k2 sidewinder, anyone heard of it?

GLB3

Bought a K2 sidewinder FS the other day spur of the moment ... ~50% off and I liked the feel of it. It's a full suspension mountain bike ... red/white/gray frame.

The only thing is I can't find any reference to the bike on the web. This and the fact that it was the last one at the store leave me with a strange feeling.

Seems like reasonable value for the money ... Judy TT, DNM-22, Shimano Alvio, etc.

I'm enjoying for now but missing out on some of the web discussion learning since my bike doesn't exist.

Cheers,

GLB

mandanglo

how much did you pay for it? I have a complete list of specs and I can e-mail them to you if you want.

StuGold

GLB: I read your post with interest because I did exactly the same thing yesterday. I bought a K2 Sidewinder at one of our Houston Oshman's stores as a spur of the moment purchase.

Perhaps someone would care to advise on pricing. The one that I bought was listed as $550 List Price on Offer for $400. With a handy 25% off "Father's Day" Newspaper Coupon, I was able to purchase it for $300 -- which I feel is reasonable for this bike.

I thought that it offered solid features for a reasonable value price. When I got home, I was also disappointed that I could find no trace of information about it on the internet.

I would appreciate if either you or mandanglo would please e-mail the "K2 Sidewinder FS" product information/specificiations to me via the e-mail link through this forum.

Thanks in advance for your consideration and your assistance. Perhaps we can start a new thread on this forum for this specific bike, if enough people out there respond positively.


Kind Regards, SBG

GLB3

I feel better now ... I can find something on the web. When I search yahoo for K2 sidewinder I find this post.

Thanks for the feedback and the specs.

Geoff

StuGold

I sent an inquiry to K2 customer support asking why the K2 Sidewinder does not appear in any of their product catalogs.

Michael M. from K2 customer support replied: "This is a bike that we make special for Sportmart / Garts. It is not part of our regular line so it is not in any catalogs."

So it appears that we have a limited edition model... Any others out there??


Regards, SBG

StuGold

Here are the product specs on the K2 Sidewinder FS that I received from the manufacturer:

2003 Sidewinder
26" Alum F-Susp/RockShox fork
K2 BIKE


Updates for 2003 New Color
Frame K2 Zed Sport ATB FS, plain gauge 6000 series aluminum
Fork Rock Shox Judy TT 100mm, threadless, OS alloy crown & 1-piece legs with pre-load adjuster
Front Derailleur Shimano Acera
Rear Derailleur Shimano Alivio
Shifters Shinano Acera EZ-Fire 8-speed
Freewheel/Cassette Shimano HG50-8i 11-30t 8speed cassette
Chainwheel Shimano Alivio
Chain KMC IG-31
Bottom Bracket cartridge
Rim WTB Speedmaster 26x1.5 alloy, black
Rear Hub Shimano FM-32 8-speed cassette, 32h QR, black
Front Hub Joy Tech alloy 32h QR, black
Spoke 14g stainless steel, black
Tires Kenda K-850 26x1.95 all-black knobby
Brake levers Included with STI shifter
Brakes Tektro forged alloy liner-spring, black
Headset WTB Venom Comp ST 1-1/8"
Stem alloy 1-1/8" threadless 25deg, black sandblast anodized
Handle bar alloy 30mm rise, black
Grips K2
Seat Clamp alloy clamp with QR, black sandblast anodized
Seat Post K2 alloy micro adjust, black sandblast anodized
Saddle WTB SST. X duo-tone cover
Pedals resin/alloy with toe-clip & strap
Extras

July 11, 2002

AZbones

I just did the same thing- impulse purchase of the K2 Sidewinder (Oshmans Austin) then could not find any reviews or specifications on the web. Once I found this post it made me feel better.

How do you like the bike now that you have had it for some time? Is it still a good bike for the money or a dressed up department store ride?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

AZbones

GLB3

Welcome to the K2 sidewinder support group.

Look at it this way ... reviews of every component but the frame are on the web. Almost all of them say good value for the money. It looks like K2 did a reasonable job of putting a value bike together and most of us paid less than the price of a high end front fork.

I still enjoy it ... I find it needs alot of lube to keep the suspension and drive running smooth. It's better than any bike I've rented, better than the older bikes I've borrowed ... but not as good as my friend's $4000 bike for downhill (sorry I can't bracket it better).

Have fun,

Geoff

StuGold

I am really enjoying the K2 Sidewinder FS Mountain Bike. It's a great bike for the money, made out of quality components. I spoke with K2 Customer Support one and of the senior Bike Shop people at Oshman's and found out that this bike is part of a line of bikes specially made for Gart's/Oshman's.

It's not part of K2's regular product line, so as not to directly price compete with bike retail specialty shops with lower sales volumes and higher margins. The specialty shops do not want large volume sporting goods retailers to compete with them on price for the same bike models.

So, K2 offers the large volume sellers special-make models that are not directly competitive with models stocked by the smaller bike shops.

It works for me...


Regards, SBG

chig

I just picked up a K2 sidewinder FS at my local Oshmans for $240 by taking advantage of 20% year end discount and using a 25% off friends and family card. Is this a good bike for the money? I havent ridden it yet, but it looks awsome; maybe a little heavy. Does anyone have comments after owning one for a while.

Thanks,
chig

stepchow

I just recently started getting into mtn biking, and like all u guys, I bought the K2 Sidewinder as a "spur of the moment". I didn't want to the break the bank on something that I wasn't sure I was going to like, but now i'm hooked! The bike has held up well on a few 2-3 foot drops, climbs ok and is a fun downhiller. Has decent mid-level components for the price. It was retailing for just over $600 US, picked it up for about $400 after getting my discount. I'm kinda eyeballing an Enduro right now....well, maybe in about another year or 2 after my skills improve. Either that or I end up breaking the K2 Anyways, just wanted to say hi to everyone!

daphoutex

I too am now a member of the K2 sidewinder fs impulse buyers club. It looks like Oschman's has been selling them a while and people are buying them, but I don't see them out on the trails. I ride with people that have more money and more commitment to the sport than I do. So a bike with all the features and mid-grade components with a department store price tag was appealing to me. I haven't got to ride it on the trails yet though. After riding the bike for a while, is anyone having problems, or is this the good deal that it seemed like when I was in the store? I'm getting the 1 year replacement part warranty just to be safe.

PoleCat

Are any of you K2 Sidewinder owners still around?

I am thinking about buying one of these bikes in the next day or two from Oshman's ($299), and I wanted to know how your bikes are holding up. The bike that I checked out at Oshmans seems to have slightly weak brakes. Has anyone else had this problem? Were you able to fix it? How?

Thanks for any feedback you can offer.

daphoutex

PC ... I have been riding mine for about six months now and it is holding up good. The only problems are minor and could probably be fixed easy enough with some adjustments if I knew what I was doing or took it into the shop. My rear derailleur shifts between 3rd and 4th gear when I hit bumps. Also, there is a creak from up front (headset or fork maybe) on bumps. The brakes are not weak at all. In fact they have taken me over the handlebars nore than once. Have the store adjust them before you take the bike. They keep good stopping power when wet or muddy. The bike is pretty nice for the money. All the components are beginner grade, but they are name brand and can easily by replaced or upgraded when they wear out. The bike is on the heavy side too. But if $300 can get you out on the trails with full suspension and disc brakes, how can you lose?