Submitted by
Tom Richardson
a Downhiller
from England
Date Reviewed: 12/20/2007 6:33:16 AM
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| FavoriteTrail: |
Lordswood |
| Duration Product Used: |
1 Year |
| Price Paid: |
$119 |
| Purchased At: |
Ebay |
| Strengths: |
Strong, Good gusset's, hits hard, whips round bends well. |
| Weaknesses: |
none |
| Similar Products Tried: |
Mongoose, giant etc etc |
| Bike Setup: |
Azonic steelhead, halo, Z1 freeride, fizik, deity, magura louise, specialized / Big Hit factory |
| Bottom Line: |
This frame is a very good all round hardtail frame, good for singlespeed setup's and gears. Will take a good thrashing well. |
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Submitted by
Paul
a Weekend Warrior
from Marietta, PA
Date Reviewed: 11/17/2007 12:01:28 AM
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| Duration Product Used: |
More than 3 years |
| Price Paid: |
$150 |
| Purchased At: |
aebike.com |
| Strengths: |
Cheap, Strong, removable brake tabs that fit both 24/26" wheels. |
| Weaknesses: |
Heavy, rear disc mount is a pain to use. |
| Similar Products Tried: |
First dirt jumper |
| Bike Setup: |
SS, Marz Drop-Off 3, 80mm stem, riser bars, whatever was cheap. |
| Bottom Line: |
This thing is pretty much indestructible, but you pay for that weight. If/When rust accumulates in the tubing, it falls down into the BB shell and makes a mess, not a big deal, but annoying when switching BB's. For a steel frame, I wish it had a bit more flex than it does, but a lot of DJ guy like stiffness, so what can you do?
The rear disc brake mount is big frustrating because you have to remove the caliper before removing the wheel, and have horizontal drop outs make aligning everything and getting good brake performance a challenge. Azonic, next time, make the brake tabs forward of the rear axle!
Paying on $150 for mine new (when it first came out), even if I sold the frame for $25 bucks today I wouldn't feel like I was losing a lot of money. Frame does what its supposed to, not break.
4 Overall just because its the cheapest frame of its kind.
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Submitted by
CJ Bivona
a Downhiller
from Newburgh, NY
Date Reviewed: 8/30/2007 10:52:50 AM
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| FavoriteTrail: |
Dirt Jumps/DH |
| Duration Product Used: |
More than 3 years |
| Price Paid: |
$130 |
| Purchased At: |
My bike shop |
| Strengths: |
Steel frame, horizontal drops, great welds, replaceable hanger... |
| Weaknesses: |
may be more prone to corrosion due to the fact that it's steel... |
| Similar Products Tried: |
kona hardtail, bmw 24" |
| Bike Setup: |
Marzocchi Bomber FR150, hayes, azonic 3 pc cromo cranks, single speed 34X16... |
| Bottom Line: |
badass, brutally strong, awsome in the air geometry |
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Submitted by
Casper
a Downhiller
from Amsterdam
Date Reviewed: 5/26/2007 10:42:26 AM
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| Duration Product Used: |
More than 3 years |
| Price Paid: |
$150 |
| Strengths: |
The frame itself! It has Survived several downhill tracks (bad wildbad, morzine, winterberg etc)
Very nice to goof around on, in the city. |
| Weaknesses: |
None. |
| Bike Setup: |
DJ3 Fork, 24 pedals, Race face seatpost, Sun-Ringle Double Track. |
| Bottom Line: |
This Frame is amazing. I have rode it for three years downhill and it's still in one peace. Finaly I'm gonne buy a fully. But this bike I will keep! |
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Submitted by
Alex Numa
a Weekend Warrior
from Hafnarfjörður
Date Reviewed: 5/8/2007 4:03:25 PM
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| FavoriteTrail: |
GBR Dirt |
| Duration Product Used: |
Less than 1 month |
| Price Paid: |
$200 |
| Purchased At: |
Some guy in Iceland. |
| Strengths: |
Well it´s a really strong frame and I love how the size just right for me. And it takes no time to get used to. I was doing bigger jumps and drops the first day compared to the ones on my BMX. And it can handle Downhill rides pretty well i gotta say. |
| Weaknesses: |
It´s a little heavy but it takes no time to get used to. |
| Similar Products Tried: |
Kona Stinky(Tested Only) , TwentyFourSeven V24 Slacker(Tested Only) |
| Bike Setup: |
Dj3, Avid-Hayes 8" discs, Mavic 321 wheels, Halo Tires... |
| Bottom Line: |
It´s a great bike and I strongly recommend it to anyone Beginners or Pros. It works perfectly with the Dj3 and the Halo 26" 2,2 tires. It´s a little bit heavier than i expected but I love it. |
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Submitted by
Erin Krueger
a Racer
from Pueblo, CO
Date Reviewed: 4/22/2007 4:52:57 PM
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| FavoriteTrail: |
the mountains |
| Duration Product Used: |
Less than 1 month |
| Price Paid: |
$100 |
| Purchased At: |
some kid from canada |
| Strengths: |
Great until i put a 7 inch fork on it (my frame is a 2000 model) solid as hell, it is hella light if you put on light wheels. mine weights in at 35lbs, but it easy to move for trials. great in the park, and is a great frame for single speed riders. |
| Weaknesses: |
dont use too big of a fork, outcome bad |
| Similar Products Tried: |
K2 Brass Monkey, Specialized P2 and P3 |
| Bike Setup: |
Steelhead with noleen mega air fork, truvativ hollzfeller cranks, truvativ box guide, sram x9 shifter, sram x7 derailler, hope m4 8" sun double wide 26" with maxxis monster front, avid bb5 6" funn 24" with kenda rear |
| Bottom Line: |
great frame, first one i owned and it might be my next. it does have a little bit of flex, but thats really nice as you throw it in and out of corners. it would be a great frame for people who are the park scene, and for dirt jumping. |
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Submitted by
Downhill Biker
a Downhiller
from Boulder, CO, USA
Date Reviewed: 3/10/2007 1:08:37 PM
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| FavoriteTrail: |
Keystone |
| Duration Product Used: |
1 Year |
| Price Paid: |
$200 |
| Purchased At: |
Pricepoint.com |
| Strengths: |
Everything!,this is the best hardtail there is. The frame is the best looking hardtail frame out there. It was inexpensive and it delivers you more than you expected. It is made of steel so if you are doing a 7 foot drop the chainstays won't break like they did on a KHS I had. By the way never get a KHS whatever it is. The horizontal dropouts make converting to single speed easy. This frame is so versatile that you can use it for downhilling, trail biking, street, North Shore, or even just traveling long distance. Some people say this frame is heavy, but it is not at all.
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| Weaknesses: |
!None At All! |
| Similar Products Tried: |
KHS <- they don't weld very well at all |
| Bike Setup: |
Easton EA50 handlebars, ZUZU pedals, Manitou Sherman(amazing with a sherman), Truvativ Hussefelt cranks, Maxxis Holyroller, Maxxis BlingBling, singlespeed(works well with a Sram X9), pig headset |
| Bottom Line: |
I can't say enough good things about this bike. There absolutely no problems with this bike. It will do anything you like. You should absolutely get this frame, it won't let you down. |
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Submitted by
dawid
a Weekend Warrior
from chicago, illinois
Date Reviewed: 11/25/2006 5:38:34 PM
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| FavoriteTrail: |
city...kettle moraine |
| Duration Product Used: |
1 Year |
| Price Paid: |
$250 |
| Purchased At: |
jenson |
| Strengths: |
i could never break it. non-descript aesthetic and color (2005 version with no stickers). versatility - it does well off-road and in the city. i had it set-up signle speed, 1x9 and now with internal gearing.
has mounts for a chainguard if you want to run it with a derailleur and still keep your chain on.
beefy! some places, like the dropouts and disk brake mouts, the chromoly is thicker than on similar aluminum frames. tire clearance is ridiculous as well, especially when you keep the rear axle in the middle of the horizontal dropout. i've ran Maxxis Mobster 2.7, IRC Trailbear 2.5, Maxxis Hookworm 2.5 on a very wide rim, which makes the tire significantly larger, with no problems. i like the cable routing (whether mechanical or hydraulic) under the top tube. Horizontal dropouts in addition to a very beefy replacable derailleur hanger make this frame very versatile. you can run almost any fork on it too!
