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Gary Fisher
Procaliber Bike
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Submitted by
Jang Shian Chen
a Weekend Warrior
from Malaysia
Date Reviewed: June 18, 2005 | | Favoriate Trail: | Kesas bike lane & Darul Ehsan Golf club | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1450.00 | | Purchased At: | My friend Mr Gauss Huang(also a reviewer) | | Strengths: | Light weight, smooth & powerful when ascending & confidence on alltypes of terrain. | | Weaknesses: | Paint job a bit faded but for a 7 yrs old bike whatelse you can expect. | | Bottom Line: | At last i got it.
Its a RARE oppotunity to own this masterpiece.
Just wanna say thanks to Mr Wee because he's the one who introduce a new hobby(HiFi) to Mr Gauss, so Gauss venture to the new hobby & finally let go his Procaliber to me.
Well i have tried few kilometres on the bike today & now i have some comment to share with you'll.
1)Handling.
Its gave me an exordinary control on the front(Rock Shox SID)fork when i took a high speed 90degree turn. Its bound&rebound equally so that i can momentumly swing into the corner & without losing any speed. Also doing very well when i hit the road hump on high speed.
2)Performance.
A super smooth (Shimano XTR) group set. Can gain a very good top speed(48km/h)=(30mph) on the flat surface without helicoptering my leg. Its also very smooth & feel light when ascending to a long 3km hill(Like someone pushing from behind).
3)Braking.
Only can describe it as a Perfect match between (Mavic Crossmax Ceramic) wheel & (Shimano XTR) Vee brake system, confidence you from top speed to standstill & won't overheat when applies a lot of braking when decending, thanks for the ceramic coating on the (Mavic)rim wall.
4)Comfort.
Almost like a custom made bike. It is most suitable for long distance journey, thanks to its egonomic design & the soft(Yeti) handle grip. Only feeling a bit hard on the (San Marco Eva) seat.
Conclusion:
Previously i have owned 4 unit of mountain bike but none of them perform well & now this is the answer for me (GARY FISHER PROCALIBER), that made me to continue cycling for the rest of my life. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Gauss
a Weekend Warrior
from Kuala Lumpur
Date Reviewed: June 15, 2005 | | Favoriate Trail: | Kesas Bike Lane | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$1500.00 | | Purchased At: | From a friend | | Strengths: | All the goodies that you ever want on a bike. | | Weaknesses: | Paint job on frame especially on edges not as good. | | Similar Products Used: | None | | Bike Setup: | Complete XTR gear and brake groupset, titanium seat post, san marco seats, time pedals, 29gm bottle holder, SID Rock Shox, Mavic hub, Mavic Cross Max ceramic rim, Chris King , Control Tech stem, Easton carbon handle and Yeti handle grip. | | Bottom Line: | It is a dream bike for a racer, it is extremly light weight bike. XTR gear set allows extremely smooth transmission in changing gear. Dropping gear or vice versa so smooth that you will not lose any momentum going up hill. XTR Brake systems giving you the grip on the ceramic rims a superb control over the bike. The sound of the brake pads hitting the ceramic rims, gives you the confidence and you will never ask for more.
Comes with top of the range Ceramic Mavic Cross Max and Mavic hub set. Extremely light weight rims.
Front SID Rock Shox can be adjusted to different dampening feeling depending on terrain you choose. Absorbs all the shock from the road and giving good road grip.
Chris King bearing set allows you to manouver the handle so smoothly like you are on cermaic bearings. And with the control tech stem and easton carbon handle makes you feel right and ergonomic to the riding style. Yeti handle grip makes your hand glue to it that allows you feel in full control even after long hours of riding.
Conclusion, it is a great bike for a second hand value. This bike is extremely rare and when i bought it, it shows very low mileage done.
However, letting it go as i have cultivated a new hobby. Sad to see it go but i seldom ride it and lucky in a sense that a friend of mine really likes this bike from day one he saw it. This bike deserves a new owner which have much more appreciation and putting it in use to shows it's strengths.
Garry fisher Procaliber, ride in style and confidence to outperform the rest......
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
dan the bike nerd
a Racer
from bay area ca
Date Reviewed: January 1, 2003 | | Favoriate Trail: | paradigm | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$1500.00 | | Purchased At: | now eden bicycles | | Strengths: | lightweight | | Weaknesses: | weak frame | | Similar Products Used: | marin titanium, specialized steel, ibis/cannondale aluminum | | Bike Setup: | nobody is going to see this anyway | | Bottom Line: | i raced on the team issue frame for a few years before being picked up by marin and then ibis. almost everything broke in that time, including the original frame after only a few months. Props to the white industries FRONT hub (the rear lasted only months into winter) and titec carbon fiber seatpost they are still with me. the sponsors are now gone and i am taking their bikes apart and putting this one back together. OCLV-forever (or at least until it breaks)
admittedly i did just buy a giant full suspension, but i am keeping the oclv because she still shreds. i may even build her up with disc brakes and race this summer. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark Pomerleau
a Weekend Warrior
from Helena, Montana, USA
Date Reviewed: May 28, 2002 | | Favoriate Trail: | LaGrande Cannon-Mt. Helena | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$2000.00 | | Purchased At: | Bike store in flat Midwestern city. | | Strengths: | Light, clean setup. Comfortable X-Country bike. Decent downhiller and climber. | | Weaknesses: | Stock gearset low range not low enough for some headache climbs. Gotta replace that one of these years. | | Similar Products Used: | Schwinn, Slingshot, old, old, old, really old Specialized. | | Bike Setup: | Pretty close to stock, except for Scott bars, Softride suspension stem, Scott SPD pedals. | | Bottom Line: | I've got a 1992 (pre-Trek) ProCaliber that I will take with me to my grave. Just a clean, no-nonsense, suave bike. Perfectly balanced, nice geometry, suave. It's never broken, never failed me, never pissed me off.
I bought it from a good friend that worked in a bike store, after I trashed my Specialized. So I don't know what it really cost.
I'm sure it will give me another ten years for faithful service. And if I had to replace it, I would weep. Like a girl.
| Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
joshua erde
a Weekend Warrior
from pittsburgh, pa
Date Reviewed: June 19, 2001 | | Favoriate Trail: | boyce park | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$3000.00 | | Purchased At: | somewhere in delaware | | Strengths: | ultra light, stiff, comfortable to ride, and (of course) ULTRA cool looking
| | Weaknesses: | gets chain suck too easily, no disc brake set up, isn't dual suspension :)
| | Similar Products Used: | no other carbon bikes. tried cannondales, GTs before this one | | Bike Setup: | kestral carbon bars, easton carbon seatpost, king headset and hubs/mavic rims, bebop pedals, truvative cranks/bb | | Bottom Line: | i have had this bike for 7 years (longer than i think i've ever owned ANYTHING!) and will NEVER get rid of it - i will hang it on my wall as art before i ditch it. it is THE BEST ride i have ever had the pleasure of putting between my legs. the chain suck gets annoying when it happens, but otherwise, no gripes on performance.
i'm inches away from buying a dual suspension frame and am wondering if i've lost my sanity. every time i ride this bike, i love it, and i'm wondering if there is any need to get a dually. but all my friends tell me i don't know what i'm missing, and i think i'm gonna try it. but i'm keeping this bike. and if i don't love dual suspension, i'll go back to this rigid bike in a second. if you can find one of these frames around (or the trek version as they are the same bike), get it! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark
a Cross Country Rider
from San Mateo
Date Reviewed: May 3, 2000 | | Favoriate Trail: | skiggs | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Super light, best looking bike there is (I own the limited edition Paola Pezzo Frameset), great handling | | Weaknesses: | almost too light, watch out for chainsuck | | Similar Products Used: | mongoose titanium, moots YBB | | Bike Setup: | 97 Judy SL w/type 3 spring upgrade, 98 XT/XTR mix, Chris King/517 wheels, Chris King headset, Control tech stem, syncros bar, LP composite barends, SDG saddle, Tioga Factory XC tires | | Bottom Line: | This bike is the ultimate x- country racer, it is as lighter than titanium and just about everything else out there, my frame has the factory paint job, a gold to red fade with the matching custom painted Judy SL, to give it the racing look. The frame weighs only 2.9lbs allowing to climb anything and float down technical situations. The King hubs are also very light and are bombproof. The fit of the bike is what makes it, I ride the 19.5 and am 6ft tall, and it feels like it was custom made for me. Bottom line: I love this bike if you see one for a good price grab it, just don't treat it like a downhill or trials bike and it will hold up great. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Adi
a Racer
from Kestenholz
Date Reviewed: September 14, 1999 | | Favoriate Trail: |
Liedenswägli | | Duration Product Used: |
more than 3 years | | Strengths: |
Light
Stiff
OCLV-ride is smooth | | Weaknesses: |
Judy SL blown after 1 year, changed to springs and risse gem
onza click pedals are unusable | | Similar Products Used: |
a lot of high-end bikes as serotta, moots, kona, brodie, bianchi etc. | | Bike Setup: |
first two years stock
then changes due to use | | Bottom Line: | I ride this awesome bike since june '95. It climbs fast as a rocket and, once you get used to it, also goes down as a maniac. All of my friends that tried it, had to admit: it's the best ride. For the frame: still going strong and I weigh 72 kg. This year is the fifth race season and I do marathon and normal cc-races. I did quiet well on it twice the euro-bike-extremes race series and many other marathon races such as the Grand Raid Cristalp. I did a lot of touring in the Alps with heavy package and I was really happy to have the procaliber. It took 10'000 km without a problem. It's the third wheel set on it and I changed some other parts, but I didn't expect to last light-weight parts forever. Ah, and my first Judy SL broke after four years.
I love the smooth ride of the OCLV and will go on for many more miles on the trails.
Thanks to Gary Fisher for building this great bike!
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Submitted by
Jimbo
a Weekend Warrior
from Toronto
Date Reviewed: September 14, 1999 | | Favoriate Trail: |
Don Valley, Toronto | | Duration Product Used: |
more than 3 years | | Strengths: |
Unbelievable ride. Really light, soaks up bumps and climbs amazing. | | Weaknesses: |
I broke my first frame after a year and a half, but it was replaced under warrantee.
Doesn't look as great as it is, so you don't score the babes :) | | Similar Products Used: |
Several other hardtails | | Bike Setup: |
Built bike custom. All XT drivetrain, Bomber X2 forks. | | Bottom Line: | In three years, I've never regretted buying this bike. I've never lusted after anyone else's frame, because I know this is the best. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Stan
a Weekend Warrior
from Denver, CO
Date Reviewed: August 31, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
Light weight, accepts all components | | Weaknesses: |
Finnish scratches easily | | Similar Products Used: |
Mongoose, Specialized | | Bike Setup: |
Manitou Palmer, XTR, Chris King, Race Face,
Sun CR-17A, Michelin Wildgipper Lite, USE XCR post, Salsa | | Bottom Line: | This Frankenstien (thats fron-ken-stine) has been an absolute joy. No matter how hard or easy the ride, it always brings me home. Have gone through one set of wheels, three standard seatposts, three sets of drivetrain components, and two forks, the frame has held up beautiful. I'm not running the lightest stuff,( the fork weighs more than the frame!) but it still is under 24.5 lbs. It makes an old dude like me even look good on the Colorado Trail! Five Chili's (for not having to take an 02 bottle on my rides) | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Conan
a racer
from FLA
Date Reviewed: February 28, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
This is one of the best packages ever put together. Excpt for the tires I wold race tis bike any place. If you just get rid of the dorky crancks you have a great bike. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
justino
a weekend warrior
from san diego
Date Reviewed: September 1, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Very dissapointed in this frame. I recently built up an older fisher procaliber, the rasta fade steel version. I built it with all 98 xt/lx with manitou, contrlol tech, and bontrager ti goodies. This was a waste of money. The geometry of the bike is odd. The frame is the right size and the stem is only 120mm, yet the bike has unyielding desire to endo. It climbs great, but as soon as you point is down hill it feels as if your ceter of gravity is about three feet ahead of the front tire. Not exactly confidence inspiring. Also, the thin walled cromoly tubing is super fragile, one good crash and there is a scary looking dent in the driveside chainstay. Buying a classic lightweight steel bike is not recommended for weekend thrashing and hill bombing, so it probably partially my own fault. Luckily I have my old aluminum lx bomber for that. | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Justin Pare
a cross-country rider
from nh, usa
Date Reviewed: August 13, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Good ride, responsive frame the OCLV damps the bumps out very well. But I broke mine after 6 months. Compared to my Klien Pinacle with is 8 years old and still going, this bike falls way short due to durability issues. Also the paint will chip easily. Hopefully they come through on warranty. | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nathan McFarlane
a weekend warrior
from Boulder, CO
Date Reviewed: June 9, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I still own a 92 ProCaliber and love it. Actually, I've replaced about everything on the bike but the frame and and drivetrain. It's still got a Suntour kit... I feel like I bought a Beta. Oh well, as long as nothing breaks. The frame is great, I plan to replace the fork with an Indy, maybe. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris Bohland
a cross-country rider
from San Francisco
Date Reviewed: May 28, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
The Pro-Caliber is an amazing bike. Excellent and nible on downhills, and a pleasure to climb. Drawbacks so far are, crappy front tire, lame seat,and the finish scratches when you look at it! The purple is too cool though. Hope it doesn't crack!! Purple Purple Purple Purple Purple Purple Purple Purple Purple Purple Purple Purple Purple Purple Purple Purple Purple | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rian
a cross-country rider
from Wisconsin
Date Reviewed: April 30, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
After discovering a defect with my '96 Mt Tam, Fisher offered to replace it with an OCLV (largely because they did not have a Mt. Tam in stock in my size). I think I ended up with a heck of a deal. I weigh 170 lbs and the OCLV frame is holding up well. The frame is solid and light weight. After upgrading almost every other component in the bike, it is darn near perfect, and light as a feather. Fisher is good about replacements, so their frames are a safe investment. I hope this frame lasts, it is definately the best cross-country bike around. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
alastair webb
a weekend warrior
from Soctland
Date Reviewed: April 27, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I loved my 1996 model, but it seems it is no more. There is terminal damage to the downtube near the bottom-bracket (& the seat-post is stuck for ever more). My problem is getting a replacement under warranty (its not marketed, not seen as warranty issue, etc).For x-country riding (after putting on a decent saddle) this bike is just too good.Any thoughts ? | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Philippe
a cross-country rider
from Blainville, Quebec
Date Reviewed: April 22, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I ride a '95 Procaliber Ltd. since june '96. I can easily say its the best XC bike I have ever riden. Excellent climber and pretty fast in technical singletracks. The only problem was with the White industries cranks which felt a little flexy to me. I changed them with RaceFace Turbine resulting in great improvement on the bike behaviour when climbing. No cracking problem so far... | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joe
a racer
from Montreal
Date Reviewed: February 25, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Not a very good frame! It broke appart sevral times. Actualy, they changed my bike 3 times in less then 8 months and every time it took more then 3 weeks before they shipped me a new frame. It feels ok on climbs (but not as good as my Bontrager) and lousy on downhills! I dont realy recommend this bike. For the same price, your better off with something else (Rocky Mountain for instance). | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
sticks
a weekend warrior
from Ashburn, Va
Date Reviewed: February 20, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I have the OCLV supercaliber which is basically the same bike with cheaper components. Since this is my first true mountain bike I don't have anything to compare it to, but have to say I love this bike. Only problem is it comes spec'ed with some cheap components. Ie. Onza pedals.. death traps and Tioga tires.. piece of s**t. Would have given it 5 stars if it wasn't for the pedals and tires. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
James
a cross-country rider
from Sweden
Date Reviewed: January 8, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I really liked my Procaliber (a 95). The cranks were my only complaint as they flex a bit and came loose easily before I used some loctite on them. The rims (Ultralight Bontrager Bcx 1) has held up wonderfully although they are only meant to be front wheel rims. Why I said liked is that my frame has developed several cracks, mainly one big one under the bottombracket shell. Sure the frame comes with guarantee but it seems that the frame isn´t built anymore so i really dont know what I´ll get instead. Hopefully I´ll get myself a Klein instead. If anyone has any tips about the Klein adroit frameset then mail me. i weigh about 190 lb´s and ride quite hard on tight singletracks.
Overall the Procaliber is the sweetest ride I´ve tried so far and that includes a Litespeed Obed FS. Hadn´t the frame cracked it would have gotten top grades. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris Ching
a cross-country rider
from London, UK
Date Reviewed: August 17, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I have the black & yellow procal LTD and it's most definitely the best bike I've ridden. It's best for cruising at high speed, but perhaps not so good if you are a technical rider. The only problem I've had is with the Rock Shox Judy SLs which leak. Other than that, the only problem is the easily chipped paint. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dean Brown
a weekend warrior
from
Date Reviewed: August 10, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
F3000 | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Michael A. Ridenour
a weekend warrior
from Glen Burnie, Md.
