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Average Rating
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4.08/5
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# of Reviews
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12
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MSRP
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$
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Weight
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More Products from Gary Fisher
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Description:
- Rear Shock: Manitou S-Type SRL, 80mm
- Crankset: Bontrager Race GXP
- Bottom Bracket: Bontrager GXP
- Seatpost: Bontrager Race Lite ACC Carbon
- Saddle: Bontrager Race Lux
- Handlebar: Bontrager Race Lite Big Sweep OS
- Headset: 1 1/8" threadless Cane Creek S1
- Hubs: Bontrager Race Disc
- Rims: Bontrager Race Disc 29
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Submitted by
Joe
a Weekend Warrior
from Elk River, MN, USA
Date Reviewed: May 5, 2008 | | Favoriate Trail: | hillside park | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$2100.00 | | Purchased At: | Ramsey Cycle | | Strengths: | Great components, nice suspension, nice geometry, FAST | | Weaknesses: | Low bottom bracket | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized Stumpjumper FSR | | Bike Setup: | Stock | | Bottom Line: | Some of the extra obstacle traversing capibility gained by going 29" is lost with the lower bottom bracket. I'm going to get a smaller front sproket to buy myself more clearence. Where I go, that one doesn't get used anyway. I think this bike is a little better suited for speed cross and lighter obstacles. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
D Brumit
a Cross Country Rider
from Houston, Tx
Date Reviewed: December 18, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | Memorial | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1700.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Full Suspension
Decent Componet Setup
29" Wheels | | Weaknesses: | Bottom bracket | | Similar Products Used: | Diamond Back, Paramount, and Litespeed | | Bike Setup: | Stock except for bar, stem, post and cranks are now FSA carbon. Next upgrading to XO shifter and r. derailer | | Bottom Line: | Ok, here it goes.....This is my fourth full suspension bike. I find myself after each ride liking it more and more. The setup is fairly nice with lockouts both front and rear shocks; making the ride as plush or frim as you like. The 29" tires roll over obstacles that I used to have to pull up and over with the 26" tires. This is a huge benefit as now it saves my shoulders and arms over a long ride. It has taken a rather short time to get used to it...since the relaxed riding position. Now, dont get me wrong...just because I say relaxed does not mean that you can't throw it around thru some twisty single track. What I mean is that with the 29" wheels your not sitting up above the wheels so high that you have moved the center of gravity to your top tube. Your actually able to sit on the bike like a normal bike instead of an older race bike. This was a huge plus for me. The only thing I have truly noticed about the bike that I do no like is the fact of the bottom bracket height. I have now on several occasions found myself driving the crank arm into a root or rock or whatever. Never anything that was enough to throw me off course but enough to get my attention. I havn't had this happen with past rigs so, I have to attribute it to the 29" wheels and rider position to keep a stable-low center of gravity setup. Also, I read in the previous posts that the componets are cheap. Well, first off for a full suspension that is under $2000 I do not expect to see XO or even XTR. It comes with X7 trigger shifter and r. derailer. Front is an LX. Brakes are Avid hydraulic disc. Everything else is alloy Bontrager. Which honestly is no different that any (regular) alloy out there. I have since bought and upgraded the stem, bar, seat post and cranks to FSA carbon. Not sure if there was any improvement in performance but it looks better and I like it. All in all this bike has met what I wanted in a new bike. I started off looking for a full suspension with really decent componet setup and 29" wheels. This is what I found and have been enjoying it ever since. If that is what you are looking for then this is the bike for you.
| Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
G-Live
a Cross Country Rider
from Cedarburg, WI
Date Reviewed: December 4, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$1800.00 | | Purchased At: | W&S | | Strengths: | Lightweight frame to build from. Bottom pull front der is an advantage for me to use a more compact road front der. Spot on geometry for me in the LG size. Suspension design and components work well. | | Weaknesses: | Lowish bottom bracket which is improved by setting the REBA at 100mm. This did not seem to affect handling of the bike at all.
Overall slight flexy feeling in the back end of the bike. A better rear wheel and bolt on skewer helped quite a bit. | | Similar Products Used: | 26" GF Sugars, Joshuas, GF 29er XCAL HT etc. | | Bike Setup: | Stock seatpost, shock, fork (set at 100mm), bottom bracket, and brakes. Customized with Sram X.0/Force derailluers, gripshift, Truvativ Stylo Carbon cranks 24/36 rings, Bonty X Lite stem, bar, etc. 27# even right now. | | Bottom Line: | I love my Supercaliber. The bike fits better than any mtb that I have had. More importantly it FEELS better than any I have had. The big wheels, geometry, suspension design and set up gives me more confidence in rough stuff, more speed in the open, and allows me to climb steeper and more technical trails than I had been able to ride on my Sugars.
The stock bike is a very good xc bike value. The frame is lightweight and is a very good base to build a lighter weight XC/enduro/race bike.
My Supercaliber 29er is the bike of the 4 I have that makes me want to ride more!!!! I give it 5 chilis for value and 4 overall. I am sure there are better FS 29ers but for the price this has to be one of the best options for most people along with the GF HiFi 29ers.
I think | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
MikeG
a Weekend Warrior
from Chicago, IL USA
Date Reviewed: November 11, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | Boyne Mtn., Boyne City, MI | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | Village Cycle Center | | Strengths: | Great selection of components for price. Suspension components work well together, fast and easy lockout. Sram X.9 drivetrain works great with fast responsive shifting. Once I got the bike dialed in with -17 deg. stem climbed great. Good handling in tight singletrack and rolls great over rocks and roots. | | Weaknesses: | Had to trim 1.25" off each end of handlebars and swap out Eggbeater pedals and saddle. Noticable flex in wheels, especially when pushed fast around tight corners. Disappointed with lack of modulation in Avid Juicy 5, also slight drag. | | Similar Products Used: | Cannondale 800SL and Giant XTC NRS Air | | Bottom Line: | Excellent bang for the buck on a great bike! I ride and race in hilly (and sandy) Northern Michigan and find that this bike gives me the confidence to fly down technical downhill sections while handling tight, twisty singletrack surprisingly well. After setting up the bike with replacement stem discovered the bike climbs well despite the fact that you feel like you're riding slightly higher. Suggest low profile Ritchey V4 Pro pedal to compensate for slightly lower bottom bracket. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bryan
a Cross Country Rider
from Burlington, VT
Date Reviewed: October 28, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | Pillow Biter | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$2300.00 | | Strengths: | I love the geometry of the bike. I feel like I'm sitting in a tank. Very stable. This is my first 29er and I love the traction I'm getting from the longer wheel-base. The full-suspension has revived my interest in northeast riding, especially for longer rides. My lower back problems have decreased dramatically.
Sram components are littered all over this bike. Great value. I'm happy. | | Weaknesses: | The Juicy 5 brakes! Garbage. Both front and back brakes have been making hideous noises (gobbling, squealing, ect.). Some rides were unbearable the noise was so loud. I've tried many things. New rotors from the bike shop. Changed the alignment so that the brake pads did not touch the rotor spokes. The noise also changes with temperature. Cold days, little noise. Warm days, hideous. I've been to the bike shop seven times now and we've still not gotten anywhere with this problem. I understand disk brakes can make some noise. I've seen long blogs online about this same problem. Why Juicy, why?!
For the riding I do, the 80 mm of front travel is not enough and I bottom-out often. Fortunately, it's any easy fix as I can and will convert the shock to 100mm.
I do have infrequent problems with the pedals bottoming-out in rocky areas. It depends on the air pressure I've put in my front and rear shock. Not a huge problem. I've mainly side-stepped this just by riding and working on my technique.
