Giant's XTC 29 1 brings cross-county agility and precision to the 29er revolution. Giant's ALUXX SL aluminum frame is super-durable while remaining lightweight. When you add that quick frame to dialed XC geometry and a buttery-smooth 100mm-travel Fox fork, you get one fast steed that's ready to take you on insanely fun off-road adventures. You'll love the Shimano drivetrain which features the low-profile Shadow XT rear derailleur and 27 crisp-shifting speeds for tackling tough ascents.
Submitted by
ettrie
a Cross Country Rider
from Kansas City
Date Reviewed: September 27, 2011
Strengths: First hard tail aluminum frame.... tight, great handling bike. Have taken this bike through paces on any/all types of terrain and trails... with great results. The 2011 was spec'd good for the price point. Loved the spec'd maxxis aspens tires. Usually tires are first thing to tweak but these are perfect for the bike characteristics. Don't mind the extra weight on the House Brand Giant wheels... they are bomb proof and stiff.
Weaknesses: Fork is not bad but is "average". This is not a weakness of bike but determined that Shimano is way behind Sram related to chain slap and shifting while under pressure "climbing". Was hating the clanking of chain with hardtail. Was going to switch back to Sram.. but Shimano read my mind and came out with XTR with stronger spring.
Bottom Line:
Killer frame and geometry... with all my upgrades.. will be riding this bike for along time. (unless of course, I fall in love again next summer)
Similar Products Used: Have S/S 29er... test rode several other hard tail 29er bikes... carbon, steal and aluminum. XTC won.
Bike Setup: Went crazy on upgrades... shaved a couple pounds without upgrading wheels. Went to a 1x10 with 34t in front. The only stock parts left? crank arms, brakes and wheels. (frame and fork too) XTR cassette, rear derailluer (better spring) and shifter made a huge difference.
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Submitted by
Jinxy
a Weekend Warrior
from Michigan
My first 29er - Feels a lot more a 26 than anything else I tried. Probably the short wheelbase - about the same as many 26's. Handles tight twisty sections with shocking ease. Stock Kenda Karma's (2.25-F and 1.9-R) stick great in dirt, get me through mud patches & still ride smooth enough that I don't mind miles of pavement to get to my trail park. The Giant rims might be a few grams heavy but they're extremely strong and wheel flex is minimal. Those attributes come from an extra tall rim profile which shortens the spoke length. Be aware the profile requires an extra long valve stem. The wheels suit my 190lbs well and give me less worries in rocks. The lightweight frame with it's tapered head and 15mm thru-axle 100mm Fox are probably the best part of the bike. The combo is rock solid and absolutely inspiring in confidence. The bike feels nimble yet relaxed and has repeatedly bailed me out of misjudgements. All bikes should be this good.
Brakes: Juicy 3's get no respect anywhere. Plenty of power but like most inexpensive hydros they're touchy in modulation. Noisy too - they howl & whine without constant maintenance. Let's others know I'm coming up on them.
I got my 2010 XTC1 used, with showroom spiffy tires and still shiny like a new dime. It came with Sram X9 derailleurs installed by the previous owner. I also got the original Shimano XT rear & shifters which I re-installed with a new XT front. I like the XT better but it's splitting hairs - they're both good. I can ride this bike comfortably for hours and it still feels fresh and quick. It's a winner and a joy to ride every day.
Strengths: Very Stiff; rolls over rocks, roots and logs like they're nothing; relatively lightweight; very good spec's for the price; Very cool stealthy paint job
Weaknesses: Makes me not want to ride my other bikes as much
Bottom Line:
Great bike for the money. Enjoy it way more than my previous yukon fx because of how much lighter it is and the better power transfer, let alone how well those big 29" wheels roll over obstacles. Handles fast but remains incredibly stable. Makes it very easy to ride fast. Cannot beat this bike for the money!
Similar Products Used: Giant Yukon FX, Giant ATX, Raleigh MT200
Bike Setup: Stock: Full SLX except XT rear derailleur, Giant PXC2 wheels, Maxxis Aspen tires, FOX 32 fork
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Submitted by
dnale
a Weekend Warrior
from ypsilanti, mi usa
Date Reviewed: May 23, 2011
Strengths: Light frame, decent components
Weaknesses: front disk makes a "tinging" sound like it's rubbing the pads
Bottom Line:
Big step up from my old hard tail Trek. It was still a great bike but I wanted to go to a 29er. It's gotten me back out on the trails and it's been a really good time. I'm glad I went with the xtc 1 over the xtc 2 as I hopefully can stave off the upgrade bug.
