Giant XTC 29er 1 2011
Status: Active
Giant XtC 29er 1, 2011 model
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/bikes/model/xtc.29er.1/7366/44091/
Purchased: 17 June 2011, 433 000 HUF, Moab (moab.hu).
The stock brakes (Shimano BR-M505) and cassette (SLX CS-HG81-10) were replaced by XT components by the shop. The original price was 399 000 HUF.
My actual weight measurements are marked with bold.
The components in new rows were not included in the original setup.
Issues
General notes
- Pedals are not included.
- A fork pump is not included, neither is a manual for the fork.
- Derailleur cables are a bit long and may need trimming.
- The cabling below the top tube doesn't allow for easy carrying of the bike over the shoulder (not to mention that the main triangle doesn't have much room inside)
- The factory handlebar is very wide (70cm) although it is a matter of personal preference.
- Even in the lowest position the handlebar is at approximately 95cm, and the upper part of the headset represents an extra 10-15mm under the stem.
- The Q factor is wider than on my previous bikes (approx. +1cm/side), but it is mostly due to the crank profile. There is not much room at the chainstays anyway (~a finger's width).
- I received a properly translated maintenance manual with the bike which is nice, although some recommendations of the manual are questionable/laughable.
- The same bike would have cost 10% less in Slovakia (1350 EUR) than the price of the Hungarian shop (1485 EUR) already including 11% discount from the list price (1675 EUR)...!
Chainstay/Rub protection
- There is only a thin adhesive foil the chainstay, it needs better protection from the chain.
- The chain is already a bit longer than necessary. The 110-link KMC X10 is just the perfect length.
- My heels rub against the left chainstay, I applied a piece of adhesive tape there.
- The headtube area needs some attention at the cables.
Fork upper crown creak
- See this MTBR forum thread
- Seems a generic Fox issue on 2011 forks
- It happened only once, probably due to water and dust at the same time. I just cleaned the headset area and the creak didn't come back.
- On a side note, the headset can get dirty (stains, sand getting in) and needs to be cleaned regularly.
- In 2014, I just gave up and bought a new Manitou fork.
M529 rear hub loosening up (November 2012)
- The steel counterpart in the hub for the cassette body's hollow bolt was apparently of wrong size out of factory. After ~16 months, the bearings started to creak. The difference in thread size become obvious upon disassembly.
- The 16-position cassette ratchet used to "jump" a few times even when the hub was still new.
- I replaced the rear hub with a NS Primary, and the spokes with DT Champion stainless.
Fork seals dirty, no full travel
- After ~2000 km (!) of riding in 95% dry conditions (no direct exposition to mud or water), the fork seals have dirt inside and make oily dirt marks the sliders.
- Some of the dirt may be wiped out by a piece of tough paper (a business card).
- I need to disassemble the fork soon.
- I'm running with lower pressure now
- In 2014, I just gave up and bought a new Manitou fork.
Fork lockout fading
- After the fork has been locked out for a while, travel gradually comes back
- After a short period of keeping the bike upside down (wheel truing), the lockout doesn't work until the oil flows back
- The fork may have too few oil in the cartridge.
- In 2014, I just gave up and bought a new Manitou fork.
Torn spoke
- During a fall in October 2012, a spoke's head got ripped off. I never had any spoke damage on my bikes before.
- The stock black Sapim spokes seem to stick together a bit at the crosses.
Brake pads
- The original Shimano metallic pads have been extremely loud regardless of riding conditions, even after an excessive burn-in period.
- I tried another rotor for a while, I used an Avid CS rotor but it was bent on a rock. I'm using the original now.
- Replacement: BTS/Ashima AD0104-SM-S: 5000 HUF/set. Not installed yet. Installed Mar 28 2012.
- The Ashima mixed compound pads need regular cleaning (after every 200km or so) to prevent noise. But they are quiet after that.
- The rear brake can be fitted better by using conical brake pad washers on the PM mount.
- Running mechanical Avid BB7 brakes now
Tires/Tubes
- After one year or so, I was getting a lot of punctures with the original Maxxis Aspen tires
- I'm using Specialized FastTrak LK 2.0 at the moment (HUF 9900)
- I have a set of Panaracer Rampage 2.35 which are nice for rough terrain but probably unnecessary for everyday rides in Hungary
- The original Maxxis tubes were pretty light in their category.
Rear brake partial failure 2013-11
The rear brake has never been completely reliable, but i could usually fix this by just cleaning the brake pads on a coarse surface. Now in November the brake power has decreased dramatically, it looks like a brake cylinder has a leak or there's air in the system. As a quick remedy, I replaced it with an Avid BB7 mechanical brake and a Shimano XT cable lever. I needed to add 5mm washers under the brake. I will leave it now as it is.
Fork replacement 2014-04
Exit Fox 29er, Enter Manitou Tower Pro
Rear hub problem 2015-05
The bearings of the NS Bikes Rotary Cassette hub needed to be replaced, so I bought two in a bearing shop (there )
Prices
2012 models
velosprint.sk 2012-11-17 (EUR; 309 HUF/EUR:
2012 Giant Xtc 29Er 0 €2,029.00
2012 Giant Xtc 29Er 1 €1,559.00
2012 Giant Xtc Composite 29Er 0 €2,859.00
2012 Giant Xtc Composite 29Er 1 €1,999.00
Alpinbike.hu 2012-11-23 (HUF; 1 EUR=280 HUF)
2012 Giant XTC Advanced SL 29er 0 1899900
2012 Giant XTC Advanced SL 29er 1 1086900
2012 Giant XTC Composite 29er 1 699900
2012 Giant XTC Composite 29er 2 599900
2012 Giant XTC Composite 29er 3 549900
2012 Giant XTC 29er 0 599900
2012 Giant XTC 29er 1 453900
2012 Giant XTC 29er 2 399900
!!! not the same specs !!!
Moab.hu 2012-11-23 (HUF; 1 EUR=280 HUF)
2012 Giant XTC Composite 29er 0 659000 (was 769000)
2012 Giant XTC Composite 29er 1 469000 (was 549000)
2012 Giant XTC 29er 0 469000 (was 549000)
2011 Giant XTC 29er 0 399900 (was 449900)
Other info
Fox F29 fork manual
2010: http://www.ridefox.com/fox_tech_center/owners_manuals/010/eng/Content/Forks/29er/29_FRLopenbath.html
Fox fork high volume air mod service