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Giant Mountain Bikes

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Giant Mountain Bikes

Giant’s range of mountain bikes is extremely popular and well known for its excellent capabilities out on the trails. The manufacturer’s mountain bikes are best known for leading the 27.5in wheel (aka 650B) revolution, although some 29er-wheeled options are now returning to the extensive range.

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Technology

Giant’s push for innovation has led to many technological achievements over the years, which have paved the way for today’s range of bikes.

  • Megadrive - The Megadrive is a common feature on Giant mountain bikes and features a massively oversized downtube for increased pedalling efficiency and more direct handling.

    • Powercore - The Powercore is Giant’s way of increasing stiffness for pedalling. The oversized area around the bottom bracket and chain stays makes use of every pedal stroke and ensures no watts are lost through flexing of the frame.
    • Overdrive - Working in partnership with the Megadrive and Powercore, and following on the theme, is the oversized headset and bearings of the Overdrive. With an added tapered steerer tube, the Overdrive provides optimal stiffness for increased steering control.
    • Maestro - The Maestro suspension system is Giant’s floating pivot suspension found on many of its full suspension models of mountain bikes. The system increases pedalling efficiency, ensures complete suspension activity during a wide range of trail conditions and has total brake independence to guarantee full suspension activity and reactivity, even while under full braking force.

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Mountain Bike Range

Giant’s 2017 range of mountain bikes is large and caters for a wide variety of categories. Most performance ranges of Giant bikes are split into two categories, a standard or an Advanced version. The standard version, for example, the Trance 1, features a frame made of ALUXX aluminium. While the Advanced versions, for example, the Trance 1 Advanced, is made from Giant’s Advanced composite technology (carbon fibre). Priced higher, the Advanced ranges typically come with higher end components to match the higher end frames.

Popular Off-Road models

Cross country

  • Anthem full suspension range and XTC, Fathom and Talon hardtail range
  • Typically has 100–120mm of suspension travel
  • Wheel size – 27.5in (650b) and 29er
  • Suited to XC/marathon racing and trails

Trail

  • Trance and Stance trail range
  • Typically has 120–150mm of suspension travel
  • Wheel size –27.5in
  • Suited to technical trail riding with small jumps/drops and rocks, extended uphill climbing

Enduro

  • Reign enduro range
  • Typically has 160mm-170mm of suspension travel
  • Wheel size –27.5in
  • Suited to enduro racing and riding with large jumps/drops and rocks, some uphill climbing

Downhill/Gravity

  • Glory
  • Typically has 200mm of suspension travel
  • Wheel size –27.5in
  • Suited to downhill specific trails with very large jumps/drops and rocks, no uphill climbing