Specialized P3
 

Hey I want some opinion on the P3, is it more of a street bike than a mountain bike? What do you think of it? Thanks

street bike? do you know what the P series is for???

The P3 will do well in either situation. I have one myself. Better suited for bigger drops and dirt jumping but with the right seatpost you can actually make it a worthy trailbike. but if you crave urban assaults and big gaps and drops and you love the sh** out of hardtails then this is the bike for you. The standover is none too high, but the reach is just right. excellent for really technical stuff that hangs you out over the back tire. great for balance too.

I had a 2000 model P.3, great bike, great jumper, the handling in the air was amazing. A very well balanced bike in the air.

I also used it for some of the shorter XC trails. It can be ridden as a decent trailbike, but it's not it's intended purpose.

L8R

The P series was designed purposely to fill the gap in specialized range.... they were made for dirt jumping and trials riding.... not trails..

Alright if your lookin for a hella good street bike and you want a P. then take a look at the new 2004 P.Street. Its got dual 24in wheels, semi-slick tires, gyro for bar spins, singlespeed with a grind plate and an 80mm marzocchi Z1. Its also got some quality mtb parts like truvative holzfeler cranks, bars, and stem. Sick as hell and its cheap too.

Thanks for the replies. Well I love trail riding and wouldnt mind doing drops and things like that. I'm not sure whether I should get a hardtail or fs. I've been riding a hardtail for about 3 years but did nothing really serious. Now I am ready for something better. I set myself a $1500 limit.
Thanks again!

The P1-3 are very good on trails too. If you have $1500 to spend get the P3, its BURLY!

you might also want to look at the bikes on unrealcycles.com. ben, who runs the place, can put together something for your price range and he is one of the most knowledgable people i have spoke with. he will take the time to explain everything to you and also make sure you are happy with what you are purchasing. plus, he offers a 3 year warranty on most of his products and will sell you a replacement at a heavily discounted price if something breaks. i definitely think the p series will fit your bill too. they are burly and ride nicely. i test rode one before settling on a full custom build of a planet x jack flash rad (which i need to post pictures of). i know some of the lowerend marzocchi forks have had issues being on wrong bikes which are marketed for "abusive riding" even though the fork might not be strong enough. mainly the exr comp that i have seen/heard stories about. i was impressed with the 2003 p2 that i rode. if your limit is $1500, you definitely have a lot of options from specialized to norco to kona to even a custom build. you could also try to get a 2003 bike at a lower price if an lbs is trying to move old stock. just make sure that the bike you end up getting has enough seatpost extension if you plan to use it on trail rides. i am 5'5" and my bike has more than enough extension, but that is do in part to me being smaller too.

I learned today to "not take a knife to a gunfight".

I went on a 2 hour city fitness ride on my 18 speed, burly dirtjump hardtail for the first time. It was brutal. Old men, and families on their XC bikes were flying past me! Didn't help that I went for a 45 minute run the previous day and my quads were killing me before I even started pedalling.

Two hour rides, up and down hills, on a dirtjump/freerider with 2.5 inch tires? Never again! That's what my full-sus. Stumpjumper FSR is for!

but think of the looks on their faces when you can keep up on your DJ/FR with the 2.5 tires???
that's even more gratifying.

No doubt I got a great workout from it, but my ego sure took a bruisin'!

Since having mine, I can't tell you how different it is to spin a normal gear instead of a 44 tooth all the time. The amount of power I've built up from this thing is incredible.

...why?

P3
 

I've ridden the P3 and liked it very much. It can handle basically anything you throw at it. Think of it as a MTB BMX cross and you've got it. I tested a 2004 modle P3 and personally didn't like it as much as last year's or earlier modles. Another bike to consider is the Norco Two50. It's the same type of bike built by Norco and can handle quite a bit.

The 2004 P3's are longer, with the 2003 P3's being way too short in my opinion. Atleast I believe they were the same TT length as the P2's, we never had a 2003 P3 in our shop. I like the 2004 P3 much more than the 2003 P2, plus like I said before the 2004 P3 is built like a tank.

Why not?

Sounded like fun to me :D

Okay, I admit it I'll probably try it again. :o

eh, all I have is a 40 pound dh bike and a burly ht weighing around 35pnds with big ass tires...I wouldn't know what anything else would feel like ;)

yea, I think it would also be fun to wear a 30 pound dumbell in my backpack for school...

seriously, you think it would be fun to do xc on a P3? explain this to me. DJ geometry, 30+ pound weight, and huge, slow-rolling tires on a course that road bikes could probably ride on would be FUN?

My xc bike is a Kona roast with 3.5 inch tires and dh parts all around. Weighing in at 32 pounds. No offence but if I am on my bike kicking ass its fun.

My trail / dh bike is a Bighit Comp weight 42 pounds and I ride it mostly. So yeah that would be a fun ride.

I agree that you'd be nuts or a masochist to choose to go on an epic XC ride/race on a dirtjumper (when you have better XC alternatives) because its oversized tires, and gearing (on many dj's) are not the most practical for lengthy rides and climbs.

HOWEVER, doing flatland trails/singletrack/freeride/aggressive XC is a blast on a dirtjumper because they are so nimble. They feel solid...

Yes, every bike has its strengths and certainly its limitations. But sometimes I think some of this categorization and labelling (This bike is only for this or that purpose) is more due to marketing hype than anything.