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Average Rating
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4.28/5
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# of Reviews
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53
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MSRP
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$ 600.00
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Weight
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More Products from GT
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Description:Avalanche 1.0 is a 6061 butted-aluminum frame with a pressure-formed downtube, a zero-stack headset, disc brakes and 27-gears - an impressive setup for anyone who's ready to start playing in the dirt.
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Submitted by
Bob
a Weekend Warrior
from Issaquah, WA
Date Reviewed: July 19, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Any | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | Performance Bikes | | Strengths: | I just want to say that I have ridden full suspension the last 8 years. I loved my FS bikes but hated the maintenance. I decided to go back to a hardtail that wasn't going to cost me an arm and a leg in maintenance. I tried three different hardtails and I settled on the GT Avalanche 1.0. It felt right from the beginning. A shorter top tube than my FS bikes so that takes some getting use to again. For the price, Deore and LX components plus hydraulic disc brakes this is a good deal. For those of you that have been riding especially in the rainy Northwest, no matter what level of components you have it will be just a matter of time before they start to break down. I justed wanted a bike that I could hammer in the woods and have fun with reduced maintenance costs and downtime. As an avid commuter, road biker, and mtn biker I am telling you that "YOU" the engine can make up for lot of the shortcomings in components/equipment. Not all but most. I have ridden with single speed and cyclocross riders that were faster and more talented than hardtail and FS bikers on some really tough trails. | | Weaknesses: | Perhaps some heavy components like wheels, tires, and seat post. Schrader tubes I would change out. Not sure about the cranks and front shock yet. | | Similar Products Used: | Cannondale F5, Novarra Ponderosa | | Bike Setup: | Stock except Easton 50 seatpost. | | Bottom Line: | Good deal for the money. As stuff wears out I replace with lighter equipment (e.g., tires). I would not hesitate to purchase again. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Surfjunkie44
a Downhiller
from Orlando, FL US
Date Reviewed: June 8, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Ocala | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$730.00 | | Purchased At: | Retro City Cycles | | Strengths: | -Frame, Fork, Paint, Saddle, Seatpost, Headset, Brakes & Cranks... replace the rest... | | Weaknesses: | -Snapped the stock GT handle bar on a three foot drop
-Hated the clipless pedals, switched to platforms
-Stock tires wore out in one month
-The rear derailleur can kiss my arse!
-the wheelset will need to be trued every two weeks
-BB is getting creaky and it ain't the peddles
-rear derailleur hangers (four in six months) | | Similar Products Used: | Jamis, Huffy & your mom. | | Bike Setup: | -Truvativ Huzzefelt riser bar
-Truvativ Holzfeller pedals
-ODI Rogue grips
-Maxxis Holy Rollers (2.4)
-Shimano Deore XT Shadow derailleur | | Bottom Line: | 2008 disc model: The triple butted frame design is phenomenal, though some consider it a stiffer ride - it's a hardtail; what did you expect, genius? Great builder frame - I'm a lifetime customer of GT frames now. To start, I'm 70 kilos, soaked after a rain storm with my celly still in pocket. I abuse stuff harder than a 95 kilo man who is sloppy. I bought this bike initially for cardio/XC and ended up getting into FR/DJ.
I ride this bike to work 10+ miles everyday. I jump 3' to 5' high forty times on the way there and on the way home. I rock wheelies down two blocks and slide into endos at every traffic control device. I take her downtown to the bars and wreck her on the way home. I even head out to local XC trails and bash a few naturals on the weekend. I pound the ever living sh*t out of this bike and everything that continues to work is deemed by the local shop as one step above bombproof, it's "Bradley-proof".
Like a few others I'll say the components I replaced needed replacing. Brakes are ok but have started to fade a bit over the course of a year. The fork could probably use a rebuild at this point. I'm still on and off dealing with ghost shifting and the typical wheel truing. Of the stuff listed as strengths, they have literally taken my abuse, which means you will probably never have issues with those components.
While this review possibly comes across as negative, I love my Avalanche 1.0 disc. She has been an awesome bike and I would not trade the 1000+ miles of love she has shown me for anything. If you're looking for a great XC bike, daily rider, pound around town, or even entry FR/DJ (haha!), she is the best bang for your buck in components across the board, hands down. I spent several weeks researching bikes and for the price, you won't be disappointed. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Timur
a Cross Country Rider
from Murmansk, Russia
Date Reviewed: May 8, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$320.00 | | Strengths: | Frame (?), LX derailleurs | | Weaknesses: | Tyres, BB, Rims, Brakes, Fork | | Similar Products Used: | DBS Intruder 3000 LX (does anybody knows this? :-) | | Bike Setup: | Stock | | Bottom Line: | Total disappointment. Everything bends here -- BB, cranks, rims. And I am not dirt-jumper and do no tricks.
Tyres are sh%t and slip on every surface, every speedy corner.
Front fork is a joke -- my 15-year-old Struts Tange actually works BETTER than this crap.
Brakes - Hayes Sole - enough said.
Frame itself is VERY stiff -- and I found that kinda uncomfortable too.
That might be a fair frameset to build your custom bike, if bought at a discount and you prefer extra stiff frame. Otherwise -- stay away. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
soda surfer
a Weekend Warrior
from Germany
Date Reviewed: April 4, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$600.00 | | Strengths: | Frame | | Weaknesses: | Hydraulic Leak, Initial missadjustments | | Similar Products Used: | Bianchi 18 Gear | | Bottom Line: | The frame rocks, one of the best arround, only comparable to Titanium frames.
Lost some Hydraulic liquid, other minor issues like:
Broken spikes, bent bar, wobbling pedals, knackered helmet.
Overall: hell of a machine.
Needs some overhauling now and then, but the frame.. incredible!
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Charlie
a Cross Country Rider
from Cph. Denmark
Date Reviewed: February 25, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$600.00 | | Purchased At: | GT Denmark | | Strengths: | Frame. Fork. Brakes.. | | Weaknesses: | Nothing you can complain about - compared to the mid-entry level price. | | Similar Products Used: | Allmost any GT since the early 90´. Personal bikes - 3 pcs. of the more raceorientated Zazkar | | Bike Setup: | Facktory. 2007 and 2008 model. | | Bottom Line: | I run 30 of those black and silvery baby´s in my hobby business - see http://www.mtb-tours.dk/page_1181206624765.html.
I reconise the comments about cranks falling off/going apart. The onlu reasen is that they are pourly thightend, somewhere over in Taiwan. Now vhen I´m aware about the problem, I regulary give it the 8 mm allen key on both sides. No big deal.
Also the chainrings are soft. Serius chainsucks from beginners are often bending the middle chainring, but it´s easily straighten up with the prober tools - spare cost 15$. Although it take some time to replace.
The SR X 100 fork is the biggest asset for me. So smooth and handles well even big objekts - so my custorms for reel learn the game of mountainbike. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
chris benchek
a
from cleveland,ohio usa
Date Reviewed: February 13, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | rays indoor mtb park | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$600.00 | | Purchased At: | performance bike | | Strengths: | frame | | Weaknesses: | front fork too soft!components,lack of customer service from GT!!!!!!!! | | Similar Products Used: | old bike was a GT timberline that I loved! | | Bike Setup: | was stock before I had to replace bad components! | | Bottom Line: | Had to replace seat,pedals,and broken crankset right off the bat(within first two weeks)replaced rear wheel in first 2 months! Still having problems with ghost shifting and brakes.Bike shop has been trying to be helpfull but can't get any kind of response from GT! VERY DISAPOINTING!!!!!BUYER BEWARE!!!!!! | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scott
a Weekend Warrior
from Cobar
Date Reviewed: January 8, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Glenrock Reserve, Newcastle | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$800.00 | | Purchased At: | Bike Store | | Strengths: | Cheap overall hardtail mtb package, good frame | | Weaknesses: | brakes, forks & customer support | | Bike Setup: | stock/oem | | Bottom Line: | My partner and I bought 2 of these in early 2005, as an entry back into mtb. Overall, a nice, cheap entry to modern mtb. BUT:
The Rock Shox Judy forks are rubbish - way too oversprung and underdamped. We were also told that they are non-rebuildable, although our mechanic put some softer spings in from another similar fork which helped for my girlfriend.
