# Why buy anything other than a giant?



## Ninjasstolemytv (Sep 27, 2013)

Giant seems to have unbeatable component spec for the price, and their frames aren't bad either, so why go for anything else? 

From what I hear, the warranty isn't even bad and there aren't too many issues to begin with.


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## Nubster (May 15, 2009)

Because bikes aren't one size fits all.


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## Geralt (Jul 11, 2012)

Because Giant doesn't have a trail 29er.


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## Guest (May 9, 2016)

Diamondback has similar cost efficiencies, but for most cyclists, the more they ride the more specific they want their bike (features, fit, type). Since Giant doesn't do steel frames or Fargos I'm out. You can make similar arguments for any bike brand or type. Why don't all enduro riders ride cross bikes, they're lighter? 
Etc.


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## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

why doesn't everyone drive a Kia?


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## eb1888 (Jan 27, 2012)

Because Giant hasn't done any original development for what's current.
They got nothing, except possibly dh. They aren't even copying what's out there yet like they usually have in the past.
You can get cheap components from Germany or ebay.
No need to buy an outdated geo frame to get them.
I don't know how much longer they'll keep this business model up.


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## c8stom (May 19, 2015)




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## Guest (May 9, 2016)

*OneSpeed* said:


> why doesn't everyone drive a Kia?


 Oh no you ditn't


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## 127.0.0.1 (Nov 19, 2013)

eb1888 said:


> Because Giant hasn't done any original development for what's current.
> They got nothing, except possibly dh. They aren't even copying what's out there yet like they usually have in the past.
> You can get cheap components from Germany or ebay.
> No need to buy an outdated geo frame to get them.
> I don't know how much longer they'll keep this business model up.


LOL what ? Giant hasn't done any original development ? wow are you nuts or something ?

Giant is the biggest bike maker on earth.

the entire industry leans to whatever Giant is doing, because that is where the cash is. Giant decides X, you supply Y, you want Giants business if you can get it.

Giant is just really quiet about the new developments and science that is continually going into their bikes and materials.

sure boutique bikes and other makers have their own stuff, you can find fancier this and that...but Giant pretty much rules for production bikes for common bike shops. your dollar does go about 1.5 times the distance with a Giant production bike.

their bikes are bombproof and proven, and news flash they are way, way advanced in materials and mass-produced composites. you spend equal dollars on a high-end bike then the same dollars on a similar Giant, the Giant will be '1.5 times the bike'

you break a Giant any time any place, you get a new one with minimal hassle (except of course intentional abuse)

I have owned many a high-zoot bike in my days, and recently dumped all my stock and got a new Giant road bike and mtb. both carbon...and I paid mid-range (3 grand each) and these bikes are easily equal to anyone elses (trek, cannondale, specialized) 5 grand bikes. no ghost shifts, stable and accurate handling...all the stuff that makes riding feel 'right' Giant has that nailed.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
this is what makes me laugh most:

"I don't know how much longer they'll keep this business model up."

well, they are #1 worldwide now by a --huge-- margin, I don't think Giant has any worries for the next 50 years.

at 1.8 billion income, they are double the size of Trek which is #2 at .9 billion, and Specialized at .5 billion.


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## LaXCarp (Jul 19, 2008)

Because I don't wanna ride what everyone else rides and there is more to a bike than the components that are on it.


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## JACKL (Sep 18, 2011)

Because they laid a big steaming pile of BS on the public to try to convince them that 27.5 wheels were superior to all other sizes. Whether you believe that or not, they definitely laid it on thick. 

Along those lines, they phased out their trail 29ers.

Oh and the Anthem, the only bike from them I would even remotely want, has had quite a few reports of the frame cracking.


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## 127.0.0.1 (Nov 19, 2013)

Ninjasstolemytv said:


> Giant seems to have unbeatable component spec for the price, and their frames aren't bad either, so why go for anything else?
> 
> From what I hear, the warranty isn't even bad and there aren't too many issues to begin with.


I agree with this, but why doesn't everyone want one ? because there are many choices out there and some are better, worse, more capable, fit a specific need Giant cannot, or otherwise there are 25 other popular brands out there and Giant is the Ben&Jerrys Plain Vanilla of the lot.

the bikes absolutely rule, but Giant is a subdued and quiet type of company with more actual performance and technology but minimal flash and marketing....first time I learned my LBS was dropping one line and going with Giant to replace it I thought, well that sucks. maybe everyone else feels that way...plain old Giant...not flashy, so I'll pass...

but after checking out the bikes in real life (and also insanely overbuilt stationary trainers from Giant) I knew right away they do not produce junk or 'dead' bikes.


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## ryguy79 (Apr 12, 2007)

127.0.0.1 said:


> LOL what ? Giant hasn't done any original development ? wow are you nuts or something ?
> 
> Giant is the biggest bike maker on earth.
> 
> ...


Apparently you're really quiet about it too, as you've provided ZERO evidence for your argument.


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## TiGeo (Jul 31, 2008)

Because I like Specialized?


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## Ninjasstolemytv (Sep 27, 2013)

How about I reword. 

Comparing equivalent purposed bikes, for the average rider who has no particular preferences, why not buy a giant? Let's ignore the very high end or niche, but for the average consumer, I feel like that sheer value for money trumps everything else. 

I believe that bikes are simple machines and beyond a certain performance threshold for suspension kinematics, geometry, stiffness etc, differences are negligible for the average rider. As such, the only thing people can easily quantitatively compare is the component spec, which giant often wins out.

Bare in mind, I think the reason "everyone else owns a Giant" is insufficient.

I'm in no way trying to endorse Giant, I'm just struggling with this question. 

@Nubster I think, for an average joe rider, not liking a giant due to personal preferences would be placing them in a minority.

@Forster Diamondback has nowhere near the reputation/brand recognition as Giant. Not saying their bikes are bad, but this is one barrier deterring the avg consumer.

@onespeed Bikes aren't anywhere near as nuanced as cars. For bikes in the same price category, avg people are looking at component spec for comparison, since you can't really meaningfully compare overall ride quality of similar bikes. As such, manufacturers like giant who can cram good spec win a lot of the time.

@eb1888 implying giant frames are somehow worse or outdated in any way. Barring their 29er frames, the giant 27.5 geometry is very much up to date with current trends. I haven't heard anyone complain about how giants ride, like it's somehow much worse than an equivalent spesh/trek/scott.

@jackl But there's also a **** tonne of anthems out there.

@127.0.0.1 I agree. but for the average bloke looking at a trance, there's little to deter them.


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## d365 (Jun 13, 2006)

Giant factory produces frames for a lot of other companies. Not all Giant frames are bombproof, as many of us have broken Anthems at the ST/TT junction (some multiple). They've had some linkage, and CS issues as well. That's not to say they are bad frames, or other mfrs don't break of course. Giant may be an industry leader in frame manufacturing, but they are hardly leading the way in overall bike design. They are last to the party a lot of the time. Maestro is pretty good stuff, though some would argue it's an imitation. 

Giant brand components are usually where a lot of the savings come into play. If you like what they're speccing, then no prob. They cut corners to get there just like others do. Sometimes they sneak in a lower spec fork, or wheels at a price point that deserves better. 

If they make a bike you like, then there is no reason not to get one. I ride one now (warranty replacement), but unless they update the Trance pretty quick, or roll out another trail bike... it won't be my next bike. 

Their CS are always too long for my height/size - just a deal breaker for me. (except my current Ax B26)


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## Crankout (Jun 16, 2010)

Ninjasstolemytv said:


> Giant seems to have unbeatable component spec for the price, and their frames aren't bad either, so why go for anything else?
> 
> From what I hear, the warranty isn't even bad and there aren't too many issues to begin with.


Why do you ask? If you like it, buy it.


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## Legbacon (Jan 20, 2004)

Giant makes some good bikes but components aren't everything. I usually buy frames and hang my parts on them because the frame is the most important component. My friend recently narrowed his choice between a Giant and a Devinci and chose the Devinci because the frame geometry was a better fit for him.


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## Nat (Dec 30, 2003)

Yes, if you like it, buy it.

Otherwise, what are you getting at? Are you asking if there's anything YOU specifically should be concerned about before buying a Giant, or are you trying to convince everyone that we should all like the same thing?


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## Engineer90 (Apr 10, 2015)

Because Giant does not offer a range of tire sizes... all they do is 27.5" tires.

While Giant stays with 27.5", other brands are expanding their 29er, 27.5, +sizes, and fat sizes to please every single different taste riders have.

Look at the bikes I have in my signature... I like diversity.


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## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

Ninjasstolemytv said:


> How about I reword.


please don't, it's way more entertaining this way!! best thread in weeks. :thumbsup:


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## chuckha62 (Jul 11, 2006)

Ninjasstolemytv said:


> Giant seems to have unbeatable component spec for the price, and their frames aren't bad either, so why go for anything else?
> 
> From what I hear, the warranty isn't even bad and there aren't too many issues to begin with.


Haha! Awesome.


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## Guest (May 9, 2016)

I see 4-5 pages.


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## watts888 (Oct 2, 2012)

nvphatty said:


> I see 4-5 pages.


Challenge accepted. Maybe 7-8.


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## watts888 (Oct 2, 2012)

Ninjasstolemytv said:


> Giant seems to have unbeatable component spec for the price, and their frames aren't bad either, so why go for anything else?


Because Bikesdirect has better component specs for even less.


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## Nat (Dec 30, 2003)

nvphatty said:


> I see 4-5 pages.





watts888 said:


> Challenge accepted. Maybe 7-8.


LOL you guys.


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## Guest (May 9, 2016)

Ninjasstolemytv said:


> @Forster Diamondback has nowhere near the reputation/brand recognition as Giant. Not saying their bikes are bad, but this is one barrier deterring the avg consumer.


 Never claimed their brand had the same recognition as Giant, but don't see this as a barrier either. Two most famous bike brands (for the Average Consumer) in America (most well known) are Schwinn (if you're over 30) and Huffy (if you're under 30). Not anti-Giant at all, just don't agree that they have relegated all other brands irrelevant.


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## 127.0.0.1 (Nov 19, 2013)

ryguy79 said:


> Apparently you're really quiet about it too, as you've provided ZERO evidence for your argument.


holy crap are you numb

it is self evident when you look at the financial statements of bike manufacturers and
bike technology at international bike expos.

you do attend bike expos, don't you ?

no ? then don't comment


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## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

127.0.0.1 said:


> holy crap are you numb
> 
> it is self evident when you look at the financial statements of bike manufacturers and
> bike technology at international bike expos.
> ...


McDonalds has better financials than my local mom and pop burger joint- guess where I eat.


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## Nubster (May 15, 2009)

Ninjasstolemytv said:


> @Nubster I think, for an average joe rider, not liking a giant due to personal preferences would be placing them in a minority.


Call me a minority then because I'm pretty average but Giant has nothing to offer me that I can't get somewhere else.


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## net wurker (Sep 13, 2007)

How about this for a scenario? Joe-first-time-MTB-buyer has done enough research to know that he is going to buy his first bike from an LBS.

His town has a Specialized dealer and a Trek dealer.

The closest Giant dealer is over 600 miles away.

Could that play a factor, or does Giant have retail stores in every city and town there is?


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## Nat (Dec 30, 2003)

Or, Joe-first-time-mtb-buyer looks at three different bikes all within his price range and ends up buying bike #2 because it comes in red.


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## net wurker (Sep 13, 2007)

^ lol.....there's probably so much truth to that!


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## ryguy79 (Apr 12, 2007)

127.0.0.1 said:


> holy crap are you numb


My nervous system works just fine, thanks for asking though.


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## ryguy79 (Apr 12, 2007)

Also referring to a company's size and financial condition doesn't necessarily mean they are a leading innovator in their field.


