Mountain Biking - Specialized or Giant

I'm sure you guys get these questions everyday and are probably annoyed by them but here it goes. I'm in the market for a 1000-1200 hardtail and the Specialized Stumpjumper and the Giant XTC 2 have caught my eye. They both have similar components, prices and riding style etc. I plan on test riding them both before I buy but do any of you have any biases/preferences on the two bikes or brands? Thanks

Matt

The Giant XTC is a sweet ride that is built around a very light frame. That means that in the future the stock parts can be swapped for lighter ones which will yield an extremely light bike for you. I personally have a customer with one that weighs 22 lbs and it could easily be lighter. The ride is also amazingly resiliant for an aluminum bike.

-Ryan

I would say the stumpjumper mainly because I have everyone who has one loves it. It has awesome reviews. Good luck!
Byron

Specialized.

Gotta go with the Stumpy. The first mass-produced mountain bike. I've personally never been impressed with Giants, and the Stumpjumpers our shop has had in lately have been pretty impressive.

Stumpjumper... all the way.

My good friend rides one.. and rides it HARD.

It's held up to his abuse, has 3 seasons of racing on it, and it still rides GREAT. He's let me borrow it before, and I want one SOOOO bad for this coming race season.

It's a beutifully built bike. The frame quality is astounding, and everything just "clicks". It's a clockwork bike.. that's for sure.

I give it a 10 outta 10 rating.. right outta the box!

:beer:

Alright great. I'll go with my initial reaction and go with the stumpie, gotta love that black color too. Thanks for all your help, much appreciated. :D

they're the same great bike basically so i'd say go with which one just "feels right" when you get on it

Stumpie. I've seen XTC's fold like pop cans.

Originally posted by Raiyn
Stumpie. I've seen XTC's fold like pop cans.

I own an XTC and can vouch for the pop can tubes...It feels paper-thin. They make up for it with wider tubing (ala Cannondale), but there is only so much abuse they will take.

If you want the bike to race and just pedal around the Giant may be the way to go....but the Stumpjumper is much beefier without much of a weight difference. The ride of the two is actually fairly similar...

An XTC frame is only $375 though...so if you're made out of money they're fairly disposable :D

That and factor in Specialized LIFETIME WARRANTY on ALL models (which has been made retroactive back to who-knows when) the choice should be a no-brainer

Originally posted by Raiyn
That and factor in Specialized LIFETIME WARRANTY on ALL models (which has been made retroactive back to who-knows when) the choice should be a no-brainer
I bent my stupmy in a stupid freak accident. Specialized warranteed it with no hassle. 2001 in 2003 out.

Well, it seems like a moot point here since so many people have replied, but I agree the Stumpjumper is an amazing bike, and I have seen everyone that owns one still riding theirs after years of wear and tear, and still love them.