Submitted by
Nick ...
a Weekend Warrior
from Singapore
Date Reviewed: May 3, 2004
Strengths: the frame is rather solid for a newbie. haha the suspension is rather good for its budget
Weaknesses: the hubs gotta be changed after awhile. the bottom bracket starts to give way (results my knee bruised by my gear shifter ocassionally) headset gets loose quite fast.
Bottom Line:
This is a great bike for newbies. although i dented my rims, wrecked my rear hub, headset, bb, it is proven that this bike is not meant for hardcore riding. Whahaha it is still a great value for money. hmm. get the 2004 bike.
Similar Products Used: hmm.. none. wished i had more money
Bike Setup: black
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Beejay
a Weekend Warrior
from Central Coast, NSW, Australia
Date Reviewed: October 13, 2003
Strengths: Durability, reliability
Weaknesses: None to my inexperienced eye
Bottom Line:
I bought it as a way to get into XC riding, and it has served well. No complaints about components, it has been a super reliable rig. Just rode in the MONT 24 and it got me comforatbly through the laps that I managed to do. A great way to start out dirt riding for a relatively small outlay.
Submitted by
Rob
a Weekend Warrior
from Minnesota, USA
Date Reviewed: July 15, 2003
Strengths: Solid frame and components
Weaknesses: Original handle bar grips are loose
Bottom Line:
For the price I paid, this bike is definately great! With the money that I saved by not going for a Trek 4300, I am able to upgrade parts to make my bike more, well, me. Other than the fact that the grips on the handle bars slide down, my kickstand started rubbing against my rear tire, and my seat became loose(Nose of the seat started moving up & down) after I took a spill, no real complaints because all of my problems were fixed fairly easily(Seat adjustment was hidden by the rear reflector, solved the kickstand by pulling it away from the rear tire enough so it wouldn't rub any more, and puffing some air with the air compressor through the hole on the end of the grips so I can move the grips up further.) Now that I have a weekend offroading bike, I plan on getting a street bike sometime...
Submitted by
Dave
a Weekend Warrior
from Anchorage, AK USA
Date Reviewed: June 25, 2003
Strengths: Very Lightweight Fast, accurate shifting Comfortable Powers up them thar hills...
Weaknesses: none so far
Bottom Line:
Searched and researched many weeks, tried the Wahoo and Trek 4500 and found the 2002 Yukon to be the lightest of them all, better shifting parts and overall sleekness. I owned a 1996 Yukon for many years and have stayed with a trusted brand and not at all disappointed. Quite impressed with the strides in modernization. Go Giant....
Similar Products Used: Trek 4500 Fisher Wahoo 1996 Yukon
Bike Setup: Black - nice
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Peekaboo
a Weekend Warrior
from Singapore
Date Reviewed: June 15, 2003
Strengths: Good strong frame , comfortable seat , responsive
Weaknesses: Heavy fork and rims , brandless hubs , cheap shifters
Bottom Line:
The Yukon I bought comes with parts different from the USA. It is a Taiwan version with SR Suntour 60mm fork and Suntour crank set. No complaints for the fork yet as I have not really abused it yet. But the hub and rim set is a little disappointing. I find it too heavy. As I am new to this biking, I do not intent to spend too much for a starter bike and so far, this bike seems to be able to guide me into the sport slowly but surely. Quite responsive on different kinds of terrains and generally light for this price range. The impressive part of the whole bike is the body frame. Can easily upgrade the componants to a better bike to suit your requirement. However, the stock component are a little weaker compare to some other brands of the same price range.
I will definately recommend this bike to new comers as an entry level bike.
Similar Products Used: Tested Scott Yecora, Giant Rincon
Bike Setup: Stock.Altus front derailer, Acera rear derailer, SR Suntour XC 60 fork , hoopster (??) rim . (Will be upgrading to a pair of Sun 0 Degree XC rim and Shimano Deore hub soon.)
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
hert
a Weekend Warrior
from getter city
Date Reviewed: June 8, 2003
Strengths: light, nice shifters, nice shocks, and good tires
Bike Setup: Wanted to upgrade to dirt jumpers but didnt want to get disc so i think a am goin to upgrade to Psylo SL or XC
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Brian
a Cross Country Rider
from Orlando, FL
Date Reviewed: April 19, 2003
Strengths: Orange Paint, the best components in its price range.
Weaknesses: a little heavy. Fork preload adjustment knob sticks and is difficult to turn.
Bottom Line:
The 2002 Yukon comes with better components than other bikes in the less than $500.00 range. I've had it for 1 year now and have had no problems. The fork has some flex, but it's still better than the Jetts or RST's on other bikes in this class. This bike has handled everything I've been able to thow at it. I made the change to Giant from Schwinn in 2001 and expect my next bike to be a Giant, (maybe the 2003 Iguana in Yellow). This is a great beginner to intermediate bike that could even go raing with a few upgrades.
Submitted by
Daniel
a Weekend Warrior
from Fairfield, CT, USA
Date Reviewed: December 18, 2002
Strengths: Great beginner bike, nice stock parts.
Weaknesses: Weak frame, weak wheels, not good for freeriding or intense XC. The frame snapped on a bad crash.
Bottom Line:
This frame broke under me when I did a simple sidewalk hop. I was riding down the sidewalk, and i hit a bump and did a bunny hop, and as i landed the frame snapped in half. I wasn't even that badly injured afterwards. Scar on my arm, and scar on my leg. Little shooken up, and very angry at giant. I had just discovered freeriding when this happened, so i was very angry. Yes, i probably had put a lot of stress on the bike prior to the crash, but it should not have broken like that. I also nearly snapped the rear wheel on a wheelie drop (it was bent into an S, unrepairable). The shocks bottomed out on the frame-snapping crash, non re-useable. This bike was great when i did plush XC, and mostly riding around town. If you know what you're doing or if you are expierence, its a good bike for jumping and freeriding. If you are just begginning, i don't recommend the bike. And after the crash, when I tried to either get a new frame, a better frame or a refund from Giant, they refused to do anything. They didn't replace anything on the bike or anything at all. It took a letter that was written to them to get anything at all. After that, they sent me a boulder (which i didn't touch). I sold the boulder to my LBS and got a surly frame. That thing is the bomb. I'm never buying anything from Giant ever again.
Similar Products Used: giant boulder, gary fisher sugar 3
Bike Setup: stock, upgrading to psylos in a few months
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Gregg
a Weekend Warrior
from Port St.Lucie, FL USA
Date Reviewed: September 26, 2002
Strengths: great fit and feel, double walled wheels and competion tires come stock. The best feature is the groove in the braking surface on the wheels, works great wet, muddy,or sandy.
Weaknesses: none found yet!
Bottom Line:
The Yukon is a great bike for the bucks. The Alivio is super smooth especially on the uphill grinders. The combination of brakes and (grooved rims) outstop the smooth rims everytime. The steering is agile and precise. I spent over an hour fitting this bike to me and it has a 37%/63% weight split. Even the stock seat is comfy, I added a suspension seatpost to soften the spider roots in the gator hole. I have been riding single-track for 7 months and this bike does everything that I ask from it. I looked hard and rode 8 different bikes ranging in price from $5000.00 down to 129.00 and choose this one for the feel and fit.
Bike Setup: stock except pedals and suspension seat post
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Kevin
a Weekend Warrior
from Flanders, NJ
Date Reviewed: August 28, 2002
Strengths: Great price, nice seat! great tires and treads. Click shifters work well. Fairly light bike
Weaknesses: Frame has a lot of flex at high speed, and when under a lot of torque. Front derailer jumps to lower gear A lot (when there is slack on the chain. This can be REALLY annoying.
Bottom Line:
This is my first bike, and I am not by any means a good rider! I am learning fast with this bike, and it was a great buy for my first bike. I feel very comfortable on it, and the price was perfect for me. I had never heard of Giant before, but would definately look into one of their higher model bikes when the time comes.
Similar Products Used: Specialized Hardrock F1 Comp, Giant Iguana, Trek 820
Bike Setup: Stock
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Rob
a Weekend Warrior
from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Date Reviewed: July 25, 2002
Strengths: Decent lightweight and sturdy frame, hot looks
Weaknesses: wheelset heavy, Judy TT's a little flexy, soft cranks
Bottom Line:
Good value with reasonable componentry. Judy Fork is only useful for light trail use, however, adjustability can create a stiffer ride for urban and street riding. After the cranks bent (partly due to cheap pedals), I took the chance to upgrade to Raceface cranks with ISIS bb, and with slicks for commuting, this bike can rocket along. Had a lot of fun, for a relatively small cost. Five flaming badgers!
Similar Products Used: Avanti Barracuda, Trek 4900
Bike Setup: Yukon with Raceface prodigy ISIS cranks and FSA ultimax bb
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Sharkey 134
a Cross Country Rider
from Whitehorse Yukon, Canada
Date Reviewed: July 11, 2002
Strengths: Strong Frame and Good beginner's components
Weaknesses: front fork has a bit of play when braking at high speeds
Bottom Line:
This bike is great! The Yukon is a great bike for commuting and trail riding. The rear derailleur bent when a stick flew up between the spokes (they are still fine) but the mechanic just bent it back into place. As I said before, the Judy TT's have a bit of play when you brake at high speeds, but it's not that bad. The bike is pretty fast to, I can keep ahead of my friend who rides a Kona hahanna with upgraded forks and an XTR rear derailleur, and he's been riding ALOT longer than me! The Yukon is worth every penney! Even in canada ($740!).
Bike Setup: stock + aluminum pedals (the dealer couldn't find the cheapo ones)
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Alex Kelly
a Weekend Warrior
from Mandurah, WA, Australia
Date Reviewed: July 11, 2002
Strengths: Very comfortable overall, and the shocks and fork seem to be handling real well.
Weaknesses: Gears seem to be a bit 'clangy'.
Bottom Line:
A great bike for the price, I wasn't looking to pay too much, but get a decent bike with good components. I have given the bike a good thrashing, especially through the mud, and it has come up looking good....no problems yet. Would suit people looking for a solid bike, which can take a bit, but aren't looking to fork out the big bucks!!
I have a 2010 Yukon FX and I'm starting to notice a significant amount of oil on my front fork(RockShox Dart 2 100mm). I want to upgrade it but can I buy anything better than I alr Read More »
Perhaps a year ago, someone posted a pretty awesome video of Pugsley's doing pretty incredible jumps and drops; it was shot both on a mountain and then between houses with human ma Read More »
Hi, Ive entered the 26 mile running marathon. My fitness is fine but not sure what to wear. I'm living in Whistler at the moment so getting used to the cold but I think it will be Read More »
Hi, Ive entered the 26 mile running marathon in Yukon, in February. My fitness is fine but not sure what to wear. I'm living in Whistler at the moment so getting used to colder tem Read More »
Looked all over but couldn't find anything on the net. Even emails to Giant and Cane Creek resulted in nothing. So I figured I's post the specs for people in the future.
Removed Read More »