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## Nubster (May 15, 2009)

net wurker said:


> How about this for a scenario? Joe-first-time-MTB-buyer has done enough research to know that he is going to buy his first bike from an LBS.
> 
> His town has a Specialized dealer and a Trek dealer.
> 
> ...


Not sure about nationwide but there's no shortage of Giant dealers in my area but yet I never see a Giant bike on the road or the trail. Go figure.

My shop recently dumped Giant because we sell lots of Cannondale and Treks and almost never a Giant. Still a dealer...but not stocking them anymore because they just take up space and costs too much to just let them sit there not selling.


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## Impetus (Aug 10, 2014)

Why not Giant?

1) Because they don't offer a 29" wheeled bike.
2) Because The geometry isn't what I'm looking for in terms of Stack height and ETT

Edit: combine points 1 and 2. I haz the dumbs today. that was not intended to be two carte-blanche points.

3) Because I don't actually like buying a full bike knowing I'm almost certainly going to replace the crank, seat post, seat, bars, stem and grips before it even sees dirt. There's a good chance the derailleur(s) and tires will go too. So basically I bought a full bike and replaced half of it at mile 0.
4) I just don't think they're nice looking.


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## Guest (May 9, 2016)

Wait, I have to go to bike expos to have an opinion? Guess I missed that notice on every forum I've ever participated in. Is that in the fine print when I pay for my racing license?


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## matadorCE (Jun 26, 2013)

Is this thread for real? Giant seem good enough bikes, but the geometry just doesn't fit me so I don't even consider them an option. Curious thing, there was a demo even in my area recently with Giant and SC. One brand had about twice as many bikes to demo as the other but no one was riding them; I'll leave you to guess which one that was.
I do have to give Giant credit for their Liv brand, although when it came time to get my wife a beginner's bike the Liv bikes were not price competitive with the other big brands.


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

Ninjasstolemytv said:


> Giant seems to have unbeatable component spec for the price, and their frames aren't bad either, so why go for anything else?
> 
> From what I hear, the warranty isn't even bad and there aren't too many issues to begin with.


Without reading anything past this original post I'd like to give you the award for most ignorant original post of this year and last year.


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## ryguy79 (Apr 12, 2007)

FWIW, I've got nothing against Giant. Yoann Barelli's vids make the Reign look pretty fun.


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## kyle242gt (Nov 12, 2012)

FWIW, I see 10 Specialized to every one Giant, maybe 50. 

Reason? LBS that sells Spec (also Kona, SC, Ibis, maybe Yeti and other things I can't afford) has a huge selection, friendly knowledgeable staff and techs, makes good deals, etc.

LBS that sells Giant (also Cannondale and maybe some others) has about four Giant mtbs on the floor, ignores people when they come in to browse, and generally seem uneducated about the product and apathetic about the sport. Roadies, I'm guessing (edit in response to negative rep (!) by this I mean they don't seem to know or care a lot about mtbing)

So, the reason not everyone rides Giant? Market penetration and sales/support skill.

//edit, my next bike will probably be a ~130mm DW 27.5+ with a ~67* HTA. If Giant has one of those by then, they might get my business.


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## leeboh (Aug 5, 2011)

29ers. Plus bikes. Fat bikes. Steel hardtails in 26er and 29ers. OUT.


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## Nat (Dec 30, 2003)

jonshonda said:


> this thread..haha.
> 
> 1) the name sucks
> 2) they are ugly
> ...


lol!


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## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

Well, since we are trying to reach 7-8 pages..... 

First, I went to a Giant dealer and the young lady that helped me barely spoke English and I'm sure she was more clueless than I'm on bikes, barely knew the prices and they had price tags on them.  

Two weekends ago, I probably saw 8-9 Giants on the trail, I didn't realize they were so popular. I'm an avg. Joe but nothing about Giant bikes got me excited. I feel the same about Trek. (Ready for the abuse from Trek riders)


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## Guest (May 9, 2016)

jcd46 said:


> Well, since we are trying to reach 7-8 pages.....
> 
> I'm an avg. Joe but nothing about Giant bikes got me excited. I feel the same about Trek. (Ready for the abuse from Trek riders)


did you just go there??


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## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

^^ Trying to add a little extra fire  we are only @ 3pages.


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## Guest (May 9, 2016)

Ooh, page three. Time to mention that Giant doesn't market an Awesome Strap with their name on it.


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## 127.0.0.1 (Nov 19, 2013)

Forster said:


> Ooh, page three. Time to mention that Giant doesn't market an Awesome Strap with their name on it.


ohhh but I have one with Giant Factory Team colors on it....


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## Zowie (Aug 3, 2013)

Because I still can...


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## Guest (May 9, 2016)

Forster said:


> Ooh, page three. Time to mention that Giant doesn't market an Awesome Strap with their name on it.


what about saddles??


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## Guest (May 9, 2016)

nvphatty said:


> what about saddles??


Saddles aren't Awesome Straps. The Awesome Strap always proceeds the handgun/knife discussion which signals the beginning of the end of a thread. Once you see Awesome Strap in a thread, you can plan on non-following it within three or four more replies as you've jumped the shark tank into irrelevancy.


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## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

I've said this before but I have no intention of ever buying another Giant bike. 

We bought my eldest son a 24'' wheeled Giant mountain bike when he was about ten or so. It was not cheap and we bought it from one of the biggest bike shops in Glasgow. Looking back, I should have taken it back and asked for a refund, I don't know what I was thinking. The bike had a catalogue of faults.

The rear wheel did not sit remotely straight if you put it fully into the dropouts. To get it sort of straight you had to tighten the nut on one side, pull the wheel straight then tighten the other. The chain kept falling off the small cog on the freewheel and jamming between the gear and the frame. The only way you could get it out was unbolting the wheel. 

There were several other issues but the most serous was brake failure. My son informed me one day that the front brake was not working. When I looked at it the lever was loose to the bar as if the cable had snapped. Turned out they had used a cable type I had not seen before, the barrel end was smaller and a different shape. The levers needed the standard kind and the cable end had simply pulled through the cable-stop in the lever! 

It was a piece of junk bike thrown together with no quality control at all. If the bike had been a dirt cheap no-brand from a supermarket this might have been to be expected but it was sold by Giant for the same sort of money as a Specialized Hotrock. To this day it makes me angry that Giant were prepared to sell bikes like that under their name. A child could have been killed on one of them, maybe they were, and I will never trust or give money to Giant ever again. 

Thankfully, I've never had the slightest problem with this philosophy. There are a lot of bike manufacturers and a lot of great bikes to choose from. So I'll buy from the ones who don't try to kill my kids. 

The other two kids got a Specialized Hotrock and a Scott Contessa, both of which were flawless.


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## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

Found a picture of the manure pile in question. Not my son's bike, but it's exactly the same:


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## 127.0.0.1 (Nov 19, 2013)

Mr Pig said:


> Found a picture of the manure pile in question. Not my son's bike, but it's exactly the same:
> 
> View attachment 1069215


yeah that sucks and no wonder you wouldn't touch them

I am happy with my two and the one stationary I have.

I was also happy with my litespeed, known to have cracks in the headtube I never got a crack

I was happy with my Trek Postal road bike, known to get cracks n the BB area, I never got a crack

I was happy with my Yeti ARC, not known to have any issues, I never had any

list goes on....sucks Giant doesn't have good assembly QC on the low end in your case


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## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

127.0.0.1 said:


> yeah that sucks and no wonder you wouldn't touch them....sucks Giant doesn't have good assembly QC on the low end in your case


I think there is a difference between a failure that occurs because you missed something or miscalculated and negligence. Many manufacturers have had problems, like frame cracks, which happened because they got their sums wrong and underestimated the stress the bike might endure. These things are genuine mistakes.

What this Giant factory did was different. They knew fine well it was the wrong type of brake cable and used it anyway. Looking at the parts it was obviously wrong and it pulled through the bracket not long after we got the bike. My guess is that they did not have the correct cables in the factory, or had a surplus of the wrong ones, and wanted to meet a target and get the bikes out of the door. If a company is prepared to compromise safety for profit that's all I need to now about them.


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## toddre (Mar 1, 2004)

Pushing for page 4.....sounds like something Sinyard would do.....

Dealer awarded $3.1 million in dispute with Giant | Bicycle Retailer and Industry News


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## Guest (May 10, 2016)

yes we must have pg 4.


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## Terranaut (Jun 9, 2014)

Why would I not buy a Giant? Maybe because I didn't like the fit of their bike/s and no 29r. I love the fit of my Specialized. I bought it for the high quality,fit, 29r, great price and yes ... I liked the paint job/ colour scheme. So maybe it was because I just liked other stuff better. Like said above I would rather eat at my local mom and pop burger joint of McDonalds any day.


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## cjsb (Mar 4, 2009)

Ninjasstolemytv said:


> Giant seems to have unbeatable component spec for the price, and their frames aren't bad either, so why go for anything else?
> 
> From what I hear, the warranty isn't even bad and there aren't too many issues to begin with.


Based on your criteria I think you nailed it--go for it!! Giant for life!!

Now the rest of the story...why would anyone buy a bike that comes with so many block letter, bold, giant font decals plastered all over it? are you that lacking in confidence or have such a small thingy tat you have to see the word "GIANT" everywhere before you can mount that rig? Remove the rear wheel to fix a flat? "GIANT" plastered on the inside of the stays just in case you lost confidence during that time it took to fix the flat.


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## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

Flucod said:


> You do realize that GIANT is not an english speaking MFG? In chinese, it means " bike for everyone" , there you can feel better about their logo now. :thumbsup:


are you sure it's not about American male genitalia?


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## natrat (Mar 20, 2008)

why not buy a giant?
I demoed a nice spec anthem and it didn't help that they didn't make sure the bike was tuned, as in the brakes were in awful condition. Beyond that there was nothing special about it for a $5k bike, pretty underwhelming. Then a few weekends later the Pivot truck rolled up and i got to ride a mach 4 carbon and that was amazing. Rather than slow me down going over roots and rocks the thing wanted to accelerate, very smooth. If I had $5k that's where it would go.


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## 127.0.0.1 (Nov 19, 2013)

Mr Pig said:


> I think there is a difference between a failure that occurs because you missed something or miscalculated and negligence. Many manufacturers have had problems, like frame cracks, which happened because they got their sums wrong and underestimated the stress the bike might endure. These things are genuine mistakes.
> 
> What this Giant factory did was different. They knew fine well it was the wrong type of brake cable and used it anyway. Looking at the parts it was obviously wrong and it pulled through the bracket not long after we got the bike. My guess is that they did not have the correct cables in the factory, or had a surplus of the wrong ones, and wanted to meet a target and get the bikes out of the door. If a company is prepared to compromise safety for profit that's all I need to now about them.


It was definitely not a company decision. some low life worker at a distribution point put that together and made the **** decision, this is a lower management problem, not a corp decision by Giant I can guarantee that. if the VP's knew this occured they'd try to set it right


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## DG40 (Feb 5, 2014)

Giant pulled their dealership from my LBS and will now only deal with a regional conglomerate.
I walked into this conglomerate with my cashed tax refund in my pocket ready to buy but the sales guy just didn't care or want anything to do with me.
Maybe he was intimidated by the incredible bulge in my pants.

Now the nearest giant dealer i can work with is a three hour drive one way.


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## Silentfoe (May 9, 2008)

Giant makes a great bike. I have many of them. I'm not a fanboi though. I just got some great deals at my LBS. I've ridden and own many other great brands. Giant works for some people and not for others. They do offer great bang for your buck and their warranty is top notch. If you like them, great. If not, great.


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## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

127.0.0.1 said:


> It was definitely not a company decision. some low life worker at a distribution point put that together and made the **** decision, this is a lower management problem, not a corp decision by Giant I can guarantee that. if the VP's knew this occured they'd try to set it right


That's a fairly dumb this to suggest. So you're a Giant fan-boy but still, come on!

