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Submitted by
Andrew
a Cross Country Rider
from Duluth, MN
Date Reviewed: February 14, 2008 | | Favoriate Trail: | Hartley | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$1850.00 | | Purchased At: | Penn Cycle | | Strengths: | Very good pedalling performance, sitting or standing. Very light weight. Good stand-over clearance with dropped top tube. Ceramic rims worked well, and never squeeled or chipped. | | Weaknesses: | Geometry. Too steep head and seat angles, 71.5 and 74. Bottom bracket too low, constantly clipping rocks with your pedals. Tire clearance very tight. Could not even upgrade this frame to a 2.0 tire, no clearance! No disc brake mounts. Very flexible. The light-weight Sid fork, frame, and wheels, accumulated to a very flexible overall bike. Handling felt even more insecure due to the steep geometry when added to the flexible chassis. The stock Bontrager crank is junk and would drop the chain often with very frustrating chain suck wrapped around the chain stay. Seriously stuck chains wrapped all up and around the chainstay, took a lot of work on the trail to unstick the chain and get going again. | | Similar Products Used: | 2004 S-Works Stumpjumper hardtail, like this bike alot except it doesn't have disc brakes. 2006 Iron Horse MK III Expert. Heavy for XC and pedals poorly out of the saddle. | | Bike Setup: | Stock 2000 model, yellow and red. Sid fork, Sid shock. Tried to upgrade to 2.0 tires front and back but couldn't because there is not enough room on the ultra-short chainstays of this model. | | Bottom Line: | This is a very late review of this 2000 Sugar 1 model. Nobody will probably read this unless they are looking at a used model on Ebay. This bike is very light at about 24 pounds. It pedals like a champ in any situation. It should, with only 2.5" of travel. It pedals so well, I put slicks on it and rode it on the street with no ill effects on my hill-climbing or big gear mashing. Take it off road and you'll notice that the head tube angle is too steep, the bottom bracket too low, and the tire clearance too tight to fit a decent 2.0 tire (seriously, you can't mount a 2.0 on the back. One will fit on the Sid fork though). Also, the cumulative ultra light weight design of the frame, fork, and wheels, give this bike the structural integrity of a wet noodle. Add the bike's flexible frame characteristics with its steep geometry and you get a bike that is a handfull to ride off road. I've been pitched over the bars numerous times on this bike and always feel like I'm going to crash every time I ride it. I have since sold this bike and got something stiffer with disc brakes. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Damian
a Racer
from Toronto, Canada
Date Reviewed: April 16, 2006 | | Favoriate Trail: | Hardwood Hills | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$2000.00 | | Strengths: | With upgraded components this bike/frame is a light-weight, great handling XC racer. It climbs and decends extremely well, it's easy to loft over rocks and logs due to its short swing-arm and light weight and its generously sized top tube allows the rider great freadom to move back and forth on the bike. The bend of the top tube allows for lots of stand-over clearance. The geometry seems to work exremely well in muddy/snowey conditions. I've raced it hard for 5 years and have had great success with it although not without a fair number of problems. | | Weaknesses: | Frame alignment and weak swingarm design. I've resolved an ongoing shifting problem by installing the Gary Fisher ecentric swingarm bushing that compensates for the incorrect frame alignment. It's available from your Trek dealer. The entire frame has been replaced under warranty 3 times due to fractures (each time with an upgraded frame and shock design)and the forth and last fracture/failiure in the swingarm resulted in it's replacement with an all-aluminum, rather than carbon fibre unit, again under warranty. The torsional fracture always occurs in a counter-clockwise spiral in the short round tube just behind the bottom bracket and on the drive side(Note: this same fracture occurs on Kliens with the same design). The new replacment swing arm has about twice as much material in the critical area and has stood up well so far.The original controls (Sram brakes, 9.0 shifters and derailiurs)and cranks were not very good and things improved dramatically when they were replaced. Turn around time for warranty work has been extremely slow and is either a result of the bike shop or Gary Fisher,...it's hard to know where the problem lay. | | Similar Products Used: | I've raced a Gary Fisher Parragon hard tail with the same geometry and appart from the rough ride I liked the way it handled. I had absolutely no problems with that frame.I also now race a full suspension Yeti. The bike is set up with identical seat/pedal/bar measurements and handles well but actually seems to turn better in tight trails. | | Bike Setup: | I replaced almost all the components as they wore out.. King hubs and headset, XO gear shifting, carbon bars and avid brakes, race face cranks. The components never give any problems except for a race Face "NEXT" crankarm that snapped off unexpectedly and for no real apparent reason other than perhaps fatigue. | | Bottom Line: | I've really enjoyed riding/racing the Sugar-One but have been frustrated by the ongoing fractures and failiures. Faster warranty service would have alleviated some of my anxiety. I've basically moved on to a Yeti because of extended down-time due to repairs on the Gary Fisher.The Sugar-One has become my secondary/spare bike and the one I race/ride when it's really muddy (or on snowy and icey trails) due to its generous wheel clearance and the fact that the geometry seems to work really well in those conditions.So far the Yeti is proving to be a much stronger bike and has become my primary bike for XC use.
