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Submitted by
OG SS
a Cross Country Rider
from Wellington New Zealand
Date Reviewed: November 12, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$750.00 | | Purchased At: | Revolution Bicycles | | Strengths: | Mary bars, 29" wheels,colour! | | Weaknesses: | Heavy for a singlespeed. | | Similar Products Used: | None | | Bike Setup: | Stock | | Bottom Line: | This is a great bike. I love the bars - went to a singlespeed race in April and of all the Marys mine was the only one with the Mary bars!!?? Huge leverage, I don't clip trees as much as with riser bars, nice ergo position.
I'm selling my full suspension bike - it's not as much fun, plus I now hate 26" wheels. On fast rocky sections I get a bit pounded by the rigid fork, but love the way it makes the bike steer and corner. The bike rolls over stuff, even huge drops. I'm not totally sure about the EBB as a concept, an ENO hub makes more sense. The EBB creaks a bit in the frame from time to time and requires a bit of grease.
This is heavy for a singlespeed but at 27 pounds is probably the lightest mountainbike I've owned, well, ever.
I've done epic rides, ridden technical trails, cruised the streets - for a limited bike it's very versatile and enormous fun. Will probably get kevlar beaded Nevegals when these ones wear out, but that's it for upgrades.
'Just shut up and ride'!
| Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
CaliMTBR
a Cross Country Rider
from Germany, USAF
Date Reviewed: October 25, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Black Forest, Italian Alps, and the Sierra Neveda | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$1000.00 | | Purchased At: | Some shop in Texas | | Strengths: | Great bike for the money. It climbs well, desends well, and rolls over things like a tank. The EBB has worked flawless after nearly two years of riding. The laser disc rims are awesome as well as the drive train components. I have about 2700 miles on this bike. I own two other mountain bikes and love this one the most. | | Weaknesses: | I didn't like the mary bars, they hurt my wrist. The seat post sucks and the hubs are cheap. The bike is pretty heavy for only having one gear. | | Similar Products Used: | Red line Monocog | | Bike Setup: | Reba up front, riser bars, Louise Brakes, Thompson seat post, wtb saddle | | Bottom Line: | Great bike for the money. If you ride this bike a lot the components will wear quickly with a few exceptions such as the EBB and the laser discs rims. I would consider buying the bike as a frame and building it up for the long haul as your going to love it. This bike will be in your quiver for many years. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David
a Racer
from baltimore
Date Reviewed: October 13, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Patapsco | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$476.00 | | Purchased At: | Haro | | Strengths: | Very nice steel frame. Not cookie cutter by any means. Chainstays are manipulated to provide an even cushier ride. Gusseted downtube. Stylo ss crank. Nevegal tires. 27.4 lbs in a 20" isnt bad. | | Weaknesses: | Ok hubs-rerar is cartridge, front isnt. Stupid On One bar-great for singletrack, horrible for climbs. BB5's. Odd 31.6 seatpost size for steel-required a shim? | | Similar Products Used: | Too many to list. I own 7. Only ss is redline monocog flight. | | Bike Setup: | Bontrager race x lite wheels/hubs. Origin8 carbon post/stem, juicy 7 brakes.24.1 lbs-yeah! | | Bottom Line: | This is a great bike. I rode it stock for a while, but was able to get some great parts for cheap. 27.4 miles at patapsco @ 9.8 avg. mph on latest setup. Those of you that know patapsco, 9.8 is great on a geared bike. Super smooth on rocky sections. Climbs extremely well for a 29er. Would recommend. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
sweetchiba51
a Racer
from spokane wa
Date Reviewed: September 20, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | bernard peak idaho | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$500.00 | | Purchased At: | craigslist | | Strengths: | Purchased this bike for mainly commuting purposes, mixed in with a little trail riding....This bike is awesome!! Its a commuter, its a trail bike, i love it!! My BLT is getting a little jelous. | | Weaknesses: | None that i know of | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | 07 Mary ss, juicy 5's, salso pro moto carbon bars, deore cranks, whatever this bike is rad | | Bottom Line: | Get one, you will not regret it...i drive a gas guzzling truck and have not drivin it since i got this bike. The bike will pay for itself in a month...Its also killer on the trail. Over the winter i will be putting on a suspension fork up front and put some gears on it and race it cross country next season....but i dont know the simplicity of a ss i sooooo nice... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
bsdc
a Cross Country Rider
from Austin, TX
Date Reviewed: July 19, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Muleshoe | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$500.00 | | Purchased At: | Ebay | | Strengths: | Relatively smooth steel frame, Mary bars. | | Weaknesses: | Relatively flexy steel frame, Mary bars. | | Similar Products Used: | Gary Fisher HiFi Pro 29, Kona Bear(Dawg) | | Bike Setup: | Stock | | Bottom Line: | It's a reasonably spec'd SS at a reasonable price. The steel frame has its advantages and disadvantages but I like it. The Mary bars are a personal preference that I'm not sure I really like.
I bought the bike to check out the whole rigid SS 29er thing. I really like the big wheels but I don't like coasting and a little cush is appreciated. I'm going to turn it into a 1x9 hardtail with a flat bar and see how that goes. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Story_MTBR
a Racer
from Story, Arkansas
Date Reviewed: July 1, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Womble | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$500.00 | | Purchased At: | Highlander | | Strengths: | Steel Frame, Geometry, Componet Specs. | | Weaknesses: | Mary Bars, EBB | | Similar Products Used: | On-One Inbred, GF Rig, Converted 26er's and 69er single speeds. | | Bike Setup: | Stock except for Easton bars. | | Bottom Line: | This is an awesome bike at a super great deal. I was apprehensive about the EBB but so far so good. THe steel frame took a little getting used too but I am sold that steel is real. Would buy again. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Robert Sloan
a Weekend Warrior
from Weston-s-Mare,England
Date Reviewed: June 27, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Local woods | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$900.00 | | Purchased At: | Triton cycles | | Strengths: | Drivetrain and the steering of a 29er.Nice grips. | | Weaknesses: | No rear mudguard/fender mounts.No clearance for larger tyres.I remounted the laser rim on a fixed hub and on big ups it rub on the one side. Having turned the wheel round it is off center by less than 1/8". | | Similar Products Used: | 26" singlespeed MTB. | | Bike Setup: | Nitto b2500 bars,fixed disc rear hub,Hope M4 disc brakes,racing saddle. | | Bottom Line: | Buy the right size.There is alot of talk about 29er's needing smaller frames which is poppycock/b.s.That said you will probably want two of these. | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
bcoleman
a Cross Country Rider
from winston salem, NC
Date Reviewed: June 22, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Dark Mountain | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1200.00 | | Purchased At: | Cycle Therapy NC | | Strengths: | price,Great ride | | Weaknesses: | none, but upgraded brakes to bb7 handel bars to fsa xc 190 and stem to ea70 and put reba sl and candy pedals on at purchace. | | Similar Products Used: | jamis exile | | Bike Setup: | stock except bars,stem,pedals,and fork. | | Bottom Line: | great bike my first ss and 29er. I think it handels just as good and is funner to ride than my 26inch full suspension race bike. I am thinking about racing this bike next year. Great value for a fun bike to ride. The bike climbs and takes turns without washing out a bit. I would recommend this bike to anyone that want a fun bike to ride. The 29 inch tires really do smooth out the smaller bumps. Overall I will probally ride this bike more than my 23.5 pound Fisher HI-FI. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
WalkingDEADX
a Weekend Warrior
from CT USA
Date Reviewed: May 1, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$750.00 | | Purchased At: | North haven Bike | | Strengths: | Steel frame, 29er, disc brakes, very comfortable to ride, SS | | Weaknesses: | none as of yet | | Bike Setup: | stock | | Bottom Line: | I was looking for a bike to get in shape with. I dont care to long cycling and was afraid a full suspen bike would be overkill ( or Id kill himself out there ;p )
The Mary SS was at the shop looking a nice and I recalled an artical I read not to long ago in DIRTRAG about SS's.
After a nice test ride I felt like a kid again on my DiamondBack BMX bike.
Same kid all grown up, now my that bmx bike is grown up also :) | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nate McMullan
a Cross Country Rider
from Central Oregon, USA
Date Reviewed: April 20, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | viewpoint (Nate's Trail: ) | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | Trinity Bikes, Redmond | | Strengths: | Mary bars, great value for the money. | | Weaknesses: | BB5 brakes; I plan on changing to BB7s soon. | | Bike Setup: | Everything original with the addition of a lightly used Reba. | | Bottom Line: | This bike is an excellent buy! I hadn't biked for quite a while before buying this, and I knew I wanted to get back into mountain biking with a 29er and decided to try single-speeding as well. This has been a really fun choice!
The stock 32-20 gearing works really well for trail riding in the area that I live. On the ride to and from, it is a little undergeared- I might go with a dingle hub eventually.
