Giant
is a very popular brand and make wide range of bikes. What I've noticed with lots of bike brands they either give you a heavy frame
with bad components - which is good for first time riders but when it
comes to racing, all you want is a reasonably light bike
and good components. Of course you hope it doesn't cost too much.
The Giant XTC range For Mountain Biking is brilliant, starting with aluminum frames for beginners through to the carbon frame for the more full on racer type.
I was really lucky to get an XTC Composite 1, and have not had a single regret. It was definitely worth the money.
Firstly the frame. The Composite frame is quite chunky looking, but surprisingly light. It holds up very well in all conditions and handles the bumpy stuff easily. I was expecting alot more flex out of carbon but it's actually quite stiff, meaning you can get more power to the pedals. I also like the paint scheme, very blokey and simple.
Components. The bike comes with a mix of both Shimano XT and SLX which I thought was down spec. I was wrong. I really can't fault anything on it (given the price). My only complaint is that the wheels are quite heavy but normally when you buy a bike it always has bad wheels unless you are willing to pay heaps.
I love the Fox forks - they pump so well on a rough downhill, and when it come to uphills the lock out button allows you to easily climb without the pumping.
This bike has lasted me for almost 1 year now nothing has gone wrong with it. I have made little adjustments with the bike just to save weight and noise. These included narrower 600mm wide carbon handle bars (more preferable for the trails I do).
Also, because I sold my old bike to my little sister, it also meant giving my Shimano XT Shadow Plus so I ended up buying another for the XTC. The standard XT derailleur is alot louder when it comes to bumpy sections (If you want to find out more about the Shimano XT derailleur check this link out: http://kalenweir.blogspot.co.nz/2012/07/product-review-shimano-xt-shadow-plus.html ) and is slightly more expensive.
The Giant XTC 29er Composite is a great bike I give it a 4 1/2 stars. The only reason I left out 1/2 a star was because of the heavy wheels. It has proven to be a robust and capable MTB for racing and everyday use. Prices range from $3000 to $4000 nz. Weight is between 10.5kg to 11kg.
I reckon that if you added a good wheelset at around $1000 you could drop it below 10kg. That is good value for money in my opinion.
The Giant XTC range For Mountain Biking is brilliant, starting with aluminum frames for beginners through to the carbon frame for the more full on racer type.
I was really lucky to get an XTC Composite 1, and have not had a single regret. It was definitely worth the money.
Firstly the frame. The Composite frame is quite chunky looking, but surprisingly light. It holds up very well in all conditions and handles the bumpy stuff easily. I was expecting alot more flex out of carbon but it's actually quite stiff, meaning you can get more power to the pedals. I also like the paint scheme, very blokey and simple.
Components. The bike comes with a mix of both Shimano XT and SLX which I thought was down spec. I was wrong. I really can't fault anything on it (given the price). My only complaint is that the wheels are quite heavy but normally when you buy a bike it always has bad wheels unless you are willing to pay heaps.
I love the Fox forks - they pump so well on a rough downhill, and when it come to uphills the lock out button allows you to easily climb without the pumping.
This bike has lasted me for almost 1 year now nothing has gone wrong with it. I have made little adjustments with the bike just to save weight and noise. These included narrower 600mm wide carbon handle bars (more preferable for the trails I do).
Also, because I sold my old bike to my little sister, it also meant giving my Shimano XT Shadow Plus so I ended up buying another for the XTC. The standard XT derailleur is alot louder when it comes to bumpy sections (If you want to find out more about the Shimano XT derailleur check this link out: http://kalenweir.blogspot.co.nz/2012/07/product-review-shimano-xt-shadow-plus.html ) and is slightly more expensive.
The Giant XTC 29er Composite is a great bike I give it a 4 1/2 stars. The only reason I left out 1/2 a star was because of the heavy wheels. It has proven to be a robust and capable MTB for racing and everyday use. Prices range from $3000 to $4000 nz. Weight is between 10.5kg to 11kg.
I reckon that if you added a good wheelset at around $1000 you could drop it below 10kg. That is good value for money in my opinion.
My XTC with stock spec was 11kg exaclty. With light wheels and carbon bars is 10.1KG if that helps :)
ReplyDelete