|
Specialized
2001 FSR Comp
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Submitted by
James
a Weekend Warrior
from Eugene Oregon
Date Reviewed: March 4, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$1200.00 | | Purchased At: | hutches | | Strengths: | This bike handles great, it works great on the climb as well as the downhill | | Weaknesses: | I've only had this bike for less than a year and i can already see issues with the rear suspention. I believe the bushing system is inherently flawed, I've kept it properly clean and lubed for it's life( no i don't hose it off either) The frame is getting slowly ground down by the bushings, there is nothing that i have found to remedy the situation. The seatpost clamp will bend before you can tighten it enough to hold still( my weight is 160 ) The lower sealed cartrige bearings are also getting a tad gritty, and need to be replaced. The fox float shock has a slow leak as well, and will bottom out on me if i don't bring my shockpump along. I too have had problems with bending rings. | | Similar Products Used: | none; last was a rocky mountian hardtail | | Bike Setup: | only alteration; disk brakes(a must have in the rainy NW) | | Bottom Line: | i love this bike; BUT it is not going to last long at its current rate of wear.
I would look into models that have all sealed bearings. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scott
a Cross Country Rider
from Chatham NJ USA
Date Reviewed: February 2, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | high gear cyclery | | Strengths: | Only fs/xc bike i would ride. light, fast, and the 2002 model is a great deal. specialized M4 frame is stiff and fast. | | Weaknesses: | chainrings are much improved but strong enough yet, suspension feels very active but im used to a hardtail. Fox shock was defective but it was promptly taken care of. 28 spoke radial spoked front wheel?? on a mountain bike?? Specialized seat post binder sucks | | Similar Products Used: | ridden my friends fuel 90, and i owned other hardtails. | | Bike Setup: | stock, but trying to find the time and money to buid new wheels and upgrade to xt disks | | Bottom Line: | I have the 2002 but there was no section for it so i put the review here. The bike is awesome. It is such a good deal for the price. You get a rockshock duke xc a fox float r and xt/lx for $1300. Just the front and rear shock beat the fuel 90 in terms of performance adjustability(rear shock only) wieght and feel. i have ridden in the snow and mud and everything performed almost flawlessly. I was using a non-waxed based lube and sometimes the chain would suck up into the chainstay but that was more a result of improper lube and NH snow and salt not a design problem. The bike is rock solid in all conditions even with the stock tires (1.9's with minimal tread) I tend to like to ride XC with a freeride influence. i like to do punishing climbs and then bomb down the other side and the bike suits me well. i havent raced on it yet so i cant say how it will fair there but i love it so far i would reccomend to anyone who wants a fs/xc that could use some upgrades but is a great ride. I would not reccomend it if you like the feel of your hardtail or you are obsessed about wieght. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John
a
from Baderville, AZ USA
Date Reviewed: January 19, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$1200.00 | | Purchased At: | Local Dealer | | Strengths: | tough bike, smooth ride, good stock components, pretty light for an fs | | Weaknesses: | tends to scrape when riding over rocky terain, shifting got rough after a couple months hard riding | | Similar Products Used: | Schwinn, Iguana | | Bike Setup: | Essentailly stock (tires are geax sedona -- when these go I am getting something else -- I don't recommend them as they are terrible on the cinder-soil predominant on the trails here in the mts. of Northern Arizona) | | Bottom Line: | I am by no means an expert on mtb, just a weekend warrior that sometimes spills over into the weekday. Also, to put this review into perspective it should be noted that when I ride (3 - 4 times a week) I am very hard on bikes.
I purchased the XLG frame (me = 6' 200 lb man) and find it very comfortable and well proportioned.
Living in the mountains, I ride very hard dh and technical trails filled with rocks, rough spots, fast switchbacks and (sometimes, when I ride beyond my skill and lose the trail) mega-drops.
Hardtails are better suited to some of the climbing I do, and on the way up I am occasionally passed by ht riders -- though I usually leave other fs riders in the dust. On the dh side, though, I blow past all ht's at speeds they can only dream of. My favorite moments are seeing ht riders biff on particularly rough / tricky trails and flying past them at high speed :).
What have I put the bike through? Well, among other things;
I have torqued the handlebar 270*; twisted the front wheel 90* (those two happened in one particularly nasty event in which I came out of a blind curve on a one-way dh trail and some sap runner was coming UP the trail -- directly up the middle ... I went off-trail, through several trees and ended up being stopped by a large boulder on the far side of a dry river bed at the bottom, which I !almost! cleared -- split my helmet in half but other than a few scrapes and bruises was ok :); bent one pedal 45*; and bottomed the shocks several times (as well as more mundane blowing tires and tubes and breaking chains while dh). The bike has fared well ... I replaced the pedal and finessed everything else back into place and it rides as good as new ( did have to get the front wheel realigned once ).
I can honestly say that a lesser bike would have been in the scrap pile months ago, and likely put ME in an emergency room as well -- I have never pushed the edge as far as with this bike, and I have never regretted shelling out the money.
So, who should buy it (or rather, the 2002 version now)? Any non- or semi-serious rider that plans to spend a good amount of time off-pavement and plans on rough terrain and/or downhill trails. Serious riders and very wealthy (or poor but utterly addicted to biking) can shell out the $10k for their very own custom bike, but for the rest of us that pretty much want a good stock bike this is the best out there imo. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kurt Mindy
a Racer
from Phoenix, AZ USA!!!
Date Reviewed: October 24, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Sunset Ridge area | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1199.00 | | Purchased At: | SuperGo | | Strengths: | Good mix of parts for the price. | | Weaknesses: | Specialized cranks are a crappy! | | Similar Products Used: | Gary Fisher Zigurat (hardtail) | | Bike Setup: | Stock but plan to replace the cranks and cassette with XTR. | | Bottom Line: | I love this bike. its comfortable and I don't have to stand over very rough trails. I did tweek the rear wheel after 10 minutes of riding but planned on using my Crossrides anyway. The rings that come on bike are horrible. I bent all three on my 3rd ride. I replced them with the XT from my old bike. the rings are so weak I could bend them with my hands.
My 4th ride was a race which the bike handled perfectly. (4th place).I'm still getting use to the different geomety and figuring out air presure for the shocks.
After I make some minor changes this bike will rock. | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Simon
a Weekend Warrior
from Australia
Date Reviewed: October 23, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Mt Disappointment, Great Dividing Range | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1900.00 | | Purchased At: | Victorian Mountain Bike Centre | | Bottom Line: | I bought the bike four months ago and use it every weekend for 20 to 40 km rides in the forests around Melbourne.
I have been riding a hard tail for a couple of years now and always wondered about dual suspension. I read all the magazine reviews trying to decide if it was worth the extra cost and which brand/model to choose. Although I looked at other brands and models it is impossible to compare without an extended ride on each bike and that was never possible. The reviews were not much help either as they are always so subjective. In the end I bought the bike after riding a different model Stumpjumper as that was all there was available to test.
I chose this particular bike because the bike shop, VICMTB, recommended it, it was more economical than some, the rear suspension method was adopted by many brands and seemed generally acceptable, because the 2001 model was just an improvement on the 2000 model rather than a radical change, because most of the parts are by major manufacturers and because it had the combination of disk brakes and dual suspension without being too heavy.
After more than four months riding I am more than satisfied with the purchase. The rear suspension has made riding far more comfortable and the disk brakes mean I can go downhill much faster with the confidence that I can stop. The only part I would change would be the tyres. It is winter now and the tyres do not provide sufficient grip in the mud and wet leaves. Panaracer XC Pro's have now been fitted.
