Submitted by
Jeremy
a Cross Country Rider
from Austin, Tx, USA
Date Reviewed: December 11, 2005
Strengths: Good bike for the price. Haynes brakes stop on a dime, shifts very well, good gear ratios. Great ride on smooth trails and over the rocks. Puts up with serious abuse from a 200 lb rider.
Weaknesses: Chain suck forces you to keep chain in good working order (aka properly lubed), otherwise it can jam between the frame and a chain ring. I busted the frame at rear shock weld on the seat tube after 3 years. Giant replaced the frame within a month or so for free, with a newer (larger because I asked for it) 2003 frame. The newer frame has additional support at that location. The older frame ran cables over the top tube, newer frame runs them under. This is inconvient because it makes it hard to hang things from the top tube (tire pump in my case). On the plus side the newer frame doesn't seem to have as much problem with chain suck.
Bottom Line:
Can't remember exactly how much I paid for it it was somewhere around $1800. Its been worth every penny. When I purchased it, the other bikes I was looking at cost $2800+. It has lasted 5.5 years now (sorta), i've replaced most of the drive train during that time but far less than other bikes i've owned. The brakes worked for 4 years without a hitch, and then It took me 5 tries to get them bled properly. I still don't feel any need to buy another mountain bike, but If I do (for the wife) it will probably be another Giant. Would be a 5 if the frame hadn't broken, gave them a 4 even though it did because I got good service.
Submitted by
Doug (SLUG) Erickson
a Weekend Warrior
from Raleigh, NC Wake County
Date Reviewed: November 9, 2001
Strengths: excellent component package,suspension works great.Hayes discs,time pedals,Sid shocks,Race Face cranks/chain rings.
Weaknesses: Constant problems with chain-suck when shifting from middle ring to granny gear, since day one.Crappy Koski saddle.
Bottom Line:
I've been riding this bike for a year and a half,and my only complaint to date has been the problem with chain suck. Had shop mechanic check several times, but the problem persists. Giant Rep authorized replacing middle ring,this had no effect whatsoever. Took my XTC-DS1 to the shop this week with a cracked seat tube,it's cracked almost all the way around tube just below the top shock mount. Am waiting for a response from Giant via my local bike shop. This will be a true indicator of how reputable Giant is after the sale. This has been a great bike,even with the continuous chain suck problem. I would still recomend this bike to anyone looking for a good all around full suspension,cross - country ride.
Submitted by
matt s
a Weekend Warrior
from australia
Date Reviewed: October 29, 2001
Strengths: excellent value for money, top notch suspension with its (no sag) technology, reasonable weight and superb brakes
Weaknesses: I get chain suck everytime I chane from the middle ring to the inner ring at the front, sh*t handlebar grips and I have heard that the hayes calipers break if pressure is applyed in reverse, ex. trials hopping
Bottom Line:
sick XC bike but not to be used on any big stuff or trials. Great value for money with excellent specs.
Similar Products Used: giant hardtail, specialized
Bike Setup: stock, except for oury grips
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
ken
a Weekend Warrior
from houston,tx
Date Reviewed: October 11, 2001
Strengths: suspension works better than advertised
Weaknesses: noisy
Bottom Line:
this bike climbs as well as my mojo,and descends even faster quick and smooth thru the roots and rocks I took it to colorado this summer and loved it even more the only change will be the fork, i think i'll go with a psylo, more plush! otherwise great bike
Bike Setup: avid v-brakes, xt evrything, chris king, monkeylite riser, marzocchi z1 superfly, mavic,michelin
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Yakka Yakka
a Cross Country Rider
from Perth, Western Australia
Date Reviewed: September 28, 2001
Strengths: Hayes Discs when they work and not being re-bled so often. Cheap as - Thanks Dell. Cranks, Rims, SID shocks, componentry more than adequate, Good all round bike - I call it the happy medium, ride it all day up and downhill. No pushing a big heavy rig up hills.
Weaknesses: Hayes, numberous problems with re-bleeding required sooo many times its not funny, brake fail, etc, etc, pads replaced x2 in 10 months. FRAME REPLACED AFTER 10 MONTHS OF OWNING THIS BIKE- WELD CRACKS around rear shock pivots, GIANTS BACKUP SERVICE IS COMPLETE AND UTTER S**** HERE IN OZ- now more than 2 months waiting and still waiting - NO THANKS VERY MUCH GIANT, no thanks ill be going elsewhere in future. You wait a week for a car to be replaced/repaired with an insurance company, whats going on guys??? Frame creaks, Broken spokes++++, bike never raced. I'd probably give it 5 lemons but 4 chilles when it was new and running perfectly.