The brake cables are put on the bike at assembly, they are not fitted by distributors or the shop, as Flatulence suggested. Heck, the type of cable fitted was not even a type that's used in the UK, the shop wouldn't even have them.

And it is a corporate decision. Yeah, yeah they didn't personally decide to fit the wrong cables, or build the frame so squint that you could hardly mount a wheel on it, but they _did_ choose the manufacturing plant who did both of those things and they_ did _fail to make sure that the checks were in place to stop things like that happening. They are responsible, end of. If a kid was killed and an investigation found faulty brakes on the bike no one would be suing the distributor, they would be suing Giant because it's Giant who are responsible for the products sold with their name on them.

Man, this is such basic, basic obvious stuff which everyone understands. I can't beleive that you're coming out with these lame excuses, it's pitiful. Giant fecked up, get over it. Either that or give me a list of the Giant products that they _have_ taken responsibility for so that I know which ones are safe to buy?


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## watts888 (Oct 2, 2012)

The closest LBS to me only carries Giant. It is a small mom & pop type LBS though, and their inventory is only about 50 bikes, with only about 10-15 of those trail bikes. the price point is OK for an LBS supplied bike, but nothing amazing. To me, the biggest issue is the lack of decent 29ers. I will not buy anything smaller than a 29er, because they don't fit me. I can ride 26", but why should I spend money on something that isn't worth it.


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## TSpice (May 15, 2015)

Since someone dropped financial statements out there as if it had anything to do with quality...

Walmart is one of the highest grossing companies in the WORLD. Let me ask you, is Walmart known for its high quality products? I would say quite the opposite actually. Sells cheap products cheaply, which increases the quantity sold. 

Any bike manufacturer that creates consistent garbage won't be a bike manufacturer for very long unless it is dirt cheap and is sufficient for the price tag. (The $80 mountain bike from Walmart is cheaply made, but hey, average 12yr old kid using it is pedaling around his paved neighborhood so it works as intended.) 

So the fact that Giant hasn't gone out of business? It makes 'good enough' bikes to survive against other brands. Likewise, Trek, Specialized, Scott, Cannondale, or any other company, also hasn't gone out of business so they make good enough bikes to survive against the market.

Long story short? Ford vs Chevy. Both are large companies making borderline identical products that are only separated by minor details, paint jobs, and opinions. (Yet you ask any kind driving a Ford he will rattle off all of the reasons why Chevy is a piece of garbage and why Ford should be elevated to the status of God's Chariot. Same story if you ask a guy driving a Chevy about Ford.)


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## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

TSpice said:


> Long story short? Ford vs Chevy.


Your reasoning is undermined somewhat by the continuing existence of Ford and Chevy despite the availability of cars made in Japan. ;0)


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## richde (Jun 8, 2004)

JACKL said:


> Because they laid a big steaming pile of BS on the public to try to convince them that 27.5 wheels were superior to all other sizes. Whether you believe that or not, they definitely laid it on thick.
> 
> Along those lines, they phased out their trail 29ers.


This is why Giant doesn't deserve any business. I have a 27.5 bike, but they aren't the best choice for applications, and anyone who acts as if they are shouldn't be trusted.

Same thing with Specialized and Santa Cruz when they were so anti-27.5.


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## watts888 (Oct 2, 2012)

TSpice said:


> Yet you ask any kid driving a Ford he will rattle off all of the reasons why Chevy is a piece of garbage and why Ford should be elevated to the status of God's Chariot. Same story if you ask a guy driving a Chevy about Ford.


Can't we all just agree, KIA $ucks.


----------



## dbhammercycle (Nov 15, 2011)

I had an Access XCL a number of years back with cloverleaf tubing that rode well, was pretty light, and sold for a good price. I imagine there are Giant frames that are comparable and better but I can't see myself hanging on to them for life, unlike my RMB Blizzard (but that's mostly nostalgia). I am sure they make good bikes for the price point and will perform as intended. I personally don't find them to be able to incite my curiosity enough to purchase. They just don't have that thing that appeals to me. I don't know if it's their advertising, their GIANT graphics, company size... they just don't appeal to me. 

Sorry for the boring answer everybody, but that's my feeling on Giant. It's nothing more than a blank facial gaze expression of meh.


----------



## watts888 (Oct 2, 2012)

woho!

4 pages. half way there.:thumbsup:


----------



## TSpice (May 15, 2015)

watts888 said:


> Can't we all just agree, KIA $ucks.


Depends on when you bought the KIA. (I own a KIA Sorento and a KIA Optima.)

If you bought it when it was manufactured in Korea? It is a rock solid vehicle. If you bought after they made the factories in the United States? It is likely a pile of crap.


----------



## watts888 (Oct 2, 2012)

TSpice said:


> If you bought it when it was manufactured in Korea? It is a rock solid vehicle.


Depends on when you bought it from Korea. I guy I worked with had one of the first that came over in the mid 90's. front wheels feel off at 50k miles. Literally, one of the wheels completely came off the car.

I will say, the newer Kia Soul's that look like a stormtrooper are kinda cool.


----------



## dbhammercycle (Nov 15, 2011)

watts888 said:


> woho!
> 
> 4 pages. half way there.:thumbsup:


It's woo-hoo! Take a breath with the dash.


----------



## dbhammercycle (Nov 15, 2011)

watts888 said:


> Depends on when you bought it from Korea. I guy I worked with had one of the first that came over in the mid 90's. front wheels feel off at 50k miles. Literally, one of the wheels completely came off the car.


Bah, I was once in a late '80's Honda Accord that dropped the engine in the road while we driving to McD's. Thankfully, we scrapped to a stop just before the parking lot so we still got our fries and apple pies.

I would like to take this opportunity to tell everyone to remember to check your chainring bolts.


----------



## Terranaut (Jun 9, 2014)

TSpice said:


> Depends on when you bought the KIA. (I own a KIA Sorento and a KIA Optima.)
> 
> If you bought it when it was manufactured in Korea? It is a rock solid vehicle. If you bought after they made the factories in the United States? It is likely a pile of crap.


I am neither American or work for KIA but would like to know what you based your opinion on. Ok I will come clean a bit here I work in Quality control for Toyota. The cars we make here are as good and occasionally better than what is built in Japan (quality fluctuates constantly for all factories of any product) so I am curious considering how much of the US built KIA is imported from Korea as a sub assembly and just assembled in the US. In other words, a huge portion of the US built KIA was actually built in Korea anyway.


----------



## watts888 (Oct 2, 2012)

GIANT people, GIANT.

We're supposed to be praising/bashing Giant. Man, you people just can't focus.


----------



## TSpice (May 15, 2015)

Terranaut said:


> I am neither American or work for KIA but would like to know what you based your opinion on. Ok I will come clean a bit here I work in Quality control for Toyota. The cars we make here are as good and occasionally better than what is built in Japan (quality fluctuates constantly for all factories of any product) so I am curious considering how much of the US built KIA is imported from Korea as a sub assembly and just assembled in the US. In other words, a huge portion of the US built KIA was actually built in Korea anyway.


Just like any biased and/or emotionally driven statement there is likely to be circumstantial evidence used.

The KIA Sorento we got was part of the first model year released out of the US based plant. It wasn't a new design, or so I am told, it was just the first run that was made using American workers as opposed to coming from overseas.

We had several recalls on it within the first 6 months of ownership. I am fully aware of lemons and random occurrence issues, but recalls dictate more large scale issues. Whether it was design, factory, supplier quality, I don't know. When speaking with the service techs and several different KIA dealers, they were all talking about how bad that model year was for issues.

So is it a coincidence that the quality tanked at the same time the work relocated to the states? Maybe. Maybe not.


----------



## Silentfoe (May 9, 2008)

watts888 said:


> Depends on when you bought it from Korea. I guy I worked with had one of the first that came over in the mid 90's. front wheels feel off at 50k miles. Literally, one of the wheels completely came off the car.
> 
> I will say, the newer Kia Soul's that look like a stormtrooper are kinda cool.


You have a serious imagination to compare that turd to anything even remotely cool.


----------



## Guest (May 10, 2016)

watts888 said:


> GIANT people, GIANT.
> 
> We're supposed to be praising/bashing Giant. Man, you people just can't focus.


as in ford focus??


----------



## watts888 (Oct 2, 2012)

I don't think it was the Rio, but one of the Kia's looked like a stormtrooper helmet. Possibly the optima hybrid, but with a blacked out grill. Ultimately, it looked interesting, but not something I'd every want to drive around in.


----------



## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

My son has a Kia Picanto which I think looks like a toaster. My brother had it before him so I've know the car for years and I have to say, it has been extremely reliable.


----------



## Davidfs (Feb 18, 2016)

Which Giant should I have purchased rather than my steel hardtail trail/am bike?

From what I've seen, DiamondBack is seen as equivalent to Giant by most consumers, along with Trek, Specialized, and Cannondale. I'm not at all anti-Giant, but they definitely aren't the best choice for everyone.


----------



## dbhammercycle (Nov 15, 2011)

May I ask, how we can have a discussion about Giant but no one has mentioned beans?


----------



## Guest (May 10, 2016)

dbhammercycle said:


> May I ask, how we can have a discussion about Giant but no one has mentioned beans?


 Giant (Blue/Black/White), not Green Giant. Two different Giants.


----------



## Space Robot (Sep 13, 2008)

I've bought a couple of Giants, one road (OCR) and one mountain (VT). They are good bikes for the money, if a little bland. I bought them specifically because of price. They need to do something about the horrific logotype and graphics. Looks similar to something you'd find on other generic sports equipment, like tennis rackets...

That said, I particularly liked my VT, it rode great.


----------



## Nat (Dec 30, 2003)

Forster said:


> Giant (Blue/Black/White), not Green Giant. Two different Giants.


Ho ho ho, very funny.


----------



## dbhammercycle (Nov 15, 2011)

Magic beans don't care about color or lack thereof.


----------



## 127.0.0.1 (Nov 19, 2013)

Silentfoe said:


> Giant makes a great bike. I have many of them. I'm not a fanboi though. I just got some great deals at my LBS. I've ridden and own many other great brands. Giant works for some people and not for others. They do offer great bang for your buck and their warranty is top notch. If you like them, great. If not, great.


I want to say I am like this, ride them but not a total fanboi. but I will defend them

I ride Trek and Giant at the moment (done with boutiques like Ibis and Litespeed and others)

I know what I like, what a responsive and (laugh at this) "laterally stiff yet vertically complaint" rig ought to be. and Giant has this nailed with it's CF frames. without question my two Giants blow away double and triple cost bikes I used to own. they know what they are doing with composites, hands down they build an amazing rig, and it's Production stuff. not boutique. I will hand it to them, they are doing a ton of stuff right which many others miss a bit here and there. YES there are plenty of other makes that do the same. But Giant is doing it just as well as any other make you can pull out of the name-box. pretty friggin good for a mass-production maker.


----------



## 127.0.0.1 (Nov 19, 2013)

cackalacky said:


> I've bought a couple of Giants, one road (OCR) and one mountain (VT). They are good bikes for the money, if a little bland. I bought them specifically because of price. They need to do something about the horrific logotype and graphics. Looks similar to something you'd find on other generic sports equipment, like tennis rackets...
> 
> That said, I particularly liked my VT, it rode great.


nailed it.

BLAND.

generic.

but rides like a raped-ape for less overall bucks.

you betcha I swapped out a bunch of stuff on my XTC. Giant saddle GONE, Giant seatpost GONE, Giant handlebars GONE, Giant wheels GONE. What is left over and after several hundred in new parts, is an extremely light and capable XC rig I still paid less for, that rides better than, something I could have spent 1000 more on, on top of the bucks I spent on new parts.

Giant does charge an arm and a leg for the top end where all the spec parts are silly to swap out since they're top of line already...for mid range bikes I do not think Giant can be beat in what you get for a frame and if you like the Giant spec parts they aren't terrible to keep either.

