Giant XTC 29er 1: What others have to say

Since I still had the test bike in my garage, and knowing that everyone was tired of hearing my thoughts on the bike, it occurred to me that it might be interesting to let some others ride the bike and see what they thought.  In many ways, the XTC 29er 1 represents a step up to the next level of 29ers in that it addresses many of the perceived shortcomings that big wheeled bikes have been charged with.  It has a very stiff and accurate steering front end with the hydroformed frame and the Fox 15mm QR/tapered steerer fork, it has short chainstays (17.3"), it handles tight trails well, and has a low gear set in the 22/32/42 front chainrings and 12-36T rear cassette.  The one hit it needs to take is heavy-ish wheels, but at least they do not seem to be flexy, and at $2,000.00, you can't have it all.

So I decided to lend it out to a few folks that had different bike experience and backgrounds.  Some were wise, old birds and some were relative newbies,  Some were 29er vets and some had never even put a leg over one before.  What did they think?  Read on and see. 

Rider Number One:  James

Stats - 5' 11", 32" inseam, 40 yrs old, 180lbs.  Been riding mtn bikes for approximately 1 year.  Editors rating:  Very fit newbie ready to upgrade his 10 year old FS bike.

"I took the Giant XTC 29-1 out on my favorite trail in the Castaic area called the Charlie Canyon loop. The first thing that I noticed was that the size of the bike was the same as my current bike, a 2000 Specialized FSR Enduro. I was expecting it to be much taller just because of the term '29 inch'. The only other 29 incher I had ridden was an XL framed Turner (Sultan) which felt like I was on a Clydesdale compared to a pony. The second thing was the angle of the front fork on the Giant compared to the Specialized, which is pretty standard on today’s XC bikes, but made quite a difference from my bike. The beginning of the ride is on asphalt and dirt fire roads and the Giant rode exceptionally smooth. I was also impressed with the shifting of the derailleur on the front and rear.    The second part of the trail is a series of uphill climbs in which I was interested to see how the 29er Giant would climb. I was blown away. I know that hardtails typically can climb faster than full suspension but with the 29 inch wheels and the lighter frame, I seemed to be able to power up the hills almost (not quite – still had to pedal) without as much effort. Even going through the sand and silt seemed easier. On the flatter uphill sections the Giant rolled and the crank worked so smoothly."   

"I really did not know what to expect on the downhill single track. The Giant definitely rolled over some of the bumps and rocks a lot easier than the Specialized but I do not know if that was due to the tires or the Fox front shocks compared to the Rock Shox Judy’s that I currently have. The handling in the turns was much more crisp and flowing but I think the Specialized coasted faster than the Giant. I usually do not have to pedal so much to keep up my downhill speed (it could have been the windier conditions also). One of the other things I noticed was the use of the disc brakes. My bike has the older V brakes which means more of a tighter grip and pulling on the levers.   But they are smoother than the disc brakes which is more of a quick grabbing action (probably something I need to get used to). The  Avid Juicy 3 brakes really started to squeak halfway down the trail for no reason since I did not use them much on the  downhill.  The noise was was more annoying than anything else.  I am looking forward to trying the Giant out on another favorite trail Friday morning at Towsley Canyon."

"So today I got to try the Giant XTC 29 on a different trail, Towsley Canyon in Newhall. I  was excited to see how the bike handled on a more technical uphill and downhill. The  beginning of the trail is flat with some asphalt and some fire road and I was still impressed with how the 29” wheels rolled. I was also still equally impressed with the components and how nicely they shifted. After a slight bike hike through a rocky creek  area, the real climbing begins. I could really feel the hardtail on the uphill climb because of the rocks, ruts and bumps in the trail which was something I was not used to. The uphill climb has some pretty steep switchbacks. Two of them I could not make on this bike that I normally can on my bike. One was because I lost traction on the rear tire going up and the other was because I was not completely familiar with the feel of the Giant. The bike handled good on the narrow trail and there were no wobbles or balancing issues. I did notice on some of the steeper sections the bike felt heavier in the tires and harder to pedal. On this particular downhill trail the bike was fun but what I gained in the  tires and front shocks was given back by not having the rear suspension. The trail is very hard packed in a lot of places. I did like the way it handled on the steep downhill sections.  I tried to pick lines where I would roll off some bigger rocks and the bike did not miss a beat. The stopping power on the brakes probably also made me a little braver. The brakes squeaked so badly on the top section of the downhill that I considered not using them but by the time I reached the bottom the squeak was gone like they had gotten worked in a little. The bottom section of the downhill was great for this bike. There are some rocks and bumps that you can definitely feel because it is a hardtail but the way the bike rolled and held in the turns made up for it."

"Overall I was very impressed with the Giant XTC 29 since I have never had any experience with a 29er or a hardtail. When I purchase my next mountain bike I am definitely going to look into the 29” wheeled bikes. Would I consider buying this Giant XTC  29? Not until it comes with full suspension."   -  James

Editors note:  James felt like a one size smaller bike would have fit him better, especially as far as stand over clearance was concerned.

Update on Tuesday, October 13, 2009 at 5:21PM by Grannygear

Rider number two: Jeff

Stats - 51 years of age - 6’5” @ 270lbs Riding since 1996. Intermediate skills. Self described 'Circus Bear on a Bicycle'

"Fitness level is less than ideal, but I ride an average of three to four times a week. Gravity is my mortal enemy on climbs and my good friend while descending. Unfortunately, gravity hurts far more while climbing than it helps while descending. I am who I am with no excuses or apologies. Just another dude that loves to ride his bike."  - jeff

Being 6’5” and hearing for years that 29” mountain bikes are ideal platforms for tall riders, I have been increasingly ‘twentyniner-curious’. However, I had never had a chance to ride one that was actually my size. While riding with some of the locals recently, I noticed that grannygear (GG) was riding a 2010 Giant XTC 29er1 that he had mentioned was in his possession. . . . . and it was an XL! We stopped briefly a few hundred yards before the top of the climb and I asked him if he would mind if I swung a leg over the bike to see how it climbed.

The one thing that had always kept me from seriously considering the big wheeled bikes was the gearing options available. In addition to being 6’5”, I also weigh 270lbs and I’m 50 years old. If you plan to do a fair amount of climbing, two of the three aforementioned personal descriptors are poor characteristics to possess and being tall isn’t a great thing either. But it’s the body I’m blessed with at this time and I do the best I can with what I have and have fun doing it. The new Deore 12-36 cassette was fantastic news to this mountain biker and it made the gearing options pretty close to what is found on 26” wheeled bikes and it made climbing no more difficult than on a 26” bike. The front wheel stayed nicely planted on the steeper parts and the Shimano drivetrain provided crisp, precise shifts.

I asked again if GG would mind if I rode the first mile of the descent on the big wheeled beauty (it really is a good looking bike). We added some air to the Fox F29 and this is where things got really interesting for me. I have ridden this particular trail probably around 200 times in the past three years. I know the trail and I know my limits on my bikes (a custom built 2005 Giant Reign and a Kona Nunu hardtail that I built less than a year ago). I instantly noticed that the 29er1 was very noticeably smoother than my 26” hardtail even though they both have 100mm travel forks. In no time at all, I was railing this trail that I knew intimately, faster than I ever had on either of my bikes. . . . on a hardtail that I had never ridden before. After convincing GG I needed to ride the bike on the 2nd half of the descent, I rolled into the creek bed section of my favorite local singletrack. It’s much tighter than the high speed section I had just descended. This is a trail that crosses back and forth over a creek bed in a relatively narrow ravine for about another mile. It’s rockier and sandier with much tighter turns and once again I am blown away at the speed I could carry through the various features I know so well.

This section of trail is so much fun, I have dubbed it ‘The Two Mile Smile’, but on this day, the smile is a massive grin. The Big Boy (that’s me) is pretty sure he has just had a significant MTB related epiphany as he reluctantly traded back to his own bike for the ride out to the trailhead.

Fast forward a couple days and GG has graciously offered to let me take the bike for a ‘few rides” (10 rides actually, hehehe) and I couldn’t wait to give it a full flogging both up and down the trail again. On my first full ride, I noticed that the very wide flat bar doesn’t agree with my wrists at all. The lack of sweep is slightly painful to this former carpal tunnel sufferer so I rode the climbs with the my thumbs resting over the top of the bar. The grips that come stock on the XTC 29er1 are also kind of narrow for my size 11 meathooks and I would like to see a bike spec’d as an XL come with larger diameter grips that those that come on a Small size model. Call me crazy.

The brakes of this particular model proved to be a bit finicky with regards to noise. GG had the fishing weight affixed to the rear caliper and it seemed to help a lot with regards to noise, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say it eliminated it because it simply didn’t. That said, every disc brake system I have ever ridden with has it’s noisy moments and at my weight, I can push a 160mm rotor to it’s limits. On this bike, the Juicy Threes have had a bit more than that, especially the rear brake, but mostly performed acceptably for me.

Sandy patches are not nearly as treacherous as they are on my 26” bikes and the bumps are not as noticeable as they are on my hardtail in spite of the XTC 29er1 having a 1.9” rear tire and a 2.2” front tire compared to the 2.35” tires I run on my 26” hardtail. The relatively minimal tread of the Kenda Karmas has me railing corners on a hardtail faster than I do on the Reign that has a 2.4 Kenda Telonix on the rear and a 2.5” Kenda Nevegal on the front. Not just a little faster, a LOT faster. Night and day faster.  “Who is this guy” faster. What a rush! I feel like Stanley Ipkiss (Jim Carrey’s character in ‘The Mask’) and even start getting a little cocky. I’m usually content to sweep with the groups I ride with, but now I could easily ride mid-pack (with riders that would normally leave me seeing nothing but dust) with plenty of confidence that I won’t be holding anyone up.

OK, I really like (understatement and a half) this bike, a 29er hardtail. But maybe I am just getting better and should give my 26er another shot with my newfound skill and confidence, right?

Wrong. My first ride back on my 26er hardtail, I am all at once, back to my former self. I try to get up to the speed I was carrying on the XTC 29er1 and I am greeted with several near mishaps. I have another Stanley Ipkiss moment. The one after he throws the mask in the river and then realizes that the mask really does make him. . . . . .  ‘different’. . .  ;-)

I normally subscribe to the theory that says, “It’s the Indian, not the arrow.” I think I will now have to give the arrow a bit more credit and instead of wondering if a 29er hardtail will be my next bike, I know it will be my next bike.

As for the Giant XTC 29er1, like all the other bikes I have owned, there may be a couple things I might change to suit my particular needs. The good news is that Giant did their homework and addressed some issues that 29ers presented. I’m speaking specifically about the front end on the bike with regard to the tapered headtube frame, tapered fork steerer tube and deep-v rim design that gives it such stable, precise steering. I could do better than to merely ‘live’ with this bike, I could thrive on it.

Editors Note:  Jeff is presently assembling the pieces for his own 29er, a hardtail that is just a bit bigger frame size then the XL Giant, which was slightly small for Jeff in this Editor's opinion, although you could not tell by how fast he rode it!

Comments

[Randy]

The closing comment about a frame feeling small or large to the rider is interesting. I find that bikes I like to climb on (and I'm 6'5" and about 225#) tend to run in the XL size for me in a hardtail, yet my favorite descending bike is with full suspension. I run it in a Large size, with the more closed in cockpit and upright seating/bar arrangement. It just feels more comfortable on tight technical single track.