very reasonably priced when new. now it's downright cheap! |
| Weaknesses: |
yeah, it's heavy, which can be good. i think a slightly lighter frame would suit me better personally, but let's face it, this thing is built for anything you can throw at it. little holes left as a by-product of the welding process, i think. should be sealed, in my opinion to keep water and stuff out. |
| Similar Products Tried: |
khs dj100, various, MTB hardtails |
| Bike Setup: |
manitou nixon elite with 20mm axle. hayes hfx 9, bombshell fatboy front, rohloff mated to snowcat rim 45mm wide. Truvativ/King cockpit. Fsa crank, kenda Block Eights 2.35 with Stans NoTubes. cane creek seatpost, terry saddle. |
| Bottom Line: |
bike rides great. handles awesome with fork @ 145mm and even better @ 115, scary when rigid. I'm 176lbs and don't drop anything higher than 5 feet, so there's no way I could brake this frame. Very stiff frame. When I had it set up with a rigid fork, accelaration was much better and handling seriously responsive. Cross country (strictly at 115) is a blast, both going downhill and climbing - wish I had a fork with an on-the-fly travel adjustment. soon. mine is a scary 39 lbs, but while my sub-30lbs-hardtail friends pick very specific lines on their downhills, i just blast through rocks, roots, holes, drops. acceleration downhill is also much better, which is when i rest more. works out great in Midwestern moraine topography of constant, but short ups and downs. even though i carry more weight uphill, a 3 inch footprint in the rear really diggs and heavier front stays down as well.
although slower than urban fixed gears, the steelhead is very fun in the city (with the right tires) and can take you places other bike riders can't go...
and you can get a 2005 steelhead online for about $150 right now. (nov 06)
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Submitted by
Mack
a Downhiller
from Sacramento. CA
Date Reviewed: 10/27/2006 11:32:28 PM
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| Duration Product Used: |
2 Years |
| Strengths: |
Great handling, stupid strong, inexpensive, and made out of good 'ol CroMo...can you ask for anything more? |
| Weaknesses: |
Nothing...unless you're worried about weight. Strong, light, or cheap...pick two. |
| Similar Products Tried: |
Name it |
| Bike Setup: |
'06 azonic steelhead with marzocchi Z1 freeride, truvativ stuff, race face stuff, king headset, blah, blah... |
| Bottom Line: |
This is a review for the redesigned '06 steelhead. I rode the '04 frame for a year before changing up to the new one. Both frames are a blast to ride but the '06 has some nice upgrades like an externally reinforced headtube(looks sick but the old one was plenty strong), boxed down tube, ISCG tabs, and(most importantly)an adjustable disc mount. This is bar none the best handling sreet/dirtjump/hardtail freeride frame I've ever ridden. I admit I am partial to steel so the weight does'nt bother me much and the head angle is a touch slack so don't expect it to be the best park bike you've ever tried, but aside from those things you can't go wrong. Don't let the low price of this frame scare you into thinking its a cheap/crappy frame. It's steel, its made in taiwan, its got flat black paint...Azonic put their money into the design and welding of this bike, not gimmicky colors or materials. I've ridden this frame as a single speed (15.9 inch chainstays thankyou very much), geared, with dh tires on shuttle runs, and with steet tires for mobbin' round town(I've even ridden XC on this thing!). Its hard to find a hardtail that versatile anymore that won't break the bank. I always like to have a hardtail in my line up of bikes(keeps you sharp) but this bike could easily be my only bike. Get it. |
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Submitted by
Kevin
a Weekend Warrior
from Waterloo, Ontario
Date Reviewed: 7/22/2006 7:10:42 PM
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| Duration Product Used: |
6 months |
| Price Paid: |
$175 |
| Purchased At: |
Internet mailorder |
| Strengths: |
strong frame, slight flex (enough to give some forgiveness), able to handle 4 to 7 inch forks (thus, different head angles 71-67º), can run multiple or single speeds, can handle cross-country to free-ride applications, well made for the price (value for your dollar), can handle up to 2.7 inch tire (if you run the wheel further back in the drop outs) |
| Weaknesses: |
-prone to corrosion, not a great dealer network in Canada |
| Similar Products Tried: |
Azonic Evolution, Azonic DS-1 |
| Bike Setup: |
-Steelhead frame, Manitou Stance 6 inch fork, single speed (34 by 20 T), Sun rims, Specialized hubs and seat, Axiom seatpost and stem, Specialized Roller 2.6 inch tires, |
| Bottom Line: |
-great frame for the money, just wish there was a greater "Azonic" presence in Canada |
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