Does anyone have some info (pros/ cons) on these 2 bikes?? I'm not going to race, just some good ole' Missouri singletracks and stuff like that. Is the Ferrous overly heavy? Not that I'm a weight snob, just don't want a sluggish ride. Any pics would help. Does the color look any better on the Ferrous in person??
Thanks to all that help...

if you know ox platinum ... ferrous is the way to go ... aluminum is nice ... but the ferrous is almost like a soft-tail ... I just built mine up and it's just awe inspiring ... it reminds me of my purple bontrager OR which i still own ... but with fork i always wanted on my bontrager. A three to four inch travel fork ... let's me do stupid things with my bike I would not attempt with my mag21.

anywho ... yeah the ferrous kills ... the ferrous makes me happy ... the ferrous makes me smile.

--Drew

ps. the color is pastely deep baby blue .. and it's great.

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :eekster: :eekster: :eekster: :eekster: :eekster: :eekster: :eekster: :eekster: :eekster: :eekster: :eekster: :D

I was concerned when I bought my Ferrous that I would not enjoy it since I was used to a 4" travel FS bike. After 800 miles on the Ferrous in the first month, I sold the old FS on Ebay. Not only did I not miss the rear suspension, I just purchased a rigid Switchblade on the front to replace the Reba.

The bike is great. It is a bit heavy but still rides like a dream. The cornering and climbing on the Ferrous way exceed the performance of my old bike.

As far as the color goes. It grows on you. People comment and drool over the bike wherever I ride.

Buy it, (if you can find one).

I dont know about the 29er ferrous but the 26 inch frame is a tank. Stupid heavy. Like 6 pounds.

I have a 17.5 frame weighs in around 5 pounds. I built her up and have had a blast ... she weighs in at around 25 and change ... 2x9 setup will post pics when I have time. not bad a for a steel geared 29er. i do have some light stuff i.e. pedals magic cranks marta sl.

--Drew

I own an '06 X-Cal - love the bike and got it at a great price. HOWEVER, if I had to do it all over again and had the dough to make it happen, I would pick up a Ferrous. (Provided I could find a 19" frame! I hear they are difficult to come by.)

At first the baby-blue color turned me off, but when I saw one in person I changed my mind about it. If you want to save some money the X-cal is not a bad ride by any stretch of the imagination. But I would go Ferrous if it fell within budget.

Instead of the Ferrous I picked up two bikes, the X-Cal and a 2007 Jamis Sputnik (http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/bikes/07_bikes/sputnik.html). Are two bikes better than one?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't the Paragon be more in the same price range as the Ferrous? Or is it an availability thing rather than a $$ thing.

As far as weight goes, unless you're super sensitive you usually feel sluggishness in the wheels and tires far more than in the frame. Personally, I wouldn't care much about a pound of weight difference in the frame. But then again, I'm not a serious racer.

It has come down to availability now. The Ferrous would be a dream, BUT nowhere to be found in my size. Yes the Paragon is the same price range- It's now between the Paragon & Xcal. Hopefully can get a good deal on either. (know somebody) Just not sure about the breaks on the Paragon.I think I'd be happier w/ the BB7's.Dunno, mabee I'm rushing this but I NEED a bike. Mine was stolen at the begging of last summer and I havn't riden since. I'd take what I can get now.....

But the Ferrous 29 is a magic bike. Great feel, spot on handling and durable as hell.

Don't forget the Xcal has the Genesis geometry, but the Ferrous 29 has the 'race day' Geo.

This is the best 1700 i ever spent. I have had it since May, very happy with it.

So nice I sold my superlight, and Almost never ride the 5 inch trail bike (kona Dawg)

Good luck

The Ferrous is a great bike. I love mine ! There is nothing like a steel bike . The only thing that took some getting use to was rolling over stuff that would stop a 26er!