Submitted by
IstongKowldPaRin
a Weekend Warrior
from Manila, Philippines
Date Reviewed: May 16, 2011
Strengths: Relatively light, nice geo, comes with a beautiful fox fork, decent OE components
Weaknesses: Limited stocks... Pretty hard to come by
Bottom Line:
This is my 2nd 29er. I used my Marlin for 6 months so I am already familiar on how a 29er should handle, climb etc.
Weighing in at 26lbs stock, this is really light for a built 29er. Lighter than the Scandal, I think?
I really didn't try it on the stock configuration except for fitting purposes and test ride in the bike shop's parking lot. But the stock parts are pretty solid, and the handlebar/stem combo is great.
I felt more comfortable with the geometry of the XTC compared to the Marlin 29er.
Bottom line, I should say, Air9 owners have been duped.
29 is the way forward, for me. I bought this bike when my Pivot was taking a while getting serviced. After an hour of riding I knew I was onto a good thing. I felt faster in corners, when climbing and dropping 1-2 feet drops. I cleared technical, rocky pinch climbs I'd never conquered on 26" bikes. I sold my Pivot Mach 5 two weeks after purchasing this bike. 29ers are not a fad! It's a cool time to be on a 29er, as there's more of a choice in tires, forks and wheels coming onto the market. I bought my girlfriend the 2011 model XTC 29 which has Shimano stoppers they are much better. I give it 4 chilli's overall only because the Avid Juicy 3's aren't great brakes. Carbon XTC29 coming to OZ August 2011 :)
Similar Products Used: Kona 26 HT and duallies, Giant duallies and a Pivot Mach 5
Bike Setup: 2010 Large -20" frame, XT cranks and brakes with 7" or 180mm rotor up front, recently purchased American Classic tubeless wheelset (1600g's), 70mm Ritchey stem, Thomson post, Crankbrothers carbon riser bar, Time ATAC Carbon pedals, Koobi saddle, ESI chunky grips
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Submitted by
babu9000
a Cross Country Rider
from Sacramento
Date Reviewed: March 2, 2011
Strengths: Great component Spec for the price. good mix of SLX and XT. Fox F29 with 15mm thru axle, very sturdy wheels though a bit hefty. Geometry feels 26er-ish with the benefits of a 29er
Weaknesses: Seatpost sux (little adjust-ability, grips suck, Not a fan of the flat bars (don't like the sweep).
Bottom Line:
This is Giant's top offering in the hardtail 29er category. I have been riding it stock to see what (if anything) I want to upgrade or change.
I really like the SLX/XT Dynasys drivetrain. Although I think they picked some funky gearing for a 29er. The front rings are a 42-32-24. After riding it I think I would rather have 42-34-22 or just 34-22. The 11-36 cassette is nice, but with those big wheels having 22-36 super low gear would be nice.
The fork is a Fox F29 RL which works as advertised. This is my first bike with a thru-axle and you can really feel the difference in stiffness, especially on a 29er. On my 2008 Stumpy FSR 29er, I have a Reba with a standard 9mm QR and the steering can feel a little wishy washy sometimes. This is not the case on the Giant.
The stock wheels are surprisingly nice. They are stiff, probably stiffer than the Flows that I run on my Stumpy. I did not weigh the wheels, but if I had to guess I would say they are a touch heavier than my Flows. I am running them tubeless using Gorilla tape, Bontrager stems and Stan’s sealant.
They were not straight when I got them. One of the first things I do with new wheels is put them on the truing stand. The front wheel was perfect, but the rear was pretty far out of true laterally and radially. It took me some time to get it straight. I should have just taken it back to shop I bought it from, but I kinda like working on my stuff.
The stock tires are Maxxis Aspens 29x2.1 front and rear. They seem okay for now. But I think I am eventually going to put a 1.9 Karma on the rear. The Aspens work great running tubeless. No problems airing up and they seem to be holding air just fine. Although, if you ride in muddy conditions they do not shed mud very well.
This bike is an easy pedaling, great handling bike. The steering and handling is much quicker and much more "point and shoot" than the Stumpy FSR 29er. This bike feels like a hardtail 26er when you ride it except for the fact the you can plow through rocks and ruts and carry more speed into turns. I hate to use the word “fast” to describe this bike because I am not a “fast” guy, but this bike is fast.
The only things I changed far are the seatpost, grips and the handle bars. The seatpost kinda blows because it is a single bolt type and doesn’t really have the fine adjustment that I would like to have. It has these notches and teeth so you kinda have to pick a notch and tighten it down. But I would like to set my seat somewhere in between the notches. If I was comfortable at a given notch, I wouldn’t need to change it. The bars are a little lower than I would like and I don’t like the bend on the Giant flat bars.
Similar Products Used: Kona unit 2-9, Stumpjumper FSR 29er
Bike Setup: Stock except for new seatpost, grips and 1" riser bars.
