festival
Über Member
I was sure there was someone on here that recommends Giant to all the 'what bike shall I buy' queries, even if a Giant is not shortlisted. Festival, do you work for Giant? Just wonderin'.
Actually, looking back, I probably sound like the unofficial Cannondale propaganda machine
FWIW I'm sure Giant bikes are great - I've never had the pleasure of riding one though.
No.
But I do have some experience of the world of cycling within the trade and racing.
There are are a lot of bikes out there nowadays that are very good in different ways and some are not all they appear.
That doesn't mean they are rubbish, but just because its light and has better than usual kit on also doesn't mean its the best bike.
Years ago I was given one of the first Trek OCLV's to race on and found I had to put a couple of extra spacers than would be normal on the fork column and a 1cm longer h/b stem on to get the position right for me. They did have a low front compared to some frames, ( have a look at early pictures of Armstrong and he also had more spacers than usual) It was a fantastic frame for the times but many people commented on maybe the frame was too small, it wasn't.
My reason for saying that is to recognise many of us have to make tweaks to get things right
But many people jump on a new bike and love the lightness and how the kit works etc and due to their lack of experience and knowledge don't realise that the set up, position is wrong, the size is wrong, the geometry is wrong etc etc, and the way the frame is made is going to punish their body over a long ride unnecessarily if only they had chosen something more suitable.
Having done my homework, that's why I rate the Giant range.
You wouldn't believe how many of these bargain bikes have frames that are poorly finished and are built out of track.
Its sooo easy to be negative I know, but I do like to see the pro's & con's, but If you get the frame wrong its a big con as opposed to upgrading the kit on the right frame over time.
E.G. I am talking about frames produced cheaply that may be light & stiff but transmit vibration from the road through the frame making the ride less comfortable and controllable and the geometry is not suitable to the average club/sportive/leisure rider .
Also, sometimes you just cant help some people.
There is plenty of stuff in this world I don't know about but, Its not uncommon to see e.g. a picture on here of someones road bike with a zillion fork column spacers under the stem and the saddle pushed forward and pointing down and they say ' I chose it because its got ultegra and its a lovely looking bike ', or something similar, I do wonder!