Date Reviewed: July 10, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
Mine is actually the 1996 yellow/red/black Team-Issue Fisher which I hear is the same frame other than paint job. I have decked it out with sun 17A rims, union tie-dye spokes,MRC cranks, and many other goodies. Anyway I have taken it to Jim Thorpe and Whitetail and rode the hell out of it, I go extreme with it at the local state park several times a week and have yet to have problem one.- The bike freakin' rules!!!!!! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brendan Gunther
a cross-country rider
from McLean, Virginia
Date Reviewed: June 24, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
This is a review of the 95 Supercaliber with same OCLV frame as the procaliber. The frame has taken all the abuse I given it and I haven't had any problem with it. I'm a heavy rider at 185lbs, down from over 200 lbs a year ago. This frame is great. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
sue
a cross-country rider
from pocatello, id
Date Reviewed: May 1, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I got this bike in Oct '96. It's great! This bike is much more nimble than my old bike, and a great climber, I have been able to make some short
steep pitches on this bike that I couldn't do before. The long grinds are easier too, maybe its the low weight and smooth running components. The shifting is crisp and precise, and still is after winter of riding with no adjustments. So far no frame problems, knock on OCLV. Love this bike! For any gals out there looking for a bike, I am 5'-4 and got the 13.5 frame. The fit feels good, but I must admit, I have yet to take it on a long (3+ hour) ride, we are still waiting for the snow to melt from our favorite trails. I put a Juli Furtado
San Marco saddle on it, so far so good. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
bakhtiar
a cross-country rider
from singapore
Date Reviewed: April 9, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I join competition and need bicycle withgood gear. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kevin Forneris
a racer
from Fredericton, Canada
Date Reviewed: March 24, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I ride the ProCaliber LTD. and so far on my tour of frames of different materials OCLV has to be the best. The subtle ride yet exellent weight to strength ratio make it as sweet as it gets. The one quirk I found about this bike was with the manufacturer, after cracking a frame (which sounded like a gunshot) they took a fair amount of time to return my bike to me. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Andy Goeckel
a cross-country rider
from Bonn, Germany
Date Reviewed: March 17, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I´ve been riding a Fischer Procaliber for about a year now. It is definitly the lightest Bike I´ve had so far with a perfect geometrie for cross-country biking. I´ve heard about cracked OCLV frames, but even though I ride hard, I haven´t experienced any problems so far. At least not concerning the frame. Uphill and downhill abilities of the Procaliber are about equal, making it in my view the perfect cross country bike. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Frederick Bottger
a cross-country rider
from Arcata Ca, USA
Date Reviewed: March 13, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
The Procaliber is a pretty nice frame as long as you are not to hard on it with jumping and other abuses, because it isn't all that strong. I am on my second frame now. Gary Fisher is pretty good with their warranties and my frame was replaced without any trouble. Another thing is that the paint seems to chip off fairly easy which kind of sucks. Otherwise it is nice and light bike, and a lot of fun to ride. I like it alot more than my old steel stumpjumper. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jim Hensley
a cross-country rider
from Toronto, Ontario
Date Reviewed: February 10, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I loved this bike. Light and fast and sure-footed. Unfortunately, I lasted longer than the frame, and I ended up with a cracked seatstay. I was suprised that the aluminum lug failed before any of the carbon fibre, so that says something about the frame material. Too bad, because I loved that bike. Stay tuned for my Joshua Z bike review (the GF distributer is great with warrantees). | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tony Baer
a cross-country rider
from Chicago, IL
Date Reviewed: January 29, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I find my Fisher to be fierce on the trails. This past summer, I lugged it to the mecca land for a five day journey through Utah and Colorado and beat the crap out of it & was surprised how fast overall it rides on hard pack sand.
My Fisher isn't was it came as (components wise). It's decked 96 XTR with Spinergy's, Sweet Wings crank and a rockin' new paint job. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Vincent Liu
a weekend warrior
from CA
Date Reviewed: January 9, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
What a great bike! I am not a racer, but the bike responds to my inputs very well and it is very light compared to my last bike, which was a Cannondale. I found the components to work very well with the bike and the geometry to be very comfortable for long rides. I was worried about the reliability and durability of the OCLV frame, but I believe it should be fine used within its intended design limits. It is unfortunate that the OCLV bike will not be available as a complete bike for '97 but as a frame set only. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Anders Aabech
a weekend warrior
from Norway, Europe
Date Reviewed: December 7, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
Procaliber Ltd is the best bike I have tried so far.....as long as every thing worked....but unfortunately that wasn't very often ... I destroyed 3 frames in 15 months !!! To bad for this was a hell of a bike. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
James Huang
a cross-country rider
from Ann Arbor, MI
Date Reviewed: June 24, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
Overall, I would have to say that it made a great race bike. It fits and
handles exceptionally well, is very comfortable, climbs great, and, or course, is
extremely light. I say made because I went through two of these frames in only
eight months. Watch out for stress cracks, especially around the bottom bracket
area. I don't care what the ads or the hype has told you, these frames are far
from the strongest and lightest out there, at least for off-road use, anyway.
Also, I am only about 155 pounds and only did a few collegiate races on the bike,
so I can't say I was overly harsh on it, either. On the plus side, Fisher was
easy to work with and accomodated my later request for a different frame (actually
I got a whole bike, but that's a different story). Bottom line: awesome bike, as
long as you've got four or five extra frames sitting around. | | Overall Rating: |
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