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4.75/5
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Description:The super-light, carbon construction of the new front triangle will inevitably establish new industry benchmarks in XC full-suspension.
Protection of your investment against foreign objects is guaranteed with the ingenious addition of the Titus R.U.B. (replaceable under belly) Plate.
Carbon seatstays, and hydro-formed alloy chainstays, combine to create the perfect harmony of stiffness and light weight.
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Submitted by
Marc Peot
a Cross Country Rider
from Golden, CO
Date Reviewed: May 10, 2008 | | Favoriate Trail: | Buffalo Creek | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$6400.00 | | Purchased At: | Wheatridge Cyclery | | Strengths: | Lighter than the ALU X's; Stiffer laterally, e.g. better cornering, acceleration and climbing; vertically compliant, e.g. smoooooth on the trail.
Oh -- let's face it -- she looks gorgeous!
You've heard it before but the RP23 is awesome. I used to have PUSH do their thing. Used to. | | Weaknesses: | $$$$$$$$$$$$
Water bottle access is tight -- Can you say Camelbak?
Not a deal killer, imho
| | Similar Products Used: | ALU Racer X's -- '01 and '03 | | Bike Setup: | Fox '08 F100 RLC, Easton Monkey Bar and Zero EC90 post, ODI grips, WTB saddle, Thompson stem, Avid BB7's w/ Ultimate levers and Stans rotors, King headset, King hubs laced to Mavic XC 717's, Race Face Deus Crank, Time ATAC Carbons,
XT shifters, XTR deraileurs, Kenda 2.35 Blue Groove DTC(Fr) and 2.1 Nevegal DTC(Rr), Salsa skewers. | | Bottom Line: | Wow. I've always loved the 'X', but nothing could have prepared me for how my new 'gal' acts on the trail.
I know carbon is great on the road -- but on the trail it is nothing short of pure magic!
I could blather on for 100's of words -- but, you'd probably rather be riding, right?
So here it is in a nut shell....
I am able to take corners @ 1 to 3 mph faster, with WAY less input and still have plenty of safety margin. On my ALU 'X', I would be at the limit of lean and grip -- not so with the Carbon.
Ditto on the descent -- it's so smooth, I gotta watch the speed! Yikes! Whoa, Nelly!
On a short steep climb, when I hit the gas, it feels like all 25 lbs 'disappears' and the bike gets transparent or something...! Everyone describes it a little different -- some say it's like someone is pushing you.
Whatever -- it is truly an amazing feeling and I have NEVER experienced anything like it.
Most importantly of all I think is the way the frame just soaks up the trail -- as in after a 50+ mile ride I feel like I did 5. Sure, my legs feel all the climbing -- but, my body has been spared all the abuse of the little bumps and jars that are just part and parcel of mountain biking.
Make no mistake -- trail feel is so crisp it's almost telepathic.
But the ride quality is so smooth it is mind boggling.
So Beware! If you get the chance to actually ride one of these on the trail... It'll ruin you for anything less.
Maybe you'll get a Specialized or a Yeti or an Ibis -- but it will have to be carbon fiber.
You have been warned!!
Kudos to Fox on the '08 RLC -- Buttery AND oh so stiff and Compression adjust!!
A special shout out to WRC -- One of the best bike shops around. Thank you for helping me create my dream bike!
Happy Trails!
| Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chad
a Cross Country Rider
from Beijing
Date Reviewed: December 26, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | Fragrant Hills Beijing | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1900.00 | | Purchased At: | Flying Ball Hong Kong | | Strengths: | Fast, fast, fast and the nude carbon looks cool too! | | Weaknesses: | All have been overcome and since this bike is so much fun to ride its hard to dwell on them anyway. | | Similar Products Used: | Same as first review | | Bike Setup: | Same as first review. | | Bottom Line: | This is my follow up review. In the month I have had the Racer X, I've thrown a leg over it 6 times and have logged over 18 hours on the bike, 245 k, with 9000 m of climbing. I LOVE THIS BIKE!!!!!!!!! Each of our local rides starts with a long single track anaerobic-lactic-acid-in-the-legs-red-zone-climb up the mountain. Before the Racer X on a good day I’d make the climb in about 32-35 minutes. I am now climbing it in less then 29 and am think with a bit more effort I can get up it 25. A lot can be said about a bike's ability to climb. Climbers win races. And the down hills…… wow, this bike handles well going down. It’s scary fast, unbelievably fun and gives you lots of confidence.
