|   03 Giant NRS1 vs 03 GT i-drive Pro | sp00kme
Jan 13, 2004 9:19 PM | | hi there, i posted this to the new forums but since they are down and i kinda want some ideas soonish here i go again...
i am looking at buying a used full sus XC bike for XC racing and 12/24 hour racing. I currently have access to the following:
1. 03 GT i-drive Pro with XTR rear mech, rest XT, SID race front, Fox Float RL rear shock. Definatey nicely spec'd apart from Deore v-brakes
2. 03 Giant NRS1 with XT / LX mix, SID race fork, SID XC rear, Hayes Hydro disc brakes - slightly lower spec but good disc brakes
Am leaning towards the NRS for the discs.
Any thoughts / considerations greatly appreciated.
thanks |
| Ask me in a week or two. | Danny
Jan 14, 2004 8:22 AM | | I've got a GT i-drive...not spec'd to the hilt...but nicely componented. I just bought a NRS frame and will be building it up this weekend. The fit of these two bikes is considerably different...as is the ride.
I have a lot of experience with the i-drive...only a little seat time with the NRS. The i-drive is more plush...but likewise more bouncy. While it completely removes "bio-pacing"...the interaction from the crank and the suspension, it still bobs with load input to the pedals...at least with the Fox shock I've got. On the other hand the NRS shock can be set up with a breakover load that locks out the suspension to normal pedal bobbing...but allows it to comply to bigger suspension hits. This also makes it much less plush.
Moving onto the fit...a very important consideration. The i-drive has a relatively short upper tube length compared to it's height, and a relatively aggressive frt shock angle. Also, at least for me, the seat is considerably forward. I could not get it back far enough with the included .75" setback stem. I have a Thompson 1.5" setback stem on order to see if that fixes it. The combination of forward position with aggressive fork angle yielded a bike that was great for climbing (though a little tough on knees) but a little scarier downhill. I find it to be a very quick steering bike and very grippy uphills.
Another important consideration, if you are racing is weight. The NRS frame is very light. I suspect the i-drive is at least a pound more...quite possibly more.
As always, I'd recommend, getting some seat time in both. |
| Ask me in a week or two. | sp00kme
Jan 14, 2004 6:19 PM | | thanks danny. just out of interest, what size NRS frame did you buy and how tall are you?
cheers |
| I'm 6 foot tall, with long arms and legs. I bought a 20.5 inch | Danny
Jan 14, 2004 8:20 PM | | 20.5" frame, Large. Real comfortable in store. When I build it I'll set up the proper seat position and then find the comfortable stem length.
Danny |
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