[smith22]

Here’s my 2 cents: I can’t speak about the other bikes that were listed in the thread but I did buy the Giant Fathom 1 a month ago because I was on a tight budget & I was looking for something that had great value: Dropper post, 1×11 Shimano SLX Drivetrain, Maxxis Ardent tires, decent 27.5′ wheelset, tapered 120mm air sprung fork with 15ml axle, compression dampening & rebound control, modern frame geometry, slack head angle…etc.

I researched the big 4 (Giant, Specialized, Trek, Norco) & a few others but I felt for $1,600 CAD price tag, the Giant Fathom 1 is a damn good deal for the money.

I’m a Clyde  (6’2″ – 250lbs) & my main concern as always is the wheelset, fork & dropper post. For instance, on my old mountain bike’s maiden voyage, I taco-ed the wheel after 2 hours of moderate riding. The dropper post on the Fathom 1 has a 75kg weigh setting which was a little worrisome. I did talk to Giant Canada & they assured me that based on my weight, I would be fine. My old bike had a 2015 Rockshox Reba 100ml fork which I loved so I was skeptical that the SR Suntour fork wouldn’t be up to snuff. But after riding the Fathom 1 on some trails I came away impressed by the handling & control & I haven’t experienced any issues or failures with any of these components. I haven’t done anything technical yet & the season is still early but so far the bike has been rock solid.

I bought the Fathom to replace my mountain bike that was stolen a few months ago, although heart broken, the Fathom has made the loss a lot easier to take.

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