Price Paid:  $1325.00 at Piece by piece on eB

Model Year:
2006

Favorite Ride:
It's a housing tract now :-(

Bike Setup:
Purchased a bare 2006 Axis 57cm frame, carbon fork & brakes for $300 on eBay, added Shimano DA, Ultegra and 105 components, Mavic CXP21 (black) rims, DT (black) spokes, Ultegra hubs, Ultegra 12-25 cassette, Salsa CX bars, 105 (black) shifters, Cane Creek (carbon fiber) cross levers, 105 (black)53/39 cranks, 105 (black) dérailleurs, Dura Ace chain and cables, Bianchi (celeste) Look road pedals, Conti Contact 700x28c hybrid tires, Bianchi (celeste & black) Pro Pista seat, Cannondale (carbon fiber) 250mm seat post, Bianchi (celeste) cages, SC6501 Flight Deck system, alternating (celeste & carbon fiber) bar tape. I bought everything brand-new on eBay, equipped it piece-by piece with the exact components I wanted and built it in my living room as parts arrived in the mail each day. My total cost including computer was under $1350.

Summary:
My new Axis seems to be the perfect commuter/play bike. With the Mavic rims and 700x28 Continental hybrid tires, I can wheelie it with abandon, hop curbs and slide it around without worrying about destroying a fragile road racer. However, it provides a smooth, stable and efficient platform when I want to get serious and cover some road miles.

I'm going to enjoy commuting to work (26 miles round-trip) on it two or three times per week, and really-really enjoy dropping my fellow cycle-commuting co-worker, as he thrashes away on his full-suspension cross country bike.

I only keep one bike at a time, but have never had much luck with products that claim to be a "jack of all trades", finding that they almost always under-perform at most tasks. Finally, I think I've finally found a bike that does everything I want it to do, and does it well.

Strengths:
Surprisingly smooth, well-damped ride for an aluminum bike on 100Psi tires.
Dark muted blue highlighted with celeste frameset looks absolutely fantastic when paired with celeste colored accessories, carbon fiber & black components & black rims!

Weaknesses:
Steering head tube could be longer. (Then again, at 6’1” and 235lbs; I COULD be in better shape!) Makes me sound like a girl when I obsess over the color combination.

Similar Products Used:
Old 27" Nishiki road bike, numerous Cannondale hardtails & hybrids. Nothing came close!

Price Paid:  $1300.00 at Earls bike and fitne

Model Year:
2007

Favorite Ride:
Northern Vermont

Bike Setup:
Stock purcahed cyclocross brakes very helpful on singletracks

Summary:
I was an avid mountain biker however having children and a serious career left little time. I orginally wanted a road bike fell in love with this bike. Great ride

Strengths:
Good on or off road great feel. I love the mountain bike gearing

Weaknesses:
None really tire wear was an issue

Similar Products Used:
none

Price Paid:  $0.00 at Mountain Cycology, L

Model Year:
2005

Favorite Ride:
The one I'm on!

Bike Setup:
As stock except for 32-spoke Mavic CXP22 Shimano 105 wheels, Koobi Au Enduro seat. I added a rear rack, Topeak Road Morph pump, wedge pack, computer, and bell (it's not a bike without a bell!). I alternate between 'cross tires and a pair of 28cm Continental Ultra Gatorskins for road riding.

Summary:
A very versatile bicycle. I bought it as a "first real bike" for commuting to work. I had so much fun, I ended up becoming a regular rider and later bought an additional road bike.

This is a great do-everything bike that offers quality at a good price. I'm a big guy, so I replaced the wheels with a pair of 32-spoke Mavic CXP22/105 hubs. Everything else was left stock.

Up until this summer, I questioned my wisdom in choosing a triple crankset bike like this one. But tomorrow morning I leave on a long, unsupported, hilly 8-day ride towing a trailer (Croozer Cargo) and I'm extemely pleased to have that third little ring up front!

This bike has seen duty as a commuter, road bike, and unpaved gravel road explorer and it has done very well in all venues.