I am not necessarily a fanboi, I just have no argument against them.

they seem to be just as good a choice as any other maker

and even better choice if dollars-to-donuts matters to you


----------



## Guest (May 10, 2016)

127.0.0.1 said:


> and even better choice if dollars-to-donuts matters to you


so now it's on to donuts, cake or raised??


----------



## Terranaut (Jun 9, 2014)

127.0.0.1 said:


> nailed it.
> 
> BLAND.
> 
> ...











If you aren't a fanboi and feel they are the same as everyone else why did you post only about Giant? 


Ninjasstolemytv said:


> Giant seems to have unbeatable component spec for the price, and their frames aren't bad either, so why go for anything else?
> 
> From what I hear, the warranty isn't even bad and there aren't too many issues to begin with.


You started by saying this and then tell us how you swapped most of the components out.

So I can't help but ask.... why did you start this thread? And what are you getting at?

Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk


----------



## watts888 (Oct 2, 2012)

Terranaut said:


> If you aren't a fanboi and feel they are the same as everyone else why did you post only about Giant?


Because he doesn't want to face the truth. Giant isn't the cheapest.
$2k for a XTR full suspension bike, with a pike. That's the devils work there.


----------



## knutso (Oct 8, 2008)

What does Giant do that sets them apart? All the brands hype their 6-series alloys to no end, and from there it is just your choice of sizing and suspension characteristics. I don't know enough about carbon to say whether or not Giant is doing something special.

If it is spec vs. price, IMO that's overrated, and irrelevant since you aren't getting things like stem, bar and crank length set or getting your gearing dialed. IMO having a cheap dialed spec beats top of the line 'one size fits all'. Those european online shops can equip a frame for a song anyway.


----------



## #1ORBUST (Sep 13, 2005)

Because Canfield hooks me up. And Giant doesnt have skull badges. Thats why


----------



## Nat (Dec 30, 2003)

Is the OP even here any more? Does he even care any more?

Page 5!


----------



## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

Nat said:


> Is the OP even here any more? Does he even care any more?
> 
> Page 5!


After a while the OP usually gets phased out anyways.. this went into Kias, Green beans, and giant human parts lol


----------



## cjsb (Mar 4, 2009)

Flucod said:


> You do realize that GIANT is not an english speaking MFG? In chinese, it means " bike for everyone" , there you can feel better about their logo now. :thumbsup:


It isn't the name or the meaning it is the size and that they plaster it all over their rollling advertisements.


----------



## cjsb (Mar 4, 2009)

Nat said:


> Is the OP even here any more? Does he even care any more?
> 
> Page 5!


Dude, the OP is a manager at an LBS who features Giant. He probably got three sales from lemmings reading the OP.


----------



## 411898 (Nov 5, 2008)

Hi, can I borrow your toe nail clippers for a moment? I have a really bad hang nail.


----------



## Bahamut2119 (Apr 22, 2016)

I recently walked into one of my local shops with intention of looking at giants only because at the time there website basically stated that's all they sell but they did have another brand after all. I looked at the trance for a bit played with it a little then walked over to the cannondales the only other brand they sell atm. When I took a look at the habit I forgot all about the giants yes they're decent bikes yes they come with decent components if you got the cash however there not the bikes for everyone that includes me. 

For what I payed today 2199 + tax I got a solid black habit 5 the right color scheme for me I also got a small component upgrade off the top of my head comparing to a giant 27.5 I looked at for 100 less I got a slx shadow+ rear vs a deore shadow, I got a lockout remote kit for my front shock, something minor I got internal cable routing for a dropper and imo slightly better wheels. Now this doesn't mean I wouldn't by a giant if I got the right deal when I wanted it it just means I got a better deal on a different brand and it had all the stuff I wanted and more. Atho if I had my choice I would've prefered to walk out with a hand made in america branded bike even if its groupset wasnt as good as what I got for the same money.

On another note I was speaking to the shop owner and he admitted giants aren't flying off the shelf and hes seeing a lot of folks walk out to other shops for more variety. He told me hes looking into thinning out his stock of giants and picking up 1-2 other brands. For mountains it dont mean alot I live in the 2nd largest city in massachusetts road bikes are far better sellers in this city he already carries a 3rd brand for his roads.


----------



## Engineer90 (Apr 10, 2015)

Bahamut2119 said:


> On another note I was speaking to the shop owner and he admitted giants aren't flying off the shelf and hes seeing a lot of folks walk out to other shops for more variety. He told me hes looking into thinning out his stock of giants and picking up 1-2 other brands.


That's exactly what I've been saying. Giant has no variety. When it comes to FS 27.5" bikes, then yes, those are good. My wife has the Stance. But, some of us like variety. I like 29er and fatties. Giant offers only 1 decent 29er with barely any alternative to it and does not sell any fatties or + sizes. That's why I went with Specialized and Framed. Most other companies do bank on diversity and it works well for them. Giant is committing suicide as we speak with their MTBs.

My LBS mostly sells Specialized and Salsa. Barely stock Giants anymore.


----------



## 127.0.0.1 (Nov 19, 2013)

koolaid






the above video is the truth, and also

many of you are riding Giant produced bikes with some other brand name on it

by starting out by making OEM frame for everyone else, Giant became a brand by itself. even if no one ever sells a Giant again, Giant will be plenty happy cranking out frames for 10-20 other bike companies as the largest and most capable manufacturer in the world

the video is all about road bikes but trust me (or anyone else) giant builds the same stiffness into the mid-high MTB line

and

you think my making everyone else frame for 30 years using and following specs by other bike engineers, Giant would have learned something. you betcha. another reason why Giant is hard to beat...they know not just what their own engineers figure out, they know what hundreds of other engineers have already figured out buy building the stuff for others. again, Giant is double the size of the next biggest maker. it won't matter a ton if more LBS's drop Giant. QBP is one company who is very keen on following any trend Giant is up to, to keep parts flowing, whether the Giant name is on it, or Specialized, or Trek, or Cervelo...Giant is making the frames for some models for about everyone


----------



## TAOS1 (Feb 5, 2013)

I got a great deal on a 2014 Anthem. Ended up giving it to my son and I got what I wanted

Boring brand
Giant Connect parts SUCK
Boring brand
Wheel set is just terrible
That stupid 'over drive' whatever
Terrible colors
Frame failure issues with the Anthem/Stance


----------



## Davidfs (Feb 18, 2016)

127.0.0.1 said:


> koolaid
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I don't have any problem with Giant, to be honest I haven't ridden one as an adult. But your post isn't clear, are you sitting staying that the video is koolaid? Nearly every brand produces videos like that which explain why theirs are the best bikes, commercials like that mean nothing to me... I've not personally seen Giant (or any other specific company) consistently come out on top for budget comparos, our best bang for the buck articles.

From this thread it sounds like Giant has developed a reputation of making somewhat boring bikes, I cannot speak to the truth in this but it is something that the company's marketing department needs to address or their self-branded sales are likely going to suffer.


----------



## Cornfield (Apr 15, 2012)

"Hey, look, there's a bunch of bikes over there!"

"What kind of bikes are they?"

"They might be giants..."


----------



## 127.0.0.1 (Nov 19, 2013)

lets focus on the film people

Let keep this about Rampart


----------



## watts888 (Oct 2, 2012)

127.0.0.1 said:


> Let keep this about Rampart


Spelling dude. It should be "Let's." If you're going to keep us on track, spelling. You loose all respect otherwise. How can we pointlessly rant about obscure stuff without respect?

"I like turtles"


----------



## dbhammercycle (Nov 15, 2011)

I'm on the "They Might Be Giants" wagon


----------



## chuckha62 (Jul 11, 2006)

watts888 said:


> Spelling dude. It should be "Let's." If you're going to keep us on track, spelling. You loose all respect otherwise. How can we pointlessly rant about obscure stuff without respect?
> 
> "I like turtles"


Haha! "loose"? Try "lose". Nice 

Oh and if it's all about riding Giants, then...


----------



## Nat (Dec 30, 2003)

chuckha62 said:


> Haha! "loose"? Try "lose".


"Lose." The period goes inside of the end quote.

Are we on page 6 yet?


----------



## chuckha62 (Jul 11, 2006)

Nat said:


> "Lose." The period goes inside of the end quote.
> 
> Are we on page 6 yet?


Awesome! ...we'll get to page 6 yet.


----------



## Guest (May 11, 2016)

Nat said:


> "Lose." The period goes inside of the end quote.
> 
> Are we on page 6 yet?


Nope, but we're getting there.


----------



## dbhammercycle (Nov 15, 2011)

Sooooon.


----------



## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

I thought we already had a spelling cop with Finch Plate  ... this should move it to 6


----------



## 127.0.0.1 (Nov 19, 2013)

chuckha62 said:


> haha! "loose"? Try "lose". Nice
> 
> oh and if it's all about riding giants, then...


----------



## 92gli (Sep 28, 2006)

Ninjasstolemytv said:


> Giant seems to have unbeatable component spec for the price, and their frames aren't bad either, so why go for anything else?
> 
> From what I hear, the warranty isn't even bad and there aren't too many issues to begin with.


Is this the giant rep from my area that couldn't sell a coat to a naked man at the north pole? Sorry son, this is trek and specialized country.


----------



## chuckha62 (Jul 11, 2006)

92gli said:


> Is this the giant rep from my area that couldn't sell a coat to a naked man at the north pole? Sorry son, this is trek and *Special-Ed* country.


FIFY.

Are we at 6 yet?


----------



## Nat (Dec 30, 2003)

In before page 6.

Edit: Ha! Page 6!


----------



## watts888 (Oct 2, 2012)

Calling Mister Donkey, page 6. Mister Donkey, page 6.


Edit, AAAAAH, just missed it.


----------



## chuckha62 (Jul 11, 2006)

Nat said:


> In before page 6.
> 
> Edit: Ha! Page 6!


...and the OP is long gone I'm sure. Does he get socks form FC now?


----------



## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

I see this thread closing pretty soon, so don't expect page 7


----------



## Guest (May 11, 2016)

jcd46 said:


> I see this thread closing pretty soon, so don't expect page 7


Wouldn't bet on it. It has already completely digressed into irrelevancy and that has a tendency to give threads immortality.


----------



## LittleBitey (Nov 10, 2012)

jcd46 said:


> I thought we already had a spelling cop with Finch Plate  ... this should move it to 6


Don't you mean Finch Platte?


----------



## Zowie (Aug 3, 2013)

LittleBitey said:


> Don't you mean Finch Platte?


I think your missing the point.


----------



## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

Zowie said:


> I think your missing the point.


Thank you! lol

Although I will come clean and I say I knew I was going to "f" that up one way or another.


----------



## LittleBitey (Nov 10, 2012)

Zowie said:


> I think your missing the point.


I see what you did their


----------



## 127.0.0.1 (Nov 19, 2013)

QUICK



Name ten things that aren't Giant



apple, banana, strawberry, hershey's bar, ice cream, guitar, book, dvd, giant, and light pole...ahh ****. I can't.


----------



## Bokchoicowboy (Aug 7, 2007)

The thread cannot close until someone posts a picture of Travolta trying to come up with a reason to buy Giant:









That's right, he's got nothing.

And it cannot close until someone posts a photo of:









Bush with a man-bun









Biker Fox









Captain Obvious









Lord Humungus









Lord Vader uni-flame-piping in Portland









Mr. Rogers flipping the bird









And that Shake Weight guy. NOW you can close the thread.


----------



## chuckha62 (Jul 11, 2006)

I just love the downward spiral these threads become. A swirling vortex into the maw.


----------



## Guest (May 11, 2016)

nvphatty said:


> I see 4-5 pages.





watts888 said:


> Challenge accepted. Maybe 7-8.


we are in your realm now.


