Epinions Recent Reviews for aliasfox

Half the $ of XT, Much More Than Half the Performance

Sat, 21 Jul 2001 16:17:49 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author aliasfox - I'm not a particular fan of the Shiamno line of components, but I have to hand it to them: They really hit the performance-price point with LX. While the performance is not quite up to par with XT, SRAM ESP 9.0 or the benchmark XTR, it is still quite...

It's Just Shimano Marketing

Fri, 13 Jul 2001 16:59:18 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author aliasfox - Simano makes eight levels of mountain bike components. The high end, of course, is for racers and hardcore folk who really need decent performance. The low end is for unsuspecting buyers in department stores or looking for low end shop bikes. These...

Big Thick Book With a Big Thick Plot

Fri, 22 Jun 2001 11:13:29 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author aliasfox - Rainbow 6 is a person, not a group. Rainbow 6 runs Rainbow, a top secret multi-national anti-terrorist group, not unlike the Green Berets. The two teams that are trained in the book are made up of former FBI, SAS, Green Berets and so on. Even though this...

Kinda Like the Girl in Pretty Woman

Fri, 22 Jun 2001 03:19:19 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author aliasfox - Kinda Like the Girl in Pretty Woman: Good Looking, but pretty darn unrefined.

Face it: the old Ford Taurus was butt ugly. The front lights looked utterly bug like, and the dashboard was so “revolutionary” it was confusing. The new Taurus...

White Knight For the Poorer Amongst Us

Thu, 21 Jun 2001 07:07:27 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author aliasfox - I was amazed when I first saw the new iBook on the web. Very sleek and very white, it is a stark contrast to the neon toilet seat that it replaces (I usually love Apple products, but I had to say no to the old iBook). I was somewhat less amazed when...

Flying the Disgusting and Cramped Skies

Mon, 14 May 2001 18:13:17 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author aliasfox - Until recently, United Airlines offered (relatively) edible gunk, average size seats, and a halfway decent entertainment selection. Now even that is taken away from us.

When flying coach, you kinda get the feeling that you're packed somewhat tighter...

Everything but the bike

Mon, 19 Feb 2001 01:38:23 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author aliasfox - Just in case you are wondering, I buy this magazine four or five times a year, the rest of the time I go to the library, as our local one carries this mag.

Bicycling is one of the few magazines that I know that caters to both the road biking...

2001 Jamis Dakota XC: A Great Set of Wheels, at the Cost of Suspension

Sat, 17 Feb 2001 15:46:07 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author aliasfox - 2001 Jamis Dakota XC

Last year’s Jamis Dakota was an awesome deal. However, this year, Jamis had to cut out some of the high component spec to scrape up enough funds for a new pair of Mavic CrossRoc wheels.

The Frame
...

The Red Hot Dragon

Fri, 16 Feb 2001 20:25:25 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author aliasfox - Wow.

I have no idea why Jamis isn't a bigger company. It should be, especially with bikes like this one. Also, this is a review on the 2001 Jamis Dakota, not the 2000 model.

Frame

While other companies are spending...

Buy a Hydropack, Just Not This One

Wed, 14 Feb 2001 20:15:35 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author aliasfox - I've owned and used the Camebak Hydrobak for more than one biking season, and I can tell any rider who is semi serious that the transition from a waterbottle to a hydropack is definetly worth it. Just don't get this one.

The Problems With...

Low Cost, Low Performance

Tue, 13 Feb 2001 16:25:03 GMT
rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author aliasfox - This pump is reliable and easy to use. It is also one of the cheapest pumps on the market.

The Topeak Mini Master Blaster is a minimalist pump to save some weight (It weighs less than the etremely powerful Topeak Morph pumps), but to save those 10...

2000 Mars1: Budget Breakthrough for a Newbie in Air

Mon, 12 Feb 2001 19:03:11 GMT
rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author aliasfox - Just a few notes on this fork before I go on: this fork is not a road fork, like Epinions says, and is the older 2000 edition, not the pretty white 2001 Mars that their pictures show.

Okay, enough with the secretarial matters, and on with the fork...

I Beg to Differ, Green: An opinion on the 2001 Giant XTC SE1

Thu, 8 Feb 2001 22:24:02 GMT
rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author aliasfox - Of course corners have to be cut to cut the cost of this bike. Green unfairly rates the frame of this bike a 2 out of 5. I disagree. While the frame of this bike no where approaches the level of refinement of a Klein or Schwinn Homegrown, it does have...

It's good, but needs polish

Sun, 28 Jan 2001 16:10:29 GMT
rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author aliasfox - A good concept that can be improved.

The gary Fisher Sugar 1 started a chain reaction when it was introduced in late 1999: not only was it relatively fast, but it's suspension was more efficient than all out our bar linkages, and it was also...

You Get What You Pay For

Sat, 9 Dec 2000 18:12:38 GMT
rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author aliasfox - My dream wheelset came true a few weeks ago, as my custom wheelset (Chris King Hubs, these rims) was shipped to my door. After a few rides and an after purchase truing (that should always be done to ensure that the spokes are properly seated and the hub...

Very Good Grip

Sat, 9 Dec 2000 17:54:03 GMT
rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author aliasfox - Not all tires are good. Some are squirrelly, and some hate turns or wet logs. Not this tire. The Wildgripper Lite S rear has Michelin Silica or what have you compound in it's tread, making the tread very, very sticky. My old tires used to skip around on...

Perfection in a Tube of Aluminum

Sun, 26 Nov 2000 23:42:07 GMT
rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author aliasfox - 330mm. Thirteen inches. Thirteen Inches of beautifully sculpted, incredibly engineered 7000 series aluminum. CAD/CAM designed aluminum, butted to save weight. This post saves weight alright, for I have yet to see an over 300mm post weigh as little as...

For the One Bike Racer

Sun, 26 Nov 2000 19:02:05 GMT
rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author aliasfox - Why do I say that the Answer Manitou SX-R is the fork for the one bike racer? Because this fork has the unique combination of attributes that doesn't set it too far behind sub 3 lbs air forks, and sets it quite a bit ahead of heavy absolute nonracer type...

8000 for 2001: Much Improved

Sun, 19 Nov 2000 13:40:25 GMT
rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author aliasfox - For $1150, This bike is a much better bike than the 1999 model, and a significant improvement over the 2000 model, as well.

I rated the 1999 Trek 8000 with two stars. It was a generic, bland very un-outstanding bike. With a mediocre frame and...

Almost Race Worthy, Good Trainer

Tue, 17 Oct 2000 22:43:14 GMT
rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author aliasfox - Fisher Xcaliber 1999

A very good bike fore training and good enough for a muddy race

Long travel hardtails, to me, are an oxymoron. Sure, you have a 100 mm travel fork up front, but you also have nothing under your but except for...

Relies a Bit on it's Name

Tue, 10 Oct 2000 00:21:05 GMT
rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author aliasfox - The original G20 that ended it's run in 1996 was a good car. Not outstanding, but a good all around performer that was sporty but had no trouble with around town jaunts and trips to the grocery store and the laundromat. This car, to take a phrase from...

Point Being...

Sun, 8 Oct 2000 21:32:42 GMT
rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author aliasfox - Get a hardtail.

A soft-tail (softail) is a hardtail frame that is altered to have chainstay flex and be able to support the addition of a rear shock. The result? A bike that has about one inch of travel.

The Frame

I...

Well Rounded, But Could Be Better

Sun, 8 Oct 2000 19:38:09 GMT
rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author aliasfox - Rockhopper A1 FS

A great bike, but there isn’t enough to differentiate this bike from it’s $100 less cousin, the Rockhopper FS.

After deleting the Rockhopper FS, the A1 FS remains as the lowest priced Rockhopper, at $700. While...

Nice Package

Sun, 8 Oct 2000 19:32:25 GMT
rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author aliasfox - An elegant an inspiring package. A superb entry in the $600 market.

For $600, there are a wide variety of hardtails on the market. But, there are only a select few steel hardtails out there. Of those, the Rockhopper FS is a very good deal, no...

Value spelled G-I-A-N-T

Sat, 17 Jun 2000 01:16:47 GMT
rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author aliasfox - Not too long ago, $1300 brought you barely into the world of racing mountain bikes. Just barely. Mediocre frame and components kept the performance level down and the weight up. No more. For aspiring racers or for people who need to go fast, the Giant...