The cheap hayes Sole brakes were badly aligned so that the pad actuated 6mm from the outside of the disc, and the same distance onto the rotor arms - not on the swept area of the disc as any properly setup system should.
The mechanic/bike shop told me there was nothing they could do because the calipers cannot be adjusted and referred me to the distributer. The distributer told me they hadn't heard of the problem before, so weren't interested in trying to fix it.
I sold mine shortly afterwards, and will NEVER buy another GT. My partner used hers until I bought her a Trek, and her GT is gathering dust in the shed. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rob Pridham
a Cross Country Rider
from Lytham, Lancashire, UK
Date Reviewed: November 2, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Farley Mount, Hampshire | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$720.00 | | Purchased At: | Evans | | Strengths: | GT Avalanche 1.0 2006, no disc
Excellent frame
Other components a good starting point
Best kit set for the money in 2006 | | Weaknesses: | Proprietary & poor stock bottom bracket
No disc hose routing | | Bike Setup: | Replaced tyres with Panaracer XC Fire Pro
Replaced BB and crank with Shimano Deore
Replaced derailleurs with Shimano XT
Replaced cassette & chain with Shimano XT twice
Replaced pedals with DMR V12s
Replaced brakes with Hope Mono M4s
Replaced front wheel with Shimano hub & X517
Replaced rear wheel with Hope Pro II & 717
Replaced saddle with SDG Bel Air RL | | Bottom Line: | First of all, good to see someone else from Lytham - wasn't expecting that!
As you can see, I've been busy upgrading this bike - not much left of the original now, but that's after 1.5 years and 5000 miles. Sometimes that's been necessary, like when the BB broke and the crank fell off, but mostly it's by choice.
The frame is solid as a rock, and unlike some cheaper bikes, can fit anything you throw at it. It's perfect for step by step upgrades if you don't have the money to throw at it at once, or aren't sure how much you're going to use it.
All in all it's served me well and I hope the frame, plus what's left of the stock stuff, will continue to do so for a very long time. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Lyndon
a Weekend Warrior
from Canada
Date Reviewed: October 31, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Crothers' Woods | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$800.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Frame
Brakes
Wheels
Fork
Derailleurs
| | Weaknesses: | Crankset
Seatpost
Seat
Shifters | | Bike Setup: | Stock | | Bottom Line: | This bike is ideal for heay riders. Most of the components sacrifice weight for strength but for a guy like me at 250 lbs plus pack and water it actually works well.
Ridden 1 or 2 times a week for 2-3 hours. A lot of technical, some downhill and flat. I ride to work each day also with a set of continental 2.1 road tires (which are great by the way).
The strengths of the bike don't really need replacing. Some people don't like the fork, but its coil sprung and has done me well, its lasted through a winter and two seasons of riding so far. I find you need to bias the rebound to the slow side for the fork to work well. It might be setup with a heavy spring also. The bike is light enough to climb well and strong enough to go back down quickly.
The biggest weakness in my eyes is the Truvativ FiveD crankset. I did use it through winter, but it isn't that geat at taking hits. The middle ring bent on a light hit. I replaced with a Shimano Saint triple and its bombproof. The shifters were Deore and used ABS construction, they are still working but I just don't like them much. I like the 06 XT shifters WAY better.
