7point3 VS. point 5

If you plan on replacing the fork on the 3 it would be fine, I would spend the extra if I had it though, unless-

If you are going to replace the rear shock and fork on either one you get, get the 3, most of the 3's components are just fine.

Jon, (it's Chase from Greensboro if you remember me; black Banshee Scratch) we have a '06 7.3 and 7.5 at the shop I work at if you wanna come ride them and decide from there. Both are great values, but I personally think that the 5th Element rear shock on the 7.5 is garbage, and I think the Boxxer Ride is an OK fork at best. Ours has leaked oil since we pulled it out of the box. If you are going to upgrade, I would definitely go with the 7.3. But if you want to ride both, we have them at the shop, so PM me if you wanna check them out man.

the 7.3 has the better rear shock but the 7.5 has a much much nicer fork. i would even say that the boxxer ride is nicer than the 888 (remember that the ride fork has the internal high speed like the team and world cup) its also like a pound lighter than the 888. also the x9 drive train is nicer and will last probibly about twice as long as the x7 stuff though neither are bad.

In regards to the Boxxer Ride, the one that is on the 7.5 at the shop i work at probably doesn't perform as it should since all the kids that come into the shop turn the Adjustment knobs hard enough to break them, so I've been wanting to spend time on a properly maintained Boxxer. I did get the chance to ride the 2007 World Cup Boxxer, and it blew me away. so if a properly tuned Boxxer Ride feels anything like that, then definietly go for the 7.5.

Hey guy I don't know how long you're planning on waiting to decide... but I just bought that 7.3 on there and it should be in next week, ill tell you what I think, although I too am going to be replacing the fork, shock, and wheels. I thought the 7.3 was better for me because even with the 7.5, sure you get a better fork but the shock is still crap, and the rims are decent and components are better, but if you sell that stuff off the 7.3 you're still going to be looking cheaper than the 7.5. And as far as I understand its the exact same frame. So I went for the 7.3.

If you can handle the extra $$ I would say get the 7.5. I bought a 7.3 last May, and had to swap fork and shock immediately. The Manitou Metel is absolutely horrible, it just doesn't work at all. Anything at all is better than this shock, maybe mine was broken but I've tried several and I don't think so. I can't really express how bad this shock is! Adjustments don't do anything, it's stiff as hell regardless of spring, and the shock refuses to extend all the way. The stock fork is ok, but made terrible noises while riding hard and just felt flimsy- adjustments didn't do much, plus it felt like I might break a damper by turning a knob. Everything else on the 7.3 is decent, solid equipment. The wheels are boring but surprisingly strong so far.

When you work in the other component upgrades, the 7.5 is a much better value at that price. $600 will barely get you a new fork. 7.3 is a sick bike but IH had to cut some corners to sell it so cheap. If you're planning to upgrade anyway, still get the 7.5, as it's parts will fetch more on ebay.

No I won't be buying a 7Point for a while, and if I was, it would be an '07, which has much a much better component spec than the '06 in my opinion; but I gotta pay some bills first. I've got a new Hardtail coming in soon that will be pretty sweet though.

damn.....i wish they sold the frames for cheap, love to unload my morewood frame and grab a 7.3 and use most of my parts....

untitledsince89 said:

thats awesome I saw the new shop you work at, looks huge!

Click to expand...

It's not as big as some of the other Performance shops but it's definitely pretty big