Submitted by
don
a Downhiller
from England Date Reviewed: July 17, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Fast one's, technical one's & steep one's
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$1900.00
Purchased At:
Ride Central
Strengths:
Bloody good value for money! Pedals well, corners like a dream, bit f a sleeper bike really. Not sure why people are saying they are heavy? Got mine down to 38lbs and I’m 195lbs. I would say it is actually very well built, it’s just simple. Buy one!
Weaknesses:
None yet! But I am going to go from a 500 to a 550lbs spring. Bear this in mind when you buy one.
Similar Products Used:
Giant team DH,Kona Stab,Giant glory,one of those Sunday things!
Bike Setup:
fox 40's,Spank rims,HopeHubs,IFly seat and post,Saint cranks, E13 Light Guide,Magura stoppers,Sunline Bars and stem,Maxxis 2.35 high rollers,DHX with Ti spring,X9 gears, etc.
Bottom Line:
I have a light,fast and soild down hill that did not brake the bank. infact due to the price i was able to spend more on better parts. I'm only a weekend smasher and to be honest i keep up with those on more well known brands.Oh it feels good in the air as well.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Summit
a Downhiller
from Columbus, OH, USA Date Reviewed: July 2, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Hazard/UPS/LPS/Porcupine
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
-Clean design
-Burly frame
-Decent standover height
-135mm hub spacing makes swapping hubs easy
-Love that you can run 10 or 12mm axle, with floating brake or w/o
-Customizable looks with stickers and add-on parts (bearing covers, bar end caps, chainguides, etc.)
-There is a nice drain hole in the bottom of the BB shell.
Weaknesses:
-A bit heavy, but not bad.
-Fit and finish is good but not great. Frame was not chased/faced (BB, headtube, ISCG mounts, dropouts, etc.).
-Paint scratches off if you breathe on it.
-Mud collects heavily at the bottom pivot...it makes a bit of a trap.
-High leverage ratio requires a heavy spring rate.
Similar Products Used:
Specialized Big Hit
Specialized Demo 7
Intense Uzzi
Yeti AS-X
Kona Stinky series
more I'm sure...
This bike rips. Add in the incredible price, and you have a no-brainer...and a clear reason as to why Blindsides are popping up all over the place.
As soon as I hopped on, it just felt super comfortable. As is the case with most of Transition's bikes, the geometry is just dialed perfectly. I normally dislike straight top tubes because I like tons of standover height (like my Demo 7 has) but the Blindside is low enough that the top tube is comfortably out of the way. I'm 5'10" and ride a Medium.
The travel is really plush (I'm 155lbs and running a 400# spring) initially, but I have yet to bottom out the suspension - it ramps up nicely. Feels glued to the ground but you can get the bike into the air very easily, unlike some bigger linkage DH bikes.
Super low bottom bracket takes some getting used to, but timing your pedal strokes around obstacles is a worthwhile tradeoff for the low-slung ride and resulting cornering ability.
I can't really complain about much at all in how this bike rides - it's just a champ. It feels like it hangs up a touch on square-edge hits, but nothing too bad. There are certainly more premium rides out there, but most of them will cost you double what the Blindside frame does, and you'll only get very small improvement in ride quality.
5 chilis for value, 4 for overall since there are some quality issues (paint, facing, etc.) and high-end bikes like Intense, Foes, etc...certainly do ride a little nicer.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
sam pinner
a Weekend Warrior
from bend, or Date Reviewed: January 30, 2008
Favorite Trail:
anything steep,challenging w/jumps/drops
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$3000.00
Purchased At:
gear peddler
Strengths:
where's the beef? (right here baby) overbuilt flies well, corners well, is overall tons of fun uninterrupted seat tube, wheelies like a champ
Weaknesses:
heavy? but i dont care, because i am 6'2" and 200lbs i break lots of stuff, hopefully not this bike though odd rear thru axle situation
Similar Products Used:
rocky mountain switch, rmx kona stab iron horse sunday
$
Overall Rating:
