I started off mountain biking with this bike and learnt many of the fundamental skills needed to progress to better bikes and harder trails. Overall a great beginner bike.
I just got this frame in trade. as a nekked frame it is extremely light. This might be a newer version than what the previous reviewers have tried. I have 4 quality nekked frames sitting in my basement right now and this one is by far the lightest one including 1 Kona hardtail.
I cannot wait to build this one up!
UPDATE 5/29/13:
I have built this frame up and been riding it! It's a 2000-2002 SE. I have decked this bike out with Race Face, FSA, and Marin, components I got cheeply on EBay. It has super wide bars with Ergon grips and an external bottom bracket. An A2Z DM-UNI bracket has also been installed to upgrade the frame for a pair of vintage Hayes Sole hydrolic disc brakes and a vintage RockShox Judy.
Firstly I ride hard. I ride any where from 20-30 miles after work and anywhere from 40-60 miles on my days off. I ride places like FOMBA, Bear Brook, and Fort Rock in S.NH on a daily basis. These are prime New England rocky and rooty technical singletracks and tons of snowmobile trails in between. My normal XC ride is a Giant Anthem but it has been out of comission for the past month so I have been playing on the hardtail. I have been spoiled riding full squishy for a while now so when I first hopped on, it was stiff and ewwy. Once I got back to my roots and proper techniques I have come to love this frame. This bike is FAST! it climbs like a champ and decends like you would expect a hardtail to. This bike is rigid and the smallest amount of pressure on the pedals makes it jump forward. I know a lot of this is due to the updated 9 speed drive train and other componants, but this frame is very comfy and very able.
Being a 13( /-) year old frame already and then taking all the abuse I dish out is amazing!
I had built this bike to sell it, but after playing with it for a couple months on the trail I am going to keep it! Love this frame!Pros- Very light for a vintage frame!
- Giant quality
- nice and thin tubing that Giant makes look so cool
This was the first real mountain bike I ever owned and was a great way to get into the sport. I purchased it in '95 when the were still made from steel and used to ride in almost daily on the trails in Oregon where I am from originally from and later in eastern Nebraska / western Iowa. The only issue I ever had with this bike was a failure with the rear cassette and that was covered under warranty. I have worn out 2 sets of brake pads and tires (the originals were terrible and were replaced with WTB Velociraptors) . I also had to replace a chain. Thanks to regular maintenence other than normal wear this bike has been flawless. I recently went to ride it and the old RST fork collapsed due to the elastomers being so old. Even though I have built a new bike I am planning on putting a new front fork on it replacing the worn components and keeping it as a second bike or possibly using it as a commuter.
I started off mountain biking on an old version of the Giant Iguana with a totally rigid fork. It was a solid bike though, and I learned so much riding it. Definitely not a feather weight, but if you're looking for a reliable intro mountain bike the Giant Iguana is worth some doing some addition research.
Pros Solid Frame
Cons It was awesome at the time, so maybe just weight.
I started off mountain biking with this bike and learnt many of the fundamental skills needed to progress to better bikes and harder trails. Overall a great beginner bike.
Pros
Frame and brakes
Cons
| ThankThe suntour XCR forks and tires
I just got this frame in trade. as a nekked frame it is extremely light. This might be a newer version than what the previous reviewers have tried. I have 4 quality nekked frames sitting in my basement right now and this one is by far the lightest one including 1 Kona hardtail.
I cannot wait to build this one up!
UPDATE 5/29/13:
I have built this frame up and been riding it! It's a 2000-2002 SE. I have decked this bike out with Race Face, FSA, and Marin, components I got cheeply on EBay. It has super wide bars with Ergon grips and an external bottom bracket. An A2Z DM-UNI bracket has also been installed to upgrade the frame for a pair of vintage Hayes Sole hydrolic disc brakes and a vintage RockShox Judy.
Firstly I ride hard. I ride any where from 20-30 miles after work and anywhere from 40-60 miles on my days off. I ride places like FOMBA, Bear Brook, and Fort Rock in S.NH on a daily basis. These are prime New England rocky and rooty technical singletracks and tons of snowmobile trails in between. My normal XC ride is a Giant Anthem but it has been out of comission for the past month so I have been playing on the hardtail. I have been spoiled riding full squishy for a while now so when I first hopped on, it was stiff and ewwy. Once I got back to my roots and proper techniques I have come to love this frame. This bike is FAST! it climbs like a champ and decends like you would expect a hardtail to. This bike is rigid and the smallest amount of pressure on the pedals makes it jump forward. I know a lot of this is due to the updated 9 speed drive train and other componants, but this frame is very comfy and very able.
Being a 13( /-) year old frame already and then taking all the abuse I dish out is amazing!
| ThankI had built this bike to sell it, but after playing with it for a couple months on the trail I am going to keep it! Love this frame!Pros- Very light for a vintage frame!
- Giant quality
- nice and thin tubing that Giant makes look so cool
This was the first real mountain bike I ever owned and was a great way to get into the sport. I purchased it in '95 when the were still made from steel and used to ride in almost daily on the trails in Oregon where I am from originally from and later in eastern Nebraska / western Iowa. The only issue I ever had with this bike was a failure with the rear cassette and that was covered under warranty. I have worn out 2 sets of brake pads and tires (the originals were terrible and were replaced with WTB Velociraptors) . I also had to replace a chain. Thanks to regular maintenence other than normal wear this bike has been flawless. I recently went to ride it and the old RST fork collapsed due to the elastomers being so old. Even though I have built a new bike I am planning on putting a new front fork on it replacing the worn components and keeping it as a second bike or possibly using it as a commuter.
Pros
Great entry level bike.
Cons
| ThankTires
I started off mountain biking on an old version of the Giant Iguana with a totally rigid fork. It was a solid bike though, and I learned so much riding it. Definitely not a feather weight, but if you're looking for a reliable intro mountain bike the Giant Iguana is worth some doing some addition research.
Pros
Solid Frame
Cons
| ThankIt was awesome at the time, so maybe just weight.
Great bike for what I paid for it.
Pros
Nice bike with good frame to build on. Everything works well so far.
Cons
| ThankTires were terrible.