Beautifully Engineered (GIANT XtC-850)

Member Name: quinsee66

Product:	GIANT XtC-850
Date:	16/07/04 (2270 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Well Engineered, Smooth Ride

Disadvantages: Not Suitable For The Road

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From the seat downwards this bike is as sturdy and well manufactured as they come.
This is a full blown Cross Country Bicycle,able to withstand all the hard knocks you can throw at it.

Cross Country Attributes and Faults
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There is no better bike in its weight class that can perform so well and effortlessly as this machine.
Its Tyres are made by Michelin and are of the soft knobbly rubber type,giving excellant grip on gravel,dirt or any loose terrain.
The Gearing as you would expect is made by Shimano and has 24 different positions,ideal for those steep hills .
Its Front Suspension is adjustable depending on how soft or how hard you want the front wheel to ride over the ground.
The Seat is a little uncomfortable if sat in for long periods of time which if you are riding across country you will probably be out of it more than you will be in it.
Brakes on the bike are the disc type which are very useful when you want to avoid that tree root or rock,they have a lovely graduated action and are extremely proficiant.
Finally the Frame is solidly built with nice meaty welds joining it all together.


Road Attributes and Faults
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As the model name implies it is not a dedicated road bike.
The Tyres when put on the tarmac are noisy yet they do hold the road well mainly due to there softness.Though i haven`t had to replace them yet i think they would wear away quite quickly if subjected to this kind of urban riding style.
Having a large number of Gears is pretty useless on the road as i have found that i only need 7 maximum to get around,however the paddle type gear shifts are a dream to use ,one paddle to click to a higher gear and the other to a lower one,bit like the semi-automatic gear change in a car(tiptronic i believe).
Front Suspen
sion is virtually obselete apart from when you mount the pavement from the road.
As i have mentioned before the seat is uncomfortable when sat in for extended periods of time,so it is totally unsuitable for the road.
The Brakes are most definately this bikes greatest assets both intown and in the forest,they stop you on a sixpence which is very reassurring if some brainless bus driver decides to cut you up.
The frame is a little on the heavy side when riding up the street ,thus for the same money a more lighter racing bike would be the order of the day.


Final Conclusion
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Although this bike is obviously best suited to,well,err, Cross Country riding it can be taken down your street but don`t go any further.

Summary: