Submitted by
Dusty
a Weekend Warrior
from red deer
Date Reviewed: October 16, 2002
Strengths: back shock,frame so far,handelbars,wheels,brakes ect
Weaknesses: seat is harsh, front shocks lick a$$, rims bad bad!!! had to replace in one month twisted both doing drops,
Bottom Line:
the bike kicks a$$ but u will find out the limits of the bike in a few weeeks con to the front shocks they suck. bought the bike and im pleased has no problems with 6 foot to flat and still rising good for north shore shi* awsome bike!!! giants kick as$
Submitted by
Rich Miller
a Weekend Warrior
from Montesano, WA, USA
Date Reviewed: August 5, 2002
Strengths: Great full suspension for the money. Just now after a year finding the limitations of the front shock.
Weaknesses: Low end Judy, stock pedals, and bend way over water bottle mount.
Bottom Line:
Reasonably priced full-suspension bike got me off the roads and into the single track. Will upgrade front shocks, pedals and seat a second time this winter. Very happy with my choice. If you broke the frame on this bike you were hucking on a bike that was not built for it. I crash at least six times a week and it never ceases to amaze me how well the bike has held up.
Strengths: Components: Changed out pedals and quick reless.
Weaknesses: After 2 years and 4 months the frame broke at the pivot point on the rear triangle.
Bottom Line:
After reading other reviews on the DS2 Warp I would have to agree that this bike was not made for everyday use. Spend the extra $$$$ and get something that will stand up to the wear and tear of downhill and freeride. I will never purchase another GIANT.
Similar Products Used: None, going to buy Giant Xtc NRS 950
Bike Setup: SRAM 3.0, Suntour front suspension, Giant rear suspension
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Tony
a Weekend Warrior
from marysville,WA usa
Date Reviewed: November 11, 2001
Strengths: good tires, good grips, shifters, rear suspension, pedals,
Weaknesses: the f*cking jetts suck my sh*t filled a**
Bottom Line:
bike kicks butt, whole bike positioned perfect, handlebars and eveything. rear suspension is great, the front sux! if you have money to buy the bike, save up more and get rid of the sh*ty jetts!!!! i cant stand those things! i did traling and hard urban assault. dropping 8 stairs and riding off ledges taller than me. bike stood up fair to that but one time i did a 9 stair i snapped the deraulur piece of and bottomed the heck out of the jetts. works fine for just trailing though, great bike for price. but o would suggest something better for urban assualts.
Bike Setup: same as when bought, not a lot of money to buy more stuff, only 14 years old and paid evey penny.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Gabe
a Weekend Warrior
from Cranford, NJ, USA
Date Reviewed: September 29, 2001
Strengths: In it's price range ($500), nothing can touch it..in fact, nothing exists! Of course, I'm discounting sub-standard bikes that you can purchase at Kmart and Toys R Us. Look at the components on this thing...Deore for one. I was surprised that this bike weighed only 1.9 lbs. more than my previous bike (Giant Rincon SE, a hardtail), which I loved and reluctantly traded in for this one.
Weaknesses: I guess the front fork could use a little bit more travel and stiffness to match the almost-bottomless rear suspension. Tires excel in hardpack/gravel/mud but are loud and rought for street, but what do you expect?
Bottom Line:
The best value in an entry-level full-suspension bike. Will go down stairs, tight steep rocky singletrack, just about anything. Ascends beautifully, thanks to FS and Tyrannoraptors. Kudos to Giant!
Similar Products Used: Cannondale Raven (wow, but a BIT too pricey for me), GT I-Drive 6.0 (at least $100 more).
Bike Setup: Stock. Added Zephyr bell and pump, Cateye headlight, RhodeGear pack w/spare tube.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
brandon w
a Weekend Warrior
from raymond
Date Reviewed: August 20, 2001
Strengths: frame, shifters, derailers,easy for big guys to ride. meduim frame runs a 23.4 inche top tube
Weaknesses: cranks wheels tires handle bars front brakes
Bottom Line:
this is a pretty good bike with a couple of up grades. i upgraded the wheels tires forks bars cranks and grips. it rides smooth and has enough travel for freeride and xc. i am a big guy that rides hard and have jumped the hell out of the bike and it still goes hard.