| | Bike Setup: | Standard setup. Front fork: 80 mm travel. I put a knobby rear tire on and is really working for me now that the VT weather has turned wet and cold again...finally. | | Bottom Line: | I do not have one regret moving to a 29er and I seriously doubt that I will ever ride a 26" mountain bike again. However, I don't think that these bikes are for everybody but they're for me. Gary Fisher has developed a really nice full-suspension 29" bike. But, I really hope that they move away from the Juicy brakes. Fortunately, I have some Hope brakes from my old bike that I'm going to put on the supercaliber to make it the superdupercaliber (aka. "The Fluffer"). | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Srwings
a Cross Country Rider
from Sterling, VA
Date Reviewed: September 25, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | Race Pace Bicycles, Columbia, MD | | Strengths: | Overall, I like the bike. I purchased it to race the rockier courses of the Mid Atlantic Super Series (MASS) 2007 XC season. The bike served me well although there are issues. I raced beginner, winning several of my races and winning the overall series title for my class/age group. I think the Supercaliber contributed to my success. | | Weaknesses: | #1- The bottom bracket is too low when racing or riding fast in rock gardens, e.g., at Gambrill, MD, French Creek, PA, and Bear Creek, PA. I bought a full suspension 29er to blast through the rock gardens. With the Supercaliber's low clearance, I found myself having to finesse my way through the rocky stuff. Pedal strikes are a real risk when you push the bike hard. I met another rider racing expert class who also had a Supercaliber. He, too, was disappointed with the amount pedal strikes he had. As point of reference, the bottom bracket is lower than my GF Paragon BEFORE I weight the suspension. There are work arounds like extending the fork to 100mm and going with shorter cranks but I haven't done the math to determine if the gain is worth it.
#2- I've experienced air leakage in the OEM Manitou shock twice now. I ended up having to purchase a Fox RP-23 in order to have a replacement shock on hand. I don't blame GF for the shock though. My Prophet's Manitou SPV also wouldn't hold air.
#3- I cracked the swing arm frame in a training ride. I don't jump the bike and it rarely catches air so cracking the swing arm was unexpected and a bit disappointing. My LBS and Gary Fisher stood behind the swing arm and replaced it but there was the hassle of waiting for a replacement. http://i.pbase.com/g6/24/602624/2/81627141.CxzYlc8J.jpg
In terms of cornering, I feel that my GF Paragon handles better in the twisty stuff. | | Similar Products Used: | I also own a GF Paragon 29er hard tail and a Cannondale Prophet. | | Bike Setup: | Stans 29 Arch rims with DT spokes and DT 240 hubs. SRAM X0 derailleur and shifters. | | Bottom Line: | The Supercaliber is a good XC race bike. However, if you expect to be pedaling through rocks and roots then you should consider a bike with a higher bottom bracket. | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris Elder
a Cross Country Rider
from Greensboro, NC USA
Date Reviewed: September 18, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | Dark Mountain, North Wilkesboro, NC | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1750.00 | | Purchased At: | Paceline, Greensboro | | Strengths: | 29ers more smooth, nicely integrated design, solid ride | | Weaknesses: | None yet. Perhaps high center of gravity, but I am tall and long-legged (6'2" with 36" inseam), so I sit high on most bikes. | | Similar Products Used: | K2 Team Razorback | | Bike Setup: | Stock, with addition of Shimano PD-M520 pedals and Ergo grips. | | Bottom Line: | First impressions after 5 rides totaling about 50 miles: The bike feels tall and heavy (large size), but on the trail that doesn't seem to matter. I just have to remember to duck my overly-broad shoulders more rounding trees! Mine weighs 30 pounds, but to me this isn't a drawback, as the weight helps bring the center of gravity down for me. The gearing is perfect for the XC riding I do - I stay in the middle chain ring and most times the chain stays in the middle of the rear cassette. I felt comfortable from the first ride, and continue to grow more comfortable. I might look into getting more aggressive and grippy tires than the Bontragers provided stock, but these tires are quite well-suited to the dry, dusty conditions of late on our rooty local trails. The suspension feels very responsive. Rolls over logpiles without a hitch. Taking it on a race this weekend! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
jim
a Cross Country Rider
from pontiac, mi
Date Reviewed: September 4, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only | | Strengths: | 29er Wheels & Reba fork | | Weaknesses: | lots, see review | | Similar Products Used: | SC Superlight, SIR 9er, a few demos | | Bike Setup: | CK ISO tubeless, BB7, XO & Twisters, SID
Singlespeed, DT hubs velocity29, juicy's | | Bottom Line: | I was very disappointed in this bike. I rented the Caliber from a LBS in Bend. The mechanic installed my Time pedals and asked my weight(#160) I was excited to find a FS 29er for rent, atleast till I road the beast.
The bike felt great on the two track heading out to the Dechutes River. I did not like the handling on the single track compaired to my superlight or SIR 9er. The large tires did roll over the many rocks well.
