Submitted by TheDeanOfDirt - 12/22/2009 8:00:07 AM
Pros:
Lightweight. Romic shock is great when you match the spring to your weight. Reliable. Tough.
Cons:
135mm dropout only. Not as stiff as a 150mm rear end. Cannot handle a fork any taller than a 170mm Junior T or else it gets raked out like a chopper and ends up with very poor handling. Brake Jack.
Time Used:
More than 2 years
Comments:
Great for Drops, Dirt Jumping, any technical stuff you can throw at it. Climbs very well and the anti-bob suspension is great. It is a poor handling trail bike though. Maybe it is the steep head angle, I don''t know. I found it hard to keep a line with this bike on the trails and I always had to constantly correct the steering. I only have a 150mm single crown. This would be the perfect freeride bike if it had a 150mm rear axle and a floating brake. Slap on a 888 ATA, bring the travel down to 170mm, give it a 150mm rear and a floating brake - you would have the perfect beast hands down.
Rating:
Recommendation:
No I would not recommend it to a friend
Submitted by slobert - 9/26/2007 1:39:37 AM
Pros:
simple lightweight long travel rig.
BURLY
Beautiful craftmanship.
Cons:
2.5 tires rub slightly on swimgarm
Time Used:
1 Year
Comments:
after riding a friends bullit and seeing the beauty of a long travel single pivot frame, I found a joker to build up as my downhill freeride bike. Well I loved it so much, I got rid of my other bikes and built up another joker so I have two. That way I can lend one to a friend and I have one ready to go if I am working on one of them. This bike is THE ONE bike you need unless you are racing. It is light for a long travel bike and I do 30 mile rides with 3000 feet of climbing so it is up to epic rides if you are. Sure it bobs alittle if you hammer, but the burly simplisity of the single pivot is soooo worth it. I am a 270 pound clydesdale and these bikes are holding up no problem with no squeeks or creeks. I bought this bike just to be a sturdy trail bike, but it is sooo capable and fun that I am turning into a downhill and freeride junky, but I can ride up the hill...no shuttle needed with this bike. (ok so I shuttle sometimes...sue me) any ways this is the best ride I have ever had.
Rating:
Recommendation:
Yes I would recommend it to a friend
Submitted by Michael - 6/6/2006 11:36:57 PM
Pros:
KILLLLLER!!! This rig is to freeride bikes as Black Sabbath is to heavy metal. When you get on a bike and can ride a wheelie with no effort for nearly a block. Amazing. Set up a a lighter weight freeride bike, the single pivot suspension is simple and works perfectly. THe Black anodized frame with the wicked JOKER on it, way cool. Fox 40 fork, Maviv 729 rims, Hadley hubs, Full SRAM components 18 speed for the necassary climbs, Hoss cranks, Crank Bros 50 platform pedals, This is the way to go.
Cons:
NOT a THING This bike is just perfect in sooo many ways. If it gave BJs it would be the all time greatest bike.
Time Used:
Just Once
Comments:
These frames are available for less than ever now. Buy one and build it up. What's up with the cross country action, this frame is meant to Freeride.
This bike can hit everything you put in front of it, the only hold back would be the rider. This is one bad ass boutique bike. Don't buy this bike if you're going to pussy foot around the local park trails. It would be an insult to the men and women of ELLSWORTH. But if you have kinda small balls now, have no fear because after getting on this ride and pushing yourself a bit you'll have a noticable difference in the size of your Boyz.
Rating:
Recommendation:
Yes I would recommend it to a friend
Submitted by Ming - 11/14/2004 7:03:43 PM
Pros:
-Low Ctr of Gravity
-Light Freeride frame (this is not a XC racer, and not meant to be)
- 7" of rear travel
- Well thought out simple design
- great all mtn or freeride bike
- great bang for the buck
- anodized frame
- Anti-bob rear suspension design that works. Romic rear shock complements the design
Cons:
- exposed frt mounting bolt on rear shock
Time Used:
Less Than A Month
Comments:
I would highly recommend this bike to anyone. The Joker begs to be thrown headlong into all obstacles, jumps, drops and downhills. No excuses with this bike! If you can't ride the obstacle it's not the bike's fault.
As for price, its worth every penny. If you do some shopping and compare apples to apples you soon come to the conclusion that this boutique bike is real value for the money, relatively speaking.
Why? Well it's a single pivot design so there are less squeaks rattles and other things to oil/fix. My model is 2004 and comes with 7 inches rear travel and a 1.5 inch head tube for longer travel single crown forks without the weight of a triple crown set-up. The anodized finish and years of revisions to the frame design will make your 2005/05 purchase a no brainer, it's bullet proof.
Lastly because of the relative light weight and ample travel it makes for a fantastic All Mountain bike which you can ride on single track or at Whistler. It truly can be your one bike.
Con: I would recommend you be at least an intermediate rider with some half descent fitness and skills. It's the kinda bike that works best for someone who is finding there current light cross country rig a little boring.
mg
Rating:
Recommendation:
Yes I would recommend it to a friend
Submitted by Allen - 6/16/2004 6:49:25 PM
Pros:
WICKED BIKE!!!! EVERYTHING WAS SWEET!!
Cons:
one con, the pedals, anyone who is buying this bike beware, buy shin guards, i have 10 stitches in my leg from thos babies, and i was only hitting a 4 ft ledge.
Time Used:
Just Once
Comments:
SWEET BIKE!!!! Get shinguards
Rating:
Recommendation:
Yes I would recommend it to a friend
Submitted by vegasnetguy (hey its a aol thing) - 1/19/2003 5:19:26 PM
Pros:
nice frame, very responsive, good action, great uphill action, a great freeride bike.
Cons:
it weighs more than the deals say it did. The frame weighs in at 7.2lb not 6.8
Time Used:
1 Year
Comments:
this is a great jumping bike, my first ride was a 36 mile x country ride. Let me tell you how much it sucked. My last bike was a sworks it was light. Even with being equiped with xtr it still weighs in at 30 + pounds. But the bike was great. My second ride was some killer urban / extreme downhill riding, the bike handled perfectly. I'm glad i dropped the 4k on this bike....
Rating:
Recommendation:
Yes I would recommend it to a friend
Submitted by vegasnetguy (hey its a aol thing) - 1/19/2003 5:18:50 PM
Pros:
nice frame, very responsive, good action, great uphill action, a great freeride bike.
Cons:
it weighs more than the deals say it did. The frame weighs in at 7.2lb not 6.8
Time Used:
1 Year
Comments:
this is a great jumping bike, my first ride was a 36 mile x country ride. Let me tell you how much it sucked. My last bike was a sworks it was light. Even with being equiped with xtr it still weighs in at 30 + pounds. But the bike was great. My second ride was some killer urban / extreme downhill riding, the bike handled perfectly. I'm glad i dropped the 4k on this bike....