The stock wheels are tough, and I love the mary handlebars. I think that they really make a difference when climbing out of the saddle (which I do TONS of around here). I really liked the stock fork, and still vascilate on the decision to run rigid or suspended; each has it's benefits. BB5s aren't great, I will upgrade to BB7s and 185mm on the front. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scott
a Cross Country Rider
from Calgary
Date Reviewed: April 4, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$950.00 | | Purchased At: | Bow Cycle | | Strengths: | This is a solidly built frame which can take abuse. The straight rigid fork is very responsive and the frame geometry just seems to fit well. Bike looks great and the eccentric BB makes adjusting chain tensioning quick, although it took a while to get the hang of it. | | Weaknesses: | Brake set is quite poor. Hard to adjust and make a lot of noise. My lack of mechanical ability may contribute to the poor performance however. The stock Avid brakes are not favorably reviewed on this site. Ditch the Mary bar for a more standard bar. On climbs, the Mary bar doesn't provide enough leverage so budget an extra $50 for an aluminum easton. | | Similar Products Used: | Converted SS. | | Bike Setup: | Stock except for Easton Monkey Bar. | | Bottom Line: | I'm very happy with the bike. There are starting to be more options for 29er single speeds now and many of them have similar setups. Consider the redline monocog 29er as well. The 29er is great to ride and reduces the need for suspension because the rolling resistance of the larger wheels helps get over obstacles. A nice upgrade would be a REBA 29er suspension fork.
Mary SS is great. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joshua Beasley
a Cross Country Rider
from Omaha, NE, 68152
Date Reviewed: April 3, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Lewis & Clark monument | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$900.00 | | Purchased At: | Bike Masters | | Strengths: | Strong, nice riding frame, I love the mary bars. | | Weaknesses: | Avid BB-5 brakes, heavy (especially for a single speed) | | Similar Products Used: | Niner, Gary Fisher Rig, Giant XTC (converted SS) | | Bike Setup: | I run my mary bars upside down, hayes disc brakes | | Bottom Line: | Over all this has been a good bike, It hasn't given me any problems. I've raced, trained, and commuted on it for over a year. The bb-5 disc brakes are horrible, I got rid of them as soon as possible. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nick Giammona
a Weekend Warrior
from Lake Hiawatha, NJ, USA
Date Reviewed: March 28, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Ho-Chi-Min Trail in Montauk, NY | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | Albert's Westwood Cycle | | Strengths: | Awesome value, light weight, super fast, and above all: FUN TO RIDE. | | Weaknesses: | The BB5 brakes work, but you can do better. Good rims, but the hubs are junk. | | Bike Setup: | Stock except: EA50 bars, Salsa Flip-off skewers, Salsa seat clamp, Candy SL's and Geax Saguaro tires. Plan to add BB7 brakes, better wheels, Chris King headset and MAYBE a Reba. | | Bottom Line: | The best 29er you'll find for the money. I don't believe there to be a better value out there. All of the changes I've made are purely personal preference. It's really ready to go right out of the box. If you have any reservations about riding full rigid, don't worry. It's really smooth. I'm considering putting a Reba on it but that might ruin the subtleties of the ride. So I'm still on the fence there. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark
a Cross Country Rider
from Michigan
Date Reviewed: December 17, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$600.00 | | Purchased At: | eBay | | Strengths: | Rides solid and fast. | | Weaknesses: | Maybe the OEM Wheels, very heavy and not well sealed. | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized Stump, Juan Solo | | Bike Setup: | Thomson seat post & Stem, FSA Carbon bar, Carbon WhiteBrothers fork (sweet), XT hubs and Stans hoops wrapped with Nano's. | | Bottom Line: | Love the bike. It is my first 29er and I feel it has made me faster with less effort. Plus, I can push a harder gear on the my 24lb Mary than I use to on my 20lb- 26" Juan Solo. The only thing I can figure is the 29" wheel rolls that much better. I'm considering picking up another and running it as a 1x9 for 12/24 hour events. Only advice, upgrade the wheels. Too heavy for racing, but great for training. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
GF
a Weekend Warrior
from Gold Coast, Australia
Date Reviewed: October 5, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | 1400 AU | | Strengths: | It's like efortlessly riding a lightweight motorbike. The large volume tires in this diametre are unbelievable. You've all probably ridden a bike with small diametre wheels and low tire pressure, and yes, it's a drag. You feel like your wasting 50% of your energy turning them. Well, when I got onto my new 08 Haro Mary SS, I was blown away. They turn effortlessly with 32psi and a 16 tooth rear cog. Other bikes I've tried could be faulted, but this one I can't. All I can say is, those of you who collect bikes, buy a few of those out of date things with 26" wheels, cos they won't be around for long. | | Weaknesses: | None, nil, zilch, zero, mithen, niente, nada.... Oh, I don't know how to say it in any other languages. These 29ers haven't been around long, but now I own one, I know why there's so much hype. I know some die hards will try to defend 26ers in hope of resisting the change, but, people bagged others for carrying cell phones 20 years ago, and guess what, their all carrying them now. Good luck, but I don't recommend standing in front of a stampeed. | | Similar Products Used: | GF Rig, Monocog. | | Bike Setup: | Standard, with a good set of BMX pegs. | | Bottom Line: | Who was the fool that said, "you can't re-invent the wheel"? Ride one and you'll know what I'm talking about.
P.S. there aint enough chilli's here to rate this bike properly, and no I don't have anything to do with Haro. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rodd Clarkson
a Cross Country Rider
from Croydon North, Victoria, Australia
Date Reviewed: October 2, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Lysterfield | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$550.00 | | Purchased At: | Local bike shop | | Strengths: | Great default choice for parts. Simple, elegant, 29er. | | Weaknesses: | The brakes could be better, but they are okay. | | Similar Products Used: | None. Before this I'd ridden 26ers from GT. A had a GT Tequesta that I'd converted to a SS, by some bugger stole it. | | Bike Setup: | Almost stock standard. I've changed the pedals for some clipless pedals, and I've got an 18 tooth rear cog (along with the 20 tooth it comes with) | | Bottom Line: | Get the tire pressure right and this bike rocks. Initially the bike shop had filled the tires to recommended pressure and it was harsh and unforgiving - you fell every bump. Drop the tire pressure down to 20-25 PSI and it's a different ride. Little bumps disappear and big bumps seem smooth.
It climbs like a mountain goat and the tires are really smooth, both on dirt and the road.
The handle bars are fantastic. I swapped it out for my full speed hardtail 26er and couldn't believe how harsh the standard bar angles felt.
When I get some money I'll upgrade the brakes and more than likely put on a suspension fork, but neither needs to be done. It's a fun, smooth riding bike that takes you back to the days when you just rode because it was fun to do so. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Gabe
a Cross Country Rider
from Kansas City, MO USA
Date Reviewed: September 23, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Landahl Park | | Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only | | Price Paid: |
$750.00 | | Purchased At: | Cycle City - Platte Woods | | Strengths: | Carolina Blue. Style and feel of the bike. On One Mary bars.
| | Weaknesses: | None that I see for the price. | | Similar Products Used: | Cannondale Prophet (FS), DK Xenia (26 SS), Trek 4500 (HT) | | Bike Setup: | Stock. No front suspension. Avid BB5 Discs. On-One Mary bars. WTB saddle. Pivit seat post. Salsa stem. Wellgo peddles. Kenda tires. WTB tires. | | Bottom Line: | Took it out to my local trails (Smithville). I was shocked at how faaaaast and smoooooth the bike rode. I'm 6'3" and have suffered from not always feeling comfortable on my bikes. I hopped on this bike and felt like I was king of the world. I loved the gearing. Perfect for me. Not too hard on the climbs. Just enough where you can still get behind it when hauling butt. I'm keeping the Mary bars. Great feel. Very comfortable. The bike rolled well, climbed well and cornered well. And this was all at speeds that were waaay faster than normal. I don't know what the difference maker was... the frame, the 29" wheels, the Mary bars, the gearing?? Whatever it was, it was a pronounced difference over my other two bikes. The whole time I was riding, I had the biggest grin on my face. I was dumbfounded by how different and fun the bike was from what I was expecting. The bike makes you "crave" riding it. If that makes sense. I'm thinking about it now. (I will make one disclaimer. I hadn't ridden a 29 SS before. I do have a 26 SS, but it's more of a bike park layout. Whether it's the bike or the 29 SS phenomenon... it' a great and awesome experience.) | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scott Martin
a Weekend Warrior
from San Jose, California, USA
Date Reviewed: July 11, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Santa Teresa Park(for s.s.) | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | hand me down | | Strengths: | Great climber with on-one bars(very comfortable). Has been the most reliable bike I have ever owned due to its simplicity. Excellent components for msrp. | | Weaknesses: | Stock bb5 mechanical discs are a pain to keep in adjustment and are a little inadequate for agressive riding. Came with substandard peddles. | | Similar Products Used: | I had owned one other rigid ss (Raleigh XXIX) & have had countless other hard tales & full suspension bikes. | | Bike Setup: | Mostly stock except for brake & peddle upgrades (spd's & Avid Juicy 7's) | | Bottom Line: | A very fun & reliable bike. This bike has hundreds of miles on it & the only repairs needed have been flat tires! Swap the brakes for hydraulic, swap the peddles for clip-ins & hit the trails as often and fast as you can! This bike will make you a better and stronger rider. I doesn't let you get lazy on the climbs or descents like my Scott Ransom does, but for some reason the Mary sees way more trail time. It reminds me of lazy summer days cruising on my bmx bike as a kid (except you can roll & loft over larger obstacles). Buy one & you wont regret it! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
