General Cycling Discussion - I may buy a Giant, any advice?

Hello All,
I have quickly discovered that my GT Aggressor is too small for me. It is size XS. I feel as if the handlebars are too close to me, and I keep going further back than I should on the seat.

I am going to my LBS tomorrow to look at some Giants, and some Raleighs. I am leaning towards a hybrid type, I like to have some suspension for rolling off of curbs and such. Also, I do get into a very moderate amount of grass, gravel and the like. I am looking to spend 300 to 400 dollars. Does anyone have any experience with Giants. Also, does anyone have any experience with Mongoose brand bikes? Thanks - Ted

Ted, edit your post and remove the reference to Mongoose, I hear the flame throwers powering up allready. (there seems to be a large contingent opposed to that brand here, mostly because they are sold at wallyworld)

If your GT is too small, you could look at upping the frame's size if you really wished, as long as the parts are in good shape, and are of decent enough quality. your LBS should be able to help you with that, but if you are looking for a value bike, a hybrid you say, Giant may be the way to go. Ive only ridden Giant's mountain bikes, but they seem well put togher as far as parts go.

Happy shopping.

I have Giant Cypress hybrid. I bought it a year ago. I bellied up the extra bills for the aluminum frame. I had fenders added because I commute daily year around.
Later I found it wasn't much faster than my old Raleigh Chromoly frame. I took it back to my FNBS and had the front set of years changed. Then I realised the pedals were made of plastic, so...
The long and the short of it is, the Giant is a great bike. I've got over 3000 km on it so far. I'm not sure I'd do the aluminum frame again as it does not flex and can make potholes jarring to say the least.
I also use it for long distance touring. It is solid and reliable. I have some concerns about the gears, as shifting is slow and sometimes sticky.

Look into the Giant Cypress line of Cross bikes. They look pretty cool. Like always, test ride the bike before you make a decision. Test ride a bunch of different ones, to see which one you like.

Originally posted by The Terminator
... Does anyone have any experience with Giants. Also, does anyone have any experience with Mongoose brand bikes? Thanks - Ted

Ted, interesting post. I am also thinking about buying the Giant. It's some kind of hybrid, I think it is called the cyparis or somthing like that.
I don't have much experience in bikes but this one looks very nice... light, tight and beautiful.
I would like to know if you buy it, what will be your first impressions.

I am going to wait one more week, maybe to find some other deals...
Good luck.

My brother just bought a Giant Yukon hardtail for about $420 (US) and he likes it. For me the Manitou Axel fork is a little soft, but that's my preference and you can get stiffer springs for it. I agree that Giants are good bikes, but I'm not terribly familiar with hybrid bikes in general. I've always leaned towards Mtb's because there's nothing a hybrid can do that a mountain bike can't do, although perhaps not as comfortably.

There is little reason to get suspension on a bike that is not used for more extreme or technical off-road.
You are better off getting a lighter weight bike than the low-grade suspension systems on $300 bikes.
For road and trail use a hybrid bike is fine, but you can make a big improvement to any bike by upgrading the tyres. Slick medium width ones are fast and comfortable, and for trail use a touring style lightly treaded one is great.

Well, guys, thanks for the advise and opinions. :) I bought a KHS Alite 1000 today. I could only ride it for about 15 minutes before it got dark. I rode it for a while at the bike shop. I am very satisfied so far. I did make it a point to ride it on a full stomach, so that I would know that it would be comfortable to ride the regular way. Does this make sense to you? Best - Ted