Review Date
November 6, 2009

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 5 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 0 of 5

Reviewed by: mtb101 ,  Weekend Warrior , from Melbourne Australia

Favorite Trail:
Less than 1 month

Summary:
This is my fun training bike, low maintenance, a go anywhere robust bike with the added bonus of being a sweet 29er with Cro Mo Frame. It's probably not ideal for a beginner to MTB as it does require good fitness and technical skills to steer it through the rough terrain. On the other hand if you want a great all round bike for paths/trails, this is an excellent choice.

But here's the big surprise ... on my 4.5km training circuit (switch back climbs, rocky descent, tight technical sections) this bike is as fast as my big dollar Yeti 575, it was actually 1 second slower, how's that! It seems to roll easier and what you lose due to lack of suspension downhill you make up on the climbs and rolling sections. Admittedly it takes more out of you at that level, still, shows how well designed this bike is to keep up with my Yeti. So I'm impressed so far!

Strengths:
Excellent Finish, nice styling, red anodized hubs, perfect setup for trails, well balanced component setup, excellent ride position. EBB is a good feature also. Weight is around 12.5kgs, pedaling is very efficient, accelerates well. If you have the leg strength and fitness it's a Killer Climber, handles switchbacks very well.

Weaknesses:
prone to snake bite flats - so need to go tubeless, not really a weakness, but it's tough on rough terrain as any non-suspension bike would be! So it has its limits.