I'm always surprised when a reputable manufacturer produces a bike with design flaws as glaring as the ones afflicting the Sugar-one. I hope that the new swingarm is the final solution to the ongoing fracture problem and that the frame alignment problem is corrected by the eccentric bushing kit. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Andrew
a Weekend Warrior
from Palo Alto California
Date Reviewed: February 18, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Weaknesses: | rear derailleur hanger snapped and i couldn't find new brake pads for it(at least none that fit) | | Bottom Line: | I had gotten my old bmx stolen and the person who stole it left the bike(which was messed up) i started to fix up the bike when i went to ride it i switched gears the whole hanger busted off. If anyone can help please e-mail me because no one sell it without at least a 2 week wait. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
George
a Weekend Warrior
from Merrimack, NH
Date Reviewed: December 5, 2002 | | Favoriate Trail: | Grater Woods, FOMBA, more... | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | This is another update. I've had the bike 2 1/2 years now, approaching my third season. Not a happy time overall. A lot of down time.
Fisher has been good on the warranty and my shop has been excellent in executing the fixes.
When it works it climbs very well and is very fast. | | Weaknesses: | Broke (stress fracture) the rear triangle twice down low on the drive side exact same spot, from riding pedalling stress, not from jumps. I'm on my third frame now. I'm sure it will fatigue in time.
After numerous failures (not from any crashes or big jumps) I replaced (with my own cash) the hub with Chris King.
After countless drivetrain failures of all kinds including a free upgrade to the next years Bontrager cranks, I replaced it with Race Face Next LP (my own cash again).
I replaced the front fork with the Z2 Atom because the original RS was just too rough especially in studder bumps.
I put in carbon handlebars, the originals vibrated too much.
The tires were changed long ago. The stock had minimal traction.
Now, after 2 1/2 years, the rear wheel finally fell apart on me. The spokes let go and the rim simply gave out. (not from a hit, just from fatigue). The seatpost seemed a tad short so I got a Thomson. (I've had no problems with any replacement parts that I paid for and installed.) But the frame durability and flexion is still going to haunt me as long as I ride it.
| | Similar Products Used: | Several. I'm looking to change brands now. For year three I'll probably be on a Rocky Mountain. Hopefully it will be more durable and more reliable. | | Bottom Line: | A fragile bike that breaks a lot. The frame is too weak in the rear triangle. GF replaces it with the same design when it breaks, but no fix. The suspension design is weak and has WAY too much play side to side. There is nothing we can do about it. This will continue to cause shifting problems and worse. The original components, namely bontrager were weak and broke or just fell apart. When the bike works it does its job very well. Light and very quick and climbs. But I spent the last two years doing a lot of walking and spending a lot of money for replacement parts. Some say that the bike wasn't designed for mountain biking, just racing on fairly forgiving terrain. I wish Gary Fisher had clearly marketed it that way and had told its retailers not to sell this bike to guys like me who like to mountain bike. Sure I'm 210 lbs too. Sell it to light riders only and only for xc races then. I don't do drops, that isn't what breaks the bike. It is just standing on it going up hill or going down over bumpy sections stresses it out so much and that the rear end flexes too much and the stuff gets misalligned, stresses and finally breaks. When I get a more durable replacement I'll give the Sugar 1 to my girlfriend. She's about the same height but much lighter and isn't quite as agressive. The Sugar frame has ample stand over height too, she'll like that too. She'll probably get more miles on it than I did. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Colin
a Cross Country Rider
from Toronto, Canada
Date Reviewed: September 2, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Great bike up until this year. A week before a 24 hour race I snapped the rear triange just below the main pivot on the cross piece between the chain stays. Do have to give Gary Fisher credit as they replace the rear trianle in 4 days with a 2002/3 upgraded sugar 1 rear end.
Now my friend has done the same with his Sugar 2, anyone else done the same as us?
