I challenge anyone to find a better entry level 29er for the money. This bike is amazing for what you pay. Everyone I've talked to out on the trail has been amazed by this bike for the price.

Shipping was great, my bike arrived at my house 4 days after I ordered it. Packing was great, nothing was damaged. Assembly was easy, but tuning was a bit tougher. But after watching some videos on youtube and talking to Airborne customer support, I've got it nice and dialed-in.

Pros: This bike is a great all-around XC bike. If you haven't ridden a 29er, give it a shot. It rolls over roots, rocks, up hills, and simply rocks on downhill. The components are excellent for a starter 29er. I simply couldn't find this quality bike at any bike shop. It is very well put together and looks fantastic. Brakes stop on a dime even it wet weather. Rear derailleur shifting is fast and snappy. Rock Shox XC 28 fork is fast and responsive as well as adjustable. Frame geometry is good for open trails as well as tight singletrack.

Cons: The main con to ordering online is you can't try it out beforehand. I test rode bikes at my local bike shops for weeks before I bought the Guardian. The closest bikes I can compare it to are the Specialized Rockhopper 29er and 29er Comp. The Guardian rides very similarly to these two bikes at around $400-500 less. Another con is the front derailleur, as previous reviewers have mentioned. It seems to have a mind of its own. Sometimes it shifts great, sometimes it just does whatever it wants to. Not a big deal for me as I stay in the center cog 99% of the time. Other than that, I have nothing negative to say about this bike.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the customer service from Airborne is second-to-none. My questions were answered quickly and accurately on the phone and by email. The few minor problems I had were addressed and fixed by the company. They really stand behind their product, I can't say enough about service after the sale.

Overall, the Guardian is all I hoped it would be. I can't see myself upgrading much on the bike the first year or so. After that, I might look to change out a few components as they wear out. This is such a solid bike there's really not much to change. It would be great for anyone looking for a 29er on a budget. I've ridden much more expensive bikes and I think the Guardian stacks up really nicely against them. I definitely recommend it!

From: nathansleyster@gmail.com | Created on: 7/31/2012 2:34 PM

Background: I am a recreational/ fitness rider who rides for short on road trips, but primarily on root filled trails, with creek beds and minimal elevation (Houston). I am still a beginner/novice when it comes to off road biking techniques. This is my second mountain bike, my first being a 1993 Rigid Trek 8000.

Impressions: The bike is more than capable for my skills and the local terrain. Bike has good weight distribution, feels stable without feeling large. The package works together very well, and I can't find a part that seems to let down the rest of the package (except the FD). It is a very well thought out bike and package.

Packaging: The bike was packaged very well. The frame and all the components were covered in plastic and cardboard to prevent scratches. Everything arrived without a scratch - save for an indentation on the bridge of the fork.

Fit/Frame: I am 5'10 with a 34" actual inseam(small torso). After talking to Eric, I picked the 20"( too much reach) frame instead of
the 18"(would max out the seatpost). The bike initially felt too big (1.5-2" standover), but i became comfortable pretty quickly. I
replaced the 105mm stem with a 70mm stem to bring the reach back in line with the 18" frame. Steering is not noticeably twitchy with the shorter stem. bike fits great now. It might look better with a longer stem, but I can live without it.

The seat feels pretty good, for 2 hour rides. I don't care for the white seatpost, since it is now marred. I replaced the clamp with a QR.

The handlebars , brake levers and shifters all feel pretty good. The grips could be softer.

The brake line braze ons utilize plastic clips to hold the lines on the frame. These clips came off the first time I put the bike on the
rack. Zip ties fixed this. When I was cutting the steerer tube, I noticed that a seal in the headset was broken, but seems to be good enough.

The frame and paint look pretty good ( nice welds), and have received some compliments.

Drivetrain: Satisfactory, compared to the high end road groups I'm used to. The RD works well, but the FD and the triple ring setup leaves a lot to be desired.  Compromises had to be made when setting up the FD. The x-5 2x10 setup may be a better fit for this bike. The FD was the weakest part of the bike to me. I think I have it dialed in best I can, but it is still slow to shift on occasion.

Brakes: brakes are strong, quiet and have decent feel. I had an issue with a stuck piston on the front caliper, but I was taken care of very quickly. After getting the replacement, brakes feel great!

Fork: the fork does a great job, given my weight is probably close to the design weight of the fork (170lbs). Again, my terrain probably doesn't put this fork to its limit, and it makes up for mistakes that would have me tumbling on my rigid 26". Lockout is nice, but doesn't seem all that rigid. Preload and rebound settings were enough adjustment for me.

Wheels/tires: Maybe not recommended, but I converted the wheels/tires to tubeless (conversion went smoothly). Tires are nice and grippy in the dry, and do fairly well on pavement.

Overall, I can't think of a better bike for the price! I was between the Guardian and a Bikesdirect bike. I feel like this bike is a more complete package, with fantastic support, and looks better too!

From: sujohndas@gmail.com | Created on: 6/21/2012 2:22 PM

I feel that finally after almost 40 miles of riding on this bike I can give it a good review. I have rode around town with the family, and have done some good off-road riding on my own to break it in.

