell | | Weaknesses: | To early to tell | | Similar Products Used: | Klein HT with full XT and Easton componenets. | | Bike Setup: | Not Stock Spec. Spec'd with Hayes Disc, as well as XTR shifters and e-type front Derailleur as well as Time ATACs | | Bottom Line: | Gets 3 flamers due to not having had the bike in the dirt yet. Will provide additional rating once it sees the dirt.
Bike specification of Comp was initially weak with mix and match Shimano selections and Avid brakes. Borrowed current spec from Specialized Euro version named 'Marathon' and had shop build to suit ($$$).
Fox suspension seems robust and tunable with (not included) pump.
You can't buy this bike unless you have the cash, and the inclination to deal with a knowledgeable shop. Otherwise stick to stock bikes and deal with inferior components. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jason
a Cross Country Rider
from Hurst, TX
Date Reviewed: March 20, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Northshore at Grapevine Lake | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1700.00 | | Strengths: | This is a great bike that has got a great suspension set-up with infinitely adjustable front and rear shocks (both with lockouts). I have been able to pound through downhill sections that I couldn't do with my hardtail. The bike | | Weaknesses: | Similar to everyone else, I would have liked better front derailleur and shifters, but for about $150-$200 you can upgrade these to XTRs. The front derailleur is okay, but I just get annoyed when it doesn't shift quickly when I need it most. Still a great bike for the money. | | Similar Products Used: | Trek Fuel, Specialized Rockhopper and Enduro- I rode Trek but there were too many posts about breaking frames on the Trek's. I talked to some guys on the Trek MTB team and one of the team members commented that every team member had broken at least one frame. | | Bike Setup: | The bike is currently stock except for the seat. I am upgrading the front derailleur and shifters to XTR. | | Bottom Line: | This is a great cross country bike that is well designed. I converted from a hard-tail and I have been very impressed with the overall performance of the bike. I have been running a very technical course through rock gardens and all at a fast pace. Sometimes I opt to hit large boulders rather than going around and the bike's suspension soaks it up. If you're considering the baseline Stumpjumper FSR, I would recommend upgrading to the Comp just because of the Fox Fork. Unbelievable fork. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris
a Weekend Warrior
from Ann Arbor, MI
Date Reviewed: March 17, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | This bike has a solid feel.I love the Fox shocks set up,they were nicely together. The forx actually inspires me (if you can believe that) to do stuff I would be normally timid to do. The brakes are good. The bike climbs solidly it hooks up well with the ground. | | Weaknesses: | Too many stock parts, but Iam not complaining since I got the Fox shocks on it. The bar is too wide (got it cut), and the rockester pro tires don't seem to really have a niche. | | Similar Products Used: | Trek 6500, Trek 7000, (first f/s) | | Bike Setup: | Stock Everything except for Python Gold Tires. (upgrades still to come) | | Bottom Line: | I can't give this bike a perfect 5 because there is still room for improvement. This bike has loads of value put into it.The suspension design is first rate, nothing lacking there. The bike tracks well, with the bars cut it climbs, and it glides down the downhills. I realize now why f/s is so much better. But the Fox Forx, it may weigh more, but it is very worth the extra weight.
Bottom Line: Great Value, still room for improvement. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Todd
a Cross Country Rider
from Aliso Viejo, CA
Date Reviewed: March 6, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Aliso Woods Canyon | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$2200.00 | | Purchased At: | Supergo | | Strengths: | Fox Forx and Fox rear balance each other nicely. Bought this bike over the Pro because of the front shock. Adjustable rear travel and front/rear travel lockout is a plus. Frame color is very low profile. | | Weaknesses: | As other reviewers of pretty much every Specialized bike have said, the House brand parts. They are lucky their frame rides so well because for this amount of money, you can get much better parts from other mfgs. LX front derailer and shifters should be XT. | | Similar Products Used: | None, ride a Merlin Fat Beat and wanted something cushier and smoother to ride over beg rocks with. | | Bike Setup: | Stock drivetrain, Sun/Ringle wheelset, IRC tires,Easton carbon fiber post and bar. Easton stem. Time Carbon pedals, Sella Italia Flite gel saddle. 25 lbs even. | | Bottom Line: | Great bike, but for this price you shouldn't have to switch out nearly every part to have a respectable weight and performance bike. Value is low because of this but since I never even used the stock parts, not too low. I had just heard that they blow through word of mouth. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Wild Ridah
a Cross Country Rider
from Austin, Tx
Date Reviewed: March 4, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | City Park | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1850.00 | | Purchased At: | BSS | | Strengths: | Suspension design is very neutral, no bobing or pedal feedback. Great shocks front and rear, balanced. Sturdy but light frame. Loves to go fast, corners well. Short wheelbase handles technical terrain well. Floats downhill. | | Weaknesses: | Front end gets light when climbing. No riser bar. Tires not good in soft stuff. | | Similar Products Used: | SC Superlight, Fuel, Sugar3+, hard tails | | Bike Setup: | Large frame, stock + easton monkey bar, specialized bar ends | | Bottom Line: | Ride position is well over the back wheel w/ low CG, which works for me as I'm tall and have the seat post near the top. It feels great fast and in the corners. Decending, a small move back and you feel stable, no tendacy to endo. The FSR geometry feels much better to me than the fabled Genesis, where I felt too high and forward. Ride is not as far back as the SC superlight, but similar.
The short wheelbase is great in the rock gardens and bunny hops. Turns are very quick since your hands are near the front hub, which is suprising considering how this bike likes to go fast. Nice job Specialized! Climbing, the front wheel gets light fast, a quick move forward to weight the hands and tuck the elbows keeps the front wheel weighted and under control. The bike is so light and stiff, you climb like a goat. The weight at the LBS was 26.75 lbs.
