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Submitted by
Cracker69
a Cross Country Rider
from Whitefish Bay WI USA
Date Reviewed: September 17, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$350.00 | | Purchased At: | Adrenaline Bikes | | Strengths: | Nice well designed single pivot. Unbelievably durable paint, exclusive - you don't see these in Wisconsin. Nice welds | | Weaknesses: | I think constraining the placement of the front derailleur with the suspension swing link mount could have been reconsidered. Setting it up is a fiddle requiring a shortened Alan key and much patience. | | Similar Products Used: | Haro VL 120 (cool but quirky), Motobecane fantom comp (thoroughly cool-I really miss my fantom). | | Bike Setup: | 2006 MC Zen frame (white), Rock Shox Recon 35, Mavic 717 rims tied to XT hubs, Fox float shock, Zion seat post ($7 and the best post I've owned),WTB speed V saddle
Bontrager sport 80 mm stem, Truvative handle bars
Sram X9 8 speed twist shifter, Race face DH crank
Truvative giga bottom bracket Sram X-7 rear derailleur
Shimano deore front derailleur Avid BB7 and BB5 brakes with Avid levers, Sram 851 cassette, Continental explorer tires (which do everything well) | | Bottom Line: | Despite being enamored with my Zen from the outset, I have waited to submit a review until I'd been riding the bike for a while. I'm 215 lbs 5'11" and ride mostly tight single track, some longish climbs, some bumpy descents. The Zen can handle all that I do very well. The frame is quite light and despite some reports to the contrary is solid in the rear end - just keep an eye on your main pivot and make sure it is snug. I have come to know how this bike will behave more quickly than my other bikes as it hands me no surprises, tracks great and climbs very well (in the saddle). On the downhills it responds to very minor body input, but is far from twitchy. The rear end will only accommodate 2.1-2.2 inch tires but I do not consider this a limitation as I have no desire or need to go larger. I have found that the handling improved with more air pressure than I normally carry in the rear shock (250 psi) and maximal rebound damping. Overall it just a cool and somewhat rare bike. The new Jamis Dakar has a design that is almost an exact copy but can carry none of the mystique of MC and will not match the customer service which is fabulous at MC. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
jrcxu
a Cross Country Rider
from Boulder, CO
Date Reviewed: July 4, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | craigslist | | Strengths: | Lightweight, great design, climbs awesome, minimal pedal bob, continuous cable housing, oh and it looks sweet | | Weaknesses: | rear tire clearance, not an issue in dry CO | | Similar Products Used: | Mountain Cycle Moho STS, Trek 6500 & 7000, Kona AA | | Bike Setup: | XT/XTR, RS Reba Race | | Bottom Line: | Great bike, too bad they dont make these anymore...oh wait, you can still buy them, but they call it the Jamis Dakar XCR now (they're not as cool looking as the Zen though). I highly recommend getting your hands on one on these and racing it, or hanging it on the wall. Or better yet, sell it to me.
Mountain Cycle is the best bike company in the world, and yes, they're still in business. Send them an email telling them to bring back an XC bike. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nick Coyne
a Cross Country Rider
from Cape Town, South Africa
Date Reviewed: March 11, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Sani2C | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Strong. Looks good. Rare - always attracts some comments. | | Weaknesses: | Could be a little lighter. | | Similar Products Used: | Kona hardtail, Giant NRS, Specialized Epic | | Bike Setup: | Skareb Platinum 100mm '05 forks, XO shifters & r/der, Marta SL brakes, XT cranks, Shimano SPDs, USE carbon s/post, Ritchey WCS stem, Ritchey Pro bars, SLR Gelflow saddle. American Classic Disc wheels, Bontrager Revolt tyres. | | Bottom Line: | I've had this bike almost 3 years now. Its done short XC races, a lot of 50-100k marathon races, and has just done a 3 day 250k stage-race. It has all-day comfort and really can't be improved much. Every time I see some fancy new bike and start thinking "that would be nice", I get on my Zen and realise it doesn't actually get much better. After-sales service is good too - I recently got new shock bushings. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Waterat Pat
a Weekend Warrior
from Morgan Hill, CA
Date Reviewed: January 3, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Kick In The Pants | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$350.00 | | Purchased At: | Ebay | | Strengths: | Climbs extremely well. Nice workmanship welds are clean all cartridge bearing pivots and the rear droput has
a living hinge style design which means no maintenance. Strong looking with big headtube gussets and forged bottom bracket/pivot. | | Weaknesses: | Rear Wheel Clearance is tight due to the V-Brake seat stay brace which comes within 1/8" of the tire. 5TH air shock was defective. | | Similar Products Used: | Fisher Sugar, Yeti 575 | | Bike Setup: | XT gruppo with a Fox Talas up front. | | Bottom Line: | This is a great XC frame. Strong agile perfect for Midwest style trail riding nothing too extreme but hey its an XC bike.
I got a smokin' deal on Ebay and found out why later. The 5th Air shock had valve cores which were too short which made filling the air chambers very difficult. Forget about getting an accurate pressure reading. Trial and error. Anyway it only lasted 8 months before it blew. With the right shock (Fox) this bike would be wonderful. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Timur
a Weekend Warrior
from Kazakhstan
Date Reviewed: July 3, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$850.00 | | Purchased At: | Greenfishsports.com | | Strengths: | 1. Good price for frame+shock
2. Strong frame
3. Nice painting (black ano) | | Weaknesses: | 1. Very little mud clearance in the rear
2. Very little room for bottle/lighting accu.
3. Cabling mounts locations are not yet perfect... | | Similar Products Used: | Jekyll, Gemini, FSR | | Bike Setup: | Reba fork, Crossmax wheels, Truvativ Stylo cranks, LX disk brakes. | | Bottom Line: | Frame-shock does work good (oh, shock stuck in the beginning).
And God is in details: nor mud clearance, nor bottle mount location allow to call this frame "perfect".
P.S. MC does not produce XC bikes anymore. | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
ANDY DODSWORTH
a Weekend Warrior
from LEEDS, UK
Date Reviewed: May 11, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | CBC NORTH VAN | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$500.00 | | Purchased At: | EBAY | | Strengths: | Build quality is fantastic, top welds and features. Climbs like nothing I have ever ridden. Goes down well too. | | Weaknesses: | Mud clearence is not good for UK trails, 2.1 is really the max you can use on this bike in the UK | | Similar Products Used: | Santa Cruz Heckler. | | Bike Setup: | SRAM GROUP, MAGURA ASGARD, 5TH AIR, MAVIC, HOPE, AVID | | Bottom Line: | Amazing bike for the money, great quality, rides perfectly, most of all its fun and trustworthy, no nasty suprises. Only draw back is it is deffinatly a UK summer bike due to mud problem. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tricky Dicky
a Weekend Warrior
from UK
Date Reviewed: March 11, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Marin | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$400.00 | | Purchased At: | 2nd Hand | | Strengths: | Wow - stiff frame, medium size with shock & headset cups in place weighed in at 6lb 5oz (painted version). OK in the mud too surprisingly as there aren't any small gaps or holes for the mud to get into - just a big shelf behind the BB where it all collects and falls off! Top quality build. Linkages all tucked nicely out of the way and plenty of adjustment for the seatpost to be useful too. Good BB clearance & standover height. Amazing to ride but amazingly simple too! | | Weaknesses: | Linkage bolts come loose on 3rd ride. Now loctited up and checked regularly. Parts of frame (gusset for seat post) are mud & water traps plus I get a lot of water retained near the BB. Decals are utter rubbish! Front mech is a pain to set up but fit and forget I suppose. | | Similar Products Used: | I-drive. Test ridden plenty of other stuff too. | | Bike Setup: | MX Pro ETA TAS, LX, Formula 4-pots, bit weighty but I am skint! Probably comes in at 30lbs. | | Bottom Line: | I can't believe how nice it has been to jump on bike (210 lbs; guessed at 150psi/115psi shock pressure) and just ride and not have to faff about with settings. Bargain 2nd hand as no-one knows what they are :o)
I took a chance on this one as there weren't many reviews around last year - and I got a much better bike than I was anticipating. Go and buy one if you're a proper rider who wants an all day bike.
You'll also get noticed a lot as people have no idea what these things are! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Axel Kiebooms
a Cross Country Rider
from Weelde ( Belgium )
Date Reviewed: March 4, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Porcupine rim ( Moab ) | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$2500.00 | | Purchased At: | Barracuda | | Strengths: | You don't have to be an engineer to see the building quality is top notch. Simple suspension design and can handle a lot of situations. | | Weaknesses: | Had a problem with the 5th element shock in the beginning ( it lost air when sitting on the bike ) but one phonecall to barracuda was enough to gett a new one, witch is working fine now. | | Similar Products Used: | Litespeed Hiwassee | | Bike Setup: | MX comp ETA , SRAM XO,X9 , Mavic crossmax enduro , FSA V-drive Mega-exo , Magura Louise disc brakes. | | Bottom Line: | I ride this bike for a year now and everytime I like it more, if you want a well build , simple FS bike this is it. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Sean
a Cross Country Rider
from Colorado Springs
Date Reviewed: February 19, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$2000.00 | | Purchased At: | The Peak, Olympia WA | | Strengths: | Quick up hill, stable downhill. Solid bike yet light weight. Overall great XC bike! | | Weaknesses: | Nervous about reported problems with 5th element shock but no problems thus far. | | Similar Products Used: | Santa Cruz Blur, Cannondale Phrophet 2000, Specialized Stump Jumper FSR Expert Disc. | | Bike Setup: | Shimano XT components, Marzocci Marathon XC fork, Hayes brakes. | | Bottom Line: | Compared to other bikes ridden, a great value for a bike that well out performs all bikes tested. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Wim Bosmans
a Cross Country Rider
from Zoutleeuw
Date Reviewed: April 11, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Aywaille | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$900.00 | | Purchased At: | Barracuda, Wavre (frame only) | | Strengths: | It does the trick: great for endurance, a bite of downhill, long XC-rides,.... And the Vth element shock is great! | | Weaknesses: | Maybe the lower mounting of the rear-suspension. It came loos 1 time, and made the bike feel very twitchy. | | Similar Products Used: | My first fully. | | Bike Setup: | Mountain Cycle Zen, vth element shock, Manitou Black super Air, Hayes Nine brakes, Mavic Crossland, XT rear, LX front. | | Bottom Line: | Excellent bike for it's money. I hope to enjoy this one for years. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Eric Aldinger
a Cross Country Rider
from portland, OR
Date Reviewed: March 26, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | That one over there | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Design and quality of build.
Climbing agility. Stability. Strength. Bottom bracket clearance. Cool head tube and gussets | | Weaknesses: | Front der. positioning, 5th Element.
graghics and color choices
Cable guides - fixed in 2005 model | | Similar Products Used: | Schwinn Rocket 88, Blur, Enduro, Epic, FSR | | Bike Setup: | Black Super Air 100mm
Hayes HFX Brakes, XT hubs w 317 rims
Shimano, Race Face, SRAM mixed drive train | | Bottom Line: | I like the frame a lot. I does better on technical climbs than my Schwinn (which had a Swinger shock), and feels almost as stable on smooth climbs. I would like to try a Fox Septune on the Zen!
The frame build is good and that means a lot to me. I think it sprints out of the saddle better than the Blur, but feels similiar othewise. It corners well, although the brakes and rear sus design cause more skidding than I like. This can be adjusted with the IPF volume or with better modulating brakes (like Magura Martas). I feel like I am a little too high and forward on steep decents; I think I just need to change my seat position. I swear my large frame only weighed in at 5.5 pounds.
Mountain Cycle customer service is great. They set me up with a free cable guide upgrade for my 2004 Zen, and a free sticker kit. They are also total bike freaks, so it is fun to just squander their time rambling on about bike trivia.
I think this frame will have some new coolness in 2006/7. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nick
a Cross Country Rider
from Cape Town, South Africa
Date Reviewed: March 21, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Majik Forest | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$4200.00 | | Purchased At: | Bike Hut | | Strengths: | Plush, sexy, beefy, stands out from the crowd. Descends like a demon! | | Weaknesses: | A little heavier than some XC full-sussers. But no heavier than a Specialized Epic though, and rides a whole lot better than that. | | Similar Products Used: | Kona hardtail. Giant NRS1. | | Bike Setup: | Skareb Platinum 100mm '05 forks, XO shifters & r/der, Marta SL brakes, XT cranks, SS Eggbeaters, USE carbon s/post, Ritchey WCS stem, Ritchey Pro bars, SLR Gelflow saddle. Mavic 517 rims, XTR disc hubs, WTB EpicWolf tyres. | | Bottom Line: | What a machine! Rear suspension is so plush my descending has improved by 50% at least! Platform effect of shocks is good and there is no bob climbing in the saddle. Out of the saddle there is a little, I'm still playing with the settings - Currently running 110psi main, 110psi IFP with body weight of 132lbs.
The whole bike is very solidly built. One can see where the weight is - big gussets round the head tube, and very sturdy chainstays.
Will be using this bike for XC racing, mostly enduro and longer stuff. Only had the bike a few days, but I'll post a followup once I've got some serious miles on her - doing a 900km stage race in a few weeks time. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
J Kelly
a Weekend Warrior
from Sheffield, Yorkshire, UK
Date Reviewed: February 21, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1790.00 | | Strengths: | Highly effective design, lightweight, supreme build quality. I have one of very few of these here in the UK and couldn't be happier with it. My fork is on the long side for the frame (125mm travel) but with this setup the bike simply floats on all but the most severe terrain. I can climb faster and smoother than many hardtails even when standing. The bike tracks exactly in the desired direction. I think the 5th element shock is integral to the performance of the bike. Its a platform shock which feels less 'alive' but leads to very stable pedalling. Downhill the bike picks up fast and gives you feedback and control of your descent. Where the bike comes alive for me is on fast flattish, pedally sections where every pedal stroke is translates into acceleration, this bike rockets! | | Weaknesses: | Limited colour options (if you're concerned!) | | Similar Products Used: | GT I-drive
| | Bike Setup: | Black powder coat finish, Progressive 5th element air shock, Fox Talas R forks. SRAM X.0/X.9 and Shimano XT drivetrain, Dura ace cassette, Smica post & stem, Titec C3 bars, Hope hubs, headset and M4/mini F/R discs, Mavic 717disc rims on DT revs, Conti explorer F/Michelin comp S light R tires. 25.5lbs all in for a very reasonable price! | | Bottom Line: | This bike makes me more efficient, lets me ride further and have a whole lot of fun into the bargain. Good work Mountain Cycle! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Billy
a Racer
from Ohio
Date Reviewed: July 25, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | South Mountain, AZ | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Straight line tracking, Monocog gussets, climbing, comfort in the saddle over the long haul and railing corners. | | Weaknesses: | Front derailleur mounting. It's a finite area to work with leaving little room for adjustment. but once it's mounted and adjusted you never have to worry about it again anyway. | | Similar Products Used: | GF sugar 1 & 3, Tomac 98 special. | | Bike Setup: | Manitou minute 2.00 fork, 5th Element shock, XT drive train and Hollow tech cranks, Avid mechs, American classic hubs and wheels, CG headset, Kenda Nevegal 2.1 tires front & Rear. Weight: 25.9 lbs with computer and heart rate monitor. | | Bottom Line: | More than I expected in an full suspension XC/marathon bike. I'm a hard tail fan to begin with so FS is something I used to consider a luxury, now I consider it a neccessity. With a 5th Element on the back and the minute 2.00 on the front it feels like I'm riding a hard tail until I hit an obsticle, then the real fun begins. What impresses me the most its ability to track a straight line in loose conditions and on quick descents, it's unmatched. Also worth noting is the fact that I don't like being airborn, with the Zen I actually look for ways of getting air now because it flies true.
Enough about me, here's the deal!! If you're a hard tail fan looking to purchase a quality, priced right full suspension ride, the Zen will treat you right. If you've been riding FS rigs for a while and know what to expect in an FS rig....you'll be more than satisfied with the switch. They don't call it the ZEN for nothing. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Shane Lebsack
a Cross Country Rider
from Hood River, Or. 97031
Date Reviewed: July 24, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Surveyor's Ridge | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$3000.00 | | Strengths: | This is the best Mtb I have ever ridden! I have owned about 5 high end bikes over the last 15 years and this is a whole new level of comfort ad performance. | | Weaknesses: | If you run a big tire in the rear, mud seems to get hung up a little on the front of the chain stays. | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized fsr xc pro. The Zen is now a cross between that and a Freeride bike. It is a lot like the Santa Cruz Blur. | | Bottom Line: | This bike rules the scene in ways I can not explain! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark Salmon
a Cross Country Rider
from Fullerton
Date Reviewed: July 6, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Mnt. Eldon loop, Flagstaff | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1299.00 | | Strengths: | First of all it's straight! You would be surprised how many frames aren't. The fifth element rear shock set up very easily. It only took 2 rides to get it dialed perfectly. The welds are beautiful and the frame was a bit lighter that I expected it to "really" be. It even came with a faced head tube and BB shell, NICE!! It does what they say it's supposed to flawlessly. I stand up and it moves forward right now! Yet when it gets's rough the suspension works perfect. It steers exactly as I wanted. It climbs exactly as I wanted. I am looking to try marathon racing this year. As of this moment, The Zen is the best full suspension bike I have owned/ridden. I dumped a couple of VVP style bikes because they really didn't live up to the hype. After looking long and hard, the Zen fit the bill perfect. And for allot less money. | | Weaknesses: | On the second ride, The bike developed a loud creek. It turned out to be the bottom bracket. So..............No weakness at this time. Mabey a little more room for the water bottle. | | Similar Products Used: | Santa Cruz Blur, Intense spyder, Conejo, Specialized Epic, Cannondale Scalple and Jeykle | | Bike Setup: | Grip Shift with a brand new PAUL rear derailure!! Yep and it works perfect! Set up in a 2x9 config. Avid disc brakes Manitou Skareb SPV ( An absolute perfect match for the 5th element rear shock ). DT hubs with Tioga rims, Intense Tires, Thompson stuff with other nice parts to complete the kit. Wieght for those who care. 25.7 lbs | | Bottom Line: | No Hype, All meat. They said this bike was designed to be and aggressive XC / marathon bike. It is exactly that. I really hope more of this end up on the trail so I can stop having to talk about it with everyone who see's it. Plain and simple, this is just a great bike. One I will probably keep for years. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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