Bottom Line:
Go elsewhere, cause their(giants) service is cr**, bike rides well though, and I was happy b4 this all happened, you dont pay $3000 AUS for a bike and have it sit in the shop. Go a new craftworks FR due for release soon. How am I going to offload this bike to some unsuspecting buyer with the front half of the frame in different colours compared to the rear?
Bike Setup: Stock, but it needs a Psylo or SID100 on the front with riser bars and a short stem for it to be a better play bike, if I did this they probably wouldn't cover it under warranty anyways for some unforseen reason. I'm not having a go at Giant - just telling you how it is.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Jeff
a Cross Country Rider
from jonesville, Vermont, USA
Date Reviewed: August 10, 2001
Strengths: One of the sickest full suspension designs I've seen yet, no weak y frame here! and the hayes give you all the stopping power you will ever need.
Weaknesses: Bike creeks and squeeks alot, hopefully it sjust my forgetfullness in getting it tuned instead of a possible frame brake. The big fat AL tubes allow for easy dents..Just got a good one last weekend.
Bottom Line:
This bike has the uncanny ability to deliver performance no matter what your riding..adjust the dampinging on the rear and go hell bent on through the xc, adjust it again and your ready to tackle the DH. awesome handling and quality componentry make this bike a real sweet ride
Bike Setup: Stock...been paying more attention to my cars needs then the bike unfortunately
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Russell Lachow
a Cross Country Rider
from Long Island, NY
Date Reviewed: July 30, 2001
Strengths: Incredable value for the money. Reasonable weight. Very good selection of components.
Weaknesses: Rear suspension very stiff when set properly for heavy riders.
Bottom Line:
Bike is a five plus on value, but a zero or five for performance. Need help.
Purchased bike late last season (as a beginning rider) and ran lower than specified pressure (body weight plus 10 - 20 pounds) in the positive chamber for a softer ride. Am much more experienced and faster now and have set positive chamber correctly (210 plus 10 to 20) for not bob. Problem is not enough rebound control with adjuster one last click from full on. Full on makes the rebound over one second. One click back from full on leaves me with a bucking bronco. Bike is not rideable at speed. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.
Bike Setup: Stock except for Raceface XY seatpost.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Terry Baudoin
a Cross Country Rider
from Austin, Texas
Date Reviewed: July 17, 2001
Strengths: Ability to bridge the gap between a hardtail and a quality full suspension bike. Climbs better than my Specialized M2 hardtail. Light and fast.
Weaknesses: None yet, but I specified a custom build.
Bike Setup: Where to start? xtr all around (except for cogs and front derailleur), including v-brakes. Easton EA70 bar, Thompson elite seat post, Salsa Bar ends, Spinergy Xyclones.. 24.5 lbs.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
J. Roger
a Weekend Warrior
from OKC,OK
Date Reviewed: June 11, 2001
Strengths: Hayes discs are great, the same everytime you brake. NSR system just as described if set up right, no sag. Price.
Weaknesses: Frame. I snapped my frame at the seat tube, no big jumps or bomb drop offs, just what I consider regular mtb riding. Giant will replace the frame but I'm stuck with the labor cost of the change over. Yeah, I get a new frame but I'm out 70 bucks through no fault of my own. I had lots of creeks and squeeks before the break, so be careful.
Bottom Line:
I loved the bike before the frame broke, great performance, no sag if set up right, great stopping power, good climber although a little heavy. Excellent value. Poor customer service.
Strengths: Rigid Ride. Absolutely no bounce when sprinting (except the front end which is expected). No bounce uphill what so ever. Killer stopping power with the Hayes Hydraulic Discs. Very light - Color scheme is cool and even more so if you change the tire to ones with yellow trim. Would like to change to monkey lite handle bars & seat post to make it even lighter.
Weaknesses: Rock Shox Sid XC Shocks were a bit hard to setup. Shock manual contradicts the bike manual on setting up the proper pressure and sag. I went with the shock manual, and the ride is nice.
Bottom Line:
I'm a big guy and as light as this bike is it very strong. I've yet to break anything on it. I can't thank Giant enough for producing such an outstanding product.
Favorite Trail: Champion - Snake - Mission Peak - Waterdog lake...any one of those.
Duration Product Used: 1 Year
Price Paid:
$1600.00
Purchased At: Pacific Bike in San Mateo
Similar Products Used: Gary Fisher Sugar, Marin B-17.
Bike Setup: Stock from Giant.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Rod C.
a Cross Country Rider
from Long Island, NY
Date Reviewed: June 2, 2001
Strengths: Climbs better then my Carbon Fiber hardtail. Bob free ride. Time pedals. Rock Shock Sid XC fork. Hayes hydrolic disc brakes.
Weaknesses: None so far!
Bottom Line:
Bike is all that the advertising and magazine reviews claim. Great climber, love the disc brakes. For the money, there was nothing else on the market in this price range with such a set up. I was concerned about the weight of the bike since I was used to a light hardtail, however, it climbs better. I made it up hills that I couldn't on the hardtail! I guess weight is not the sole facter in a bikes climbing ability and ride. Buy it if you want a great FS/XC racer under $2000.
Strengths: real XC rideability without sacrificing all strength to the weight Gods
Weaknesses: lack of prestige name, realtively rigid ride
Bottom Line:
I weigh 210, and am not interested in timing my rides or monitering heart rates, but I also have to ride several miles to get to any fun DH or play areas. The NRS works entirely as advertised; miles are covered with a lot less fatigue than I was used to. I set up the rear shock a little differently that Giant recommends; 210 in the top, 150 in the bottom. Essentially no sag, little risk of bottoming, but more plush than the 50 psi in the bottom that the call for. Bottoming could be an issue with less pressure in the top; I've noticed that the 2001 model has a much beefier shock mount. I'm guessing they've replaced a few frames. (I've seen a couple of minor frame issues handled by Giant with all new frames-not bad.) With this setup, jumps and downhills are much more fun that on any other XC bike I've ridden. Plus, there's a real set tube, so you can drop the saddle for downhill riding. What a concept.
To date, I've never experienced the creaks and noises that a few others have. I had another Giant model that popped and creaked a lot, though; turned out to be the seatpost adaptor, so now I use fat seatposts that don't need one.
Similar Products Used: Cannondale Raven, Various other Giants
Bike Setup: Marzochi Z1 CR fork, XT/XTR drivertrain, SID shock, Hayes hydraulics, etc. Built from frame rather than buying complete bike.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Dennis Lo
a Weekend Warrior
from Hsinchu, Taiwan
Date Reviewed: April 9, 2001
Strengths: ( I bought a 2001 Giant NRS XTC 2)Great NRS Design (no-bob), Great Appearance, works well in milder freeriding and works extremely well in cross-country riding,
Weaknesses: Mud and Sand easily gets inside bicycle frame, Easy to scratch or dent, a little heavy (OK for a full-suspension bike), otherwise works PERFECTO.
Bottom Line:
I really recommend this bike to anyone who does lots of cross country riding, some mild freeriding and downhills. The NRS system really does work. But, if you do lots of big drops or freeriding stuff, the travel bottoms out easily. If you're like me, occassionally doing some freeriding, but mostly riding cross-country and scenic places, you'll love this bike. And, since I live in Taiwan, this is the cheapest performance mountain bike you can buy. Other bikes such as Cannondale or Sepcialized or imported, so are extremely expensive. I bought mine for only $1064 dollars. Really really worth the money
HANDLES LIKE A DREAM. I HAVE AN NRS1 2001,WITH MENTIONED MODS THIS BIKE IS ROCK SOLID. CLIMBS MUCH BETTER THAN MY MANTRA DID AND WEIGHS LESS. BEST BIKE FOR THE MONEY BY FAR. FREERIDE, URBAN ASSAULT, OR X-COUNTRY. JUST GET ON IT AND PEDAL!
I've been upgrading my old 2000 year model XTC DS1 (the first NRS bike). The new front fork is now a Team Reba with PopLoc. Wheels are the Mavic Crossmax Enduro Disk. I'm sticki Read More »
Its an 00 xtc ds1. the guy wants $500. Its all stock and doesnt look like its seen much use. Its this a good deal or not. I am looking for my first FS bike and only have about Read More »
I have a 2000 Giant XTC ds1 and would like to upgrade the front and rear shock. The shocks that came stock on the bike are a Fox Air Vanilla Float and a RockShox Judy XC fork. Wha Read More »
I have a 2000 Giant XTC ds1 and would like to upgrade the front and rear shock. The shocks that came stock on the bike are a Fox Air Vanilla Float and a RockShox Judy XC fork. What Read More »