First off the frame. I look at how the welds are lined up(almost artistic, which also means they area a good bond). The frame looks rock solid and feels rigid. My guess is this frame will last me a long time and that is always a good thing on a mountain bike. Change the components, break some stuff, and just keep on riding. Airborne has a lifetime warranty on the frame and that makes me happy knowing I can ride without worry that I am not going to have to buy a new bike any time soon. Frame 10/10

Fork:
The Rockshox delivers some great absorption, I rode a rigid Trek 950 for years and so moving to a front suspension takes a little getting used to but I can feel the front end is planted and connected. It eats up the little bumps and makes riding that much easier. When I break down and upgrade I'll then do a comparison but as for first fork I am impressed. I can pick a line and stick to it without hopping off a rock or jostling from a rough trail. This fork gives my riding confidence. I did play around with the rebound adjust and am glad I can lock it out if needed. Those were some features I was looking for when I bought this 29er. I know there are better shocks out there but for this price point I am happy. 9/10 (ignorance in not knowing better)

Headset: No complaints here. Allows the bars to control the wheel and the shock to work well. Smooth. 10/10

Brake Levers: I have never been real picky about small or large levers. I have large hands and am able to adjust my grip placement quite easilty.  The levers are on the longer side so if I were to actually care I would get shorter levers. They work well in the fact that I can grab hard and lock up the brakes or modulate for just the right amount to slow or scrub some speed. 9/10

Brakes: I have gone down some very steep descents and been able to control the bike and felt comfortable doing it. These have been really steep short hills and longer higher speed bumpy hills. These are the first disc brakes I have ridden hard, but I would say right now there is no need to pay more. The ability to lock up the wheel or modulate the brake pressure is there. I am at the point now where my cables have stretched and I need to tighten them but so far nothing but perfection from these. A huge upgrade from cantilever or v-brakes. 10/10

Rotor: Goes with the brakes, no problems with these. I have yet to try em really muddy or wet so I can not yet comment on that. 10/10

Shifters: I am still learning these even after 36 miles. I really liked my rapid fires and its taking just a little getting used to making my thumbs to both up and down shifting. They fire quickly and the pressure you need to shift is a good "feel." Not too hard, yet crisp so you know you made a shift. A nice audible click as well to complete the feedback. 8/10

F Derailleur: This and the crank would probably be my least favorite parts on the bike. Nothing really against them except at some point I will probably change these out. They work fine and I have no real problems its just that I would rather have a 2x10 or 2x9 set up. I hardly every use another gear other then the middle front rung. The front derailleur is a little slow in shifting and I did have to adjust it out of the box because the chain dropped down onto the BB housing. 5/10

R Derailleur: No problems at all, shifts very crisp. I probably wont ever touch it unless I wear it out. Perfect shifting out of the box and no problems missing a shift after 40 miles. 10/10

Crank: As far as the crank working it is wonderful. Power goes hard to the chain and rear tire and I dont feel like I am losing anything as I pedal. One big problem that has yet to be remedied is that I am missing a spacer on the right side of the BB. So I am able to power the crank enough to hit the rear frame, only about a mm or less of a gap right now. I have contacted Airborne and they said they would get the part out to me, yet I am still waiting so I can get that on my bike. As far as cranks go I can not complain, seems light and responsive. 9/10

Bottom Bracket: As with bottom brackets I usually wear them out. This one feels smooth and tight. I wonder if it will still feel that way after a few hundred miles. No problems with the BB. As with all bottom brackets its really how long they last. 8/10

Rims: I like these rims. They look great on the bike, and roll really good. Maybe this is just the difference in 26 to 29 inch diameters? Not quite sure but I changed out the factory tube for a slime after some thorns gave me a leak. Easy to change out, a little heavy but love how they roll and ride. 8/10

Hubs: At of the box I have had no problems. Again there are probably better nubs but the bike rolls great. It climbs well and descends like a champ. 9/10

Spokes: If only I had magnesium composite light as air spokes on a $600 bike......(what can you really say about spokes?)

Tires: These tires are very cross country tires. I have always liked very aggressive tires and these are far from aggressive. They give adequate grip, but I have spun them out on a hard-pack climb. More likely technique then tire grip. So I cant knock these tires in how they perform. Its more likely just personal taste of why I will change them. They have done an admiral job of getting me out and riding without any problems. 8/10

Handlebar: If I can turn, climb, descend, and go in a straight line then to me the bars have done their job. Just like the brake levers I am not very picky and my preference is is actually a straight bar so I really like these. I will probably add some bar ends just for comfort but have been happy with position and style of these bars. 10/10

Stem: Fits the bike well, looks good! I feel like the bars are in a great position for riding and so the the stem works for me. Again the price point of this bike means there are better stems out there but I don't think this would be something I will change because it works great as is. 10/10

Saddle: I enjoy this saddle. I love the look and I found it to be pretty comfortable for the shorter rides I have done. Not sure I am ready for a long journey on this saddle yet but I think it works great on this bike. Looks phenomenal and is a good place to sit for a good ride. 10/10

Seat Post: Love the white post and it feels really solid and yet pretty light. I did have a creak in either the seat post or the saddle but a little grease on the post and screws fixed it really fast. 10/10

153/180 or 8.5/10

This review is completely my opinion. I am not an employee or have any affiliation with Airborne Bicycles as I have written this review. I am reviewing this for the price point of $600 and know that there are lots of better parts that could go on this bike. If you added those better, lighter parts you would increase the price and then the bike would not be affordable to me or many others.

In high school I rode a Trek 950. I still have it! I rode many miles with that bike and beat it up over the years. I am now in my 30's and wanted to get back into riding so I can teach my son and daughter about the wonderful sport of Mountain Biking. While on the 950 I taught mountain biking to summer campers and we rode a ton. I have never raced but really enjoy the technical riding aspect of singletrack with some tight corners, rocks, roots and what many other obstacles that can be thrown at a mtb rider.

Hope you come back for more adventures as I get back into the sport and enjoy my rides.

From: jeffreyjklam@gmail.com | Created on: 5/18/2012 2:07 PM