1) In my first review I commented about the water bottle situation. Well… you can fit a 1 liter bottle on the down tube bottle mount and get it in and out on the fly without problem. I’ve also purchased a water bottle mount for the seat post and carry another 750 ml bottle. The nice thing is that I can no longer fit a seat pouch under the seat so have to tuck everything I need into a jersey pocket. Meaning I carry less with me now (lighter). I kind of like this set up now because I am carrying slightly less water (only 1.75 liters vs. 2 liters), no seat pouch and only the really essential tools making the whole package even lighter.
2) The lost RUB. Titus rushed a replacement to the Flying Ball in Hong Kong who in turn forwarded it to me in Beijing. Good service all around! No more complaints there. Losing the first one was probably bad luck.
3) Our fix for the seat post works fine and we’ve had no hassles with any slippage.
Did I mention that I LOVE THIS BIKE!!!!!!! Next stop, the finish line of the 2008 Cape Epic hopefully with a better result then our 88th placing this year. Not bad for a 41 year old with a fulltime job. See you on the trails and support your local bike shops. Thanks to Mr. Lee at the Flying Ball and all the rest his team.
I'd recommend this bike.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chad
a Cross Country Rider
from Beijing
Date Reviewed: November 17, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | Fragrent Hills Beijing | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1900.00 | | Purchased At: | Flying Ball Hong Kong | | Strengths: | Great cornering through the twisty single track, climbs well but the front wheel tends to lift up (this is probably due to riding style and a shorter wheelbase than my Blur), relatively light, stiff. | | Weaknesses: | I’ve only ridden the bike once. Yesterday was the maiden voyage but I wanted to write this initial review for several reasons:
1. As the first reviewer has pointed out, you can only fit a small 500 ml water bottle in the down tube cage. Anything larger and it hits the pro-pedal switch and is difficult to take out and put in.
2. The biggest issue for me is that there is only one water bottle cage. I gave up backpacks about a year and a half ago and it was a very liberating experience. I came in 88th in this years Cape Epic, riding with water bottles and am disappointed that there is only one water bottle mount. There was definitely enough room on the underside of the down tube to put a 2nd mount. It could even have been used to keep the RUB down tube protector in place.
3. Which brings me to the RUB protector. Mine is laying on the highway somewhere. I’ve just noticed this morning that it is no longer on the frame. I don’t think it’s on the trail because my buddy (also on his new Racer X Carbon) was behind me for most of the ride and would have noticed it. It looks like the RUB is only attached with a double sided tape. Ours were loose when we got the frame and my guess is that when the bikes were on the roof of the car that the wind got under the RUB and it went sailing. Hopefully Titus has replacements in and can get me a replacement soon.
4. The last main issue has to do with the securing the seat post. No amount of tightening is enough to keep the seat post secure. I’ve seen from the magazine article that they had the same problems and used some sand to keep the post from moving. We’ve solved the problem by taking the aluminum backside of a tire patch and sliding it in between the frame and the post. This seemed to take up enough volume so that we could tighten down on the seat post clamp and secure the post. This is probably a seat post clamp design problem.
| | Similar Products Used: | Have been riding since 91'. In those years have owned the following bikes: Rockhopper, Proflex 955, Cannondale V-900, Cannondale Raven (23rd off the production line), Santa Cruz Blur, Titus Carbon (medium). | | Bike Setup: | 2008 Fox F100 RCL, Avid Juicy Ultimate, FSA flat bar, XTR shifters, foam grips, Tune bar ends, Tune headset, XTR Front derailleur, SRAM Dior cranks, Egg Beater 2Ti, XTR Rapid Raise rear derailleur, Mavic SL Rims, Bontriger TR tires.
Bike came in around 24lbs. We will be getting even lighter wheels so expect to the bike to be sub 24lbs. | | Bottom Line: | My riding partner and I bought the Carbon to replace our Blurs. We rode in the 2007 Cape Epic race and did quite well (88th) for a couple of 40 year olds with day jobs. We are returning to the Epic next year with a goal to do better. As such we purchased new bikes.
From the one ride I’ve had on the Racer X, I am very please with the riding characteristics and am confident that this will be a great bike to ride in the 2008 Epic (9 days, 956 km, 18,000 m of climbing). I really enjoyed yesterday’s ride and will put in another review again when I’ve had more time on the bike. I can say that the pro-pedal and the Fox F100 lock out were fantastic.
I guess with every new bike designed, there are going to be problems. We built up our bikes ourselves and they went together quite easily with out hassle, with the exception of the seat post issue.
I am kinda bummed that the RUB fell off but am really bummed that there is only one water bottle cage. I will have to put an attachment for an additional water bottle on the seat post which means that I will have to get rid of the seat tool bag and find somewhere else to carry my CO2 cartage, tube, tool, patches and tire levers.
I should say that despite the issues, I am happy with the bike after the first ride. The ride characteristics of the Racer X are well known and more qualified people have commented one them. For the most part everyone raves about the Racer X design. Put a second water bottle mount on the bike, give us more room for the water bottle on the down tube, have a better system for keeping the RUB on, and fix the seat post clamp and you’ve got a winner.
| Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Thomas Sulentic
a Racer
from Iowa City, IA, USA
Date Reviewed: November 15, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$7200.00 | | Purchased At: | Competitive Cyclist | | Strengths: | Handling, weight, acceleration, lack of pedal induced bobbing, rigid chassis, silent running, downhill prowess, climbing ability. | | Weaknesses: | The water bottle cage is either placed too far up the downtube. A large bottle is within a mm of the RP23 Pro Pedal knob. If the going is rough, it 'bangs' on it. Also when you get the bottle or out or put it back, depending on what hand you use, you can flip the PP on or off. I remove with right hand and place it with the left. I will have Push flip the shock around, similar to a Cannondale Rush setup if its possible. | | Similar Products Used: | Titus Racer-X AL. | | Bike Setup: | M Carbon frame, Stans ZTR Olympic Rims/DT 240 w/ceramic bearings, Kenda Karma DTC tires, Fox F100X, King Headset, FSA OS-115 stem, Monkeylite XC bars, ODI lock-ons, EC-70 seatpost, SLR saddle, Formula Oro-puro brakes, Stans AL rotors, XO twist, 2008 XO rear dir, XTR 970 cranks, XTR 12-34 cassette, XTR front dir, SRAM-PC991 Hollow-pin chain. | | Bottom Line: | I was a bit hesitant to buy another Racer-X. I thought why not try something else. Im glad I didnt. What amazed me about the Racer-X is how simple it is to ride. You just pedal and it GOES. I have never ridden a bike where you dont have to constantly move forward and back, left and right to make it flow. You simply stay seated and let the bike do the rest. With my old AL version I won NMBCS Super-D races, podium'd in XC and XCST. In fact at one point was leading all 3 NMBCS categories on 1 bike with the same wheels and tires! Amazing.
This bike is just a pure pleasure to ride! After the first few months I thought to myself, "It doesnt feel much different then my old Racer-X". I felt 'robbed' of something new.. But thats exactly the point, I realized this is exactly how it should feel. Only the Carbon feels better; firmer, lighter, crisper.
This bike can be raced hard in any discipline and ridden for hrs on gravel. It always feels like it belongs doing what its doing.
I bought my first X w/o ever swinging a leg over one. In fact I only had ridden a couple of FS bikes before choosing an X. It rides NOTHING like any other FS bike. It just goes and goes - as fast as you can, w/o any indication of the bike being on its limit. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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