Strengths: Versatile frame. Good for XC, bit of jumping, drops, etc. Sweet in singletrack but just at home hooning about at Chicksands, etc. Climbs well too considering a 125mm fork.
Weaknesses: Not sure the chain guide stuff is really worthwhile. Rear dropout is tight. Paint thin but hey it's a cheap frame.
Overall: Bought for a bit of "hooning-lite". Ridden Chilterns, Lakes, Wales, Chicksands, etc. Made me do stuff I'd never have done before and seems very strong and stable. Top frame for very little money.
'THE ONLY BIKE YOU WILL EVERY NEED (OR CAN AFFORD TO BUY)'
Strengths: Light and strong frame. Fantastic handling on all terrain types. Great singletrack bike. Low maintenance from a proven design.
Weaknesses: Anodised finish is not robust. Lack of rear hanger is a bit scary. £1,110 for a frame and shock!
Overall: 1000 miles in and no problems with the frame whatsoever. Swapped horrid SIDs for Zocchi X-Flys, shortened the stem and found a precise, fast, forgiving singletrack bike trying to get out.
It delivers a point and shoot ride. Forget about the bike and enjoy the trail. 400ks of road and 4ft dropoffs are all seen off with no fuss just dependable performance.
On the down side the anodising is not good. Car Racks, Cables, brushes with small animals leads to bare metal. Shock bushings are a bit cheap.
Summary: Great bike. Expensive but it will pay you back.
Strengths: Showerproof. Leaks only under extreme conditions. Very comfortable with lots of features (e.g. velco wrists etc). Light but warm. Folds up quite small as well. Good 3 season jacket
Weaknesses: Expensive for a showerproof but I only paid £40 for mine.
'Good all round tyres - shame about the red stripe!Q'
Strengths: These tyres suit most conditions. They clear mud very well (compared to the Conti and Tioga XC they replaced) and are thin for a 2.1. So far, pretty hard wearing and confidence inspiring both in the wet and the dry.
Weaknesses: That red stripe is all I can think of.
Overall: I paid £20 for a pair at BIKE 2001 and would consider paying full price next time. The key points for me was increased clearance and useability all year round. So far they performed admirably on both of these.
Strengths: Simple to adjust Lightweight Good ventilation
Weaknesses: Not a great warranty programme
Overall: My '99 was replaced by a 2000 after I broke the outer shell during a major stack. Replacement was 50% of cost which is not as good as some others. Aside from that, it saved me from a major injury and it is lightweight, really simple to adjust and all the pads are removable for cleaning. Even if I break this one, I'll still get another.
Strengths: Expanding main pocket Good selection of tools Easy to attach/detatch Waterproof with raincover Rain Cover stows in the pack
Weaknesses: Tools not great quality (reflected in the price) Die cut foam top does not stop the tools going AWOL.
Overall: A clever piece of kit that I've had for 8 months. Tool compartment holds most things you will need when out in the woods. Chain splitter especially useful and probably best quality piece of kit in there. The "mini alien" folding tool has lots of tools but not very nice quality. The small spanners and puncture repair kit can bounce out of their recess and into another part of the bag. Main compartment big enough for a tube, mobile phone, couple of energy bars and cash bag. The expanding feature is useful. The little rain bag is great at keeping all the trail mud off it but you have to remove the bag from the bike to fit it or when you want to get anything out. In summary, for £ 28 good value bag with adequate tools and a suprising amount of storage space.
Strengths: All the features you need. Especially like time riding rather than just elapsed time. Simple to use even with gloves Robust in most conditions. Water/Mud/Falling off don't seem to affect it. Clock is useful.
Weaknesses: Badly affected in cold weather. Sus. Fork/Sensor setting can be a real trial. Update time is slow. Sensor to Main unit range is a litte short. Occasional Resets for no apparent reason.
Overall: I upgraded to a cordless after buying a full suss. Although initially simple to set up, it became unreliable. Sometimes it worked for half a ride, sometimes not at all. Eventually, after moving it as high on the fork as possible and manipulating the sensor so it just passes the receive zone, it has been totally reliable. This was on the advice of the LBS/BM forum so its' obviously not a one off occurence. Also survived a heavy spill where the main unit catapulted off the mounting bracket. In summary, excellent when it works but the jurys out on reliability.
Strengths: Pump has very small footprint Solid mounting bracket Ergonomoic design Robust, simple to clean.
Weaknesses: "Lifting handle" to short to get hold of when pumping. Not always a great seal on the valve.
Overall: This is a great little pump. Takes very little room on the frame and is mounted solidly on a neat retension strap. Even with a short barrel, 45 PSI is not a huge effort on the trail. Simple to clean and almost zero maintenance - I've stripped it down once in six months but it probably didn't need it. Downside is the lifting handle that seals the pump to the valve is very short and hard to get hold of. Also the seal between pump and valve needs to be close to perpedicular otherwise the air leaks out at a rapid rate. This can be very frustrating if you have just pumped up the tube and then by trying to take the pump off you lose 10PSI. In summary, an excellent pump at a good price as long as you are careful with the pump/valve connection.
Strengths: Provide significantly more float than any other SPD. Good if you have weak/dodgy knees Simple to maintain and few parts to go wrong Excellent in mud
Weaknesses: Releasing/Engaging requires more effort than traditional SPDs Brass Cleats can be very difficult to remove
Overall: I've had mine for six months after changing from the Big S (515s I think) Excellent alternative to traditional SPD. Good value in terms of buid quality and robustness of components. Almost a "must have" product for very muddy conditions. The range of float provides a solution to those whose SPD days have been filled with pain from knee trouble.