Overall a very capable and upgradeable bike for a good price. I've upgraded one of mine and built up a second frame with my stock parts from the first to be used as a winter commuter. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris
a Weekend Warrior
from Philadelphia
Date Reviewed: October 7, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$650.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance | | Strengths: | Strong Breaks, Lockout of fork, LX shifters | | Weaknesses: | pedals, allready dented the frame, paint is coming off as well | | Similar Products Used: | previous bike- Giant boulder | | Bike Setup: | BMX pedals + Specialized Nimbus tires for street riding. | | Bottom Line: | Good value, great bike for getting into trail riding. roubust enough to handle trails but wont break the bank. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris
a Cross Country Rider
from England, UK
Date Reviewed: September 23, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$900.00 | | Strengths: | The 3 triangle design makes it comfy for long rides, unlike a few harsher bikes I tried. Tektro dual comp brakes are superb. The Suntour X100 forks perform very well on most terrains. Wide bars take getting used to at first but you'll prefer them. Light, responsive with fast acceleration | | Weaknesses: | Kenda tyres are soft/thin and prone to punctures but grippy nonetheless. Pedals could be better. | | Similar Products Used: | Claud Butler Cape Wrath, Giant XTC4, Specialized Rockhopper | | Bike Setup: | Stock | | Bottom Line: | Very well spec'd bike which is fun to ride and highly capable for cross country and light downhill. Have had no problems at all. It was a toss up between this and the Cape Wrath but felt the rear end jumped around too much on the Cape Wrath. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Gary
a Weekend Warrior
from England
Date Reviewed: September 12, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Cotswolds | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$600.00 | | Purchased At: | Leisure Lakes Cheltenham | | Strengths: | Greatclimbing ability due to a light frame. Good tyres at time. | | Weaknesses: | Mechanical disc brakes were okay for someone that has never used hydros, but once you make the change, mechanical discs feel very soft.
The Judy 3's aren't a fantastic fork either, but for the money, it is a small sacrifice. | | Similar Products Used: | Carrera | | Bike Setup: | Changed brakes to Deore LX Hydros. Changed tyres to Panaracer Fire XC Pro's. XT chain and cassette. | | Bottom Line: | A great frame that gives you the foundation to build on. I have not changed much to improve what I think is a great all round XC bike for the beginner / improver.
I bought the 2004 model at the time, which I am looking to upgrade...for another Avalanche, but possibly the expert as it may be a lot more fun for a little extra dough. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Fred
a Weekend Warrior
from Morristown NJ USA
Date Reviewed: September 8, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$399.00 | | Purchased At: | Sports Authority | | Strengths: | Brakes | | Weaknesses: | Rear Derailleur | | Bike Setup: | Stock | | Bottom Line: | Bought this bike for my son back in Jan 07. Bike had shifiting problems from the get go (chain falling off). Brought it back to the Sports Authority to have them repair it and they say they did. I took the bike for a ride and after 2 minutes of riding it while shifting gears I heard a loud snap. The rear derailleur had broken off the frame (notice how it attaches to the frame). This bike is now usless. $400.00 for a bike that lasts 8 months? Sports Authority and G.T don't want to do anything to help me out. Bottom line : Don't buy this bike! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Wes
a
from UK
Date Reviewed: May 26, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Frame, pedals. Fairly light. Quality ride, value for money. | | Weaknesses: | Feels a bit lazy on acceleration, but this could be due to the fat tyres. | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized Rockhopper 2007 | | Bike Setup: | Body geometry grips | | Bottom Line: | Awesome bike for general XC and even more techy stuff. It seems to absorb a lot of shock for a hardtail, due to the unique 3 triangle design. This sends most of the shock into the top tube, instead of your backside. Doesn't bounce all over the place, solid and feels capable. Smooth gears, and somehow not as noisy as the Rockhopper. Awesome value for the spec. If speed is more important than ride quality, look at the Rockhopper. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rouen Heiberg
a Weekend Warrior
from South Africa
Date Reviewed: May 17, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Jonkershoek | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$800.00 | | Purchased At: | Heldeberg cycles | | Strengths: | Frame and front shock and wheels. | | Weaknesses: | There is a lot of things wrong with the bike. All of the visible parts are OKish quality, but they skimped on the other less visible parts eg. BB,casette,casette on the back,seatpost, and the brakes and crankarms, had to replace a lot of stuff on the bike in a years time. | | Similar Products Used: | Scott Reflex | | Bike Setup: | full Deore with LX rear derailleur | | Bottom Line: | If you only ride on weekends and gravel roads and on the small side, its an option. But if you race, ride singletrack etc. STAY AWAY!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Hugo
a Weekend Warrior
from SJM, Portugal
Date Reviewed: May 8, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$800.00 | | Purchased At: | ECI | | Strengths: | Nice finishing, strong looking, equipment for the price, it always seems to ask you too ride it harder and never complains when you do that!!! | | Weaknesses: | A bit on the heavy side, some ratles from the back derraileur!!! | | Similar Products Used: | Just a rookie hited by the bug of the mountain bikes!! | | Bike Setup: | Stock, but a funny thing is that i camed with LX on the front derraileur instead of just Deore like the others that were on the store!!! | | Bottom Line: | I think it is a great bike for the value and a perfect bike to start with, even in a bad physical shape i never had to stop because i wasn't able to do something, the bike seems to push us forward and makes us feel that there are no limits, at least, not yet!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
B
a
from San Francisco, CA USA
Date Reviewed: May 3, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$650.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance Bicycle | | Strengths: | Sweet components, strong frame, looks sweet, smooth shifting, and braking. | | Weaknesses: | Saddle was a bit uncomfortable, but could be due to my fat ass. | | Similar Products Used: | GT Agressor - from long ago (10 years) | | Bike Setup: | Stock | | Bottom Line: | I used to ride a ton and really ran my agressor into the ground. This feels like a definite upgrade to that bike, not to mention that its a real smooth ride all around. Haven't tested it too much yet, but I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking to just start, or get back into riding. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Sean Blyth
a Weekend Warrior
from Durban, KZN, South Africa
Date Reviewed: April 23, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Giba Gorge - Durban | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$850.00 | | Purchased At: | Hot Spot Cycles - Pretoria | | Strengths: | Feels light and in control under most conditions. The frame is helluva strong and the geometry provides a really forgiving ride. Shifters seldom complain. | | Weaknesses: | None yet. | | Similar Products Used: | Newbie to the sport. The last pedal power machine I had was a Mongoose BMX about 25 yrs ago! | | Bike Setup: | Standard - mine has V-Brakes instead of disks - suits me fine... | | Bottom Line: | This is an excellent bike for anyone wanting to get into XC. Giba Gorge, where I ride, has some hard 2+ metre drop-offs and this baby handles them with ease - not always too kind to the rider though! I do a lot of fast jeep track downhill runs and difficult single track, and the back ends stays on the path and I stay stay on the bike. Enough said - I LOVE THIS MACHINE!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John
a Weekend Warrior
from Cheshire
Date Reviewed: March 13, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Cannock Chase | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$750.00 | | Purchased At: | Evans Cycles | | Strengths: | Looks mean in black, solid frame, hydraulic discs, everything feels solid n safe | | Weaknesses: | slightly on the heavy side, stock brakes work but aren't really adjustable and seem kinda cheap. I felt the handlebars were too low for where I had the seat on a M frame, replaced forks and cut to the size tha suited me which sorted it nicely! | | Similar Products Used: | Marin | | Bike Setup: | I replaced the stock forks with Marzocchi 2005 MX Comp ETA forks. The difference after the slightly hard Judy TT forks was amazing
| | Bottom Line: | The first proper bike I've owned but its given me no problems what so ever. For the price I've had a bike that's done everything I asked of it for 2 years. I'm gonna stay with the frame because its solid and I doubt will ever do me wrong. The next step is new brakes and then I'll be happy for another 2 years.
This bike's quite old now but lasts so well that a second hand one would be a fantastic purchase for anyone who wants a good bike. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kenneth W Adams W Adams
a Cross Country Rider
from england
Date Reviewed: January 7, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Olney, buckinghamshire, uk, western europe, europe, earth, the solar system, milky way, the universe | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1000.00 | | Purchased At: | evans | | Strengths: | strong and sexiiiiiiii everything about it is sexiiiiii | | Weaknesses: | cant be boverd to look | | Similar Products Used: | trek 4500 | | Bike Setup: | xt front mech longer than normal seatpost and shimano pedals | | Bottom Line: | really gd and sexi and manly and imense and quality, puka, and desent. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Sam Gibby
a Cross Country Rider
from Lake District
Date Reviewed: December 13, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Grizedale North Face- Short but fun | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$580.00 | | Purchased At: | Evans Cycles | | Strengths: | Strong, light frame,, versatile | | Weaknesses: | None, awsum bike | | Similar Products Used: | Spesh Hardrock Pro | | Bike Setup: | Stock | | Bottom Line: | Awsum Bike, great for its price, a lot of the components you would find on a lot pricier bikes | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
tom
a Cross Country Rider
from Sydney
Date Reviewed: November 24, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | U tell me | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$700.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | The frame is great. It does seem to scratch rather easily but it is really strong for its weight. I do everything on it from the bmx park to 4 hour+ rides and its realy fun to rode. | | Weaknesses: | fork lacks small bump performance. I did have trouble with the rear mech but its fine now. | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | stock | | Bottom Line: | Totally sweet bike for the price. Looks great and it takes a beating. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Andrew Weston
a Cross Country Rider
from Milton Keynes
Date Reviewed: November 11, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Peaks | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$120.00 | | Purchased At: | 2nd Hand | | Strengths: | Frame Strength, forgiving ride, lightish | | Weaknesses: | Integral headset not to everyone's taste? | | Similar Products Used: | FSR Comp | | Bike Setup: | Bought frame only. Has RockShox SID 100, Hope XC4, Mavic 221 on XT Hubs, WTB saddle, XT/LX/Deore chainset | | Bottom Line: | This is my winter bike, so it has quite a hard life.
A simple, strong, bombproof frame. Triple Triangle means a little more give than a standard alloy frame (the chainstays flex more in this design) Can run 100 mill forks without issue.
A fun bike to ride
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kamal
a Weekend Warrior
from UK
Date Reviewed: November 6, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | Evans Cycles | | Strengths: | great frame, Hayes hydraulic brakes, excellent value for money | | Weaknesses: | the rock shox judys, gt headset | | Bike Setup: | Crankbrothers eggbeater c, Rock Shox revelation, FSA Pig DH Pro headset.. otherwise stock | | Bottom Line: | Great bike. This is suitable for a beginner or novice who's got the riding bug. It has a good frame, decent derailers and hydraulic brakes so the quality foundations are there if you want to upgrade in the future when you have more skills.
This is my first real bike and have had it for 2 years, riding mostly aggressive cross country. Never had any major problems.
I didn't like the shimano M520 pedals so i got some eggbeaters. The headset is busted recently but this is understandable after 2 years of UK weather.
The Rock Shox Judy fork started to become too stiff after about 20 months but still usable, but I changed them to Revelation recently. The Judys are still better than most other forks that come stock with bikes at this price range.
