New rider looking at a Giant NRS. Can you help?

[killraven]

Hello all. Im new to mountain biking and new to purchasing one. I read through some posts here and on the internet. I kinda have an idea of frame size and what to look for. But I had some questions i was hoping some people here could chime in and tell me if the following bike is worth it for me.
I dont know how hardcore im going to get into mountain biking. I really want to start with riding some local beginner trails and work up to bigger things. Im not in real good shape right now. Im 33 and 6’2 and 198 pounds and am a computer tech who stares at a screen all day. I need to get outside and was hoping this bike would do it. I want to get a bike I can grow into.
On a side note. I had a Raleigh Technium road bike when i was younger (15-16) and I rode it everywhere and loved it. I got out of biking when i got married and tried getting back into it a couple years ago. I bought a Walmart NEXT mountainbike. It basically ruined the hobby for me as it was/is always broken and right now wont shift properly and the chain jumps off the sprocket when pedaling hard up a hill. However it was alot of fun for the first few months i had it.

Here the last month or two i have looked at a lot of bikes.

That said can you help me?

Is this bike good and what would you pay for it used?

2005 Giant Air NRS
20.5 inch frame.

following components:
Shifters: XT Rapid Fire,
Stem: 110mm Ritchey WCS,
Handlebar: Easton EC70,
Front Fork: Rock Shox Sid,
Rear Shock: Fox,
Hubs: XTR centerlock 965,
Rims: Ritchey WCS,
Spokes: DT Competition,
Crankset: Race Face Prodigy,
Pedals: none,
Seatpost: Easton EC70 27.2,
Saddle: Selle Italia Flite or Fizik,
Tires: Bontrager Revolt ss,
Front Deraileur: LX,
Rear Deraileur: XT,
Chain: LX/XT,
Cassette: Sram 970 11/32,
Brakes: Shimano XT dual piston.

Anxiously awaiting any all all replies. Thanks in advance.

Sorry for being a noob.

[cjm]

Lemme take a stab at this. First off, let me offer congratulations on your decision to get away from your monitor. Starting biking is the best decision I made in years.
Giants are good bikes in general and the parts spec’d with that bike are, at very least, adequate. But, it’s not that simple.
Pricing a used bike is a tough thing to do without being able to inspect it. A full suspension bike is tougher to work with than a hard tail. The linkage (stuff that makes the rear end work) can be a mess and most people won’t know it. The bearings/bushings wear out and contact points ovalize just to name the two that have troubled me. Next the shock and fork need rebuilt from time to time and at two years they are probably due. Are there scratches in the fork’s stantions (the thinner part of the fork)? Does the headset need to go? What is the condition of some the more replaceable parts, like the cassette, chain rings and bottom bracket, etc. Your best move is to find a local bike shop that will give the bike a good once over and appraise it for you. It’s a small price for a bike shop to pay to get a customer.
A 20.5-inch should be a good place to start for someone 6’2, but body types are extremely different so it takes a bit of an understanding of bike geometry to fit a bike correctly. If the top tube is to short you’ll feel squished, to long and you won’t be able keep you elbows bent correctly. I could keep blathering about geometry. My opinion is that geometry and fit are the most important part of a bike. Regardless, you should end up at the local bike shop for some help with fitting a bike to your body type. Then, make sure to ride a bit at least around the parking lot to ensure that it is comfortable. If the bike is close, a good bike tech can dial it in for you.
I am sure you were hoping for a few simple answers to a few simple questions. But, with full squish bikes more and more like MX bikes with anorexia than like road bikes on steroids, simple answers are misleading. With the exception of probably your shifters, everything is a safety feature, even if you only use them as features as safety features as often as you use your airbags. So, you’ll want someone who knows what they are doing to help get you safely and comfortably on the trail. Ultimately, for entry level riding, you will probably get more value and more joy out of well spec’d hard tail with a proper fit and a year (or more) of support from a local bike shop.

[dauw]

This is good advice. If you have the ability to inspect the bike yourself, you can use the fact that the fork needs rebuilding and drivetrain needs to be replaced to bargain for a lower price. But as the previous post suggests, make sure there are no major problems (e.g., linkage) and the bike fits.

Good luck.

[Author]

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