I believe the Axis is an excellent choice for the one bike to have if you can only have one.

It would be very handy to have an extra wheelset for it so you can keep a pair of road tires mounted up for a quick switch-over for road use. It's a good enough road bike that you'll want to put some serious miles on it.

Strengths:
Versatile, rugged, stylish. Shimano 105 shifters, Deore XT rear and 105 front deraileurs all work very well. Brakes are fine, but the pads seem to dissolve in wet weather.

Weaknesses:
Stock wheelset is not beefy enough for bigger riders. WTB saddle may or may not be good for you... I replaced mine with a Koobi Au Enduro.

Price Paid:  $1400.00 at Yorktown Cycles

Model Year:
2005

Favorite Ride:
Mix of dirt and paved roads with some nice climbs thrown in. Vermont comes to mind

Bike Setup:
Stock other than Vredstein tires and CB Quatros.

Summary:
I bought this bike in November of '04 to supplement my mountain biking and have taken my MTB out maybe 3 or 4 times since. This bike is nearly perfect for me. It manages to handle a variety of terrain and conditions without complaint.

The gearing is, for an oldie like me, good. The 26/36/48 triple matched with the 11/32 cogs let me get up any climb I can find. After a year, I rarely need the granny gear, but I like having it for emergencies. Rear shifting is nearly perfect with the Deore XT, the 105 FD shifts okay, for a triple. I think I lucked out with the Ultegra STI levers/ shifters, the specs call for 105. They work very well. ALX 320 wheels are okay, I did break a spoke in my first century.

THe WTB saddle is pretty comfortable, after some getting use to. Shimano cantis are okay, pads make a mess when wet. The bike looks fantastic and can handle punishment with sytle.

Strengths:
Versatility, strength, appearance. The gearing may be too off-road oriented for some, it works for me, however. Rear shifting is dead on. Bike is stable on descents and climbs well. You can use this bike for just about anything.

Weaknesses:
While not a weakness, per se, the gearing may be a bit extreme for someone who rides primarily on the road and/or flat terrain. Moving to a 105 crank could address that while also replacing what may be one of the weaker components, the Sugino crank.

ALX 320's, seem fair, I may look to replace them next year.

While not overly heavy, the cassette adds some ounces, as does the crank.

Similar Products Used:
None, I got this bike after riding a MTB for a while.

Price Paid:  $1500.00 at George's Boise, Idah

Model Year:
2004

Favorite Ride:
LaGrandeRide.com

Bike Setup:
Campy Record Shifters, Chorus Rear Shortcage Der, Open Pro Rims w/Ultegra hubs, American Classic Conversion 12-28 Cassette, Ritchey WCS 110v Crankset, Aqua Q Carbon Seatpost

Summary:
I'm pretty sure mine is the 2004, because it has a different color scheme from the one pictured here. I noted that another reviewer has the same color scheme as mine. What attracted me to this bike was the paint. Rather superficial right?

Mine is not the stock setup. I had everything stripped off the bike and bought just the frame, handlebars, and brakes. See setup.

I commuted to and from work with this bike all Fall (20 miles one-way). I take a lot of gravel roads on the way in, so I love the flexibility I have with this bike.

This bike looks great the way I have it set-up and I've have been impressed with the ride so far.

The main problem I have with this bike is the design on the seat stays. These are bowed downward, which wouldn't be a problem except that the rear derailleur cable is routed down the stay. Consequently, there isn't a straight line between the cable stops for the cable to run unimpeded. So, the exposed cable touches the frame. I have no idea why it is designed like this. Maybe I'm missing something on the setup. To solve this problem, I cut a piece of housing the exact length between the stops and run the cable through it. This seems to have solved the problem and the shifting works fine.

Strengths:
Paint design
Front forks perform well and look great
Handles some abuse

Weaknesses:
Heavy
Not the most reponsive bike I have ridden
Rear stay poor design

Similar Products Used:
Basso Diamante Road Bike
Specialized S-Works aluminum
Diamondback Mountain Bike