cube acid 2012 VS giant xtc 3 2011.. wich is best?
tezboy1234
Posts: 132
is there anyone who knows there stuff who can help me? i'm looking at getting a mountain bike, my 1st since i was a kid. i know nothing about it really so started learning on the net. i'm not going to spend thousands on my 1st bike, and i know it's better for me to get a hardtail as full suspension bikes under a thousand are probably best avoided. i suppose i'm best off with an entry level bike to start with. at first i was content to go with the carrera vulcan, a decent enough bike to start with according to reviews. but the more i looked at bikes the more i was lured to more pricier options. i'm torn between two at the moment and this is were i need help! first up is a bike i discoverd on bikeradar deal of the week. it's the Giant xtc 3 2011. it usually retails at 995 pounds but is on sale for 599 pounds, almost 400 pound off! the next bike is the Cube analog disc 2012. it retails at around 580 pounds. although i can get either of these bikes for just under 600 pounds, the giant is actually worth just under a thousand pounds, a fair bit more. i need to know wich one to buy. wich is best? based on looks, the cube wins hands down for me, but i can't choose based on looks, lol.. which is lightest? which has the best fork? which has the best gears, brakes, frame and so on. more importantly, wich holds up best in use, on trails for example? i've searched for professional and customer reviews but found nothing. if anyone can give any info as to wich bike is best it would be a big help. both use shimano but different types. i've no idea wich type of shimano is best so you can see how hard it is for beginners like me to differentiate.
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quid for my 1st bike. if i'm still using it with enjoyment after 6mths to a year, then i'll look more upmarket. untill then, i gotta be sensible and not get carried away. thing is, u said the giant had better spec (fork, gears etc) but are they just a bit better, or lots better! if there really aint that much difference in quality between the two, i'll go with the cube. if the giant is way better, i'll go with that.
However, I would go for the 2011 Giant for the reasons stated above.
The Giant is well priced at £600. Good frame as the basis for future upgrades too.
2012 Cube Ltd SL (the hardtail XC 26er)
2014 Lapierre Zesty TR 329 (the full-sus 29er)
He must have thought "cheers mate, I right a very detailed post about what I'm after and how much I want to spend and you recommend a bike that's well over twice my budget!!"
Votec V.SX Enduro 'Alpine Thug' 2012/2013 build
Trek Session 8
As far as I can tell they are very similar in spec, same forks, same group set, same brakes.
One advantage the Cube has is remote lock-out forks, I don't know why the Giant doesn't have this.
I've looked on the Giant website for it's weight but they don't give it and I haven't found it anywhere else either.
I can't see why the Giant was originally nearly a grand when it's virtually identical in spec to the Cube. Maybe it's got an awsome frame but I can't tell from the description and we don't know the weight so there's no way of telling for sure. I don't know of anywhere near me that has either of these bikes and I've got to make my choice by the end of the month so there's no chance of trying them out.
I'm leaning towards the Cube because of the remote lockout but I'm sure there must be a reason the Giant was originally so much more and if it is worth the extra £200 then I'll get it.
Can anyone offer anything new to what I've discovered?
Thanks.
I bought my wife a Talon recently. I was surprised how nice it is, excellent frame, nice geometry & reasonable spec for the money. It is a little heavier than the XTC though but it is also tougher.