K2 Bike Mach 1.0

Price Paid:  $520.00 at Campmor

Favorite Ride:
K2 Mach 1.0

Summary:
I bought a 2008 K2 Mach 1.0 It has the Carbon fork and yes it is a Mach 1.0. I am a touring rider and bought the bike to get into shape. I ride in the finger lake region of NY and northern NJ. This bike takes the hills well. I am a 6 foot 1 inch rider and weigh 250lbs. This bike was originally a tad too small but i exchanged components to make the bike fit like a glove. I bought this as my first bike and love it because I don't know what it is to ride a $2000 bike. I have a limited budget and time to invest in riding. I plan on using this in races and as an alternative to driving short distances. This bike will do it all for me and I wont be upset about the money i spent. I feel fast when I ride it and I feel safe doing 40 downhills. If you have this bike please write a review. k2 must be new to the game so i took a chance not having reviews. Love the bike.

Strengths:
Lightweight. Carbon fork.

Weaknesses:
none

Price Paid:  $0.00 at Performance Bike Ret

Model Year:
2003

Summary:
I've been riding this aluminum bike with the Sora components for almost 5 years now. I haven't had to do much maintenance in the years that I've owned it and it's excellent way to start into road bikes without spending a ton of money initially.

The adjustable stem was nice to have since it took me many iterations to get my preference for positioning.

I thought it was a nice touch to have many small parts with the K2 branding such as the rear derailer hanger, grip tape, and bar ends.

If I were to start all over and were to upgrade, I would start with the pedals, wheels, tires, brifters, and drivetrain.

Overall, I've been pleased.

Strengths:
Excellent value. Attractive paint job. Adjustable stem.

Weaknesses:
Older style Sora components. Because of the brifter style have to change hand positions for shifting sometimes. Kind of wish it had Tiagra brifters to start.

Price Paid:  $350.00

Model Year:
2005

Summary:
Bought the K2 Myste, which is the Mach 1.0 equivalent for Women. Aside from the anatomically correct figure for women, and a handlebar at 40cm for a medium sized frame, the Myste is identical to the Mach 1.0.

I bought this bike for my wife, who is not one who likes to exercise but I figure it would be good for low speed cruises, as I detested those hybrid bikes that weigh in at 30lbs -- total pigs. The Myste medium sized bike came in at 23.5lbs without pedals (the bike comes with some crap toe strap platforms). Heavy for modern road bike standards but 10 years ago this would be considered a decently light road bike. A lot of that weight comes from the heavy aluminum fork, square taper crank, and heavy wheels. Speaking of which, the bike comes mostly with low end components, no surprise considering the price but the wheels are of total crap -- some POS that slightly wobbles the cassette during freewheel. Tires are surprisingly good -- Kenda Koncepts slicks 700x26, ideal for non-smooth paved roads (a lot of what we have here).

The bike rides OK but is not designed to go really fast. More of a commuter or perhaps touring set-up. Big difference from my Giant OCR which is an acceleration demon. Nonetheless, she wont have any desire to do 20+mph so it's alright for me.

The alum fork vibrates like a madman, so I might look into getting a cheap carbon fork with an Al steerer; the headset is an integrated threadless unit -- key word is threadless so any threadless fork will go right in with ease.

The frame itself is pretty decent, but as I said more set up for commuter or touring use. Low speed stability is wonderful, something that I envy since my OCR is fiddly at low speeds. Otherwise, the K2 doesn't really like to accelerate a whole lot. Once you get the K2 up to speed then it holds its own as a road bike should.

Paintjob is first-rate. The wife really digs looks over anything else so the silver finish with flowers on it is just her 'thing'.

Sora shifters and derailleur are OK -- 8 speed unit with a triple square tapered Truvativ crank. Heavy stuff, but shifting was no problem once I got the cables tensioned correctly.

Not much else to say about this bike. It came well packed and I personally think it was an excellent buy for what I paid ($300). I wouldn't ever pay near full retail price for this bike, it's just an entry level road bike with the lowest possible components being used.

Overall, if you need a commuter or low speed cruiser for tooling around with the wife or kids, this bike is a decent choice. I feel, despite its weaknesses, a lot better bike than any hybrid would be, and much better suited for the road than any mountain bike is as well.

Strengths:
Good finish, reasonable performance, good stability

Weaknesses:
Horrible wheels, heavy, vibration-happy

Similar Products Used:
Giant OCR1