M532 Chainset + external Bottom Bracket

Advantages: built in external BB, good quality
Disadvantages: None

......

KitsuneAndy 19.04.2008 · Read review
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Review of Shimano M532 Deore 2 Piece Design Chainset, 9-Speed - 44/32/22T

GT Aggressor XC2

Advantages: Light, nice ride, good brakes
Disadvantages: Chain should have shield,brakes bit squeeky,only availible from halfords

...I brought this as my last bike, a saracen, died on me, it was really in a terrible mess! I brought this for £400 in Halfords, which is a pretty good deal for what you get. The technician was very helpful in there, otherwise I probably would have brought a bike from a Local Bike Store. So, what do you get for your £400 here? Well, a light and strong bike, with hyrdaulics, 24 gears, thick tyres, nice wheels with strong spokes. "GT Triple Triangle Aluminium frame with butted tubes Suntour XCR 100mm travel fork with hydraulic rebound damping and on the fly lock-out Tektro Auriga Comp hydraulic disc brakes 180/160mm rotors Shimano Deore/ Alivio 24 speed gearing Truvativ Isoflow chainset Tioga Factory XC tyres WTB SX24 rims SDG Bel Air saddle GT over size bar and stem" All in all, a good bike for you money. So far, been so good...

joefireline 19.02.2008 · Read review
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Review of GT Aggressor XC2 Mountain Bike

Smooth

Advantages: smooth and tough
Disadvantages: £600

...The xcr 4000 I drive is the smoothest fully suspended MTB I have ever had the good fortune to ride. It is the I drive system that gives this bike a long travel suspension ride that moves well and is clever enough not to sap any of your forward energy as you ride. I have used this bike on road and off road in both the dry and wet and the I drive has never let me down. The price you pay includes shimano deore chainset and shift. judy front shocks and vanilla fox rear. The package is strong yet light and is therefore excellent value. The balance of the bike is spot on. It is the comfort of the bike that will sell it to most. If you only have £600 to spend on a mountain Bike then this is the best value you will find....

cabletow 07.05.2001 · Read review
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Review of GT XCR 4000 I Drive

Shimano Dura Ace Rear Mech (RD-7700-SS)

Advantages: Top of the range "bling" rear mech
Disadvantages: 9 speed "only", superceeded by RD-7800 10-speed version

...I bought this rear derailleur to replace an Ultegra mech when upgrading my bike from 8 to 9-speeds (well, 16 to 18 speed really with my double front chainset). Apparently, this mech is also compatible with 8-speed systems, you just need to change the cable mounting position. Dura Ace is the name of Shimano's top of the range group of bicycle components, or "groupset", for road race bikes, and the 9-speed 7700-series was introduced to the public in 1997 after Shimano sponsored riders using Dura-Ace 7700 series equipped bikes in 1996. Year by year, it's been enhanced, and this review is of rear mech from the 2004 model year. For the non-bike-ophiles among you, the rear mech (or mechanism) is the device at the back end of the bike that moves the chain across the muliple cogs (cassette) on the back wheel to change gear - bigger cog...

matt_fantastic 07.04.2006 (10.04.2006) · Read review
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Review of Shimano DuraAce

excellent buy

Advantages: good for off-roading
Disadvantages: no rear suspention

...you get an Aluminium hardtail frame, In-Sync forks, Dia Compe brakes, a chainset which is half LX half LX Deore and a hell of a lot of other components for various other things. The frame which is an aluminium hardtail (with 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. apart from that i'm quite impressed. Its great for offroading, and not too dificult to clean afer a muddy day out. especially for the price....

andrewfenwick 19.01.2001 · Read review
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Review of Trek 6000 MTB

The best bike I have ever ridden

Advantages: Lightweight, superb frame, superb wheels
Disadvantages: Wheelset spares less commonly available

...I have been a mountain bike enthusiast and have raced at National level for a number of years and this is by far the best bike that I have ridden, and the only one that I have been so happy with that I have 'refurbished' it rather than replaced the entire machine after a couple of years. The frame is about as light as they get, and gives a responsive but not punishing ride. The bike excels up and downhill, and is fun and flicky in the singletrack. The groupset, being predominantly Shimano XT as per usual, is flawless, and the supporting inhouse branded Icon chainset, seatpost, stem and handlebars are top notch. The only think I had to really upgrade with when it came out of the shop is a pair of bar ends. The SID forks are not the plushest out there, but they are reasonably light. The wheelset is a strong part of the spec: it is light...

mas12779 03.06.2003 · Read review
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Review of Trek 8500

FSR-XC comp - after 15 months of ownership

Advantages: Great Value, great suspension, good alround bike
Disadvantages: Slightly weighty, not much else!

...is spot-on - It has got me out of a number of situations where on my old MTB I would have stacked it. Drivetrain has been a little bit hit and miss - in particular the rear mech, but a new rear mech cable has sorted the problem out (one of the teflon coated inners), and the rest of it I can't fault. The one draw back it has is that it is slightly on the heavy side, particularly noticible on long fire-road climbs, but to be honest, for £1000 you expect something that can be improved. I've set about this and have just purchased a new XT rear mech and Cassette - hopefully XT hollowtech II chainset/BB will follow, which will help greatly in this regard, as have the Kenda kevlar tyres - I recomend them too!...

mapeimark 07.03.2007 · Read review
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Review of Specialized FSR XC Comp

Specialized Roubaix- Rolls royce for bikes

Advantages: Very good looking bike with all the top components
Disadvantages: very high price. Handlebars arent very comfortable

...As specialized bikes go this needs little introduction. At first look it is a fantastically attractive bike with its red, black and white paint work. The version i own is the roubaix s-works SL which is definetly the best bike i have bought although i did have to pay £3000 for it. It comes with a very strong and sturdy Carbon frame and forks and weigh's about 17lb. The groupset is shimano dura-ace 10 speed with a specialized chainset. Ive done about 300 miles on mine and i still absolutly love it. I havent raced on it yet but am definetly going to road race it this year. I have changed the saddle for a Selle Italia saddle because the one that is supplied seems very stiff and when you cycle on long journeys i have found it to be very uncomfortable. The frame itself is very compact and has a very fashionable bend in it and you definetly...

lewis_uk12000 10.01.2009 · Read review
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Review of Specialized Bicycle Roubaix Pro

A good buy if you can still find them

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...

Pritch 18.01.2001 (17.01.2001) · Read review
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Review of Trek 6000 MTB

IDEAL FOR LIGHT RECREATION, ROAD USE

Advantages: Good price, Good looking frame, Smooth disc brakes
Disadvantages: Front Suspension Fork is very poor, esp for off road use

.../cycling to work when everyone else sees sense! Right down to the specs of the bike, here they are Frame: Trek Alpha SL aluminium Forks: RST Gila T7 80mm travel with adjustable preload Gears: Shimano FD-C050 front and Shimano Alivio rear derailleurs Shifters: Shimano EF50 Chainset: SR CW7-XCT-T102 with 42s/34s/24s tooth chainrings Brakes: Tektro 845AL Wheels: Bontrager Camino rims built on Joytech front and Shimano RM60-8 rear hubs Bontrager Connection Trail Handlebars: Bontrager Crowbar Sport Stem: Bontrager Sport 25d Saddle: Bontrager Select ATB Seatpost: Bontrager Sport mm The only real downfall of the 4300 is the front suspension forks, these are of poor quality, if used in only moderate off road, its destined to break, I checked out forums before I purchased the bike, there were people...

MILLSY99 13.09.2007 (17.10.2007) · Read review
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Review of Trek 4300 Disc