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Submitted by
JAMES
a Downhiller
from CARLSBAD,CA,USA
Date Reviewed: March 6, 2008 | | Favoriate Trail: | LIVEWIRE-NORTHSTAR | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1200.00 | | Purchased At: | TREK VISTA | | Strengths: | Great frame and geometry. Bought a new 2005 display bike...so I got a great deal. Pedals very well for a heavy freeride bike. Ajustable dropouts a plus too. | | Weaknesses: | The Stance fork is a piece of crap. If I paid 2700.00 dollars or close to it(retail) I would be very pissed that this cheesy fork came on this bike. | | Similar Products Used: | Giant Faith | | Bike Setup: | Upgraded the fork to a 888RC2X(2007),2008 Sram XO mid cage carbon derailer,Race Face DH hi rise bars,E13 shifting bash guard, crank bros 50\50XX pedals, and Kenda DH tires | | Bottom Line: | If you can get a good deal on the bike(1400.00 OR LESS) and then spend some money on a good fork,bars,bashgaurd,and tires....you'll have one hell of a good freeride bike. Rode Northstar a lot last season and even with the crappy Stance fork the bike was a great jumper. There wasn't one table top or double that this bike didn't "feel balenced" in the air. Even for it's weight the bike felt very flickable. I can't wait to the 2008 season so I can try out the bike with the new fork. Buy the bike....you wont be sorry. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Carson DeMille
a Weekend Warrior
from Richfield, Utah
Date Reviewed: September 5, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | Porcupine Rim | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1250.00 | | Purchased At: | Used | | Strengths: | Pedals extremely well, better than most. The frame is way burley and will not break on you. Components are good also. | | Weaknesses: | Bike is a little heavy for what you get. Mine is a large and the only thing that is not stock is some slime tubes and mine weighs in at 44.5 lbs. Might be a pound or so lighter without slime tubes. The weight is not such an issue since the bike pedals so well. I have the stock manitou travis fork and it is the major weakness of this bike. It is too soft, I just bought some stiffer springs, so we'll see if it helps. | | Bike Setup: | All stock 2006 model | | Bottom Line: | The fork isn't that bad, much better than the 05' forks. Its a good bike that can be found for cheap used. However, lighter freeride bikes exist. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mike mike
a
from CA
Date Reviewed: July 23, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Best Bike in the world! | | Weaknesses: | none | | Bottom Line: | Best Bike in the world! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Shawn Huitt
a Downhiller
from Clackamas, Oregon, U.S.A.
Date Reviewed: June 23, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | Syncline or The Glade | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$1600.00 | | Purchased At: | The Bike Gallery | | Strengths: | Strong frame, Four bar rear linkage, 8 in disk brakes. The frame looks way over built. | | Weaknesses: | Manituo suspension. | | Similar Products Used: | I used to have a Dagger Combo 6. | | Bike Setup: | Stock | | Bottom Line: | The bottom line is this is a solid platform to build on. Be cautios of the fork. Mine was not very supple from the start, then later my mech was doing a tune up and found that the right side dropout was broken just above the pinch bolts. Broken clean through. He replaced the lowers with a set off another fork that had the internals grenaded. I will be replacing the fork with a 888. Later I plan to replace the rear shock with a Fox. The manituo shock is not a bad piece, but I like the way the Fox feels better. Other than that the Bontrager stuff is pretty good. The wheels aer still true after more tha a year of hard pounding and the Sram stuff is still going strong. Overall a good value. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
m h
a Downhiller
from england
Date Reviewed: May 19, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | chicksands | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$2500.00 | | Strengths: | strong and beefy | | Weaknesses: | manitou stance flow forks............... CRAP!! ruptured seal twice and had 2 warranty repairs. built with plastic parts and can not handle heavy hits. so went andbrought some fox vanilla 36rc2 | | Bottom Line: | buy the bike but be prepared to spend out | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Russell
a Downhiller
from Boise
Date Reviewed: March 7, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | Super g at tamarack | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1200.00 | | Purchased At: | Ebay | | Strengths: | Amazing bike. excellent geometry, strong as hell | | Weaknesses: | heavy (mines at 41 lbs) keep in mind that it is a freeride bike though | | Similar Products Used: | special ed hardcock, khs fr bike | | Bike Setup: | Trek Session 7, manitou swinger, manitou travis single intrinsic (180mm) transition bikes wheels, bars, etc. e.13 chainguide, x-9 drivetrain | | Bottom Line: | Climbs ok for a freeride bike. eats it up on downhills, singletrack, gaps, drops whatever. this is my do it all dh/trail/freeride rig. Buy this bike if you do freeride!!!
Has adjustable head tube angle so you could set it up as a trail rig. beefy as hell!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Paul
a
from England
Date Reviewed: November 18, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Engineering-wise, the frame is built very well - as you'd expect from a huge bike company - that with the oversized tubing makes the frame very strong. Luckly the bontrager parts are also above average in the strength department. The price - they're not really, really expensive. | | Weaknesses: | Well, all that strength adds weight. Expect a bike heavier than most of todays D.H bikes. And if your serious about really riding one of these - expect to pay out an extra wad of cash for new forks. I chose a set of 170mm Marz 66 rc2x and it changed the feel of the bike completely, also it'll need a chain guide - more money. | | Bottom Line: | I wouldn't say don't get a 7, but I would say don't listen to most of what's said about them. They really don't ride up hills very well (7' travel, 45 pound hulk and a 66.5 degree headangle make sure of that). These factors also make technical style jumps (like lines of doubles) quite tricky, also, it's so back heavy that to do a table/invert, or whip out a bit of style off the lip is not easy. But they do go downhill fast. The weight and ample travel make this bike track well and on D.H runs it really does beg to go faster. I've had few bad crashes and I can say this bike does not break. The hefty frameset is virtually indestructable - much tougher than a lot of D.H bikes, mine has been smashed along roots once or twice, ditched mid-air countless times, even ridden directly into two trees one time - and all it has to show for these little 'misjudgements' are scratches. In fact I would call the session a slightly less travel than most Downhill-bike. Which makes up for its dated rear swingarm design by being stronger than most bikes in its field. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jonathan Berthiaume
a Downhiller
from Regina Saskatchewan Canada
Date Reviewed: October 29, 2006 | | Favoriate Trail: | C.O.P. Lower Downhill | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$3200.00 | | Purchased At: | Western Cycle | | Strengths: | It is a great bike, it can climb up the hill like a xc bike then rip on the way back down. Best bike that I've tried for the price. | | Weaknesses: | Chain falls off when taken to really rough stuff but I'm getting an E13 DRS to take care of that. That's about it.
| | Similar Products Used: | Kona Stinky, Norco Six, Cannondale Gemini, Santa Cruz VP-Free | | Bike Setup: | Stock for now | | Bottom Line: | This is a really good bike for anyone who takes their bikes to the extreme. The suspension is supple enough to soak up the little bumps on the trail, yet stiff enough to take 20+ foot drops. This is my one do-it-all bike, and it's taken me from Calgary to Montreal with no problems at all. If you need a freeride bike to do everything, this is the bike for you. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dillon
a Downhiller
from Meridian, Idaho, USA
Date Reviewed: July 24, 2006 | | Favoriate Trail: | Tamarack's ESR | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$2500.00 | | Purchased At: | Georges Cycles and Fitness | | Strengths: | This bike can definantly go uphill and then turn right around and go flying downhill and it won't even affect you or the bike. The Bontrager parts are a perfect match for the freeride beast. | | Weaknesses: | None | | Bike Setup: | Stock | | Bottom Line: | Attention all freeriders. Time for a new bike? Want one that will take your abuse and still ride like the first day. This is the bike for you. the forks have been greatly improved from last years model and come with around 7 inches of travle, this bike is a absolute beast! This bike can be for a freeride beginer or a seasond veteran. It is the freeride of freerides. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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