Several times I stoped to look over the rear end, it felt really loose. Those are some flexy wheels. The rear shock felt stiff and unforgiving. The Reba up front was great. I had to adjust the BB7 brakes on the trail to get rid of the draging. I hated the X-7 triggers. I must have accidently shifted 20 times. That bike just sucked on the tight single track.
After three days riding the Caliber I just cant give this bike more than three stars. It cant come close to the Superlight in any respect other than 29er wheels, and the SIR 9er also does everything better except no rear suspension.
At $1900 get an LX Superlight, you'll have more fun. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Seth Darnall
a Cross Country Rider
from West Chester, PA USA
Date Reviewed: July 10, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | middle run ( for now) | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$2200.00 | | Purchased At: | bike line WC | | Strengths: | Light, durable, great stock components for the price. Rolls over most anything. Super flippin fast. The traction, the carving, the new found confidence. | | Weaknesses: | Center of gravity higher on a 29er so slow technical stuff is not suggested, ie north shore skinnys. can take low impact freeride and all mountain, just stay off whistler. This bike is for xc trail and race. | | Similar Products Used: | specialized stumpjumper, intense spider | | Bike Setup: | all stock for now. | | Bottom Line: | I'm sold completely on 29ers. especially for xc.It can take technical stuff fairly well. rock gardens, no problem, roots, creeks, steep rooty inclines and tight windey loose descents... piece of cake. The bike coasts over the small things with ease and with just a light load unload motion, logs will be behind you in no time. The main point and the bottom line FUN FUN FUN! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark Brown
a Cross Country Rider
from Colorado
Date Reviewed: June 20, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | So many, so little time | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$2200.00 | | Purchased At: | Bicycle Peddl'r | | Strengths: | 29 inches!!! Nice Geometry. Good components for price. Very fun to ride. Significantly better at handling trail obsticles than 26 inch wheels. Much faster on fire roads, etc. Better traction. As light as my Yeti. | | Weaknesses: | Tight turns take a bit of practice; tubeless options are limited for now | | Similar Products Used: | Yeti 575; Specialized Stumpjumper FSR | | Bike Setup: | Stock except for Thompson post; Egg Beater peds | | Bottom Line: | Great bike for me! I am having more fun on the trail than ever. After buying this bike and riding for a bit I rode the Yeti to compare. Don't get me wrong, Yeti's are great, but they don't make a 29er yet.
The Yeti has been sold. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Marc Durand
a Cross Country Rider
from Québec, Qc
Date Reviewed: June 18, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | St-Émile, Stoneham, montchatel | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1800.00 | | Purchased At: | La Vie Sportive | | Strengths: | Price, looks, components. | | Weaknesses: | Little bit softy sideway the tail. Don't like the color (black and gray). | | Similar Products Used: | Trek Fuel 100 carbon (26") | | Bike Setup: | As sold but IRC Mythos (2.1 instead of 2.25) on the wheels. | | Bottom Line: | I was crying the first week. What a fool I was to let down my Trek carbon that was so faithful for the last 4 years.
I changed for one big and useless reason: At 6'5" and 265 pounds, I was looking like a giant riding a BMX.
Then, I started appreciated my results. I never been so good on the trail.
Like it very much. Never going back. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scott G
a Cross Country Rider
from Aurora, CO USA
Date Reviewed: June 16, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1600.00 | | Purchased At: | Local Bikeshop | | Strengths: | Famous 29er wheels for rolling over curbs in the city and rocks in the nasty. Good response from the shox. Comfortable riding position for long rides. | | Weaknesses: | SRAM makes a great product, but this X9 RD should be matched to SRAM shifters instead of Shimano...Needs adj too often. | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized rider/racer for many years before hanging the helmet. I'd have loved the 29s on the single trax. | | Bike Setup: | Standard Supercaliber - 2006 model | | Bottom Line: | 3 months in, and this bike has more than 200 hrs logged already...from simple commuter to and from work, local prairie trails on weekends, to a few climbs in the Rockies. I am sold on 29's, and I love the plush ride of full suspension. Careful hard cornering on the taller bike; get lower over into the frame so you're not riding the lift kit in the zips to fast you end up regretting it. Tight enough geometry for quickness, and angled top tube makes for ez step down w/out ringing the "bells". | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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