WaltJ
a Weekend Warrior
from Coral Springs, Fl
Date Reviewed: June 13, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Markham Park | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$2500.00 | | Purchased At: | Atlantic Bikes Margate Florida | | Strengths: | Solid feel to the ride. Steel is great! No squeak from EBB. Low maintenence | | Weaknesses: | Avid BB5 Brakes, Resale value | | Similar Products Used: | Surly Karate Monkey, Gary Fisher Rig | | Bike Setup: | Rock Shox Reba SL fork, Magura Marta SL brakes, Industry Nine wheels with DT Swiss rims and Panaracer Rampage tires, Thudbuster LT seatpost with Bontrager CRZ+ Sport saddle, ODI Lock On Rogue Grips with Dangerboy endcaps, Odyssey Cielencki platform pedals, Chris King Stainless rear sprocket, Cane Creek S2 headset | | Bottom Line: | I wanted to give an opinion between bikes not just how much fun a 29er SS is. My primary bike is a Surly Karate Monkey equipped almost identical except Chris King Wheels instead of the I-9's. I bought the Mary as a friends bike to replace the GF Rig that one of those friends bought after riding. Extremely comfortable as set up (even my wife likes it). Rides much more forgiving than the Rig or the Monkey. Mary Bars make for a different ride, (not better or worse just different). Somewhat heavy 28.22 pounds as set up. I am 55 years old and ride some decent hills and drops in South Florida, the Mary does everything asked of it with confidence | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Terry
a
from Australia
Date Reviewed: May 21, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Price ($1200 Australian), component spec, good finish | | Weaknesses: | No clipless pedals | | Bike Setup: | Factory plus Crank Brothers Smarty pedals | | Bottom Line: | I wanted to try a singlespeed, 29 inch wheels, hard tail, and steel frame. This bike managed to do all this in one go. I wasn't to sure about the rigid fork, but it is ok for an hour or so. I have done a couple of club races on it and one lap out of four in a six hour team enduro and it was only a couple of minutes slower than my 07 Stumpy Pro, it's a blast. The gearing (32-20) is ok for where I ride, just stand up and grunt up the hills it'll make you stronger anyway. It's very fast on smooth single track but bounces you around a bit on rocky sections, so you need to relax your arms to absorb the bumps. I run 25-28 psi in the tyres which softens the ride up a bit. The brakes are acceptable but not exceptional, they needed a bit of fiddling to get lever and pad contact point to where I needed them and a different pad compound might liven them up a bit. Wheels seem to be ok so far. The Mary bars are great. I was a bit sceptical but left them on and they are very comfortable, no problems seated or standing, almost tempted to try them on the FS bike. Bottom line is that I am extremly happy with this bike. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
scott ballentine
a Weekend Warrior
from benson, nc usa
Date Reviewed: April 6, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$600.00 | | Purchased At: | fit to be tried | | Strengths: | FAST!!, steel feels great, not terribly heavy for price, and it climbs like a goat | | Weaknesses: | brakes are not outstanding, but for te price, work fine | | Similar Products Used: | felt solo | | Bike Setup: | stock, with a 38 tooth front ring | | Bottom Line: | I was shocked at how well it climbs, I took it on a test ride (shop owner was awesome!!) and I bought it after the ride. the 38/20 was a little steep a couple of times, but I just stayed out of the saddle and hammered, and was suprised at the lack of fatigue. It just jumped up hills! I have not rode any other 29 singles, but I don't see how you could go wrong with this ride. My other bike is an "S" works FSR, it may start collecting some dust now! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark
a Cross Country Rider
from Michigan
Date Reviewed: April 6, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Fort Custer | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$600.00 | | Purchased At: | eBay | | Strengths: | Sweet color, nice ride and ergonomics. I love Steel. | | Weaknesses: | The weight of the wheels but for the money, I can't complain. They roll nice with the Exiwolfs. | | Similar Products Used: | Stumpjumper and Salsa Juan Solo. | | Bike Setup: | Thompson post and stem, BB7 upgrade, soon to mount a White Brothers Carbon fork. | | Bottom Line: | I gave up my sub 20 lb Juan Solo to go to a Steel 29er and so far I am extremely happy with my choice. The 29" wheel rolls great and this bike is solid. On the road, I can push a bigger gear with less effort. On the hills, if I keep momentum it rolls up with ease. Have yet to get a true trail evaluation, seeing I live in MI, but do not expect to be let down. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John