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Submitted by
prattyfitboy
a Cross Country Rider
from Gympie Australia
Date Reviewed: February 23, 2011
Strengths: overall build, feels great, looks great, easy to handle for a "tall" feeling bike
Weaknesses: Brakes, well they are so bad words can't describe, Avid are crap. Seat very hard
Bottom Line:
Avid brakes eat it big time!! and will never buy anything with Avid again. Been back to dealer a few times, no success, now there suggesting a solid rotor, think they've only done pads before. Not keen on the rotor idea only to risk more scratches on the bike.. Don't really know what to do from here suggest resin pads maybe..
I really like this bike, feels great through most country single/ fire trails log overs.. The Kenda karmas have nothing on the side for corner grip and as such I have railed down few times on single.. thinking of trying tubeless when I change tyre about now not sure if the rims will take it - more research.
Submitted by
BonkMasterT
a Racer
from Raleigh-Mtns, NC
Date Reviewed: January 22, 2011
Strengths: -Snappy and quick handling.
-Climbs like a goat.
-Love the 15mm QR
-Tapered head tube.
-XT RD
-Bombproof wheels.
-Tundra saddle is great.
Weaknesses: -Juicy 3s.
-Heavy wheels.
Bottom Line:
Killer bike. Make sure you ride one before buying though! Cockpit can be a bit short. Bought a 2010 M and it was a bit small, ended up buying the 2011 frameset in a L. Overall I love the bike, it's very quick and stiff. Deore spec crank and FD could be better, but they haven't given me any issues. After a season of racing, the bike is still great. It is a very stiff frame and can beat you up if you're not riding smoothly. First 29er and I like it.
Similar Products Used: 1st 29er. Raced a 26in hardtail for years.
Bike Setup: 2011 L Frame. 2010 component group. Upgraded the brakes to Elixir CRs.
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Submitted by
DoogBigner
a Racer
from Yinzerburg, PA
Date Reviewed: December 22, 2010
Strengths: race ready, strong parts mix from bars, stem, seatpost and drivetrain, ultra lightweight aluminum frame
Weaknesses: none - any rider should be satisfied to take this bike out, ride or race it!
Bottom Line:
if you don't hammer your local singletrack and drop your friends or win your next race it won't be because the XTC! the bike is full of value from big name brand!
test ride both M/L and L to find which size better fits you. the L comes with 2 water bottle mounts, the rest of the frames in lineup all have 1 mount.
Similar Products Used: Felt, specialized, cannondale, BMC
Bike Setup: switched flat aluminum bars for carbon riser bars.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
unionky
a Racer
from Indianapolis, IN
Date Reviewed: October 14, 2010
Strengths: Super stiff front end, short chain stays and stiff bb area
Weaknesses: OE stuff is heavy for pure racing, not a problem since I switched everything out. I am still waiting for Giant to embrace 29er's with a high end spec race bike like every other big manufacturer
Bottom Line:
After all these upgrades, my medium frame giant weighs in at 22.1lbs!!!!! It climbs faster than my 20lbs 26" hardtail, and flies downhill. The thru axle and tapered headtube are the standouts on the bike. The front end has zero flex, even on slow tight switch backs and off camber trails. I am 5'7" and it took a while for me to find a 29er that fit me, but this bike fits great. Ive ridden other 29ers, and couldnt get my geometry right, even after flipping stems and using flat bars. For the price, this bike is hard to beat, and has the potential to be a full on race machine. To Giant- please bring out a carbon frame 29er like the 26" xtc alliance. If this spec was on a carbon frame my bike would be mid 21lbs!!!!!!!!
Similar Products Used: first 29er, tested many to no avail. Owned 26" hardtails and fs xc bikes
Bike Setup: Sun ringle black flag pro wheelset, kenda karma tires, hayes stroker gram brakes(white), edge composited sweep bar, thomson x2 stem, esi grips, wtb silverado saddle(white), middleburn cranks with 34t single ring, MRP x.1 chainguide, sram xo rear derailleur, xtr cassette, xo rear grip shifter, blue nokon shift housing. Only original parts are fox fork, frame, and seatpost (but I have a thomson masterpiece coming)
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Submitted by
briangelc
a Cross Country Rider
from Greensboro, NC
Date Reviewed: September 20, 2010
Strengths: 29r !!!!
Rolls over everything. Fast and light.
Weaknesses: Brake. Brakes. Brakes.
Bottom Line:
This is the best bike I have ever owned when everything is working correctly. The whole 29r thing is brilliant. But I gave it one out of five rating to make a point. Actually, it deserves a 1 of 5 in its current state. The problem is brakes.
Brakes suck. I have been back to the dealer 5 times in 4 months to get the braking issues resolved. I am on the 4th set of rotors, and 3rd set of pads for the rear. The front is slightly less troublesome.
CAN YOU SAY "VIBRATION"? I mean strong vibration. The frame is like a tuning fork. The severe vibration will shake fillings out of your teeth. Sometimes I let go of the brake lever because the vibration shakes my genitals so bad that I wonder if I just pissed myself.
My dealer is fustrated with the problem. GIANT blames it on Avid. Avid sends replacement parts that dont help. The GIANT rep acts like he has no idea what I am talking about (9-9-2010) even though I know that this now a well-documented problem. He even told me on the phone:"I have one of those and it works fine..." Bullcrap! So I am getting the runaround. My dealership speculates that the early hydroform frames are just so thin that they act like tuning forks. Others say that the brakes are too soft, or too hard, or too big or too smooth bla bla bla. All I know is that I have buyer's remorse. Nobody will own the problem, and I am stuck with a bike with severely defective brakes. When I put on new brake pads or rotors the harsh vibration gets better for about 50 miles, the it comes right back. The first two sets were free warranty replacements. Now that the manufacturers have failed, I am replacing brake components at my own cost in a trial and error fashion. very disappointing.
Bike Setup: Stock, except for brakes. Now using Ashima Airrotor-160 with hard pads on rear, and Roundagon with organic pad front
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Submitted by
misterc007
a Cross Country Rider
from Mi, US
Date Reviewed: July 18, 2010
Strengths: Frame geometry and Fox Fork
Weaknesses: Rear Hub is Heavy but acceptable for price point
Bottom Line:
This Bike has meet all my expectations and has suprised me at how well it handles. The front end is stiff and solid. The frame is very stiff around the crank and it feels like there is no power loss at all. Its very nimble in single track and rolls very well over everything. As far as the seat post goes I haven't had any problems as mentioned in other reviews around the web. I've tried to make it slip purposly and it hasn't budged. I havent had any problems with the brakes either. They did make noise in the begining but after breaking them in and re aligning the calipers I haven't had a problem. The seat is fine just takes a little getting used to. I removed the shift indicators from the shifters and they come with caps attached to the back to put in there place. They work very well and you really dont need to worry about any of the drivetrain. The Kenda Karmas that it comes with roll fast and seem to handle very well. One of the other things that I like about how the bike is set up is that it makes very little noise, the cables are arranged so they don't bounce of the frame when your flying threw the rough stuff. The bike just looks awesome and rides the same. I do plan on getting a lighter wheel set and I have already ordered Giants carbon bar. The bar that the bike comes with is a bit heavy and a little wide for my liking.
My Frame is a large I'm 6'2" 190 lbs it seems to fit just fine. I ride mostly hard pack and lose gravel.
If you buy this bike I don't think you'll be dissapointed. I simply love it!
Bike Setup: Completely Stock at the moment other then a set of white Candies
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Submitted by
mtb101
a Weekend Warrior
from Melbourne, Austraila
Date Reviewed: June 25, 2010
Strengths: Frame is rock solid - beautiful finish, cutting edge design, Fox Forks QR15, Giant Rims! Overall ride quality, handling is excellent. SLX is good, cranks fine for price point. Nice shadow on rear.
Weaknesses: Brakes are for toys - not a hard riding 29er, squeal, squeal, Avid are crap, first time I have used them, never again. They are going onto the SS 29er, and if they still give me problems onto my wife's commuter. Seat is very very hard, otherwise all good.
Bottom Line:
Haven't owned a Giant before, the overall finish and attention to detail is top notch, Frame is stiff, robust and built to go hard through the trails. This bike will take hard riding, of course there's a limit without rear suspension, but anywhere else it's fast.
Apart from Brakes and converting to tubeless it's pretty much ready for tears of joy as you rail corners to plow through tree roots. Takes a bit of time to get the ride position right, seat set back etc, for the price what else compares! If you are not hung up on boutique brands and just want to ride a well designed 29er, can't go past this baby.
Similar Products Used: Yeti, 29 SS, Rocky Mountain
Bike Setup: Factory, but ... XT Brakes and Discs, Egg Beater Pedals, Tubeless, Longer Stem
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Submitted by
art1092002
a Cross Country Rider
from schaghticoke, ny 12154
Date Reviewed: June 17, 2010
Strengths: Frame - very rigid. 29inch wheels are great! Very fast with minimal loss of maneuverability. Not heavy either.
Weaknesses: Seat - uncomfortable. don't like the shock, the lock out has a bit of a "lag" in it feels like your bottoming out. heard lots about the brakes being bad but I like'em...must of gotten lucky
Bottom Line:
Great bike for the $ spent, bought it to get back into cycling after a long absence. Higher end "get back into it" bike. But certainly enough bike to keep up with even the more expensive ones out there.
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