----------



## Guest (May 11, 2016)

fuggit lets shoot for 10.


----------



## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

chuckha62 said:


> Awesome! ...we'll get to page 6 yet.


Still only page 3 for me.


----------



## Cornfield (Apr 15, 2012)

Blast from the past! http://forums.mtbr.com/general-discussion/brand-pronunciations-728054.html



sasquatch rides a SS said:


> I work in a shop and hear some pretty bad mess up's daily...
> 
> Sram - "S-ram"
> *Giant - 'Ghee-aunt" "Ghi-unt"*
> ...


----------



## Nat (Dec 30, 2003)

Cornfield said:


> Blast from the past! http://forums.mtbr.com/general-discussion/brand-pronunciations-728054.html One time a customer asked me over the phone if we fix bikes and I said "yes we repair bikes"...she paused and said "oh you do that too?"


Does that go back to the old Ford joke, "*F*ixed *O*r *R*epaired *D*aily?"


----------



## Ricko (Jan 14, 2004)

If I ever bought a Giant, it would have to be green.

That is all...


----------



## Guest (May 11, 2016)

TwoTone said:


> Still only page 3 for me.


it would seem your behind my good man, throw on some 650b+ and catch up.


----------



## Cornfield (Apr 15, 2012)

Nat said:


> Does that go back to the old Ford joke, "*F*ixed *O*r *R*epaired *D*aily?"


Never heard that one. I've only heard: Found On Roadside Dead and Ford backwards as: Driver Returns On Foot.

I wonder what Giant could stand for? Get It And Need Tools?


----------



## chuckha62 (Jul 11, 2006)

Cornfield said:


> Never heard that one. I've only heard: Found On Roadside Dead and Ford backwards as: Driver Returns On Foot.
> 
> I wonder what Giant could stand for? Get It And Need Tools?


Nice


----------



## 411898 (Nov 5, 2008)

Cornfield said:


> Never heard that one. I've only heard: Found On Roadside Dead and Ford backwards as: Driver Returns On Foot.
> 
> I wonder what Giant could stand for? Get It And Need Tools?


I've heard both of those mentioned, and "First On Race Day".

Giant could stand for the acronym of the synonym of the antonym of the route of the word, too.


----------



## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

you peoples collective spelling sux, apparently. no wonder i feel so at home in your company.



chuckha62 said:


> I just love the downward spiral these threads become. A swirling vortex into the maw.


that started on page 1



Bokchoicowboy said:


> The thread cannot close until someone posts a picture of Travolta trying to come up with a reason to buy Giant:
> 
> That's right, he's got nothing.
> 
> ...


that was awesome


----------



## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

nvphatty said:


> it would seem your behind my good man, throw on some 650b+ and catch up.


You just have your browser set up wrong- catch up. :thumbsup:


----------



## Nat (Dec 30, 2003)

*G*od *I* *A*bhor *N*ew *T*echnology


----------



## Alias530 (Apr 1, 2013)

Since when are they spec'd well for the price?

I think it was the Reign from a year or two ago that was an aluminum frame and X1 build for $6k. Most bikes are carbon framed with X01 in that price range. They always struck me as poorly equipped for the price. Haven't looked at them since so maybe they are better equipped now.


----------



## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

s e v e n


----------



## mbmb65 (Jan 13, 2004)

Hawg said:


> I've heard both of those mentioned, and "First On Race Day".
> 
> Giant could stand for the acronym of the synonym of the antonym of the route of the word, too.


Do words have a route? Where would they go?


----------



## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

I feel sorry for those arriving late to the thread, at least they will have a spelling lesson in return. 

Helping on the arrival of page #8


----------



## Cornfield (Apr 15, 2012)

mbmb65 said:


> Do words have a route? Where would they go?


It's the route the word took from it's origin to it's current meaning.


----------



## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

Now you're on page 4


----------



## Davidfs (Feb 18, 2016)

TwoTone said:


> Now you're on page 4


Maybe your computer just doesn't know how to count... Of course if that's true it's not really a COMPUTEr is it...


----------



## dbhammercycle (Nov 15, 2011)

^ As a fellow rider of an 853 with a Brooks saddle, I would like a pic of your ride...... unless it's a Giant, then nevermind.


----------



## Davidfs (Feb 18, 2016)

dbhammercycle said:


> ^ As a fellow rider of an 853 with a Brooks saddle, I would like a pic of your ride...... unless it's a Giant, then nevermind.


Absolutely! I'm out of town right now and the only current picture on my phone are of a crash I had, but I'll get you next week.

We should start a club


----------



## LittleBitey (Nov 10, 2012)

Off to start a "why ride anything but a 29er" thread...


----------



## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

Davidfs said:


> Maybe your computer just doesn't know how to count... Of course if that's true it's not really a COMPUTEr is it...


Actually since mine is fast, I could up the number of posts per page cause it loads fast. All you slow internet people still have yours loading smaller number :madman: of post per page


----------



## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

LittleBitey said:


> Off to start a "why ride anything but a 29er" thread...


i think you meant B+. all the cool kids are doing it, just none of the smart ones.


----------



## Engineer90 (Apr 10, 2015)

Can I be the final nail on the coffin? 

NO MORE PAGES!

RIP Giant troll.


----------



## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

Engineer90 said:


> Can I be the final nail on the coffin?
> 
> NO MORE PAGES!
> 
> RIP Giant troll.


You got it!!........ooops!


----------



## dbhammercycle (Nov 15, 2011)

Guys, we gotta keep this on track for page 8. Get it together and see what's happenin'


----------



## I_AM (Mar 20, 2013)

I use to love my Giant. Then I bought a Banshee.


----------



## Bokchoicowboy (Aug 7, 2007)

Engineer90 said:


> RIP Giant troll.











...Said Captain Obvious....


----------



## Cornfield (Apr 15, 2012)

dbhammercycle said:


> Guys, we gotta keep this on track for page 8. Get it together and see what's happenin'


Get it together... get it together... get it together...

See what's happening...


----------



## watts888 (Oct 2, 2012)

Trek sucks, Specialized sucks, Raleigh sucks, Diamondback sucks, they all suck.

Except Giant, cause giant's are cool.


----------



## 006_007 (Jan 12, 2004)

I dont have time to read all this. Is there ANYTHING about an awesome strap in this thread?


----------



## dbhammercycle (Nov 15, 2011)

006_007 said:


> I dont have time to read all this. Is there ANYTHING about an awesome strap in this thread?


Mentioned, page 3, post 54.


----------



## Guest (May 12, 2016)

006_007 said:


> I dont have time to read all this. Is there ANYTHING about an awesome strap in this thread?


 Yup, way back on page two.


----------



## Cornfield (Apr 15, 2012)

Damn, you guys beat me to it, I've been wanting to use: "Does Howdy Doody got wooden balls, man?" for so long.


----------



## dbhammercycle (Nov 15, 2011)

Forster said:


> Yup, way back on page two.


Credit due, rep on the way.


----------



## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

do you all have this thread like ready to type something on it??


----------



## 006_007 (Jan 12, 2004)

dbhammercycle said:


> Mentioned, page 3, post 54.


Cheers!


----------



## watts888 (Oct 2, 2012)

page 8, done. 

finally, we can go on to other exciting posts and stop wasting our time here.


----------



## JACKL (Sep 18, 2011)

Great job everyone!! Bravo to all who contributed!! 

I would like to say the following from the bottom of my heart:

Congratulations, you can achieve target!!

If Oscars to give for a job well done, I nominate you!

Congratulations for big achievement although facing adversity!

Dedication, enthusiasm and insight are your traits. I wish you many years of greatness!

You are destined to make it big in world, I bet you didn't know it. This recognition is surely deserved and give you more opportunity to spread your wings.

You work hard to achieve 8-pages, but hardly complain (too much).


----------



## watts888 (Oct 2, 2012)

What happened anyway? Where am I?

(9 pages, here we come Mr. Overachiever)


----------



## One Pivot (Nov 20, 2009)

I think we need to bring back ibex bikes, and start the same thread but with them.


----------



## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

jcd46 said:


> do you all have this thread like ready to type something on it??


yeah, it's better than working. besides, we've proven wrong all the people that say slackers don't accomplish anything. teamwork.


----------



## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

^^ Agree on both counts.


----------



## targnik (Jan 11, 2014)

:thread-bomb:

Kona :FTW:






-----------------------------------------------------------
#1 resolution... Ride it like I stole it!!


----------



## Cornfield (Apr 15, 2012)

I searched for "jolly green giant on a bike", no giant, but I found his bikes.


----------



## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

^^ That was probably easier than the 6 26+ tires you were challenged to find yesterday.


----------



## Cornfield (Apr 15, 2012)

jcd46 said:


> ^^ That was probably easier than the 6 26+ tires you were challenged to find yesterday.


Yeah, it got kinda hard after the Dirt Wizard, Knard, and Trax Fatty.


----------



## dbhammercycle (Nov 15, 2011)

Here we are, watching the "Ocho."


----------



## SeaBass_ (Apr 7, 2006)

Meh. Why buy a giant at all?


----------



## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

SeaBass_ said:


> Meh. Why buy a giant at all?


Well said!


----------



## 127.0.0.1 (Nov 19, 2013)

Why isn't everyone on a HyperBike ? 50 MPH all day long






at 50 seconds you hear why this is in this thread


----------



## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

^^ because I don't want to feel like a hamster, and it looks like the engineers had a bit too much "herb" while design it.


----------



## watts888 (Oct 2, 2012)

127.0.0.1 said:


> Why isn't everyone on a HyperBike ? 50 MPH all day long


Did that have an old Manitou fork?

Sweet. Take it off any jumps?


----------



## JACKL (Sep 18, 2011)

SeaBass_ said:


> Meh. Why buy a giant at all?


With logic like that, there is no way we could have made it to 8 pages.


----------



## Cornfield (Apr 15, 2012)

jcd46 said:


> ^^ because I don't want to feel like a hamster, and it looks like the engineers had a bit too much "herb" while design it.


This one looks like there was a bit less herb involved, and you'll get that "in the bike" feeling.


----------



## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

SeaBass_ said:


> Meh. Why buy a giant at all?





JACKL said:


> With logic like that, there is no way we could have made it to 8 pages.


Ok JACKL, you've been here long enough to fully understand some really dumb threads have managed to continue into perpetuity.


----------



## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

Cornfield said:


> This one looks like there was a bit less herb involved, and you'll get that "in the bike" feeling.


Much better but still Rigid - we can call it a Giant 2009er - speaking of 9er's we're almost there


----------



## Guest (May 13, 2016)

if i continue to post in this thread perhaps i'll make it to 7k??


----------



## AustinBiker (Aug 29, 2008)

I like the point about what we see on trails - in front range Colorado, on my favorite trails most I see are yeti, spec, pivot, niner, sc, etc. There are plenty giant/trek/cannondale dealers around but their bikes don't make it up the hills??? I do see giant/trek/cannondale a lot at the local bike park when I'm out with my 4 and 6 year olds. Not saying this is all you can do on these, but this is where I see those bikes. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## Space Robot (Sep 13, 2008)

*Bueller?*

Are you still here? It's over! go home!


----------



## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

cackalacky said:


> Are you still here? It's over! go home!


nonsense, in the interest of page 9, can i use motor oil on my chain for a non-Giant bike with 29" wheels?


----------



## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

Still page 4, what a bunch of slackers.


EDIT: Oh I have the Honor of taking it to page 5.


----------



## Guest (May 14, 2016)

Perhaps Giant should revive the old Schwinn S-6 wheel size? It's a stupid idea, but it fits the theme of endless/irrelevant digression nicely.


