Submitted by
Hannes Eschler
a Cross Country Rider
from Stuttgart, Germany Date Reviewed: November 26, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Tour around Sonntagshorn
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$1400.00
Purchased At:
Bunny Hop Shop Bruchsal
Strengths:
Light weight, good handling, ok price for high end frame
Weaknesses:
Poor paint, detail work on frame poor, quality problems (see below)
Similar Products Used:
Mnt Cycle San Andreas, RM TiBolt
Bike Setup:
XT, RaceFace, Luise, Pace RC36EvoIII
Bottom Line:
After trying several similiar bikes (Strike, RM Element, Bergwerk Faunus) I decided to get the S-Works due to light weight, fast feel and nice look. During the first few hundred kilometers, I found that the slit in the rear drop out on the left side was done too wide. I disassembled the swingarm and returned it to the dealer. After six long weeks of wait, Specialized Europe mailed a wrong part for replacement. After another week of wait, I received the new part. The guys at the Bunny Hop shop were nice, but could not accelerate the process. Specialized added a pair of gloves for the long wait and the mess. Therefore I cooled down, and assembled the new swingarm and tried to mount the Magura disc to the rear dropout -- and failed. The mount of the brake did not meet the standard for disks. Therefore I had to disassemble again, but did not return it for another x weeks wait. After milling 4/10mm off the dropout, the disc fits -- a shame for a maker of a high-end $1500 frame.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Howard
a Cross Country Rider
from Kent Uk Date Reviewed: May 29, 2001
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
Bromleybike co.
Strengths:
Lightweight, very fast, Looks good, Thomson post included in frame set
Weaknesses:
Ti Shock bolt
Similar Products Used:
00 FSR's, Marins, K2 5000
Bike Setup:
Pace EVO3 King headset and wheels, Hope Minis, Thomson post and stem, Easton carbon bars XT/XTR bits S-works tyres
Bottom Line:
This bike is fast, very fast. I have built it up to be a tough yet light weight trail/XC bike and at 24lbs with discs it fits the bill very well. It climbs real good and i rarely use the lock out on the shock. The only bad points with the frame is the Ti lower shock bolt. This bent after two rides and is now replaced with a steel one. My frame also developed a loud clicking from the head tube gusset and Specialized replaced the whole frame set within three days, top customer care! For the price this is a killer frame deal.
$ 1399.99
Overall Rating:
Overall Rating:
