what is wrong with Ellsworth?
 

I"m looking to build up a hardtail, but still have interest in fs. I need to know the truth about Ellsworth, particularly the Truth. I know there are alot of posts about them and people arguing on both sides. The Truth is one frame that just grabs my attention, but I can't see spending that much $$ on something that is no good. I should state that I'm 6'2" but only 160lbs and I will not be taking the bike off any significant drops or abusing it in any way. Let me hear what you guys have to say.

go check out the ellsworth board over at mtbr.com.

they may be fine bikes, but after reading some of the threads there.........


no way i'd ever buy one.

search around and you'll understand what i mean.

Ellsworth got stuck in freeride mode. The problem is their bikes aren't actually built strong enough for freeriding (or sometimes even heavy trail riding). They have a pretty bad rep. But I would think, as long as you aren't going big, they would be ok. PErsonally, too much money for too little product.

Ellsworth makes some very nice frames. Their ICT suspension works very well.

The only two negatives that I know about them, when I was considering buying one was their chainstays were know to fail. I understand that they have remedied the situation. The second is the price. They're pretty expensive.

My buddy had one and rode it for over 3 years without a problem. He's tall and light like you and rode strictly XC with it. My guess is that people who are breaking theirs, should have probably purchased ID's or another brand since they were riding more FR than XC.

Yeah, I've been to those boards on MTBR, that is where I got alot of my doubts from. There seem to be alot of "he said, she said" going on between the company and customers.

bottom line: tony ellsworth lied about product/warrantee services, then covered it over. this is all stuff well documented over there, by several past ells owners. not someone from whom i want to buy a bike from, no matter how decent a ride.

that, and for what you get (especially in terms of post buy customer support), they seem a bit overpriced.

i'd say only go for one if you find a screaming deal, or just *have to have* that name on the downtube.

keep in mind, this is only my opinion.

What is your idea of a good ride? I also have rocky mountain and turner in mind.

Turner, Yeti, Intense, Titus and Santa Cruz all make my short list for Custom Production bikes.

Specialized, Iron Horse and Kona for Full Production bikes.

my 04 Devinci Guzzler is the same rear pivot as the Truth and thats why they cant sell it in the US anymore( according to my LOCAL BIKE SHOP) but its was a lot less expensive and tough as heck.05 Devinci is available in the US but they are a small company without a lot of dealers. I now have to travel 2+ hours to my nearest one but its worth the trip!!

Its a horst linkage. In canada they don't have to buy the patent :) They have a us model (seatstay based linkage) and a Canadian version (horst linkage)

The problem with Ellsworth stems from the owner being a pathological liar, the bogus lifetime warranty, defective designs, and horrible customer service.

Besides those little challenges, they seem to be "ok" according to folks that read their glossy ads in magazines.

Thanks alot for the info guys. I'll definitely keep all this in mind. Right now though I"m going to focus on my Rock Hound.

Well if you still want a hardtail, you could go for a Banshee. :)

http://www.bansheebikes.com/bike-morphine.html
http://www.bansheebikes.com/bike-scirocco.html

and some pics
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=30584

Banshee's over here are in the same sort of league as ellsworth, personally i didnt know about that stuff for Ellsworth, but the Banshee is an amazing bike!

Ventana is a small business that makes great frames -- all of them in house with the exception of the short-lived Pantera experiment -- and is run by a great guy, Sherwood Gibson. Sherwood also still lays down many of the welds and custom work is still available. When you call up or send an Email it's either Theresa or Sherwood who answers the phone. If there are any problems with the bikes they work with you to get it right.

Just something to consider. Well, that and it's not like everyone else is riding the brand.

My rides: Ventana Marble Peak & El Conquistador de Montanas

Ole'

Ventana makes some SICK bikes. Sherwoods and FTW top my list for welders, both are amazing. The little project with goride.com came out awesome, frame price isnt too bad either. Pimp tandem man...there was a couple with an El Conquistador at my last XC race, beautiful bike.