Thanks | | Bottom Line: | Love the bike, but now is squaks and we cant slove it :( | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steven Markin
a Cross Country Rider
from Armonk, NY, USA
Date Reviewed: December 5, 2001 | | Favoriate Trail: | Minnewaska | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$3000.00 | | Purchased At: | Cycle Dynamics | | Strengths: | Best riding bike for x-country when it works | | Weaknesses: | It's a constant maintenance nightmare. The Bontrager components are simply garbage. | | Similar Products Used: | Marlin's, Cannondale's | | Bike Setup: | Stock with Mavic 517 wheels and Chris King Hubs w/Mythos tires and XTR cassette; cranks and rings upgraded to Bontrager Race Lite Elite for 2001. | | Bottom Line: | This updates my 10/14/00 review. I've had the bike for over a year now and wouldn't trade it for anything when it works. Unfortunately, I've had countless broken chains and shifts off the front chainring even with the new upgraded chainrings and cranks. The rear der. is also bent from the jams and chain breaks caused by the miserable Bontrager chainrings and cranks. In speaking with a rep at Fisher, I was offered an LX chainring and cranks. Not a bad deal for a $3000 bike ;-).
I'm visiting my LBS, which has been great, one more time before going ballistic. I'd really appreciate some of the great support from Fisher I've read about in the reviews. Too bad, it's a great design burdened by simply awful components. Buy the frame and build it up, you'll love it.
Overall rating is for frame only. My ratings for the components would be censored. | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeff
a
from Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: December 4, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$1200.00 | | Strengths: | very light and stiff and climbs like a mule!!!! | | Weaknesses: | racelite cranks suck....had a creak problem when it was a couple of months old, no rear disc tabs. | | Similar Products Used: | Ellsworth Truth, X-Caliber | | Bike Setup: | '01 SID SL w/lockout, full XTR, thomson, easton CT2, hayes front, Spinergy Xyclone disc frt, Spox rear | | Bottom Line: | This bike rocks for both racing and normal xc riding...there is absolutely no pedal bobbing when in and out of the saddle on the climbs and it gets better traction on the climbs than my hardtail!!! I took off all the Bontrager crap and went with XTR and such...went with the '01 SID SL for the lockout, that made a big difference on climbing too...large frame w/hayes hydro frt at 23lbs....you can't beat that for a dual suspension. If you are looking to make the leap to dual suspension, get this bike...go with the '01 frame, its got disc tabs. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Thomas Johannessen
a Cross Country Rider
from Nannestad, Norway
Date Reviewed: November 4, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$2700.00 | | Purchased At: | Raske sykler, OSLO | | Strengths: | Great suspension, light, fast uphill and downhill. Responsive steering. | | Weaknesses: | Hugi hubs. Rear broke after 6 months. Front is causing trubble now, havent done anything about it yet. | | Similar Products Used: | Klein adept comp and race, Trek 8900 (with thudbuster) | | Bike Setup: | Standard. | | Bottom Line: | I love this bike, It works great everywhere I go.
If I had a million dollars I would still buy this bike.
The bontrager components work fine for me, but there is ofcorse more expensive equipment out there that is marginally better.
The wheelset is great, stiff and fast, but the hubs suck bigtime. This is the only disapointment with the Sugar.
And who's to blame ? Trek...
The WTB tires that came on the bike were not the right for me. I usually use Python airlight and Michelin Jet S.
A fantastic bike. Go buy one !
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bill
a Cross Country Rider
from Boise, Idaho
Date Reviewed: September 29, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only | | Strengths: | Light, good climber | | Weaknesses: | Flexy rear triangle, Bontrager crank (kept dropping chain onto BB shell when I went for the small ring). | | Similar Products Used: | All demos: Ventana Marble Peak, Trek Fuel 90, Rocky Mountain Element Race, Trek STP 200, Ibis Ripley | | Bottom Line: | I demo'd this bike and rode my usual trails with it. Excellent climber, ascended much better than my current steel hardtail or any of the other bikes I demo'd. From my limited time on this bike I would say it'd make a great all-around xc bike and racer (very light weight) with one glaring exception: its tight single-track performance. The rear-suspension configuration yields a rear triangle that is very flexy in the tight, technical stuff. It wasn't intuitive, you had to pull the bike through the twisties, instead of steering it through with your hips. It was the first time I could really detect frame flex in a bike, and with this rig there was quite a bit of it, almost like I was driving a hook-and-ladder fire engine (just like Kramer in that one 'Sienfeld' episode!). Mind you, it was very technical and tight single-track, so maybe this bike would work fine for someone who spends most of their time on wide-open xc race courses, or blasting down fire roads. I took the Fuel on the same trail and it felt completely solid, no lateral flexing whatsoever. But mountain biking is a very personal experience, if you have your heart set on the Sugar line, don't let my observations, as objective as I've tried to make them, deter you from riding or buying. Just try to demo it on a twisty piece of earth before you do, and see for yourself. Peace out! (I've always wanted to say that in a public forum!) | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John G
a Cross Country Rider
from Westminster, Co.
