Strengths: Good uphill traction, Plush rear travel and fork, Powerful brakes,
Weaknesses: First frame broke under seat tube pivot Could be a bit lighter Brakes get rattly Semi slicks
Overall: I bought my Mokomoko for a bit more than 1/2 price at the end of '99 but unfortunately the frame broke after a month of riding just under the seat tube pivot. After 6 weeks of wait it was replaced with a Y2K King Kikapu frame with fox float RC shock and with a gusset where the Mokomoko had broken. The King Kikapu has been great since then, I've mainly used it in the Peak district and the suspension has been really good for rocky descents and for smoothing out more technical climbs, it holds the ground well and the lockout option is great for tarmac, not as rigid as a hardtail but with a bit of give that is nice and comfortable. The bearings have remained smooth and have no play in them so far, the shock is still in perfect condition, it does loose air slowly but only needs topping up every month or so.
The forks are very supple now after bedding in but possibly could do with a bit more travel to match the big hit capacity of the rear and a discmount would have been nice. Sealing is excellent though and they have no play, I have been inside them to change the oil and springs and they are very easy to service and came with complete service instructions.
The wheels are LX and Ritchey hubs on Mavic 221 rims the rear rim wore out after about 9 months, the LX hub has been serviced once and is still running smooth, the Ritchey hub uses cartridge bearings and these do now need replacing. The tioga semi slicks are too slidy unless the weather is perfect and it hasn't rained for about a year, I swapped them to WTB Velociraptors which are much better for riding in all conditions
The brakes are very adjustable due to the avid levers and the arch rival cantilevers are powerful but develop bushing play causing them to slop about and rattle which can be annoying for setting up the pads. The shifting is smooth but the shimano chain exploded on the first ride and was replaced with a Sachs which has done sterling work since then. The LX chainrings do wear out very fast though.
Overall a comfortable fun bike which is not superlight but is well equipped to tackle a long day in the saddle. I know the bike is no longer available precisely specced as mine but there are still deals on the Y2K models, avoid the cable discs though as these were found to be terrible!
Poor value given for RRP, see if you can get a deal. (value 4 for what I paid)
Strengths: Quite light bearings are still going after 1yr
Weaknesses: Held together with shallow phillips screws Easily clog with mud and snow. Body made of soft material
Overall: I've heard that clipping in and out is not so crisp on these than on other models but casn't comment as these are the only SPD's I've used. Initially they held very well but have trted to wear in the past couple of months with the pedal plates also coming loose, these are attached by screws whith a shallow head and are very easy to round off. In mud and snow they fill up with gunk and are hard to clip into though I haven't had any major problems with clipping out. The bearings have lasted quite well and are probably due for a service, which is complicated by the annoying recessed bolt which holds the pedal together, the socket I have is too fat to get at the bolt. The body of the pedal has become very deeply scored from rock bashes and me learning to clip in, almost through to the internals which is not good. A cheapish light Summer oriented pedal.If you want some buy the wellgo copies as from the looks of things they are exactly the same pedals for a lot less money.
Strengths: A range of pretty colours, indestructable
Weaknesses: Don't actually slow you down
Overall: I had these on my bike with cantilever brakes, which are obviously not going to be super powerful but these pads were just a nightmare, I was in the lakes doing a longish descent and they just wouldn't slow the bike down, they ended up superheating the rim which got almost too hot to touch. They were the longest lived pads I ever had and threw them away half used up as I was sick of the braking, I got some kool stop eagle claws instead and they were far better. The Aztec V pads are hard wearing and not super powerful but are nowhere near as bad as the canti pads I had.
Weaknesses: return spring weak, B tension screw easy to strip, bangs into frame due to lack of stop
Overall: The return spring gives soft shifting when the weathers nice and your cables are new but soon it degenerates as grit gets in and makes for really annoying downshift problems. I have also got an LX rear mech and that seems to have a more powerful spring in it giving better shifting. It's quite nice but unless you're bothered about saving 40grams or whatever it's probably not wotrth it.
Strengths: Good grip in wet don't move on bars cheap
Weaknesses: wear quickly, if swapping bars can be difficult to remove
Overall: A cheap grip which is good for wet weather as the diamond pattern sticky compound gives good grip even when soaked and the tight fit on the bars means that even on really soggy days it seems to stay held in place. The problem is that they don't last all that long, mine were starting to break up after 6 months and removing them proved a bit tricky even with help form GT85. So good for Winter and people who don't swap bars/controls round a lot
Overall: This saddle is the comfiest saddle I've ever had, its a bit wider than the really racy ones and isn't super padded but it has a plastic base underneath flexes slightly giving a little extra bump protection. The only problems are that it can take a while to dry out after a wet ride and the leather ripped away from the base very slightly soon after I got it, but the damage has not spread, so overall durability is good.
Strengths: Rigid, fairly light, don't cost a fortune
Weaknesses: The rings wear extremely fast
Overall: I've had these on my bike for just over a year now and have had no problems with the tapers despite the cranks being taken off several times and my not inconsiderable weight clumsily bashing down on them day in day out. The logo will dissapear within one ride but who cares? The only major probelm is the rings which were horribly mangled (3 teeth missing on middle ring) within just over 3 months of mainly Summer riding. I should hve noticed the damage but didn't check and managed to knacker my chain and cassette in the process doh! I replaced the rings with Travativ ones which seem far superior and are the same price if not cheaper than Shimano, they have lasted for about 7 months of Winter riding but do now need to be replaced. Buy them cheap and keep an eye on the rings.
Strengths: Great grip for climbing and braking, particularly in loose conditions. Cheap
Weaknesses: Slightly heavy, drags on tarmac and dry hardpack. Rear wears out long before the front.
Overall: I tend to leave these on all year round as even at the height of Summer you can usually find some slippy mud and I don't see the point of constantly swapping tyres to gain 10 seconds on your total ride time. They seem to work well on loose wet ground but not ultimate evil mud which clogs them up, they are also good on rocky terrain and the wide size gives good protection against pinch flats. They do wear faster than some other tyres but you can pick them up fairly cheaply so it's not that much of a disadvantage.
Strengths: Keeps ou the nastiness Easy to remove and wash Doen't interfere with shock action Seems poor value but if you compare it to servicing costs saved it's excellent.
Weaknesses: Holds water against shock if you're lazy and don't remove it after a wet ride
Overall: This was the best £7 spent on my bike, I'd heard the fox air shock dust seals could be a bit rubbish so as soon as I got the bike this went on. The amount of dirt it stops is amazing and I certainly wouldn't want it all knackering the seals. When you consider a full shock service is £50 and could be more if bearing surfaces are damaged by dirt £7 is a small price to pay. The excess also makes a lower headset seal which has also done sterling work.
Overall: I've had this fork for just over a year now, it is a '99 model though they are still selling variations of it. The fork has needed very little servicing and once broken in has stayed very plush. I get slightly less than 70mm travel but it is very controlled and there is a lot of range in the rebound damping and preload. The fork seems stiff (well a lot more than my old quadras)and I am fairly burly and ride over a fair bit of nasty rocky stuff. The only problems are the lack of discmount and possibly a fraction more travel.