The Fox Forx is wicked stiff, and as plush as a SID XC. You can feel the wheel flex and the tire squirm, but the fork ain't movin (very different from SID flex). You can change the travel to 80 or 100mm. It tracks terrain with a very dialed feeling, and has a great range of rebound adjust. In a word, sweet.
The rear shock ride is almost plush, but since the suspension design is so neutral, you don't don't feel as if your waisting energy bobbing around unnecessarily. The rear seems stiff, I haven't noticed any flex bombing babyheads at 25mph. I haven't reached for the lockout yet on long steep climbs. Again, a great adjustment range on the rebound damping to help you get dialed in (thats the main advantage of getting the RL spec shock on this suspension). My original shock didn't hold high pressure, the LBS swapped it out and the second one is doing fine.
The Avid brake levers have a nice feel and are very adjustable. I'm getting a lot of hiss from the front pads, contemplating swapping them out. The tires feel fast and light and are great in hard pack and rocks, but lose it quick in the soft stuff. The seat is comfortable, better than WTB SST (but hooks short more often). The left brake cable housing is close to your leg, tie wrap it to the shock body if it bothers ya.
Value: Where else are you going to get this much bike for your buck?
I would recomend this bike to almost everyone. Its an all-around XC machine. The exceptions would be if you do steep climbs *a lot*, or are always hucking 5' drops.
This is it, this is the one! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John Kerr
a Cross Country Rider
from Great Ayton, North Yorkshire, UK
Date Reviewed: February 5, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | North Yorks National Park | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$2000.00 | | Purchased At: | Bike Scene, UK | | Strengths: | Fox float front and rear, really plush ride with great lock out facility. Nice rigid frame that responds to climbing incredibly well. | | Weaknesses: | Rockster tyres are not for the UK. Saddle and seat post poor quality considering the price of the bike. | | Similar Products Used: | Orange Sub 5 Prov & Marin Mt Vision | | Bike Setup: | Changed the tyres for Specialized Pro, Saddle for Pro (comp spec in UK) | | Bottom Line: | I have been a hard tial XC rider for 14 years and have tried many FSR bikes and remained unconvinced. This bike just does it for me, it climbs like the proverbial goat and downs like the first beer on a Friday night, or something else dependant on how lucky you are! Overall an excellent bike, some reservations on kit spec, but I think the spec for the UK is slightly different to US spec. I have to say the Fox front suspension is realy plush, an excellent ride! Only problem I had was getting stuck to the bike, upside down on th edge of a ridge, but that's another story!
This bike should convert many hard tail riders and its versatility should suit anybody from your occasional weekend warrior to your hardened XC racer. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Greg Hooker
a Cross Country Rider
from Loudon NH
Date Reviewed: February 1, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Bear Brook | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1800.00 | | Purchased At: | Gus's bike shop in Hampton NH | | Strengths: | Its all around coolness. The fox combo with the lock out it covers it all. and its not a tank. I got mine below 26lbs | | Weaknesses: | wide bars no problem to cure It came with lower end componets, but I like to add my own myself anyway | | Similar Products Used: | santa cruz superlight fat chance | | Bike Setup: | The things I changed were the bars monkey light 3/4 rise
crossmax tubless speedplay frogs pedels. Ive been riding my suspention firm but not locked out its still winter around and have been riding on snow so have not felt the beauty yet | | Bottom Line: | I want to take longer rides race more but I dont want to feel beat up. Im a massage therapist and cant be beat to shi- if you know what I mean...
But the real bottom line is
IT DOSENT MATTER WHAT YOU RIDE AS LONG AS YOU RIDE!!!!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tom
a Cross Country Rider
from Santa Barbara, Ca., USA
Date Reviewed: January 15, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | proven XC frame design, relatively light, climbs and descends very well | | Weaknesses: | a few components (cranks, seat and post, tires, possibly wheels?) | | Similar Products Used: | tested Fuels, SC Superlight | | Bike Setup: | stock except Thomson seatpost, flite kevlar saddle, XT cranks, Thomson stem, and cut about 5" off the very wide bars! Python rear tire, Conti front | | Bottom Line: | My first suspension front or rear after riding and racing non-suspended for 14 years (not much racing in the last 5 yr.). I tried the Superlight and it was nice, but an older design that seemed to feel like it was robbing my power out of the saddle. I tried the Fuel and it was very nice, but the FSR just edged it out as it was more comfortable and I liked some of the parts better.
Changed the cranks, seatpost, seat, and tires in the shop. I have now ridden it twice, once as a set-up ride and once as a real XC ride. After the set-up I found the 130mm stem way to long, felt like I was riding a Harley. Changed that out for a 110 Thomson and now it feels great.
This bike rides very nicely. Going to an FS bike, I was afraid I'd lose some of the race car handling and fast climbing I had with my non-suspended bike- so far it feels great for climbing - descending I tended to get in over my head easily because the bike could take it(I will have to change my technique to match the new ride). I like that the forx are very stiff for good handling but quite plush too.
I am really happy with my new bike. I'll post a follow up in a few months. For now, I'll give it 5 burning dog turds for value and 5 overall.
p.s. weight for my XL with components as listed above was about 26.5 lb. on a digital scale. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Greg
a Cross Country Rider
from Tulsa, OK. US
Date Reviewed: December 27, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Turkey Mountain High Ho | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1900.00 | | Purchased At: | T-town | | Strengths: | Excellent component spec and bullet proof suspension performance. Fox shox and forx complement each other as perfectly as expected. | | Weaknesses: | No tubeless tires | | Similar Products Used: | Ventana Marble Peak | | Bottom Line: | The combination of Fox Forx and Fox Shox along with super geometry make this bike ride firm and land soft. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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