I had a problem with the Fox Float RC making noise for the first half dozen bounces every time I started to ride. I took it back to the shop who promptly sent it back to Fox. Apparently it was one of a bad batch. It was rebuilt and back in a few days and has not given me any problems since. Great service by Fox and VICMTB.
I thought I would want lockout on the rear suspension but followed the advice of the bike shop and didn't try to change it. I didn't need the lockout. It is very easy to pump up to say 200 lb and have minimal bounce up the hill yet still provide sufficient give on the downhills. My riding buddy says I am a little slower up the hill but I reckon I can get up more hills now than I used to. Because the rear suspension gives if you hit bumps while going up a hill, it is more forgiving of errors and a smoother ride. The very slight bounce enables you to get a bit of rhythm as you ride up.
The suspension has really helped down hill enabling me to ride faster over rougher ground. It has saved me more than once when I have pushed beyond my riding limits.
The disc brakes have been great too. No more problems with mud on the rims and wearing out rubber brake pads.
I am 6'3" and chose the largest model. It is much more comfortable than my smaller hardtail and I can throw it around with more confidence.
I was worried the seat tube design would stop me being able to lower the seat on steep downhills but that is not a problem. You don't seem to need to lower it as often as a hard tail and there is in fact plenty of room if you want to lower it, without hitting the suspension.
I can't honestly compare it with other dual suspension bikes but it has certainly been worth the the extra money compared to my hardtail. It has increased the fun factor and isn't that what it is all about?
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jason Irvan
a Racer
from Lewisville, TX, USA
Date Reviewed: October 21, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | BarH | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1550.00 | | Purchased At: | Plano Cycle | | Strengths: | Solid all around full suspension bike. New sealed bearing pivots and linkage are awesome. | | Weaknesses: | Strongarm II cranks are flexy and are the first upgrade you should perform. | | Bike Setup: | Road it stock for a month. Now Race Face LP, Full XTR, Time Carbon Pedals. | | Bottom Line: | This is a good solid bike for the money. The suspension linkage will still work loose and if you don't check the linkage bolts it will strip / break quickly. No problems wth frame replacements. I have two friends that got theres on time as expected. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Michael Ristau
a Cross Country Rider
from Santa Barbara
Date Reviewed: October 11, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | anything new | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1499.00 | | Purchased At: | Supergo(fountain valley, ca) | | Strengths: | Lite, great shifting, good suspension set up, solid feel | | Weaknesses: | Foot slips from Time pedals when coming off jumps, stock tires compound a bit soft(fast wear = more $$$$$$) | | Similar Products Used: | FSR XC Pro | | Bike Setup: | Stocker | | Bottom Line: | I am a newbie to the sport but I had to write a review after that other guy gave it 1 star. So far I love the bike and this was a huge investment so I took my time to pick this bike out of the vast sea of cycles. I ride my friends FSR XC Pro and I don't feel much difference. Until something drastic happens, I will do nothing but promote this bike. All my riding has been a pleasure so far(I rode it about 30 times the first 30 days). For the price I don't think any other bike comes close. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeff
a Cross Country Rider
from Woodbridge, VA, USA
Date Reviewed: September 28, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Fountainhead Regional Park | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1500.00 | | Strengths: | Fits my frame very well. Really comfortable and forgiving ride. | | Weaknesses: | Specialized's warranty service. Frame construction especially pivots points are very weak. You will break them. | | Similar Products Used: | Fuel 80 | | Bike Setup: | Standard 2001 FSR Comp with the exception of tires...Panaracer FireXC Pro...buy them quickly they are awesome! | | Bottom Line: | The bike is awesome...Specialzed's warranty service is terrible. I've been waiting for them to fix a broken pivot bolt since August 15...Its now September 28th. They don't return phone calls or emails. Its a great bike, but think long and hard before you try to get warranty service. I wish I had bought the Fuel. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
| |
|
Photo Caption Contest
(sponsored by Maxxis)
|
Enter here
|
|
|
$ 1399.99
