Originally Posted by go_lefty
Welll, I guess for the price it's decent...but! It seems it's got the geometry of something you'd see more in a cross country frame, and if you -were- going to use the Bruiser for actual hardcore freeride, you'd need to upgrade most of the components.
If someone tried to use that for hardcore freeride (how ironic I really dislike both terms) that would be ridiculous. It serves the purpose of entry level. The frame could be fitted to higher end stuff and be used for mid range I suppose.
But yeah it is odd to see a 68 degree HA with a 6in travel fork. Really steep considering. My Kona Roast is slacker than that. And the ht's are 70 degrees. Thats nutty. Wonder what the heck trek was thinking. A bruiser3 with a 66 would be a sweet build though.