Schwinn 2000 Super Stock Comp

Advantages: Lightweight, Good componentry, Reliable
Disadvantages: A little front-heavy

...The Trek 6000 is part of Trek's year 2000 range, and as such is still selling in the shops now, often at a knockdown price. I managed to find mine in a sale close to the end of 2000 at £500, dropped from £625. For your money, you get an Aluminium hardtail frame, In-Sync forks, Dia Compe brakes, a chainset which is half LX half LX Deore and a smattering of Bontrager components for various other things. The frame, being an aluminium hardtail (no suspension) is nice and light and is forgiving enough to take some of the sting out of the trail. The only real criticisms here are fairly minor, there's no rear disc brake mount and on the smaller frames, it can be difficult to use a water bottle as the bottle mount is a little too far up the downtube. The In-Sync forks are OK. There's a few inches of useable travel, they don't bounce around... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Go fast up hill and even faster down
Disadvantages: Can feel abit clunky

...Specialized Epic Comp 2007. This bike is owned by my husband, and I recently trialled it as I was upgrading from a Specialized FSR Comp 2006. From reading reviews about this bike it is marketed as a XC race bike, and could be a bit twitchy on the downhill’s. Also knowing the people that I know that ride them they are all very fast and technically competent riders, so when looking into buying this bike I assumed that it would be too difficult for me to ride and that a stumpjumper would be suited to me. So on trialling both the stumpjumper and the epic and found that the epic suited me a lot better, I found that it climbed really well due to a more hardtail set up of the bike but I also found that it was really good on the downhill as well. So if you thinking about getting a new bike I definitely recommend considering an epic even... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Bombproof, it will take anything you throw at it and come back asking for more
Disadvantages: Bit on the heavy side at 40lbs but its not really an uphill bike

...I bought this bike about 3 months ago in the end of season sales for £2,000, the rrp on it was £2500. The bike is excellent, great build quality, super strong frame, takes so much abuse. The spec of the bike is superb as well, I've never seen a bike with such good components. The Marzocchi Roco rear shock is very plush and smooth through the whole travel range and still takes big hits. The Marzocchi 888 forks complement the rear shock well, they are soft in the first part of the travel but then ramp up to take the big hits. Sun Hill rims take everything you throw at them and the Shimano drive train and brakes are excellent, the shifting is crisp with no lag and the brakes will stop you on even the most vertical runs. The one downside is the weight, it is so much effort to pedal it up hills but it is defiantly worth it to ride this bike... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful