Submitted by
MTBCanuck
a Cross Country Rider
from Scottsdale, AZ
Date Reviewed: May 19, 2011
Strengths: Relatively light, Like the Deore set up, Nevegal tires are great
Weaknesses: Stock fork awkward to adjust, bike a bit heavy
Bottom Line:
As a relative novice to the sport, this is a rock solid hard tail you can pick up at a good price. Mine is an '05 with the Hayes MX-2 Mech Discs which have been a nice upgrade for the wet conditions I often ride over the tektro v-brakes on my old GF. Bike handles well on single track and is light enough to be whipped around and hopped over objects no problem
Weaknesses: Horrible seat. Soft forks but hard for me to compare it to.
Bottom Line:
Compared to my dept store mtb, this Giant Iguana Disc is rock solid. Smooth to ride, light and easy to maneuver, and confidence inspiring. I haven't taken it to serious xc or trails yet but this bike wants me to try them soon. Just started mtbing this year so this is a step up for me. For a squid riding for the first time, (I ride motorcycles), this is a great bike to get for the first time. Just change the seat, my butt hurt after 30 minutes on it.
Very good novice/intermediate XC hardtail, really good strong frame and decent gearset, Fork is soft as, but overally a really good mtb but it ISNT a really high end bike so dont expect the world from a cheap bike.
I paid $250 AUD second hand with like 50kms on the clock, Brakes are a bit weak though...
Similar Products Used: Raleighs..
shoguns
BArracuda
Bike Setup: Stock except for :
MAxxis highroller tyres
Velo DH seat
Giant lockon grips
Repco bottle mounts (cheap and cheerful)
Echo Computer
DMR V8 peddals
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
David C
a Cross Country Rider
from Williamsburg
Date Reviewed: August 22, 2007
Strengths: Super stiff frame. Good components in this price range. Never a problem with shifter/gears; even when crusted with pounds of drying mud.
Weaknesses: Not many...Upgrade the seat and tires.
Bottom Line:
I have put thousands of miles on my Iguana. By the sound of some of the reviews, I am thinking that the older Iguanas may be more indestuctible than the newer ones. Mine is a simple, straight forward, super durable bike. Sure, it's not a $3K bike, but it is absolutely a better value for the buck than a $3K bike. With upgraded tires, seat, and some tweaks here and there, you'll have a bike that is hard to beat. I ride some mountain terrain, but mostly rugged trail rides. I race my buddies a lot. I almost always win. Their bikes almost always break. Mine doesn't. (Find me some wood to knock on.) I love this bike, and plan on hanging onto it for a while longer.
Submitted by
Daniel Neff
a Weekend Warrior
from Penn Yan,NY USA
Date Reviewed: July 29, 2007
Strengths: Bike is built pretty tough. Weight is average not too heavy. Decent components. Double walled rims. Good ride in this price range.
Weaknesses: The disc brakes are entry level brakes,Would have done just as good without the disc brakes. The fork is tough but has minimal adjustments.
Bottom Line:
A lot of these reviews bash the bike for what it has. The fact is it is a $600 bike that a lot of people bought expecting a $1500 to $2000 grade bike. You get what you pay for. If you are just starting out this bike will do good for you in developing your bike skills. This bike cranks well grinding up steep slopes. Descent is OK. You can plush the front fork for rough terrain for relief in your hands and arms but IT IS a hard tail. It gets a lot of bounce in the rear causing fatigue in the legs to ride out of the saddle to absorb these hits. So don't expect an all mountain bike here. THE BOTTOM LINE IS...For the price this bike has no real weaknesses compared to any other hard tail bike of the same price. If your looking for better quit being cheap and shell out some clams.
Submitted by
Taylor
a Cross Country Rider
from oregon
Date Reviewed: July 26, 2007
Strengths: frame is nice and somewhat light, i like the deore rear and shifters
Weaknesses: crank and hayes brakes are not my first choice. i have to tighten the bolt on my crank every time i go on a ride and the disk brakes are not as responsive as they should
Bottom Line:
the perfect bike between an expensive race bike and a recreational bike. this is would be good if you want a cheeper bike and still enter a race or two.
Submitted by
Jeff Brown
a Cross Country Rider
from Ontario
Date Reviewed: July 14, 2007
Strengths: This is my 3 month update on the bike. I'm definitely taking the rims out of the product strengths thing. They've really bent up a lot, and not from really hard stuff either, the bending has come from really small things like riding on trails. I still really like the gearing setup, however i am going to loose the 3rd gear in the front and put on a bash guard. I've started doing some street riding and i think that i need it.
Weaknesses: The fork is the main weakness in my opinion. It is just plain HORRIBLE for anything but what its made for; trail riding. It is the weakest thing EVER.
I think that I'm going to upgrade it to one of the dirt jumper forks.
Bottom Line:
Its good for what its made for. Thats it.
I still really like it. :)
For the price i probabally should have bought the STP2 but i didn't. Too late now...
Submitted by
Jeff Brown
a Cross Country Rider
from Ontario
Date Reviewed: May 5, 2007
Strengths: The frame on this bike is amazing. It basically is indestructible. The stock rims are very strong, and the gearing setup is nice and provides a wide range of speeds.
Weaknesses: The front fork is very weak for anything except for its intended purpose; cross country riding.
Bottom Line:
This bike is amazing for anyone who isn't going down huge drops and huge jumps. It can take jumps, like 3 footers. Anything bigger i would get another bike. The front fork is made for xc riding and doesn't take DJ all that well. Other than that great bike for the price.
I would recommend this bike for anyone who wants a decent bike but doesn't want to pay thousands of dollars.
Strengths: light bike easy to pedal, good stopping power brakes, nice color paint, just right for me shocks.
Weaknesses: noisy brakes, deore components not too good, there are times I don't know what gear I am .
Bottom Line:
I like this bike. I could have gone for the Durango or Meridian but I did'nt because of It's looks. Nice light to pedal. But there are times I feel that my bike is slow. I can't keep up with a racer. I think I should buy a racer in the future. This bike is good for starters, I have done it for a cclose to 300 kms already. I'm biking almost everyday for conditioning while not scuba diving. This is a good sport. I Love IT.
Submitted by
Antonio Gordopilo
a Weekend Warrior
from Cold Spring Harbor, NY/Bustarviejo, Spain
Date Reviewed: January 25, 2007
Strengths: Concept. Frame. Looks. Components. Disk brakes.
Weaknesses: Stock tires were weak. Cable routing rub the frame in two spots.
Bottom Line:
This is the kind of the bikes that represent true mountain bike. Strong, simple, and reliable. You do not need full ss or spend 3000+ dollars to get lost in the trail and enjoy until exhaustion. I am 220lb and everything in the bike has held perfectly, after 3 years of XC-agressive trail. I love it and trust it so much that I have upgraded it to a capable AM machine (see bike setup). Bye, I need to get my Iguana y echarme al monte right know!
Favorite Trail: Stillwell Woods, Rocky Point, Sierra de Guadarrama
Duration Product Used: More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$700.00
Purchased At: LBS
Similar Products Used: Merida Matts Speed. Marin Mount Vision
Bike Setup: Upgrades at purchasing: Shimano Deore LX front and rear. 2.3 WTB tires. Later Upgrades: FSA K-Force DH carbon bar. Specialized 150mm-wide saddle. Easton AM Vice 100mm stem. Marzocchi All Mountain III 130mm fork.
Weaknesses: the stock tires are crappy, they wear out really fast,the tires gave pinch flats like crazy had lots of flats. Also had a few problems with the front derailleur.
Bottom Line:
This bike is a pretty good bike. It cant take anything too hardcore but ive used it off 3 footers and it works fine. If your going to be doing anything bigger i suggest a more serious bike.
Bike Setup: stock except i got bonrager big earl 2.40 tires
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Jamie
a Cross Country Rider
from England UK
Date Reviewed: October 11, 2006
Strengths: The frame, price, comes in a 23" frame
Weaknesses: components not great
Bottom Line:
The frame on this bike is great - light and strong. Even though mine is a huge 23", it is just as light as many of my friends mega expensive 17-20" bikes. The components aren't the best, but I have really enjoyed slowly upgrading and personalising everything on the bike, and it is now a pretty useful machine for XC! OK its not a full-susser and in an ideal world we would all be millionares and be able to afford a $3000 bike, but for me the iguana offers pretty good value for money.
Bike Setup: mavic xc 717 rims, shimano xc hubs, shimano deore 525 hydraulic disks with sintered pads, shimano LX crank set with integrated bb, shimano cassette, sram chain, maxis tyres, WTB rocket V race saddle
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
david
a Weekend Warrior
from melbourne, australia
Date Reviewed: October 7, 2006
Strengths: the frame geometry is great and it is a very robust bike. it could be considered overbuilt for racers but for trail riding the extra strength is welcome.
Weaknesses: the stock forks were bad. very unresponsive.
Bottom Line:
thsi bike is fantastic. i got it very cheap as the 2006 models had just come out. since then i have put some upgrades on including a travel adjustable fork. the extra travel this fork offers is very welcome and has made the bike a lot more versatile. the ride of the feel of the bike has not changed dramatically either. i have used this bike for things that its probably not designed for (drops and jumps) but it has had absolutly no problems after over 3000 kms. with the stok forks this would have been a different story however. the ride feels awsome and the frame is strong. one of the most surprising components of this bike is the rims. the rims are iant branded but have held up to alot of abuse without buckling slightly. while they are a bit heavy they are very strong. this bike is probably too heavy for racers but for an entry level trail rider it is fantastic.
In Coe-Operation with California State Parks, the Pine Ridge Association, the Friends of Gilroy Yamato Hot Springs, and ROMP, we bring you Henry W. Coe State Park 2nd Saturday trai Read More »
We had Monster-vac clean our heating system late Tuesday afternoon. The vac makes a lot of noise.... so we find this in our front yard Wed. morning. 43" long nose to tip of tail Read More »
I just needed a bike to get around Atlanta in and to get back and forth to campus. At first, I bought a walmart bike, but the thing kept falling apart. It was $80 and I had alrea Read More »
Hey guys, I took like a 3 year break from riding trail to adjust to being a new dad, now it's time to get back in shape
Unfortunately for me I'm pretty squishy, but I'm forcing Read More »
So I have a buddy with a Giant Iguana that has been in storage for a while (I assume years). The chain and the rear cassette (or freewheel) are both rusty and in need of replaceme Read More »