Date Reviewed: September 8, 2001 | | Favoriate Trail: | Porcupine Rim-backwards. I do it as an out and back from the river road. Try it! | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$950.00 | | Strengths: | As those who love this bike say, climbs incredibly, and descends as well. It's a cross-country specific ride. I call it a hardtail with cush when I need it. Low bottom bracket height so I can dab like on my hardtail. It doesn't bother me that I can't clear as many logs, I want to be able to touch my toes to the dirt when I want without having to fall way over first. Under 25 lbs. | | Weaknesses: | I built up a Sugar 2 frame (I put this review in the Sugar 1 column because of the XTR components) and consequently can't complain about the component selection. So--weaknesses? One water bottle mount and, and...that's it. Oh,yeah, it sometimes throws the chain when shifting from middle chainring to granny, but not all the time. Do all fully active FS bikes do this? | | Similar Products Used: | My previous Schwinn Homegrown Factory sweetspot FS. It did what it did fine, but it wasn't really active full suspension. A Specialized M2 (a great hardtail) and numerous others in the foggy past. | | Bike Setup: | 2000 Sugar 2 frame ($950) and the entire gruppo from my Schwinn. XTR-cassette, brakes, shifter/brake, hubs, Rapid Rise rear derailleur ; Thomson seatpost; now a Manitou Mars 1 fork; XT crankset; back to my old Vetta TT Trishock saddle (years old but boy is it comfortable for my backside--I hope it never wears out; Conti Explorer Pro front, Cross Country 2.0 in back (too bad they discontinued this size--my all-time favorite) | | Bottom Line: | The way my bike is built up (also includes a slightly longer stem than is usually spec'ed for a medium) it fits me perfectly (5'9 and 160 lbs) and has been trouble-free. It's the best bike I've ever had. I wrote a review last year and this is a follow-up. I read where the component selection sucks, according to some reviewers, on stock bikes and upgrading follows immediately. I can see the Gary Fisher/Trek conglomerate wanting to stay in-house and spec'ing American Made products, which I'm all for. Too bad they don't perform as well as a full XTR setup (which you should get, or at least the equivalent-performing for the $$ that a new Sugar 1 retails for.) I guess that I recommend building up a frame first off with the components of your choice, because it sure worked for me. The frame is awesome. Every ride I marvel how well this bike performs for my riding style (admittedly not much of a downhiller, but the Sugar makes descending tricky sh!t a whole lot more confidence-inspiring) and, since I love to climb, it's a joy at all times. Like I say, the components I have work flawlessly and it's only been in the shop once for repairs since I built it up. I threw a chain on Amasa Back and it sucked up past the frame down there and jambed bigtime. Solution was to file down the frame and add a spacer to the right crank. Now at least the chain can be pulled back to where it belongs. By the way, it's 8-speed, which works so well I haven't even thought about "upgrading" to 9-speed. All in all, I'm completely satisfied. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
George
a Weekend Warrior
from Merrimack, NH USA
Date Reviewed: August 28, 2001 | | Favoriate Trail: | Town Forest, Merrimack | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$3000.00 | | Purchased At: | Naults of Nashua | | Strengths: | Update to my older reviews below. The only new news is that I went to Chris King Hubs after the third Hugi Hub failure!
The rest of this review is a summary of my year on the Sugar 1.
When the Sugar 1 isn't broken, it is quick uphill.
My bike shop has been incredibly supportive!
Best support policy in the business. Great guys.
Gary Fisher at least has backed up my shop with the warranty for every breakage. But I'm starting to put my money into better brand components. I'm tired of breakdowns. | | Weaknesses: | Frame (rear triangle broke); Chain rings (fell apart & shifts badly after a few hours in the woods); Hugi Hubs are worthless and will strand you. Front fork doesn't give confidence on small nor large bumps going fast. Tires no good for the woods. | | Similar Products Used: | Quite a few | | Bike Setup: | Chris King Hub rear; upgraded to 2001 Bontrager Cranks & Ring Set; Survival Pros Rear (grippiest that fit); Carbon Bars (erase high speed vibration); Thomson Seatpost for a little more height. | | Bottom Line: | More time in the shop than anything I've ever owned! I mean anything, even more than a Harley.