I want a Ferrous 26 !
anyone in the Pacific NW seen one in a 21" in a showroom?
Fisher is done sold out

I want a Ferrous 26 !
anyone in the Pacific NW seen one in a 21" in a showroom?
Fisher is done sold out


Why would you want an XL in 26"? 29ers are MADE for L/XL people. You can argue the merits at the mediums and smaller but for anyone riding lg or xl frames it is a no brainer.

26 vs 29 performance charactaristics are all trade offs...except.

Fit fit fit and stability without handling penalty for us big guys. ymmv but that is imho.

G

Just want to know from someone who owns a Ferrous,
Does the EBB make noise like most of the ebb alloy frames?
And would you consider the bike leans more towards a quick
steerer, or a stable ride. I can only order them where I live no
chance to try before I buy.

So far so good ! not even a squeak. the only noise I had came from the cranks:madmax: . My lbs fixed that with a sweet Hone crankset.:thumbsup:

Just want to know from someone who owns a Ferrous,
Does the EBB make noise like most of the ebb alloy frames?
And would you consider the bike leans more towards a quick
steerer, or a stable ride. I can only order them where I live no
chance to try before I buy.

Had mine for a month now and will add to the praise that's been given - I love it. To comment on the geo, I had a SIR 9 for awhile and could never get used to the feel and geometry of it. The Ferrous fits like a glove - likely because I'v owned Fishers in the past and liked em. Not meant to dis on the Niner - nice ride but not for me. Also not meant to be a dis on the niner but the Fisher feels less flexxy in the back end - the niner truly felt like a softail and a little squirmy.

Its handling is right between "stable" and "sharp'" I prefer stable so I run my reba at 100. You can sharpen it up with shorter travel or with a shorter axle to crown rigid fork. I believe the head angle is like the other hardtails at 71.5 degrees.

The EBB has not creaked on me.

Bottom line: I love this thing. Goes up great, goes down great. Haven't tried SS yet. Was going to get a FS 29er but instead will likely just pimp out this thing. :) :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

I'll assume the X-Cal rides the same as the Rig. Having made that assumption, I like the way my Ferrous rides compared to the Rig/X-Cal. With the Reba the Rig felt steady, but it wasn't as responsive as the Ferrous with the Reba. Granted, I only had the Reba on the Ferrous for 45 trail miles at 24/9. I do prefer the feel of the Bontrager Switchblade on both the Fig and the Ferrous. Unlike others I've been running my Ferrous as a single speed since it was a warranty replacement for my Rig.

To me the Ferrous rides "lighter" compared to the Rig. My best comparison would be the ride difference between my SL tubed Serotta and my 531 tubed Triumph. Both were light steel but the geometry was vastly different. The Serotta has a longer top tube and 74 degree seat and head angles. The Triumph is a copy of traditional Italian road geometry, short-ish top tube 72.5 seat angle and 73 head angle. Both climbed well and in a straight line it was a wash. But when I needed to move through a peloton, cornering and sprinting the Serotta was the weapon of choice.

The Reg vs Ferrous is like that. Open single track and climbing is a wash. Unless I'm weaving around riders, rocks and trees as fast as my fat as s can go the I'll take a Ferrous.

In case anybody wants to know Gary Fisher has 3 XL ferrous' right now. They don't have any larges though. Get them while you can, b/c they won't last long. I ordered mine yesterday.

We have a 19" in stock right now - you can take a look at the website on our 29er page.

Scott

Just put my money down on a new 26" Ferrous, have to wait 2 weeks to get it.
I have an 4 inch XC fsr but just wanted a hard tail again. So will put in my review
in a couple months, as not much talk on the 26" version. I'm only about 5'.9" and
prefer the smaller wheels.
Thanks for the advice.

Well the Ferrous didn't happen for me. The distributor seems to want the bike for himself.
So I had a ride on the LBS owners bike Trek 9.9 elite and he sold that to me. Full XTR including wheelset.
Its really comfortable not to mention fast. I guess I just have to get with the times
because this carbon bike is by far the best thing I have ever been on.!