Giant 2012 mountain bikes – First look

9 comments
By BikeRadar US | Friday, Jul 22, 2011 10.55am

Giant Bicycles are to bring the new OverDrive 2 front end, introduced at their road product launch last month, to mountain bikes for 2012, as well. The off-road version uses the same tapered head tube found on their current current mountain bikes, but with a new oversized, tapered steerer tube designed to work with 1¼in top and 1½in bottom bearing sizes.

The company say the bigger steerer tube gives up to 30 percent more torsional steering stiffness than the original 1⅛-1½in OverDrive system, resulting in sharper handling and improved cornering capabilities. Giant will offer a full range of new 1¼in stems to work with the OverDrive 2 design. First look — giant's 6.7in travel reign x 0 outfitted with shimano's new xt m780 group:

Giant's 6.7in-travel Reign X 0 outfitted with SRAM's X0 group

It's been developed as an open standard – meaning any company is free to use it – in conjunction with major suspension manufacturers including Fox Racing Shox, Marzocchi and RockShox. OverDrive 2 is included on a number of Giant’s 2012 cross-country, trail and all-mountain bikes. It can be adapted to fit current Giant models with tapered head tubes, but this involves swapping out the top bearing, headset cup, spacers, stem and fork.

First look — giant's 5in travel trance x 1:

Giant's 5in Trance X 1 with Shimano's new M780 XT group

“We were able to really boost front-end stiffness without adding weight,” said Kevin Dana, Giant's global mountain bike category manager. “The best part is it allowed us to noticeably improve handling in a variety of bikes made for different types of terrain. From the most weight-conscious cross-country racers to aggressive all-mountain, everyone benefits from a bike that corners better and tracks truer through rough terrain.”

First look — giant reign sx; the 6.7in travel model splits the difference between the reign families and the free ride faith line:

Giant Reign SX; the 6.7in-travel model splits the difference between the standard Reign and the Faith freeride line

OverDrive 2 is said to add roughly 5g compared to the current OverDrive system. It'll be limited to alloy steerer tubes from the mentioned manufacturers; there are no plans to offer Fox’s titanium or RockShox’s carbon steerers in the new 1¼in to 1½in taper. The system will be found on select 2012 models from the following ranges: XtC Composite, Anthem X 29er, Anthem X Advanced SL, Anthem X Advanced, Anthem X, Trance X Advanced SL, Trance X Advanced, Trance X, Reign X, Reign and Faith.

First look — giant faith 0:

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User Comments

There are 9 comments on this post

Showing 1 - 9 of 9 comments

  • Why on earth don't use OnePointFive and stop this madness?

  • “We were able to really boost front-end stiffness without adding weight,” said Kevin Dana

    "OverDrive 2 is said to add roughly 5g compared to the current OverDrive system."

    Who is lying?

  • I refuse to buy anything with this new overdrive or any other new standard that uses terms from Transformer movie.

    Seriously, Mr. Kevin Dana or Andrew Juskaitis why not use these new technology in manufacturing to lower cost and promote cycling instead of littering these thrash of a standard further in what is now the landfill dump of cycling marketing hype.

    Cheaper good bikes = more riders = more demands for trails/roads = better for cycling = better world.

  • I totally agree with the other two comments

  • New stanards again mean more useless forks and spare parts. does this mean i have to buy a new fork if buy just a frame kit? and are parts companies producing adaptors?

    This NEW STANDARD every year is getting bloody stupid at this stage. whats wrong with 1 1/8 - 1 1/5 ....how about making the anthem crack proof at the seat/top tube welds.

    Honestly rather hear a bike company say "ok we added a little weight but fixed frames breaking" at least your bike would last longer.......I can hear bike companies marketing dept laughing right now saying "yeah right mate".

  • Totally agree with comments above. These new standards are only improving Giant's bank account balance and add nothing to cycling.

    I wont be getting a new Anthem if it has Overdrive 2.

  • Agree with you guys, let's boycott these Giant Overdrive 2 bikes.

  • completely agree with all what Xonnicks said.

    I was a loyal Giant user, love my Reign 08. But with each year that passed and passes since I got my bike, this loyalty is being pushed away from Giant by Giant!

    Clappy color schemes, strange configs, annoying new limiting parts, new clappy limiting standards???

    I hate to say it, but as much as I am a fan of the Maestro Suspension, as soon as I can I am getting something with DW Link that means, there are 2 american made brands in my near future....

  • TOTALLY AGREE THESE NEW STANDARDS ARE JUST A LOAD OF RUBBISH. most I.E 98% OF US WILL NOT EVER KNOW THE DIFFERENCE IN HANDLING BETWEEN THE HEAD STANDARDS OR INDEED THE OTHER MARKETING RUBBISH ABOUT HEAD ANGLES WHICH THE JOURNALISTS ALL GET OVER EXCITED ABOUT. I RIDE A GIANT VT which is FANTASTIC, 11/8 HEAD TUBE 70 DEGREE HEAD ANGLE (O.K SO IT NOW HAS 150MM BOLT THROUGH FORKS & WIDE RIMS) SO MORE LIKE 68 DEGREE HEAD ANGLE BUT THE DIFFERENCE IS THE RIDER NOT THE BIKE - AS LONG AS THE BIKE IS WELL MAITAINED AND SET FOR EACH RIDER IT WILL PROVIDE AMPLE FUN!!!!

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