----------



## 411898 (Nov 5, 2008)

Oh darn, I missed page 3 here. Were there any page 3 girls posted? :ihih:


----------



## Davidfs (Feb 18, 2016)

Ninjasstolemytv said:


> Giant seems to have unbeatable component spec for the price, and their frames aren't bad either, so why go for anything else?
> 
> From what I hear, the warranty isn't even bad and there aren't too many issues to begin with.


Because I have it on good authority that size doesn't matter as much as technique.

We're talking abut wheels here right?


----------



## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

AustinBiker said:


> I like the point about what we see on trails - in front range Colorado, on my favorite trails most I see are yeti, spec, pivot, niner, sc, etc. There are plenty giant/trek/cannondale dealers around but their bikes don't make it up the hills???


After reading this I made a mental note of the bikes I saw at Glentress today. It's a busy trail centre but no, Giant were hardly in evidence. The shop hires out Trek bikes so saw a lot of those. Probably the most common full-sus was Norco with everyone else fairly evenly represented. Santa Cruz, Specialized, Commencal, and a few bikes from just about every other brand you can think of. My friend has an old Giant NRS, so I saw that, but I didn't see any other Giant full-sus bikes, just a couple of hard-tails.

I reckon there is something in it, Giants are bought buy people who don't ride them.


----------



## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

Mr Pig said:


> I reckon there is something in it, Giants are bought buy people who don't ride them.


I thought that's what hybrids were for. maybe Giant should ditch 650b and limit themselves to a full lineup of hybrids.


----------



## Guest (May 14, 2016)

Hawg said:


> Oh darn, I missed page 3 here. Were there any page 3 girls posted? :ihih:


you didn't!!


----------



## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

I said I wouldn't post here anymore but given all the efforts you guys are going through..here is for Hawg. Not sure if she is on a Giant though


----------



## Nat (Dec 30, 2003)

Is there a bike in that pic?


----------



## Cornfield (Apr 15, 2012)

Page 9'er is here!


----------



## Spectre (Jan 23, 2004)

Ninjasstolemytv said:


> Giant seems to have unbeatable component spec for the price, and their frames aren't bad either, so why go for anything else?
> 
> From what I hear, the warranty isn't even bad and there aren't too many issues to begin with.


In my opinion only, a bike is more than the frame material and the parts spec.

I rode a Giant Trance Advanced at Interbike 2015 last year and was really disappointed in its ride and handling: INTERBIKE 2015: Giant Trance Advanced Review (140mm travel) ? DIRT MERCHANT BIKES

I will note that this is one bike and I've heard good things about the Anthem. Perhaps the Maestro suspension works better on shorter travel bikes?

There were other bikes that rode great, but Giant Trance wasn't one of them: INTERBIKE 2015: Pivot Mach 429 Trail Review (29er with 116mm travel) ? DIRT MERCHANT BIKES

As one of the other posters mentioned, if you are mainly concerned about parts spec and price, BikesDirect has some of the least expensive bikes around. Giant bikes are a great value for sure, but I personally wouldn't compromise ride and handling for a lower price.


----------



## One Pivot (Nov 20, 2009)

That's the first bad trance review I've seen. Most people love the bike. Its priced high enough to not be an entry level ride that people who don't know better review either.


----------



## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

*Uh...What?*


----------



## AustinBiker (Aug 29, 2008)

Spectre said:


> In my opinion only, a bike is more than the frame material and the parts spec.
> 
> I rode a Giant Trance Advanced at Interbike 2015 last year and was really disappointed in its ride and handling: INTERBIKE 2015: Giant Trance Advanced Review (140mm travel) ? DIRT MERCHANT BIKES
> 
> ...


Funny, I rode a Trance after telling the Giant demo guy I was looking at ibis Ripley (then my top choice), pivot 429t, yeti, salsa, sc - the trance was exactly this top review to me. Not confidence inspiring, and seemed to get in my way a bit. I thought it was just me. I bought a 429t shortly after and have been slaying my PR's on Strava since.

Maybe Dirt Merchant are the reviews we should be reading? Many of course are hyped up, never wanting to say anything negative.


----------



## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

AustinBiker said:


> Maybe Dirt Merchant are the reviews we should be reading? Many of course are hyped up, never wanting to say anything negative.


If you trust magazine or major site reviews you're a fool. They are so far from unbiased it's ridiculous. If a manufacturer is buying advertising are they going to slate the products? No chance, and it is easier to go with the flow. Giant are one of the biggest brands so if you say good things about them you are reinforcing what the average reader already thinks, which they like. It's a lot less risky that disagreeing with them and recommending products they've never heard of and maybe can't even buy locally.

The big brands in any sector always get good reviews and good coverage. Money talks. It's not fair and it makes it really hard for smaller companies to get a foothold but that's just the way it is. Buyers are sheep and most do not have a lot of imagination.


----------



## One Pivot (Nov 20, 2009)

More than half the reviews I see, magazine or not, are really reviews of a fork and shock, and how well the fork and shock are setup for a rider. 

You dont have to like the trance... but come on. Its got long stays, average top tube length, and a 67 degree head tube. Its not going to be twitchy unless you really screw up the shock and fork. If you're demo'ing a bike, the shock and fork are more than likely going to have crazy off settings.

Giants are like toyotas. You're not getting the latest and greatest, but you're not getting a pile of crap either. You can go buy any giant and it'll be a good bike, for what it is. Its not a canfield. Its not going to blow away everything else or be innovative or uniquely different.

But yeah, bike reviews can be ridiculous. Heres my review of 2 bikes. 

bike 1. Its twitchy and wont hold a line! Despite being a 6 inch bike, its harsher and still bottoms out, the leverage ratio and design is pretty poor. Has that "on" the bike feel instead of in, so off camber anything feels like Im going to crash. Pedals alright as long as its smooth, technical climbing suffers. Regret buying it already. No confidence means no fun.

bike 2. Big difference between this and the first! Feels slacker than the geometry implies, really sits in the travel well and sucks up rocks. Really soft off the top, but it never seems to bottom. Planted, feels in the bike and not on top. Fits great, pedals great, climbs great in the rough! 

Both 100% honest reviews of the exact same frame after reshimming and tuning. Its my plain old reign. Ive read a lot of reviews that mirrored the first review of how poor it handled and how easily it smashed into bottom out. Its a tuning thing.

Giant used to be a great value for the money. They're just expensive now. The trance I demo'd was over 7 grand. It didnt blow me away, but you'd be crazy to say its junk. Giants usually trailing behind in geometry but they got that bike right. Its nothing new, but its setup in a way that does work, and works well. You just have to actually set it up. 

The original premise of the thread is pretty ridiculous. I like giant, and ive had 3 of them, but I got crazy deals on all of them. Paying full price I can see why someone would buy something else. Trying to write off the whole brand as a junk brand is honestly about as silly as the original post though. 

Its just another bike brand thats kinda similar to what everyone else is putting out.


----------



## Spectre (Jan 23, 2004)

Mr Pig said:


> If you trust magazine or major site reviews you're a fool. They are so far from unbiased it's ridiculous. If a manufacturer is buying advertising are they going to slate the products? No chance, and it is easier to go with the flow. Giant are one of the biggest brands so if you say good things about them you are reinforcing what the average reader already thinks, which they like. It's a lot less risky that disagreeing with them and recommending products they've never heard of and maybe can't even buy locally.
> 
> The big brands in any sector always get good reviews and good coverage. Money talks. It's not fair and it makes it really hard for smaller companies to get a foothold but that's just the way it is. Buyers are sheep and most do not have a lot of imagination.


I started realizing this about 13 years ago when I was a product planner at a car company in SoCal. We had our product planning test fleet of about 35 cars and frequently got other competitor vehicles in to test drive. Negative aspects of cars were completely glossed over in magazine reviews or stated in a way that you would only understand if you knew what to look for.

Tom Demerly just wrote a blog post on the truth about bike reviews:
https://tomdemerly.com/2016/04/28/confessions-of-a-bike-reviewer-why-i-lied-for-39-years/

Everyone has an angle:

1. Manufacturers want to hype their products especially if they are not category leading in performance.
2. Magazines and other Media need advertisers. Consumers generally are not willing to pay what it takes to keep a magazine in business without advertising.
3. Retailers I think can go either way. The easier route to take is to just sell what's "hot". That is one reason why I think many retailers carry multiple lines of bikes that are otherwise similar in intent and target buyer because what's hot one year is old news the next. There are also certainly many financial incentives (for larger retailers in particular) to narrow down to several key brands and gain the benefit of higher margins provided for volume purchases. Smaller, less well-known brands such as e*thirteen take more time and represent more inventory risk than better known brands that the typical LBS shopper is willing to buy without thinking twice. But many retailers do try their best to guide their customers. To some extent, they can be limited by the range of experience they have with equipment since many shops don't have the budget to get out to industry events such as Interbike to get hands-on experience with new product.

For Dirt Merchant Bikes, this is our angle:

1. Our target buyer profile is a fairly affluent rider seeking the best product performance or near-best performance at a given price point. They don't have the time or the inclination to try out all of the different products available to find the best performing products for their needs. They want equipment that helps them have the best mountain bike ride they can for every ride.
2. We fill the information gap that our buyers have in finding the right product for their needs. (e.g., if all of these tires have "good reviews" which is the right one for my needs.) Our role is to advise on product selection, rather than to sell what we have in stock.
3. Honesty is our best policy since that is what makes us credible. Sometimes that means giving kudos to competitor products, but we are confident that the products we've chosen are at least worthy of consideration. We represent Turner Bikes because their mission to create the best performing and most durable bike they can fits what we are looking for in a supplier. I've done demos over the years of many different bikes and Turner bikes have never failed to impress me. Finding and choosing the right products to recommend, means that we're not afraid of head-to-head comparisons.
4. Running a just-in-time supply chain based on lean manufacturing principles means that we are able to fairly quickly shift our recommended products to better performing new products when they are introduced. We don't have a large backlog of unsold inventory to move.


----------



## Spectre (Jan 23, 2004)

Totally agree that setup is important. I like to demo bikes at Interbike since the guys there that are setting up the bikes are from the manufacturers. I would expect that they would have at a least a decent handle on how to get their bikes set up the right way. If you can't get a retailer to like your product, it's going to be difficult to get that retailer to want to lay down major coin to have your bikes in stock.

Back to my Trance ride impressions and why I was not impressed:

1.The Maestro suspension felt decent on the fireroad/asphalt road climb up to the trail. It wasn't bobbing and felt fairly efficient.
2. Where my impressions shifted to the negative side started when I got onto singletrack. The suspension did not settle well into its travel and the bike got bucked around by minor (and I mean minor) trail imperfections. 
3. I was really not happy at all descending on the Trance. It made a really easy trail feel difficult as it continually wanted to change direction meaning that it would want to change direction without my wanting to do the same.

Could this be all due to suspension setup? Maybe, but I generally think that suspension setup especially when starting from fairly average settings doesn't change a poor riding bike into a good riding bike. Also, I'm fairly average from a physical perspective (5'9" & 152 lbs) so my needs there aren't extreme. Again, I have to imagine that the factory techs from Giant know what they are doing about shock setup on their bikes, probably to a better extent that the typical retail shop.

Gotta tell you, I was really quite shocked at how poorly the Giant rode. In contrast, the Specialized Enduro 27.5 rode decently well as I expected. Stable, predictable, decent climbing though not great: INTERBIKE 2015: Specialized Enduro Carbon Review (165mm travel) - DIRT MERCHANT BIKES


----------



## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

Even when you walk into a bike store you might be forgiven for thinking that all of the bikes they stock will be presented to you on an equal footing but it's not the case. The bigger brands carry so much clout that they can make shops very biased in their favour. They can impose quotas the shop must sell to keep the brand, offer better profit margins and big discounts on large orders. Which then gives the shop a lot of bikes to talk people into buying! 

I have two bikes from a small manufacturer who gave up playing the game and now sells direct. I kinda like that.


----------



## Spectre (Jan 23, 2004)

Mr Pig said:


> Even when you walk into a bike store you might be forgiven for thinking that all of the bikes they stock will be presented to you on an equal footing but it's not the case. The bigger brands carry so much clout that they can make shops very biased in their favour. They can impose quotas the shop must sell to keep the brand, offer better profit margins and big discounts on large orders. Which then gives the shop a lot of bikes to talk people into buying!
> 
> I have two bikes from a small manufacturer who gave up playing the game and now sells direct. I kinda like that.


Yes, completely. That is how Specialized (and Trek, Giant, Cannondale to a lesser extend) own so much of the brick-and-mortar market for bikes.

Not to mention the buy-in to be a dealer for one of these brands in the multiple six figures. So Mr. Retailer buys his $xxx,xxx worth of inventory. Big Bike Co offers you 6 month terms to pay them back for this inventory. Which bikes is it most likely that Mr Retailer be trying to move out his door for the next six months? Oh, if you do sell more of Big Bike Co's product, your margins will be higher than if you sell a variety of bikes and related stuff from smaller brands. More incentive to sell Big Bike Co's product. BTW, if you do really well, at least one of the Big Bike Co has been known to "ask" you to open another store in your territory or they would be happy to open their own new store.


----------



## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

The sad part is that the average buyer knows nothing about this. They see the big brands well represented in the biggest stores, see them get good revues, see their big, glossy adverts and draw the conclusion that these brands must be the ones to own. 

Then there is sponsorship. Necessary, but how does it effect costs? Where I live a can of Red Bull costs around 80% more than other brands of energy drink. People will pay the extra because they think it must be a better product as it is well known and they like the association with the Red Bull brand image. But where does the money for all the Red Bull sponsored activities and athletes come from? There is only one place it can come from, the sales of the drink. The cheaper stuff is probably just as good.


----------



## Nat (Dec 30, 2003)

...and the discussion gets all serious again.


----------



## Cornfield (Apr 15, 2012)

Nat said:


> ...and the discussion gets all serious again.


Only a couple more posts and we're on page 10!

Weeeee!!!


----------



## banditpowdercoat (Aug 13, 2015)

Cornfield said:


> I searched for "jolly green giant on a bike", no giant, but I found his


That's not a giant. That's my last years Kona Lava Dome!!!!!


----------



## Engineer90 (Apr 10, 2015)

Cornfield said:


>


Behold! The new 72er bike. Better contact patch than a fat bike, can roll over anything, tight turning radius, shorter chainstay than a 27.5".


----------



## JACKL (Sep 18, 2011)

Cleared2land said:


> Ok JACKL, you've been here long enough to fully understand some really dumb threads have managed to continue into perpetuity.


Correct. And SeaBass_ completely answered the original question in one simple sentence. In theory, that could have easily ended this foolishness. But I've also been around here long enough to know that ain't happening.

Now that the Giant question is settled, another question comes to mind. If the username SeaBass_ exists, it must be because there is or was a user name of SeaBass <no underscore>. What happened to SeaBass <no underscore>? Did he (or she) quit mountain biking? Meet an untimely end? Or....something more nefarious?

If I am correct and there is something more to this, I can't help but think that SeaBass_ had something to do with it. Surely we are dealing with more than a simple typo here.


----------



## JACKL (Sep 18, 2011)

Nat said:


> ...and the discussion gets all serious again.


I will try to put an end to that, but it's like herding cats around here.


----------



## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

hurray Ten!





- sorry to hear about seabass


----------



## yangpei (Apr 18, 2004)

Giant has some good bikes and do offer a lot of bang for the buck. 

But, I don't think I would ever buy a Giant bicycle (or any big brand like Specialized, Trek, Cannondale, etc). They all make great gikes, but I prefer boutique brands, especially ones that offer something different than the mainstream companies. Over the years, I've had bikes from Titus, Ellsworth, Pivot, Canfield, Knolly, Jones, etc.


----------



## Cornfield (Apr 15, 2012)

I wonder if they still make the Stiletto?


----------



## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

My wife wears those.


----------



## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

Cornfield said:


> I wonder if they still make the Stiletto?


which one?

this one?








or this one?


----------



## Cornfield (Apr 15, 2012)

Cleared2land said:


> My wife wears those.





*OneSpeed* said:


> which one?
> 
> this one?
> View attachment 1070759
> ...


Maybe these?


----------



## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

*OneSpeed* said:


> hurray Ten!
> 
> - sorry to hear about seabass


Still 5


----------



## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

Cornfield said:


> Maybe these?


oh the horror! or is it whorer'

don't try to take that on a plane, looks like shoe bomb


----------



## adumesny (Apr 11, 2009)

because they don't have long travel 29" - I do like the Glory DH bike though. good value.


----------



## randum (May 17, 2016)

are 29ers even worth it?


----------



## Davidfs (Feb 18, 2016)

randum said:


> are 29ers even worth it?


Obviously not, otherwise Giant would be offering them!!


----------



## cjsb (Mar 4, 2009)

I love how on each of the last several pages the thread is pronounced dead only to be revived with the strength of the electro-shock thingys. The Giant Sales Manager is so sorry that he ever tried to troll this forum to drum up sales for his lame brand.


----------



## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

it's the gift that keeps on giving


----------



## 127.0.0.1 (Nov 19, 2013)

Giant is behind this


----------



## Cornfield (Apr 15, 2012)

*OneSpeed* said:


> it's the gift that keeps on giving












*Ohh, you said "gifts"...


----------



## Guest (May 18, 2016)

Cleared2land said:


> My wife wears those.


me too



Cornfield said:


> Maybe these?


yea that's them but in shades of orange.


----------



## adumesny (Apr 11, 2009)

beg to differ. Try Spec Enduro 29 and I don't think I will ever go back to small wheels. Had 26" forever (still have on DH bike) and even tried 27.5 wheels on it and it was negligible difference to me, so I skipped. 29" slack/long travel is game changer for me (taller guy).


----------



## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

adumesny said:


> beg to differ. Try Spec Enduro 29 and I don't think I will ever go back to small wheels. Had 26" forever (still have on DH bike) and even tried 27.5 wheels on it and it was negligible difference to me, so I skipped. 29" slack/long travel is game changer for me (taller guy).


Wrong thread? did not mention Giant once


----------



## mizzaboom (Jun 2, 2010)

I've had my 26er Trance X1 for 4 years and couldn't be happier with the value and performance. No issues with the frame at all. Yes, I sometimes lust over flashier stuff I see on trail or in the shop but for my money I will buy another Giant when the time comes.


----------



## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

Define "flashier".

Is flashier synonymous with 'blingy' or 'quality'?


----------



## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

he must not have read the whole thread, I'll summarize:

people who think giant is awesome is hilarious to 75% of the population. Giant bikes are perfectly good for 90% of the population. my statements in this thread are 100% accurate 30% of the time.


----------



## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

^^^ Quantitative Science at its finest.


----------



## 006_007 (Jan 12, 2004)

This still isnt locked down?


----------



## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

^^^ This is a thread of knowledge and sage advice. Perhaps the beginnings of a notable documentary.


----------



## watts888 (Oct 2, 2012)

whoo hoo (spelling?)

Page 11. Never, in my wildest dreams, did I think we could talk about nothing this much.


----------



## dbhammercycle (Nov 15, 2011)

Never underestimate our collective ability to say nothing at all as loudly as possible.

Also, wasn't that the premise of Seinfeld?

woo-hoo is what I know, but you do you.


----------



## Zowie (Aug 3, 2013)

watts888 said:


> whoo hoo (spelling?)
> 
> Page 11. Never, in my wildest dreams, did I think we could talk about nothing this much.


It's essential to effective marketing. Good job!


----------



## Guest (May 19, 2016)

dbhammercycle said:


> Never underestimate our collective ability to say nothing at all as loudly as possible.
> 
> Also, wasn't that the premise of Seinfeld?


indeedy


----------



## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

Stay tuned for more on page 12!


----------



## JNKER (Feb 19, 2016)

'Sup everybody. Just saw this thread is 11 pages long. Didn't look at the title. What's the good word?


----------



## Davidfs (Feb 18, 2016)

What I've learned from this thread: 

1) Giant is the best brand unless I want to spend extra money for bling

2) Giant as a company is too big to fail

3) 29ers are pointless

2) Giant bikes provide a boring ride and unpleasant graphics


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## Cornfield (Apr 15, 2012)

Still getting a lot of viewers in the forum and coming in at #4. Either they're still popular, or we've generated some interest in them.

I'm going with the latter. 


Specialized (194 Viewing)

Santa Cruz (133 Viewing)

Trek (130 Viewing)

Giant (110 Viewing)


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## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

Corn, we're all subject to a little misplaced enthusiasm sometimes.


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## Thustlewhumber (Nov 25, 2011)

Did we come to a consensus yet?


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## Silentfoe (May 9, 2008)

Yes, buy a Giant


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## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

Silentfoe said:


> Yes, buy a Giant


yes, a giant double meat cheese burger with EXTRA bacon.


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## Guest (May 20, 2016)

jnker said:


> what's the good word?


g i a n t


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## watts888 (Oct 2, 2012)

Flucod said:


> Now after reading through, I understand on why not to buy a Giant....


NO NO NO

As mentioned above, Giant double meat cheeseburger with extra bacon. I also like jalapenos and BBQ sauce, but that's a personal preference.

Or were you talking about the bike?


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## JACKL (Sep 18, 2011)

nvphatty said:


> g i a n t


Ok, that's weird. If I stare at that for more than 10 seconds, I start wanting to buy a Giant, even though they don't make any bikes I want.

I'm not sure if you have special powers or what, but you might consider a career in marketing.


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## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

Cleared2land said:


> Corn, we're all subject to a little misplaced enthusiasm sometimes.


does this explain me liking Vanilla Ice for 10 minutes?


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## Guest (May 20, 2016)

watts888 said:


> Or were you talking about the bike?


 Bikes? I thought this thread was about Kias.


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## 127.0.0.1 (Nov 19, 2013)




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## dbhammercycle (Nov 15, 2011)

*OneSpeed* said:


> does this explain me liking Vanilla Ice for 10 minutes?


You know what was sad, he was on Good Morning America recently promoting a new Ninja Turtles movie and he didn't even perform Ninja Rap... wtf.


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## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

what a rip-off, that was the only reason i liked him for 10 minutes.


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## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

Time heals all wounds.


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## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

I guess the next question would be... Would Vanilla Ice buy a GIANT?


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## uncaged (May 14, 2016)

Because visually I don't like them, and when it comes to MB's, I prefer Treks. When it comes to Hybrid and Street I prefer Specialized. 

What you are saying is no different than someone saying "Why get anything buy a Honda when they have and do XY & Z?"


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## cjsb (Mar 4, 2009)

Out of curiosity/suspicion, I checked out the OP's profile. Apparently this is his only post on MTBR, nearly 300 replies and 9000 views, dude is all-time...or a trickster.

If he was for real then just keep filling up his inbox with update notifications to this thread.


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## Zowie (Aug 3, 2013)

jcd46 said:


> I guess the next question would be... Would GIANT buy Vanilla Ice?


ftfy


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## Thustlewhumber (Nov 25, 2011)

uncaged said:


> "Why get anything buy a Honda when they have and do XY & Z?"


mmmmmmm.... Honda does have V-Tec, your argument is quite valid. If only they made giant Honda's...


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## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

Thustlewhumber said:


> mmmmmmm.... If only they made giant Honda's...


What's wrong with Tonka Trucks?


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## noapathy (Jun 24, 2008)

So sorry I'm late to the party. What did I miss?

I like GIANT turtles.


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## Guest (May 21, 2016)

noapathy said:


> So sorry I'm late to the party. What did I miss?
> 
> I like GIANT turtles.


 You missed nothing, seriously, nothing. On the other hand, you can't buy Giant Turtles and you shouldn't ride them but they do come in cool colors.