Frame (rear triangle broke) from riding; Stock Chain rings fell apart for no apparent reason; Chains broke; untold shifts off the granny; Hugi Hubs are worthless I finally replaced the rear with Chris King after many miles walking home and three times in the shop. The squeaks now finally gone. Now I'm about to replace the front derailleur to XTR in hopes that it won't shift off the granny so much. After that I'll probably replace the front fork. It just doesn't give me confidence and doesn't take the hits nor high speed studders like I hope. I'm reading a lot of folks went to the Z2, well I'm thinking about it. If I had to do it again I'd either get another bike or just get the frame and build it. The stock Gary Fisher Sugar 1 supplied components just aren't any good. Before I bought I should have read the reviews by the guys that bought the frame and installed good parts, they seem the most satisfied. I've spend a lot of time in the shop with this bike and got to know some great mechanics and spend time riding my old Specialized hard tail while the Sugar got the repairs. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
will
a Weekend Warrior
from denver, CO
Date Reviewed: August 15, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1500.00 | | Purchased At: | used | | Strengths: | Love the geometry, love the weight, love being able to walk after a long ride, love the confidence (hopefully not hubris!) given by a responsive bit of machinery. | | Weaknesses: | Dang, there are some krappy components on this thing! Despite the efforts of a diligent mechanic (Ron at Campus Cycles; this guy is great and should be sought out), there are plenty of pips and pings and dropped chains, broken chains, broken rear derailleur hanger, bent chain rings, etc. For such an expensive bike I would think they could spec this a bit better. | | Similar Products Used: | Tested lots: yeti, ellsworth, specialized, trek. had been riding a '92 rocky mtn equipe; damn that thing is sweet although the old back finds it not so friendly anymore. | | Bike Setup: | Bontragor (amazingly crappy) and xtr, hellbent bar, sid xl, rock shox rear. | | Bottom Line: | this is my first real foray into FS (I thought they were only for wussies, but since have eaten that crow). I'm a 150 lb rider who doesn't ride too aggresively (no big jumps; I work with my hands and disability insurance wouldn't be keen on me breaking them). Lovely to ride when it's working, which is quite variable. i got this barely used (within my budget) but it has spent more time being serviced than my rocky mtn in its 8 yrs of use. I have reached new (still low) levels in my riding, in terms of endurance, technical riding, up and down. Fine as hell to ride, feel pleasantly tired but not beat up afterwards. Everything seems to break on this thing; I blame the bontragor components, although the rep. denies all. The rock shox are fantastic. I would not pay more than 2K for this bike, although I love it when it's working.
Value rating is for when it's riding well, overall is for as is. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
geoff brent
a Cross Country Rider
from mechanicsburg,pa
Date Reviewed: June 18, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$1150.00 | | Purchased At: | lbs | | Strengths: | bought as frame only. soaks up all of those fatigue inducing smaller bumps, climbs like a goat. genesis geometry great on singletrack. lifetime warranty. | | Weaknesses: | limited mud clearance | | Similar Products Used: | cannondale super v | | Bike Setup: | mostly xt (xtr r deur. and brakes) avid levers, easton ct2 bar/ stem, race face headset, thompson seatpost, judy race, atac pedals, hugi 240-517 ceramic wheels | | Bottom Line: | over a year of riding including wild 100, shenendoah 100 and 24 hours of snowshoe. running 1.9 tires helps with mud clearance (a little "Pam" cooking spray on the frame also work wonders to shed mud- don't get your brakes!) Takes the abuse out of riding with great singletrack and climbing ability. I don't ride "North shore like" trails, so 3" travel works well. Building bike allowed more durable wheel selection, as well as plush coil spring fork- one less thing to pump-up before I ride. I would give it a five but nothing is perfect, right? | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Peter Schepers
a Cross Country Rider
from Hoorn, The Netherlands
Date Reviewed: June 7, 2001 | | Favoriate Trail: | Bergen | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$3500.00 | | Purchased At: | All American Bikes, Hoorn | | Strengths: | Fairly light, Great design | | Weaknesses: | Bontrager is not the best product for this kind of bike (and money). My frame broke. My wheels lost there caremic layer, the rear hub was repleaced so the bike was not durable. | | Similar Products Used: | Santa cruz heckler, G.F. joshua F2 | | Bike Setup: | sram rockets half pipe (there sh*t), sram 9.0 brake levers, tune carbon seat, carbon seatpost | | Bottom Line: | I like the ride but hate the problems of the bike. I'am looking for something else but I can't find it (yet). | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
George
a Weekend Warrior
from Merrimack, NH, USA
Date Reviewed: May 28, 2001 | | Favoriate Trail: | FOMBA Single Track, NH | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | This is an update after a year of bad luck with the bike. It's hard now to give much credit to this bike after all the breakdowns. It does climb well, better than any bike I have owned. It is fairly light. Brakes are good. | | Weaknesses: | Very weak components on this year's bike. They were improved the next year but I don't know if it's right yet. After my bike's drive train all broke (see reviews below about it) they replaced it with the next year's components. The frame also broke in the main section on early production runs (see other reviews and confirmed by shops). My frame just broke (just before it's first birthday) in the rear triangle. Not good. The stock tires were worthless. After much tire experimentation it now goes down difficult single track pretty well, just about as good as my $1,200 hard tail. I couldn't get the vibrations out of the handlebars until I changed the bars and the tires. Rear clearance is just a bit tight for the bigger tires. And oh yes the damned squeaks. | | Similar Products Used: | I have several bikes in the quiver now, none have broken down and left me stranded as much as this bike has. | | Bike Setup: | Gary Fisher upgraded the entire drive train to 2001 and I've had less problems. I changed the tires to get more grip with a huge improvement but with a weight penalty. It took a lot of tires to get the right combination for me and that bike. Carbon bars to reduce the high speed vibration, which it did. Thomson seatpost because the stock one is a bit short. | | Bottom Line: | One year update. I totally regret buying this bike. Really. I started out loving it. The bike really feels great when it is working right, so I totally understand all the great reviews. But the bike as built is way too fragile for NH single track trails. After all the drive train problems and broken parts, they replaced the entire drive train. That helped a lot. I thought I was going to be riding trouble free but no, the frame broke. The frame broke in the rear triangle on the drive side where the chain stay ties into the main pivot. Lovable bike that loves to climb but just doesn’t hold up.
I am hoping that with all the components changed and now the frame replaced, that this bike will be everything it should have been in the first place.
Sorry Gary Fisher I can't give a good review after all the problems I've had. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Daniel Richardson
a Racer
from San Diego, CA, US
Date Reviewed: April 29, 2001 | | Favoriate Trail: | Single Tracks | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1800.00 | | Purchased At: | UC cyc | | Strengths: | The Frame is very light and worthy of being a full prest Cross Country Racer. The rear suspention is great, the XTR deralers are wonderful and the stem and handlebars are farly strong. | | Weaknesses: | The rims quit weak and the front sid RS is like tweaked medel(it sucks). Most of the other minor/major parts from the seatpost to the crank and hubs are not to impresive. | | Similar Products Used: | Giant NRS DS1 (Wonderful Bike)
A few others not worth speaking of! | | Bike Setup: | I set the bike up with all XTR components like Deralers, Casset, Crank, Hubs, Chain, Shifters, ect.
Bontrager Rims(very strong) 15G 24/28. (beautiful)
RS sid Race (nice)
Race Face stem, handlebars | | Bottom Line: | This is a strong, fast, and solid bike. Some minor problems with componant selection. The geometry of the frame just makes me want to stare at it for hours.
Overall I think this is a good bike for someone that wants to get into serious riding and maybe make a comitment to racing.
MY VALUE RATING: FOR STOCK BIKE
MY OVERALL RATING: FOR THE FRAME ONLY | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave
a Cross Country Rider
from Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Date Reviewed: April 25, 2001 | | Favoriate Trail: | Elbow loop | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$1800.00 | | Purchased At: | Salt Lake City shop | | Strengths: | I love this bike. I've been using this bike for a full year now and enjoy riding this bike. I moved from my Homegrown hardtail to the sugar 1 and do not regret the switch. The bike is rock solid and very responsive. I find that my riding has improved noticeably; I'm less fatigued with the added suspension. For some reason, I find that I can climb better with the sugar than I did with my Homegrown. This is an awesome XC full suspension bike and would recommend it to anyone. | | Weaknesses: | None - after some changes are made to the initial setup (see below) | | Similar Products Used: | First full suspension bike and lovin it. | | Bike Setup: | I'm not experiencing any of the problems that have been discussed in this forum at all. Mainly due to the fact that I purchased the bike without the front fork and the wheelset. Instead I added a '99 Marzocchi Superfly front fork and a Mavic 517 wheelset with XT hubs. I added all XTR componentry and put a Chris King headset in. The bike performs admirably. I can't find a fault with it. I highly recommend the Marzocchi fork, it's absolutely amazing. | | Bottom Line: | The bike is amazing. I wouldn't hesistate to recommend this bike to any serious rider. Granted I poured extra cash in upgraded some of the components but every penny was worth it. I'm heading down to Moab in May and I'm itching to ride it down there. Can't wait. Switching from a hardtail to this bike has made me a better rider. I can go faster on the downhill with less chance of being bucked off. The rear suspension SID shock is awesome. You can dial it to any level you want. I also love the Time pedals. My previous pedals were shimano 747 and I love the Time pedals way better, especially when it gets muddy. Good choice GF! But I would have to agree with some of the other opinions in the forum, that for the price that you pay for this bike, some higher end components should have been included. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ray
a Cross Country Rider
from Victoria
Date Reviewed: April 17, 2001 | | Favoriate Trail: | Milstream | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$3000.00 | | Purchased At: | russ hayes | | Strengths: | -it's light
-it's a good climber
-I could actually sell mine | | Weaknesses: | -lame suspension quality
-weak descending skills
-not a very good technical climber
-not built very well
-expensive for what your getting | | Similar Products Used: | 1999 kona king kihuna totally tricked out ( xtr,atom bomb race face- I'm super happy I kept it ) | | Bike Setup: | stock except for a mars cl, and an easton ct2 riser ( 1" ) | | Bottom Line: | I bought this bike for typical xc usage, I regret ever buying it. I though it would handle descents better than my kona ti bike but it dosen't. I think G F was hitting his pipe a little too hard when he came up with this geometry. It totally sucks it hampers your ability to climb technical trails and it weights you funny so your every descent it sketchy. I also hate the rear suspension it's very harsh and dosen't do a lot on the DH and dosen't help with technical climbing. My intent when I bought this bike was to keep the weight close to my old kona ti and adding a little extra suspension for added confidence, I didn't accomplish any of those. I recently sold it and am now spec'ing an intense tracer with a local bike shop. I'm now a firm believer that all those mtb magazines out of SoCal haven't a f#ckin clue about how a bike should be. They only ride bikes on lame xc trails and fire roads I think they should move their testing grounds to real trails then start giving reviews because they liked this sugar 1 and said it's one of the all time best, yah I'll add this bike to my list of $hitty products. this bike has no place anywhere north of the boarder. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from Westminster, Colorado
Date Reviewed: March 27, 2001 | | Favoriate Trail: | Walker Ranch | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$900.00 | | Strengths: | Climbs fantastic, descends quickly and confidently, light frame; low bottom bracket height (I can dab like on my hardtail) | | Weaknesses: | Only one water bottle mount | | Similar Products Used: | 1995 Specialized M2, 1998 Schwinn Factory Homegrown | | Bike Setup: | XTR-shifter/brake, rear derailleur, hubs, cassette; XT-front derailleur, cranks; 517s; Thomson seatpost; Flite;
'98 Judy SL; Salsa skewers; Conti Exlorer Pro front, 2.0 Cross Country rear; Cane Creek AD-10 | | Bottom Line: | I bought a 2000 Sugar 2 frame-my LBS built it up with all the parts from my previous f/s bike. I think it's spec'd better than a Sugar 1. First ride I climbed everything two cogs higher and descended faster and smoother. Being able to dab and get back on my bike like my hardtail was a new-found revelation--I'd forgotten how much I missed that! So-that's what I wanted and got--a hardtail with cush when I need it. I reversed the 5 degree stem so I have a seat/bar 2" difference. 24 3/4 lbs. Rear shock never loses air, never bottoms out. I don't do big air, but I love everything about it's cross country abilities. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
crazy mofo
a Weekend Warrior
from sterling heights, mi usa
Date Reviewed: March 3, 2001 | | Favoriate Trail: | highland | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$2800.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Looks pretty, nice bike to have for commuting around town, the non-Trek owned components (RS SID, XTR). | | Weaknesses: | Well, its a Trek. Overpriced piece of sh*t. It's everything a wannabe mountain biker looks for in a sh*t bike. | | Similar Products Used: | Owned a bunch of other Fisher and Trek garbage. Santa Cruz Superlight, Ellsworth Truth, Titus Racer-X. | | Bike Setup: | Stock | | Bottom Line: | Overall, this bike sucks for the money. I don't know what the hell I was thinking when I purchased this bike. The incestual componentry has to go. The Bontrager components are garbage. The chain liked to jump out of the middle ring to the small ring. The first time out with this bike was fine until decending and hearing the rear end snap. My LBS said to expect that from the carbon in the swing arm "settling." I can go on about all the other tedious problems which is normal for $700 bikes. This isn't a effin house, it's a bike. For nearly 3 grand it's overpriced. Over half of the bikes components are owned by the Trek family. It should be discounted somewhat. Not only that the rear swingarm is shared between three different bikes (Fuel, Adept, and this hunk of dung). For this much money, it should have RaceFace, King headset, a better wheel package, etc...
If your in the market for a new ride and considering purchasing a Sugar, have your good buddy kick you in the nuts really hard. For less money, you can build/buy a Santa Cruz Superlight or Aeon Isis that will put a Sugar to shame. I should have spent the extra money and purchased the Ellsworth Truth I had initially wanted. Thank God I sold this bike and ordered a real bike. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mike
a Weekend Warrior
from charlevoix
Date Reviewed: February 11, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1500.00 | | Strengths: | light cross county bike, takes the edge off, can ride longer | | Weaknesses: | none yet | | Similar Products Used: | schwinn rocket 88 II,diamondback xr-8,gt-xcr-2000,jekyll | | Bike Setup: | stock,with monkey bars | | Bottom Line: | great handling bike, screaming down cross county down hills without any worry. takes a little time to get used to from a hard tail, stiff rear. But I wouldn't go back to a hard tail. overall best full suspension I've tested. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Paul
a Racer
from Texas
Date Reviewed: January 17, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$3000.00 | | Purchased At: | Local Bike Shop | | Strengths: | Makes you faster. Beleive it or not you will be faster than on your hardtail. | | Weaknesses: | A bit too much flex in the front wheel/fork. | | Similar Products Used: | Cannondale FS and hardtails, Trek hardtails, demoed various FS bikes before settling on the Sugar. | | Bike Setup: | Stock. | | Bottom Line: | It is tough to beleive but this bike will make you faster unless you just ride pavement. If it is setup correctly you will not notice the suspension working but at the end of your ride you will realize what you have gained. This is the best bike I have ever ridden. The only improvements would be to upgrade to XTR drivetrain/shifters. It might be a good idea to have the front wheel relaced to stiffen it up a little. I through on my Chris King wheelset and that fixed most of the front end flex problems. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a Cross Country Rider
from Oceanside CA
Date Reviewed: January 2, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1750.00 | | Strengths: | Geometry, smoothness, ability to make me look good without asking for anything in return | | Weaknesses: | started out with "The Squeak!!" but it got fixed really quickly - read on. Otherwise, there isn't a single thing I'd change (hold on - maybe I'll move to an XTR crankset later). | | Similar Products Used: | 1994 FSR | | Bike Setup: | stock | | Bottom Line: | I used this review area to copy many of the messages about this otherwise incredible bike's squeaking problem. After 3 weeks and about 200 miles, I took the bike in for it's first tune up and the squeak dissappeared completely. On MY bike, the squeak was coming from a bad bushing at the main pivot point. It was squeaking as a result of metal on metal. If you still have a squeaky Sugar 1 have your shop check the bushing - it might work for you too! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
patrick desnoyers
a Racer
from carignan,qc,canada
Date Reviewed: December 30, 2000 | | Favoriate Trail: | bromont | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | dm cycle sport | | Strengths: | great working rear suspension. thanks in part to the sid rear shocks adjustibility. stiff rear end. racer cant ask for more......yet. | | Weaknesses: | the drive train...everyone complains about the crank and the front der adjustment. the reason its so poor is because the crank is way too flexible.i put a full xtr gruppo and have yet to experience any problems | | Similar Products Used: | spec fsr | | Bike Setup: | spinergy spox m1 and a full xtr gruppo with easton carbon bar and seat post and syncros stem | | Bottom Line: | buy the frame and build it. note....value rating is for complete stock bike and overall is for the frame. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
tedman
a Cross Country Rider
from east windsor, ct
Date Reviewed: December 27, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | benidorm | | Strengths: | great ride, climbs superbly, after mods. rocks DH too. | | Weaknesses: | stock, some components don't match capability of frame. | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | sugar1 w/mods | | Bottom Line: | this is a great bike, which has helped me ride faster and longer than the hardtail i had before. i have a calcifying disk in my lower back, and on my hardtail would be in agony after 20 mins. now i can ride for 2 hours withour pain, and i climb just as well, am faster downhill and in wet/rocky/rooty conditions typical in the northeast. the bikes capabilities are held back by some of the less than ideal components:
the bontrager cranks flex excessively and shift poorly, and contributed to premature chain wear and breakage. i put on xt hollowtechs and have gotten improved shifting and power transfer and have had no new chain problems.
the sid sl fork is too flexible and has limited shock absorption for new england conditions. i put on a zoke atom 80 and have enjoyed a plusher, better-steering, faster ride ever since.
it took some time to properly tune the sid rear shock, but its now dialed in and works great.
this is a fine cross-country bike, and is light and quick enough to be used for racing. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Gene
a Cross Country Rider
from Jersey City, NJ
Date Reviewed: December 5, 2000 | | Favoriate Trail: | South Mtn. | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | Roy's Sheepshead Cycle | | Strengths: | Rides faster than anything I've ever tried. As light as a HT. Very comfortable. | | Weaknesses: | None. |
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