All in all a great package with value for money. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Charlie Stocker
a Cross Country Rider
from Christchurch, NZ
Date Reviewed: October 22, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Bottle Lakes jump track | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$700.00 | | Purchased At: | Rangiora Just Bikes | | Strengths: | Great bike straight off the shelf doesnt have to be tweaked in any way except for the 6 week new bike service. Is very sturdy. Got bowled like a row of s**t cans when got hit by a 3 wheeled motorbike at 50km and all that hapened was slightly buckled front rim and bent front break lever. Also i love the lock our on the front shock. | | Weaknesses: | Personaly i think the biker is suited for biger riders as i have a size M and am 1.7m tall and i find the bike fraim to be to long so i got a shorter (but much weaker)headset fitted. Also i think the seat post is to high for the rest of the frame. On my first ride of the bike the left side off my crank fell off! this was credited to bad assembly at the bike store as the assembler had only used locktight to hold my crank together and had forgoten to tighten up the bolts. Also as the bike uses Brake lever/Derailleur-switch one piece units if you bend a brake lever you have to replace the whole unit which is $60 each! | | Similar Products Used: | Kona Stinky, Stinky Dee-lux, Haro Hotfoot, Specialised P2 | | Bike Setup: | 06 Avalanche 1.0 M | | Bottom Line: | Good bike for a beginner great off the shelf bike. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
lee weldon
a Weekend Warrior
from victorville, ca, usofa
Date Reviewed: October 7, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | mother earth | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$700.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Frame strength. Cockpit. No cables on the top tube. Hydro brakes. Bullet proof. Styling. Ergonomically perfect for tall riders over 6'. | | Weaknesses: | None yet. | | Similar Products Used: | Cannondale F400. | | Bike Setup: | Stock for now | | Bottom Line: | I have the XL frame which suits my 6'4" frame. Many bikes say they have good frames but this one is bulletproof. I did not see a 4' drop ahead on a trail and no choice. No damage and I am 250 lbs. The hydro brakes have no issues. My LBS will adjust free after 30 days. We will see how it fairs then. I plan upgrading pedals, seat, derailer, and grips for my personal tastes but for the money...this is a great bike. I did my research and had it nailed down to a handful. This one is my bet for the money. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Alan
a Cross Country Rider
from London, UK
Date Reviewed: September 25, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | 42nd Traverse (NZ), Cymcarn (UK) | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$600.00 | | Strengths: | Strong yet light, LX, Hayes discs, ok spd's. | | Weaknesses: | If was being ultra fussy would say rims and shocks but for the money no complaints. Shop assembly was sh*te (cabling, headset) - needed to tweek after a couple of weeks. | | Similar Products Used: | Avante, Specialized | | Bike Setup: | Shop | | Bottom Line: | Been riding the curb pretty hard to work in the city so has taken a pounding boucing off buses. XC-wise have come from full-sus so find initially found it a bit hard but fantastic value-for-money. Slightly buckled rear rim on some heavy landings but otherwise taking the knocks well.
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Submitted by
Aaron
a Weekend Warrior
from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date Reviewed: September 10, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Carnival | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$700.00 | | Strengths: | Being a hard tail, i was surprised at the strength this bike has. Took it off road down hilling and dirt jumping and this bike performed better than any of my friend full sussers. | | Weaknesses: | Just coming from a background with full suspension, the ride for me is a bit harsh still...but i am still getting used to riding hard tail. | | Similar Products Used: | GT Lts-3 | | Bike Setup: | Stock. | | Bottom Line: | Reccomend this bike to anyone looking for a new bike with good value and wants something strong enough to compete with bikes in the 2000-3000 USD ranges. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mat
a Weekend Warrior
from canada
Date Reviewed: August 18, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Bottom Line: | I posted a few months back when i just got my bike and it was still fresh. In the meantime i've ridden 3-4 times a week, minimum 1.5-2 hour rides each time for the last 4 months. I have used this bike in every way imaginable, took some spills, and did countless amounts of drops to flat, some being in the region of 4feet. Ive dropped off the side of hills, off dirt jumps and really abused this thing hard.
#1 i havent bent a rim
#2 i havent had any serious problems
#3 actually i havent had any problems at all
#4 did i mention this bike has no problems?
Im really impressed and if after several months of owning a bike i can still go outside and admire it and love the way it feels it must be a great bike. I highly highly recommend this thing. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Sean
a Weekend Warrior
from Arlington, VA USA
Date Reviewed: August 14, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$600.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance | | Strengths: | Components, Price | | Weaknesses: | None I can think of except the Hydraulic Disc Brakes are noisy if not tuned. | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized Stumpjumper, Rockhopper, Trek 6500 | | Bike Setup: | Stock | | Bottom Line: | Great bike for the price. The components on similar bikes would be in a much higher price range. Good bike for single track. It can take a beating. | |
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