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## Cornfield (Apr 15, 2012)

Forster said:


> you can't buy Giant Turtles and you shouldn't ride them but they do come in cool colors.


Must you post misinformation on the internetz?!

Design Toscano Giant Loggerhead Sea Turtle Statue - Walmart.com


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## noapathy (Jun 24, 2008)

Cornfield said:


> Must you post misinformation on the internetz?!
> 
> Design Toscano Giant Loggerhead Sea Turtle Statue - Walmart.com


Thanks! Now I can finally do those transatlantic enduro races I've been hearing so much about! Not bad at 26 lbs - but it's from Wally World, so gonna have to go over it and make sure it's put together properly before I take 'er out.

I do have one concern. I heard something about an engendered species list or something. Think that'll matter?

edit: also, Giant rulez! :rockon:


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## Guest (May 22, 2016)

Cornfield said:


> Must you post misinformation on the internetz?!
> 
> Design Toscano Giant Loggerhead Sea Turtle Statue - Walmart.com


 I never said he couldn't buy a statue. I am a little surprised that Walmart doesn't sell Rhino horn though.


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## CrozCountry (Mar 18, 2011)

The only bike I have that survived more than two seasons in the stable is the giant STP. Probably 5 years now. Closest match is the p-slope that is closing on two seasons now going strong.

Giant has limited selection of bike styles and geometries, and their component specs are not always such a great deal as you say. Other than that it's a solid company with great bikes. But not the only one.

The high end market of mountain bikes is very finicky. Giant usually is a season behind the other manufacturers, that affects sales a lot in the high end.

They don't have as many dealership as Specialized or Santa Cruz in my area.

The giant house brand components are solid. Latest generation of contact dropper post is up there with the best of them.


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## cjsb (Mar 4, 2009)

It finally happened this morning--I received an email update to this thread subscription and instead of joy and happiness, I felt nothing but contempt for this thread.

Oh, and CrozCountry post above^, if that was your first post in this thread I got news: the horses are out of the barn, J.R. got shot, and Elvis has left the building.


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## noapathy (Jun 24, 2008)

cjsb said:


> It finally happened this morning--I received an email update to this thread subscription and instead of joy and happiness, I felt nothing but contempt for this thread.


I can't decide the cure for this malaise - my standard response a few days ago would be more cowbell, but I have become convinced you need to go ride a Giant. It will save your life and your marriage. If you're not married, it will put you on a path to first find the person of your dreams and then save that marriage. If you're in a bad marriage (probably to someone who rides a non-Giant), you'll find peace and be provided with a good lawyer.


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## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

So... should I buy a Giant?


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## CrozCountry (Mar 18, 2011)

cjsb said:


> Oh, and CrozCountry post above^, if that was your first post in this thread I got news: the horses are out of the barn, J.R. got shot, and Elvis has left the building.


Wow are all those things correlated? Elvis shot JR? Left on a horse? I can look into it.
I know a guy.


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## cjsb (Mar 4, 2009)

CrozCountry said:


> Wow are all those things correlated? Elvis shot JR? Left on a horse? I can look into it.
> I know a guy.


Please report back your findings, sir, ASAP!


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## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

was that a Dallas reference?!?!


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## cjsb (Mar 4, 2009)

*OneSpeed* said:


> was that a Dallas reference?!?!


Straight from the Ewing Ranch, Cowboy!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Keyth Beck (May 20, 2014)

why not have vanilla ice cream every time you have dessert? Vanilla ice cream is good right?


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## Randy777 (Jul 6, 2006)

I love Giant bike! 
I have a 2004 Yukon and a 2012 Anthem X 29er 1. 
IMHO Giant mountain bikes are the best value for the money, and the Maestro is superior to Trek's or Specialized's rear suspension designs.


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## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

Randy777 said:


> I love Giant bike!
> I have a 2004 Yukon and a 2012 Anthem X 29er 1.
> IMHO Giant mountain bikes are the best value for the money, and the Maestro is superior to Trek's or Specialized's rear suspension designs.


"well isn't that special"



cjsb said:


> if that was your first post in this thread I got news: the horses are out of the barn, J.R. got shot, and Elvis has left the building.


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## Cyclotoine (Feb 12, 2015)

ryguy79 said:


> Apparently you're really quiet about it too, as you've provided ZERO evidence for your argument.


I can't find a reference but this article provided a hint. A tour of Giant?s Taichung factory | CyclingTips

Giant introduced the Cadex in 1987 as the first real mass market carbon bicycle. Giant was interested in the material and they had to buy the weaving machines and raw carbon thread from different countries and develop the process of weaving carbon tubes. Giant is a leader in carbon manufacturing, most companies just buy the sheets, but Giant is at the cutting edge, developing the manufacturing process of the sheets themselves. Very few companies do this because the investment is so big, but they pioneered it and have continued to lead the industry.

A rep from Giant once told me that making changes at Giant is like changing the course of the largest ship, it takes time. So they can't nail every trend as they come out, but they can produce really good performing bikes at a really good price, though sometimes they are late to the party. Dropping 29ers was a bolt move and they surprised everyone with an early phase out of 26, but I think if they take anything from that experience it will be that they should stick to their normal course of action. Wait, develop and release when the market is there. They'll probably bring 29ers back now that it is clear that 29ers will not go away. They're also going to have to do plus bikes, and again they will be a year or two late to the party, but when they arrive there will be no denying how freaking awesome their bikes are and for such a good price.

The reason they are so well prices in manufacturing and buying power. Plain and simple, they buy more components than anyone else so they get them cheaper and they build everything, so their costs are lower.

Don't get me started on Maestro and how good that platform is. It's amazingly stiff and robust. Yes I know it may have been designed by someone else and licensed and they tried to sue them etc.. etc... but they have it and they have refined it to probably the most consistently good suspension platform available. I don't currently ride a giant because I am a 29er guy and shop loyalty and a host of other factors play into my decision to ride what I ride but I won't be shy and tell you that I would take Maestro over what i am riding in a heartbeat.


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## Stormf (Jan 24, 2009)

Well said Sir. I've been riding a Giant Trance X1 29er for three years and its definitely the best bike I've ever ridden.


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## cjsb (Mar 4, 2009)

Cyclotoine said:


> I can't find a reference but this article provided a hint. A tour of Giant?s Taichung factory | CyclingTips
> 
> Giant introduced the Cadex in 1987 as the first real mass market carbon bicycle. Giant was interested in the material and they had to buy the weaving machines and raw carbon thread from different countries and develop the process of weaving carbon tubes. Giant is a leader in carbon manufacturing, most companies just buy the sheets, but Giant is at the cutting edge, developing the manufacturing process of the sheets themselves. Very few companies do this because the investment is so big, but they pioneered it and have continued to lead the industry.
> 
> ...


You forgot to include Giant's "innovation" in stealing FSR under patent. Specialized won that suit against them in the 90s which ended Giant's "innovative" NRS suspension in the USA. Giant is a mass manufacturer with a lot of money. They rip-off ideas of others and dare you to sue them.

Once Trump is President it will be much harder for Giant as the movement to "Make America Unaffordable for all Consumers" will be implemented and Giant will no longer enjoy their giant cost advantage. Companies like Schwinn, true dinaours, i mean inniovators, will rise from the ashes, maybe under a new name like schWINNERS! and provide new an innovative designs at the best value that millionaires can afford. Things like lug-nuts for the wheels will return, and there won't be wheel sizes as most wheels will be cheapo materials that bend and warp and aren't reallyround anymore.


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## Guest (May 31, 2016)

Keyth Beck said:


> why not have vanilla ice cream every time you have dessert? Vanilla ice cream is good right?


Hell ya. If I could eat ice cream (old guy onset lactose intolerance) it would be Vanilla every time. Still not buying a Giant.


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## Guest (May 31, 2016)

jcd46 said:


> So... should I buy a Giant?


Why would you buy anything else? They represent the Alpha and Omega of the pinnacle of cycling technology now and into the future. They're the fastest, cheapest, bestest. Why take my word for it, Giant produced a video to answer that question.https://www.youtube.com/user/RideGiantBicycles


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## watts888 (Oct 2, 2012)

This thread is still going? Stop being so serious.


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## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

watts888 said:


> This thread is still going? Stop being so serious.


Well you sent it to page 7 :thumbsup:


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## dbhammercycle (Nov 15, 2011)

You had me at SchWINNERS!

Can't wait. Along with the lug nuts they will get rid of the lawyer lips and bring back those lawyer tab hook hardware thingys on the fork dropouts that were really annoying, only now they will be brightly colored innovations.


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## watts888 (Oct 2, 2012)

TwoTone said:


> Well you sent it to page 7 :thumbsup:


YES. I got page 13.

TwoTone, your computer has crazy counting skillz. Must have set your display options to Canadian mode.


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## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

watts888 said:


> YES. I got page 13.
> 
> TwoTone, your computer has crazy counting skillz. Must have set your display options to Canadian mode.


Just change your setting to show 50 posts per page.


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## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

Forster said:


> Why would you buy anything else? They represent the Alpha and Omega of the pinnacle of cycling technology now and into the future. They're the fastest, cheapest, bestest. Why take my word for it, Giant produced a video to answer that question.https://www.youtube.com/user/RideGiantBicycles


Hoping that the answer is as sarcastic as my question  I really thought this thread had died a while back.


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## Terranaut (Jun 9, 2014)

watts888 said:


> YES. I got page 13.
> 
> TwoTone, your computer has crazy counting skillz. Must have set your display options to Canadian mode.


Please define "Canadian mode"


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## Guest (May 31, 2016)

Terranaut said:


> Please define "Canadian mode"


that takes yet another 13 pages.


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## Guest (May 31, 2016)

jcd46 said:


> Hoping that the answer is as sarcastic as my question  I really thought this thread had died a while back.


 You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to jcd46 again.


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## dbhammercycle (Nov 15, 2011)

jcd46 said:


> I really thought this thread had died a while back.


What is dead may never die...


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## uncaged (May 14, 2016)

Giants are ugly. I will take my Trek and Specialized over the Giant any day. 

Now close the thread....while I try to unsubscribe to it for these updated emails about this thread is getting old.


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## dbhammercycle (Nov 15, 2011)

Do or do not, there is no try.


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## ryguy79 (Apr 12, 2007)

uncaged said:


> Now close the thread....while I try to unsubscribe to it for these updated emails about this thread is getting old.


You can say thanks to MTBR for sharing this thread on their facebook page.


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## Cornfield (Apr 15, 2012)

uncaged said:


> Giants are ugly. I will take my Trek and Specialized over the Giant any day.
> 
> Now close the thread....while I try to unsubscribe to it for these updated emails about this thread is getting old.


Settings>General Settings>Default Thread Subscription Mode>Through my control panel only


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## watts888 (Oct 2, 2012)

ryguy79 said:


> You can say thanks to MTBR for sharing this thread on their facebook page.


wait, seriously?

That's almost like click bait, or a Seinfeld episode. A forum post about nothing.


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## cjsb (Mar 4, 2009)

Terranaut said:


> Please define "Canadian mode"


Canadian Mode displays the page numbers in circular format, like a clock, or like their round bacon but with numbers on the edge of the slice.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## cjsb (Mar 4, 2009)

you can't leave now and you know it. once it gets to 20 o'clock then we can all leave this thread.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## watts888 (Oct 2, 2012)

Wow, it really is on MTBR's facebook page. They must be running out of mundane items to discuss, because this post is very mundane.

Quick, talk about squirrels. that'll confuse them even more.


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## dbhammercycle (Nov 15, 2011)

I have a nicely posed picture of my great great grandmother with one of her pet squirrels on her lap and I always think about how my grandfather would say that squirrel is a fine meal.


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## Klurejr (Oct 13, 2006)

and we are off the rails.

/Closed.


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