Reviewed by: Randy ,  Cross Country Rider , from MI

Favorite Trail:
Less than 1 month

Summary:
Plush ride,stiff frame,great geometry,I just rode Tour De Dump in SC.The trail is tight,tech and very rooty. I first did a lap with my Blur LT and then with the Monk.
The 29er was way smoother on the roots,turned as good as the Blur and seemed to climb as good as the Blur. I did one long hill over 3 times because I could not believe that the Monk could climb as good as the Blur,but it sure does.Great for a big guy. You will spend less time going over the bars and you will leave your budds on the decents.
I'm sold

Strengths:
Plush single pivot design,stiff frame,good tire clearance.

Weaknesses:
The frame could lose one pound.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Cannondale Prophet,Santa Cruz Blur LT,Giant Trance. No 29ers

Reviewed by: Kyle Asel ,  Weekend Warrior , from Peoria, AZ, U.S.

Favorite Trail:
3 months

Summary:
Great bike! With the combo of 29er wheels and 4"+ suspension really smoothes out the trail. Go see Scott and the guys at South Mountain Cycles- they know their 29ers!

Strengths:
Stable, affordable, love those 29er wheels over the rocks. Manitou spv rear suspension.

Weaknesses:
Could be a little lighter.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Surly Karate Monkey, Gary Fisher Rig

Reviewed by: Adam ,  Weekend Warrior , from Columbia, SC

Favorite Trail:
Less than 1 month

Summary:
I wanted a squishy 29er, but couldn't afford most of the options out there. This puppy fits the bill nicely. All-day trail geometry with 4.5" of rear wheel travel feels great on smooth rolling stuff. It feels like the headtube angle with a Reba on the front is just a bit too shallow for twitchy tree-weaving (esp. with 29" wheels), but you can safely assume anything coming will be easily rolled over and look further down the trail as a result. It might also just be me coming off an 80mm travel Italian race hardtail. It works out. At 6'3" the XL size fits me like a glove; friends comment that when I'm on the bike it looks (proportionally) like a normal 26" bike.

Here's where I should complain a bit about weight. It's standard 7005 aluminum - no fancy scandium or anything. The extra little linkage and groovy head tube gusseting probably add up to a couple hundred grams. In all honesty, however, it's a good-quality Taiwan frame, and I'll probably never be able to break it. I'm happy to deal with not having the raciest 4.5" bike out there... and it's still right at 30 pounds, so that works fine for me.

If you're a taller person and want a squishy 29er, this is definitely worth a good look. Five burninated peasants.

Strengths:
Stiff rear end. 29" wheels roll over anything. Surprisingly efficient suspension design. Great geometry, for me anyway. Durable & gorgeous paint job; nice finishing work, too - BB threads were perfectly clean.

Weaknesses:
Heavy (in XL size, anyway). Only one pivot uses sealed bearings. Slightly wonky cable routing near the headtube; required liberal application of frame-savin' sticky patches.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
First 29er. Rode a Bianchi Grizzly hardtail for five years and a '98 FSR with 4.5" of travel in there for a while too. This feels nothing like either.