Similar Products Used: 98 DS1 $HITY, CANNONDALE RAVE
Bike Setup: ROCKSHOX DHO, TITEC HELLBENT, MAMMOTH ON LX HUBS, IRC MUDMAD TIRES, TRUVATIV CRANKS
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Frederic Falardeau
a Downhiller
from Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Date Reviewed: August 10, 2001
Strengths: Looks nice!
Weaknesses: Everything (see older reviews)
Bottom Line:
One lucky b*stard successfully stole my bike! I now own a Balfa Minute Man (hardtail bike). This bike is worth a fortune, more than my little honda civic ;-) I got addicted to urban assault and the giant was not the right bike for it.
About the race face crank, It got bent!!! I can't afford all this but I still do it. I'm addicted!
Submitted by
willy
a Downhiller
from a place with sweet trails, canada
Date Reviewed: July 27, 2001
Bottom Line:
I broke a few of these frames and Giant was really good about it- no questions asked, they gave me a new frame wevery time. this last time i cracked the frame, they upgraded me to a giant xcx ds-1 frame from last year. i was kind of skeptical about the sid rear air shock but so far it has been plush and consistent
Submitted by
pablo guillen
a Racer
from guatemala, guatemala
Date Reviewed: June 22, 2001
Strengths: tough bike, a bike for everyone
Weaknesses: the fork is just not enough
Bottom Line:
I like to ride and right now I´m doing 5th on the national championship in my country and it is because of this bike.This is a really nice bike you can do almoust anything with it. You can climb and do some downhill too, ´cause it is a lite bike and tough on downhills. I´ve really ponished it and it has responded to me really well. So what I have to say is that I ride hard and this bike helps me do it better.
Strengths: Look, price, components (for the price),ride quality.
Weaknesses: The seat (at the risk of sounding conservative I admit that my sexsual tendencies are more traditional than what Giant had in mind for me when they put that nutcracker on the bike), water bottle location, a bit too squeeky.
Bottom Line:
This is the cheapest FS bike I could get in Israel (other than some no-name bike). I got it originally in order to have some family outing and maybe a bit of exercise. I ended up liking it so much that I often do freeride and a daily ride is a must nowdays... The bike just let you do way more than I expected - so I just follow the chalanges. It is a great entry level bike that I will not outgrow too fast. The bike is very stable and bailed me out few times from a sure visit to the local clinic. Off course I want better components but as long as they don't come free I'll keep these until they break and then we'll see. The last sentence is what make me give it 5 flaming turds...
This bike is perfect for everything from commuting to hitting the country trails on weekends. Only an idiot would expect a full on downhill racer for this price. If your a recreational rider who likes the comfort of a dual shock then this is your bike. Look after the bike, ride it within it's capabilities, and you've got yourself an awesome bike.
Submitted by
joe morris
a Weekend Warrior
from cleveland,ohio
Date Reviewed: May 12, 2001
Strengths: i like
Weaknesses: compon.
Bottom Line:
PEOPLE KEEP #ITCHING ABOUT THIS BIKE. IF YOU KNEW YOU WERE GOING TO GO BIG. YOU SHOULD OF SAVED A LITTLE MORE MONEY AND BOUGHT THE RIGHT BIKE FOR YOU . THIS BIKE ROCKS. IT DOES WHAT YOU WANT WHEN YOU WANT IT TO. JUST BECAUSE YOU TRY STUPID STUFF ON A BIKE THAT YOU KNOW CANT HADLE IT, DONT DOG THE BIKE MAN. THE WEIGHT IS NOT THAT BAD, LIFT SOME WEIGHTS AND YOU SHOULDNT HAVE A PROBLEM.I MEAN DID YOU NOT LIFT IT BEFORE YOU BOUGHT IT ,DID YOU NOT LOOK AT THE COMP. YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR AND I WOULD SAY YOU GET YOUR MONEYS WORTH.
Weaknesses: My FRAME CRACKED IN $ MONTHS! Jetts could have a bit more travel.
Bottom Line:
This bike is good though am a bit dissapointed with my frame cracking from hardly any abuse in that amount of time. Although l got a new ds1 frame which is cool. l still like this bike alot though. Just hope this frame don't crack!
