Rockhopper above Sport recommended. This is a solid core for a great bike - very happy with the frame/fork. Unfortunately, the derailleur moves sideways under pressure when climbing, to the point that the gears can slip. I replaced the drivetrain, including the cranks (worked ok but didn't protect bearings from dirt), to make it a capable climber.

I ride hard trails and tech and also dh on it and I've swapped it to a 1x and better pedals and tires, I plan to upgrade the fork however none of my upgrades were completely necessary because the bike is fine how it is. I love this bike though!

If you weigh anywhere near, or over 200 LBS and ride over 20 miles an hour on trails, you will need to either upgrade the rims immediately, or after you buckle a rim. Everything else about the rim is great. The gearing is great for hill climbing and flat land riding. I only gave three stars after deducting one star for each rim that needs and upgrade.

Please re-stalk this idem quickly!

I had big falls, I smashed the front wheel, and broke the chain... no regret the best bike I had, great value for money... after 4 years of use the front suspension shows some rust marks... The easiest to climb the bike balance is fantastic... very durable... Highly recommend to change the pedals to a metal... I fitted continental city tires for long trip and I did 444miles in 4 days... not a road bike but the ability to go off road during the trip cycling trough ridgeway etc...

I was looking for a good budget hard tail to use at our local mtb park. Mainly because I simply grew out of my kona, and I also bought this bike knowing that I would replace a lot on it. But when I bought the bike, I was very surprised to find out that It really wasn't necessary to change all the parts. But I had already put a lot of money aside to change the parts, so I thought ""why not upgrade""? So I put a new fork,new pedals, new grips, new stem, new handlebars, and new cranks. But the only thing is that for someone who wants to get into mtb, these upgrades were absolutely not necessary at all! I was turning it into more of a hardcore trail bike, so for me, the upgrades were necessary. But what I love most is that I was able to do this because the bike was so easy to ""rebuild"". And It's not like I had to trash all the other parts on it. they were good enough to where I could toss them into my parts bin and put them on another bike of mine. So Yes, if you love to bike, then you will certainly love this bike!!

I ride mostly single track with some technical trails and the feel and geometry of the bike are great. I have the cobalt blue version and it is a looker as well. My only qualm is that the rims are not tubless ready but that's ok. I would definitely purchase this bike again.

Sure would be nice to have this bike if it was available. For a future SPECIALIZED new consumer and brand loyalist.

Purchased a Medium 29er after getting back into MTB. Used on trails, bike park downhill tracks and pump track. Brilliant looks, light , great brakes, and it takes jumps well although there was a disclaimer on forks which wasn't listed on the web specs. Totally upgradable no need to go up to the next few models. My only criticisms would be regarding the gears. The ratio for fast riding on flat is a bit too low and when changing down on steep climbs, it's not so slick: there's an unnerving clunk as the chains moves from one cog to the next after a quarter pedal turn

I'm 6'6"". I stopped mountain biking in high school because I got too tall for my XL bike and I started having back problems. I bought a XXL model a month ago. Wish I would have found this 15 years ago. I've ridden and progressed more in the past month then I ever have. Why did I give a 4? Seat tube is super tight even with the quick release fully loosened. You have to stand on the pedal, twist the seat post back and forth as you adjust it up and down. (Which you have to do a lot since there's no dropper post included)