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Submitted by
chris
a Weekend Warrior
from MelbourneDate Reviewed: November 3, 2011
Strengths: Weight, components, geometry, tubed and light wheel-set (don't waste time with tubeless). Proven Alloy frame (I have broken 2 carbon hard-tails and I am not a heavy rider (70kg) - so I prefer to stay away from carbon period).Weaknesses: should come with a dropper seat post and it could have a talas front fork (eg. Giant Trance SL 0).
Lacks Kashima coating.
Advertised as triple butted but double butted is stated on the frame - a very weird oversight.
Suspension BOB which isn't a problem for me - but it exists nonetheless.
Bottom Line: Who should buy it: Trail riders, people who like to ride easy through to tough trails and have fun.
Who shouldn't buy it: weight weenies who are looking for racy bikes with race geometry that aren't fun to ride and those scared of suspension bob.
Comparison to other bikes:
In my experience, this bike is much better then the Merida OneTwenty or Trek Fuel, and MUCH MUCH better then the POS Maverick, however, it is very close to the Giant Trance and looses out with the Trance when value for money is taken into account.
Performance wise and where money is not an issue then the Specialized StumpJumper is king (without the brain), followed very closely by the Giant Trance and the Norco Faze in 3rd place.
About this bike:
Geometry is awesome and allows blitz descends. The frame is compact enough to allow capable climbing during tight turns, which often are not easy for me (6.1ft = large frame bike), but on this bike I can make many tight turns without stopping.
I am of the opinion that one should just ride and not play with switches/knobs to lock shocks, etc. Hence, when left unchecked there is a lot more bob from the rear than on a Maverick, but then again the rear suspension actually works really well where you need it; downhill!
Bob isn't huge issue on any of the bikes I mentioned - no matter what the sales devils tell you, BOB isn't a huge problem and you barely notice it when you ride (well this is me 70kg). If you want no bob but a really POS dually look at Maverick or the complex Specialized Brain (which reduces performance and is expensive to fix). Something has to give.
The front fork could be a Fox Talas, but I heard that most riders of these "marathon" 120mm travel bikes actually leave the Talas on 120mm anyway. Still it would be nice to have the 140mm up front for those scary "if you need it" moments. But a dropper post is much better here anyway.
Finally make no mistake, if you cant get a discount and you are comparing RRP (what I like to call Recommended Rip-Off Price) then go for a Giant, you will get a much better spec.
Components:
In my opinion this bike has the best components.
Drive-train:
Shimano XTR rules all; I have ridden/used; SRAM XX, X0 and X9, FSA (cranks only).
Brakes:
Shimano XTR rules all; I have ridden/used; Avid (Juciy 3, 5, 7, Elixer), Tektro, Magura - all rubbish.
Suspension:
Fox Rules all; I have ridden/used; RockShox, DT, Maverick, Manitou - all much worse.
Value = 3 Chilis when considering RRP
Overall = 4.5
To end I am extremely happy with this bike and I highly recommend it. I thought I would share my comparison with you guys, which details approx 10years of riding most weekends and the occasional race.
Favorite Trail: Lysterfield or Forrest
Duration Product Used: 3 months
Price Paid:
$3850.00
Similar Products Used: Maverick ML7.5, Giant Reign, Giant Trance, Giant NSR, Trek Fuel, Merida OneTwenty (demo only), Specialised StumpJumper & Epic (demo only)
Bike Setup: Stock - top end XTR, only changed the saddle for a more comfy one
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