I bought this bike for my father for a reduced price as a first fully and as a replacement for Trek 6500. The impression is very poor. The 80mm on rear wheel are not fully activated because of the poor shock, so the bike acts more like a hard-tail. The weight is too much for 80mm (more than 14 kg). The rest of the bike is quite OK. Considering the stock price, it only supports my worst meaning about Trek full-suspension bikes before 2007, but for the reduced price, it is a good toy for weekends. I recommend to change the rear shock to all users.
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Submitted by
Paul
a Weekend Warrior
from London, UK Date Reviewed: December 27, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Epping Forest
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$1100.00
Purchased At:
Pauls Cycles
Strengths:
Solid, quality frame, comfy, climbs well, good all rounder
Weaknesses:
Manitou splice fork had to go. Tyres no good for damp UK conditions and way heavy. Heavy/cheap parts, especially drivetrain and bars/stem combo. 505 pedals went straight in the bin.
Similar Products Used:
?? My 1st full susser
Bike Setup:
19" Red, 2006 model bought NOS in May 07. Reba SL w/poploc up front, Spec'd Houffalize 1.8" tyres, Xpedo pdeals, carbon bars stem and post, Shimano Hollotech LX crankset, roadie block
Bottom Line:
Bought the bike to have a go at getting back into mountain bikes after 10 years out so didn't want to spend too much up front. The TF80 looked to be the best option with discs for the price and after upgrades sourced cheap from Ebay and CRC I'm well happy with the ride. The bike has lost 4.1bs and I'm 2 stone lighter!
Suitable for the larger rider doing XC.
Frames are big for their quoted size, massive spec changes every year
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Submitted by
the molester
a
from Blackburn ,uk Date Reviewed: December 17, 2007
Favorite Trail:
gillm.75@hotmail.com
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$1100.00
Purchased At:
pauls cycles
Strengths:
the price, its very quick , good climber, & good looking, great allrounder
Weaknesses:
rear shock is a rock shox bar 2.1 , its jerky doesnt work its sh*t lets the whole bike down.also really high top tube
Similar Products Used:
spl,ized FSR
Bike Setup:
total stock.
Bottom Line:
apart from rear shock , the ridiculously high top tube is way to high, its only a 17 1/2" frame and Evey time i jump off the pedals i kill the family jewels which shine no more, when your on the pedals its fine but any other time its torture. Dont let me put you off' you would have to spend a lot more money than this to equal the ride. GM,UK
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Submitted by
JH Park
a Cross Country Rider
from Korea Date Reviewed: June 6, 2007
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$1400.00
Purchased At:
detail store
Strengths:
very good for climbing up in terms of strength & speed
Weaknesses:
Bontrager tires : very slippy
Similar Products Used:
Ellsworth Truth
Bike Setup:
17.5'" standard
Bottom Line:
Overally,very satisfied with this model except the tires. Not only in the mountain but also in the road, I could feel very excellent for a straight drive.
Feel better than Truth in terms of bobbing in rear shock when go up the hill.
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Submitted by
Alberto Zamacona
a Cross Country Rider
from Oaxaca, Mexico Date Reviewed: May 2, 2007
Favorite Trail:
la carnivora
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$1200.00
Purchased At:
Bicimundo
Strengths:
Great geometry
Weaknesses:
It's falling appart
Bike Setup:
Marz Mx w/ETA, race face evolution crank, the rest is XTR.
Bottom Line:
I have had this bike now for three years and I was really happy with it, BUT. The dam thing is falling appart at the seams, literally !!!!. The top tube has craks, fractures, the rear triangle is has several fratures also. It is now at the local aluminum welder and I think I can fix it. But for the price I shouldn't have to do this. I am a thousand miles from where I bought the dam thin so it's kind of dificult to get the waranty.
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Submitted by
Stephen
a Cross Country Rider
from hobart tasmania australia Date Reviewed: February 22, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Luige
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$1950.00
Purchased At:
kenself cycles hobart tasmania australia
Strengths:
Fits beautifully,Im only 5ft 9 and the frame and dimensions suit me perfectly, You cant beaat the hydralic brakes, comfy as
Weaknesses:
bontrager tyres
Similar Products Used:
trek fuel 70 cannodale rush
Bottom Line:
Great ride. Smooth adjustable suspension. Climbs like a demon!
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Submitted by
Darren
a Cross Country Rider
from Ontario, Canada Date Reviewed: November 4, 2006
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$650.00
Purchased At:
ebay
Strengths:
Awesome geometry - the most comfortable seating posture of any bike I tried...Specialized FSR came close. Smooth shifting, decent (but not stellar) weight.
Weaknesses:
Stock tires suck. That's about it actually...
Bottom Line:
I bought this bike after two years of low-intensity shopping. Finally narrowed it down to the Fuel or a Specialized FSR but the Trek just seemed to fit better...plus I found it on ebay for $800.00 CDN in December of 2004 (it's a 2004 model) so price-wise that couldn't be beat. Overall I'm very pleased with it.
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Submitted by
Wes Tanner
a Cross Country Rider
from Salt Lake Utah Date Reviewed: June 20, 2006
Favorite Trail:
thieves forest deer valley Utah
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$1300.00
Purchased At:
Hyland Cycle
Strengths:
The Fuel 80 geometry is awesome for the Larger rider. Good components that are well matched.
Weaknesses:
Stock Pedals, bontrager tires and wheels.
Similar Products Used:
Specialized S Works, Cannondale Prophet, Gary Fisher Cake.
Bike Setup:
21" Frame, Black Platinum with Lockout with Fat Boy spring. Kenda Kinetics Tires
Bottom Line:
@ the weight of 246 and 6'4" I contest that this is the best value to performance ratio. The S Works was nice on descents until sand or shell. The Cannondale had the single post Fork and I thought is looked awesome and was quick to repair to flats, but the fork sucked on the way up it would bounce off rocks and tree stumps favoring the post side. On the third decent from the resort top the fork boot was tearing and leaking oil and the wheel was out of round. The Gary Fisher Cake was nice but the fuel I purchased had Hayes Nine brakes and more better quality components for 310 less.
$ 1430.00
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