Strengths: Bright enough to get you off road.Bottle mount battery.Useful remote switch.Price. I now have a Blacburn X3 and though better finished and more user freindly it is 3 times the price but not 3 times as good.Lots of spares available.Easy to upgrade bulbs.
Weaknesses: Dodgy connectors,switch. Finish is a bit cheap.Heavy battery.Need to use 10w off road.Run time not that long.
Overall: For £45 they made the difference between me getting out on a winters night or staying in! For that I reckon they deserve an award!
Strengths: Good run time,quick to charge,smart charger keeps battery in condition and ready to go,very nicley finished,neat design,nice strong white beam,strobe mode great for impromptu raves or riding in traffic.Battery can be put anywhere.Comes with helmet mount. Neat bar mount. Good enough for low speed off road use. Well sealed leads with good terminals to prevent them coming loose.
Weaknesses: Could do with the flood from the x6 for tricky off road stuff,battery looks bulky(not actually that heavy). Make sure you run and recharge once before you use it in anger.Only runs for about 1/2 hour on first charge,but fine after that. Replacement battery is £90!
Overall: Whist lacks the punch of HIds its very user friendly,and good enough for all but the most demanding off road excursions.
Strengths: Compact,light,good visibility,Easy to remove.
Weaknesses: Affected by water the first day I had it.Light would not turn off.Then managed to turn off using a key to push the button in very firmly.Switch/contact area obviously not weatherproof.Still wrks but can only be switched on by sticking a screwdriver in the switch!
Overall: Good design,but need to make sure its waterproof.
Strengths: Excellent frame,Good wheelset,reasonablefinishing kit,worthy of future upgrades Lockout and rtwd trael adjustment on fork very handy if you have to ride on the road a lot. Very responsive,will be very quick once I swap to summer treads. Very comfy WTB speed v saddle
[Update 27/10/06] Excellent frame and geometry,riding postion absolutely spot on. Good wheelset,reasonable Giant branded finishing kit,good basis for future upgrades Lockout and rtwd travel adjustment on fork very handy if you have to ride on the road a lot. Very responsive.Very quick once I swapped to Schwalbe Nobby Nic/Racing Ralph tyres,which also saved 1.3lbs in the process. Light frame so potential to make it a lot lighter.
Weaknesses: Heavy tyres,drag when road riding,could be a bit lighter,seatpost not long enough.(swapped to a 350mm Easton EA50 post) Rear end bit harsh on rough ground.
[Update 27/10/06] Heavy OE Kenda tyres,although grippy drag when road riding,could be a bit lighter,seatpost not long enough,if you are at the top end height wise for your frame size.(swapped to a 350mm Easton EA50 post) Rear end a bit harsh on rough ground,with OE tyres,though tamed a bit by the more supple Schwalbes. Had bad experience of Manitou forks previously,although thus far the Splice Supers have been fine. Would really like to swap to a pair of much better and lighter RS Rebas,some time soon though. Giant MPH brakes harder to source pads,spare parts for than Shimano. Clunky looking chainset,although works well enough.(Will be sawpping for LX integrated,eventually.)
Overall: Been very happy with mine,especially considering I got mine for £530 rather than the £750 list price.Can`t think of any other hardtail to touch it for the money.
[Update 27/10/06] Been very happy with mine,especially considering I got mine for £530 rather than the £750 list price.Great bike for the money,but also good enough to upgrade and to make into a serious lightweight weapon! Can`t think of any other hardtail to touch it for the money.
Weaknesses: Not good for wide feet.You may need to buy a size bigger than normal.Not very waterproof for winter riding.TRY A PAIR ON IN THE SHOP IF YOU ARE BUYING OVER THE NET!
Overall: Good value shoes.Even more so if you get them from www.ultimatepursuits.co.uk where they can be had for just £30.