a Weekend Warrior
from Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Date Reviewed: March 5, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Desert Classic | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$850.00 | | Purchased At: | South Mountain Cycles | | Strengths: | Fast and fun! Forever frame, geometry, On One Mary bars (steer fine, comfortable, and climb great), 29er wheels, decent components for price point, paint color, etc. I prefer standing when climbing, so I knew a SS would suit me - I was right. | | Weaknesses: | None at this price point, but I would have been willing to pay more for Avid hydraulic disc brakes. | | Similar Products Used: | Tested a Fisher Rig, Kona Unit 2-9, and KHS Solo-One SE. Otherwise I've owned geared 26ers from Fisher, Titus, and Giant. | | Bike Setup: | Stock, plus clipless pedals (SPD520) | | Bottom Line: | Absolutely love this bike. Could not be happier. I ride it rigid on the smoother half of the local trails, and ride my FS rig for rougher trails. This bike is more compliant over the bumps than I would have imagined b/c of the 29er wheels, steel frame, fat tires, and Mary bars. And its so fast. I am very surprised at how I ride this bike faster than my other, more expensive, geared bikes. I now have 3 bikes, but have decided to sell one (a FS 29er) and have lost much of the desire to ride the other. They're 3-5 times more expensive, but whatever. Be careful buying a steel 29er single speed - it may spoil you for other bikes. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joe Haynes
a Cross Country Rider
from Ventura County, CA
Date Reviewed: February 28, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Big Sycamore Canyon | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$800.00 | | Purchased At: | Avery's Open Air | | Strengths: | Steel Frame, Mary bars, great crank | | Weaknesses: | Brakes are a bit heavy but they work well. | | Similar Products Used: | K2 Brass Monkey converted to a single speed | | Bike Setup: | Reba fork, Boone 19 tooth rear cog, WTB seatpost | | Bottom Line: | A friend loaned me his redline 29r bike. I like they way it rode so I bought the Mary SS. Both because it fit my budget and because of the frame.
I had every expectation of changing out most of the parts but after I rode it a couple of times not much needed to be changed. Granted, I had the Reba fork on it from the start and the 20 tooth cog it came with was a bit to big for the local terrain. But after these changes were made it was a joy to ride. The Mary bars are, well different. I am giving them a chance but I have also bought a pair of carbon bars just in case.
If you want a good, resonably priced 29 in. bike this is the ticket. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dennis Dodson
a Cross Country Rider
from Aspen, Colorado
Date Reviewed: February 21, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Mary's Loop | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | $650. | | Strengths: | More fun for the masses | | Weaknesses: | Mary bars are difficult to navigate in tight wooded sections | | Similar Products Used: | Orbea 29er Al, Bianchi P.U.S.S., Redline Monocog, Turner Five-Spot | | Bike Setup: | Stock- except SPD pedals | | Bottom Line: | This bike is a hoot to ride, especially for the $$$. With the big tires and the big wheels, I hardly notice that I am riding fully rigid. I have been riding SS for eight years, but it wasn't until last year that I got into riding 29. The big wheels really optimize the whole Single Speed experience. This bike is more then a utilitarian bike. It is responsive and motors over things that I didn't expect it to. I bought the Mary in Maryland and I was able to humble a few local young turks on their full suspension crosscountry rigs. The only problem I had with the Mary bars, was clipping trees in really tight sections, otherwise I liked the way they felt. They were comfortable even though I was riding close to race pace. I have only been able to ride it on snow covered roads lately, because I live in high altitude, but I can't wait to get this down to Fruita for a quentessential test ride. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating |
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