2012 vs 2013 Giant XTC 29er 1

[BergForce]

Avid brakes are crappy

yeah, but the Giant has (reportedly) better geo for a hardtail of its ilk than the Silverback.

 

Yes "reportedly". Let me report that these bikes have very much the same geo except that the Silverback has got a 71` headangle instead of 71.5` which is .5` better in favour of the Silverback. There is no comparison, Silverback Vida/Storm is much better value than Giant XTC, just look at those gastly Gaint wheels vs the Stans Crests on the Silverback, and also those crap Avid brakes vs XT/SLX brakes on the Silverback.

[MTB_Roadie]

Silverback Storm makes the Giants look like a ripp-off.

 

It is still a silverback....so i'd rather pay more and get a reputable brand.

 

I love my Giant,

[sometime]

Ah. Yeah, the rotors can be a bit of an issue, which Avid themselves admitted. I've heard that swopping to Alligator discs, or the Shim Ice tech rotors actually work wonders. It's all about the heat dispersion, which the stock ones don't seem to handle well. Must say that mine are dead quiet though...

 

I rode probably 2000

Have you ridden the Elixir 5's? Have you treated them properly? Bled them, used them and actually held them in your hands while they deliver perfectly predictable stopping power and feel?

 

Or do you just jump on the bandwagon and because your best mate's father's twice removed's cousin had them and didn't like them so they must be crap?

 

I spent 2000km on the Elixir 5's at the start of this year and eventually got rid of them in favour of 2012 SLX brakes with XT ice tech rotors. The difference is night and day. The Elixirs were always noisy the minute the trail gets dusty or wet, they faded completely on long fast downhills (descending the Mast in CT neccessitated a stop on the way down for the brakes to cool down so I could at least stop the bike further on down the mountain). The caliper casting quality is so poor that squaring up the front caliper on the fork takes 10 mins of fiddling. The levers feel cheap and nasty. I'm told they're a PITA to service.

 

To the OP:

 

You should be able to negotiate a better price for 2012 stock from your LBS which should make the price difference bigger. I would then buy the 2012 (much better fork) and ask them to do a deal for you on swapping out to some 2012 SLX brakes rather.

[sometime]

Avid brakes are crappy

 

Yes "reportedly". Let me report that these bikes have very much the same geo except that the Silverback has got a 71` headangle instead of 71.5` which is .5` better in favour of the Silverback. There is no comparison, Silverback Vida/Storm is much better value than Giant XTC, just look at those gastly Gaint wheels vs the Stans Crests on the Silverback, and also those crap Avid brakes vs XT/SLX brakes on the Silverback.

 

All good and well if you weigh less than 85kg else those Crest rims are far too weak and you will break them.

 

There's no case of shallower head angle is better. It all depends on your personal preference on the bike's handling.

[Wez-O]

Avid brakes are crappy

 

Yes "reportedly". Let me report that these bikes have very much the same geo except that the Silverback has got a 71` headangle instead of 71.5` which is .5` better in favour of the Silverback. There is no comparison, Silverback Vida/Storm is much better value than Giant XTC, just look at those gastly Gaint wheels vs the Stans Crests on the Silverback, and also those crap Avid brakes vs XT/SLX brakes on the Silverback.

That Vida 1 does look an awesome bike, but aren't they going for around R17,000 plus?

[BergForce]

It is still a silverback....so i'd rather pay more and get a reputable brand.

 

I love my Giant,

 

Didn`t you know that since Silverback went German a year ago that their bikes quality improved. I also love my Giant, and it used to be the best value, but since Silverback went German the Giant seems like very bad value. I compared the XTC to my Storm and there just was no comparison specs wise, and I prefer the Silverback frame too, those Germans sometimes know their engineering.

[Hairy]

Just as a matter of interest

http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/category/bikes/mountain/product/review-giant-xtc-composite-1-29er-12-46074

http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/category/bikes/mountain/product/review-silverback-storm-29er-1-12-46183

[Pipsqueak]

Silverback Storm makes the Giants look like a ripp-off.

 

The XTC and the Silverback can't be compared in terms of performance. I have a XTC 29 frame lying in my garage, it's a great bike. The Silverback just has bad manners.

[Pipsqueak]

Avid brakes are crappy

 

Yes "reportedly". Let me report that these bikes have very much the same geo except that the Silverback has got a 71` headangle instead of 71.5` which is .5` better in favour of the Silverback. There is no comparison, Silverback Vida/Storm is much better value than Giant XTC, just look at those gastly Gaint wheels vs the Stans Crests on the Silverback, and also those crap Avid brakes vs XT/SLX brakes on the Silverback.

 

You're right, the Giant Wheels are K#k. But it's a better bike.

[Heel Drop]

Silverback Storm makes the Giants look like a ripp-off.

 

+1

[Pipsqueak]

Slow down there Captain

 

Yes, I've got them on my 2012 Giant XTC 29er.

And I agree with you that the stopping power is great (and there is a highly likely chance I weigh more than you)

My issue is the noise they make.

Yes, I've bled them, and bled them and fiddled, all to no avail.

So if you can suggest something, I'm all ears.

 

Throw them into the bush and buy a set of SLX or XT brakes, the ones with the heat fins on the pads. They are flippin amazing. I also had Avids, and yes, they did stop the bike, but I couldn't deal with the noise. It drove me crazy. Even used the wife's nail-polish to clean the rotors, but it only worked for a few kays. I gave my Avids to the gardener.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Throw them into the bush and buy a set of SLX or XT brakes, the ones with the heat fins on the pads. They are flippin amazing. I also had Avids, and yes, they did stop the bike, but I couldn't deal with the noise. It drove me crazy. Even used the wife's nail-polish to clean the rotors, but it only worked for a few kays. I gave my Avids to the gardener.

 

Did you change the rotors? If not, then you cannot say that the brakes themselves are ***, because they're not...

[Hilton.]

+1

+2

[Hairy]

Throw them into the bush and buy a set of SLX or XT brakes, the ones with the heat fins on the pads. They are flippin amazing. I also had Avids, and yes, they did stop the bike, but I couldn't deal with the noise. It drove me crazy. Even used the wife's nail-polish to clean the rotors, but it only worked for a few kays. I gave my Avids to the gardener.

 

Don't throw them in the bush .... throw them my way ... I will even pay postage

[BergForce]

What exactly makes the Giant the better bike? The1kg of extra weight on the Giant? The Avid brakes? The heavy Giant wheels? Or is it that steep head angle? Or is it the text on the label? I ride both brands and if you put a XTC Composite 2 and a Storm 1 (+- same price) next to each other the Silverback blows the Giant of the water. It will be more than 1kg lighter and I prefer the German designed Storm frame. Remember, putting a Tata badge on a BMW does not make it a worse car, it might make it cheaper, but that`s a good thing for me.

[Hairy]

What exactly makes the Giant the better bike? The1kg of extra weight on the Giant? The Avid brakes? The heavy Giant wheels? Or is it that steep head angle? Or is it the text on the label? I ride both brands and if you put a XTC Composite 2 and a Storm 1 (+- same price) next to each other the Silverback blows the Giant of the water. It will be more than 1kg lighter and I prefer the German designed Storm frame. Remember, putting a Tata badge on a BMW does not make it a worse car, it might make it cheaper, but that`s a good thing for me.

 

Hi Bok ... every time you chant about the slacker head angle I get this mental image