I wonder if anyone out there (besides me) owns or rides Giant Cypress...

Those branches hurt.........maybe a smaller cypress will do.











My friend does. She turned into an Extracycle.

Does she have a problem with the saddle? It's quite wide and very comfortable for me.

What bothers me a bit with my Giant Cypress 2009 bike is the height of the handlebar (too high). Also the front suspension is too soft. It seems to me that the suspension is absorbing too much energy. I'm not sure if the front suspension is adjustable. I guess it is.

One more look at the picture and I have noticed that (if I'm not mistaken) she modified the handle bar:
1. lowered the stem
2. replaced handle bars
3. put handle bar ends

My wife owns a Giant Cypress and likes it a lot, hers is about 6 years old and still looks like new, maybe because she hasn't ridden it much. In my opinion it is a very nice ride, rolls well and is very well made.
When she has ridden it, it has been mostly on bike paths and I notice she gets a better roll out of it than I get on my Trek mountain bike. Billed as a hybrid, it moves much faster.

She says she likes the saddle as is.

There are knobs on the top of your shock. If you look at the owner's manual it will tell you the difference and which way to turn. One is rebound (speed to get back to neutral) and one is firmness.

She changed her handlebar set up (notice the bar ends are on backwards) so she can sit on the skateboard on the back and pedal from there. Usually hybrids are set up for a more upright riding position.

I have one that I like a lot. I made it my commuter bike with a rack and bags, lights and fenders. My long distance ride is a Giant TCR2 road bike, but the Cypress has wider tires and lower gears which work well for commuting and a little light trail riding. Don't think it would replace a mountain bike for pure off road duty, but it scores very high in my book for versatility. I had considered a Trek Navigator; its very similar.

I purchased a 2008 model last spring for $330. It has been a great starter bike for someone rediscovering cycling. I rode it for about 1500 miles last year, mostly commuting. 100% reliable. Comfortable and able to maintain 16mph, so not really that slow.

I've upgraded to a steel framed Cyclocross bike and now use the Cypress as a utility bike.

Michael

Thanks for your reply. I purchased mine less than two weeks ago (2009 model). I'm having two problems with the bike.

The first problem -- I hear some noise coming from the crank, especially when I shift to the 5th gear. The last Saturday I went to the store, but they were looking at the front wheel, since I was not sure at that time where it is coming from. I have the feeling (maybe I'm wrong) that something is also slowing the bike.

The second problem -- the front suspension feels too soft (for me). I'm not sure it's possible to adjust it.

I'll have to go back to the store this Saturday and ask them to take the bike for a spin. I'm quite concerned about the noise. Explaining them what's wrong and checking the bike on the repair stand is not the same thing as feeling it in person during a ride.

The shop should test ride it to find the noise. If the noise stops when you are coasting, it could be the bottom bracket or hub.

The fork is too soft, most of these are.

I went with a steel framed & carbon fiber forked Cyclocross bike as an upgrade. Its very smooth, tough and faster. But it cost 4X as much!

Michael

We have a man's model and a lady's model. My 26 year daughter has the lady's bike right now, but my wife is about to reclaim it. The man's model is hanging on a hook in the garage--it was mine, then our youngest son rode it, and now it hangs there while I ride a Specialized Roubaix. I'm thinking of resurecting it for a second home, but it will require some modest upgrades.

It was okay for an around the neighborhood bike, but not for any serious riding.

Ironic that this is my wife's nickname for me.

The Specialized Roubaix is a different category. The Giant Cypress MSRP is $410, the MSRP for the Specialized Roubaix is $1500. The Giant Cypress is a "hybrid" bike, the Specialized Roubaix is a road bike.

I ride the bike for about 5-10 miles a day, so far. Neighborhood streets on the way to the park and a bike trail in the park. Not a flat terrain though. But, as I said, I have the bike for less than two weeks and I'm planning to use it for longer rides. I want to "squeeze" the maximum from the bike (and myself).

Thanks for the info. Hopefully I'll be in the bike store this coming Saturday and I'll ask them to adujst the fimness of the front suspension and to show me how to do it (in case I'll need to fine-tune it).

Now that I see that there are two ways to adjust the front suspension, I wonder which one of them (rebound speed OR firmness) is more important for bike performance.

The Giant Cypress can do longer rides if speed is not important. I did several 40 mile rides last year. I can maintain a 14 mph pace without too much effort. I could hold a 16 mph for about an hour if no hills or headwinds are involved. The bike is heavy and does not accelerate well, but once it's up to speed it can maintain speed well enough.

I'm about 3 mph faster on my Cyclocross bike with 700x28 Gatorskins (road bike tires).

The Cypress is a real bike. The are other good bikes for about $450, but the Cypress was a very good value for me at $330.

Michael

I would go as firm as possible and adjust the rebound to slow. Rebound on slow stops the fork reacting as fast to bumps and seems to stop the bike from bobbing quite as much.

Now I'm not sure that the front suspension is adjustable at all. There is no specific manual for Giant Cypress, as far as I know. I was given the same manual that is online (https://local2007.giant-bicycles.com/...0226-small.pdf). The manual doesn't say anything explicitly about the front suspension on Giant Cypress.

I put nearly 3000 miles on my Cypress last year, the first full year I had it. Included in those 3K miles are the Metric Half Tour de Sewer and the imperial Half LARiver Ride. And I still like to use it on Sundays when I ride 30-40 miles which include a stop at a farmers' market. I guess none of that is "serious riding," whatever the hell "serious riding" is.

Don't rag on the hybrids, you roadie snob.

On the same note, don't look down on riders with weak engines who need six-pound bikes to keep up. <G>

I agree. My Cypress helped me get back into cycling after a 30 year absence . I began commuting and lost 25 lbs in 4 months. A road bike would not have been as comfortable, tough or as trouble free as the Cypress. I may not have stuck with it if I had been on any other bike.

Like most cyclist, I did move on to another bike after about 1500 miles. By then I had sorted out what works best for me.

Michael

"The first problem -- I hear some noise coming from the crank, especially when I shift to the 5th gear. The last Saturday I went to the store, but they were looking at the front wheel, since I was not sure at that time where it is coming from. I have the feeling (maybe I'm wrong) that something is also slowing the bike."

Hi Bagel007 - I have the same problem with my Giant Cypress bike, there is a clicking noise coming from the crank, when I put any pressure on the right side pedal with my foot, especially going up hill. I have taken it to a bike shop but they couldn't test it out as no hills! Not sure what to do about it. Did you ever find out what the problem was please? I would be very interested to know if so. I was told the bike has a sealed crank. The bike is pretty good except for this annoying problem. Kind Regards Wendy B

I have a 2010 Giant Cypress and it has been a very good bike. I don't ride it as much as I used to and now use it when riding around the neighborhood and with friends that don't own road bikes. When I was using it as a primary bike, I found absolutely nothing wrong with it. I did change the saddle to one that was more of a road bike saddle than one that was large and over padded. I put nearly 2,500 miles on the Cypress in the little over six months that it was my primary bike. I often wish that my friends that don't have road bikes would do more riding so I can get some more rides on the Cypress.

Edit: I was looking for this photo when I posted this the other day. Finally found it so it's getting posted a few days late.

Cool, I changed the saddle as well for a more comfy one, I got it secondhand and don't think it had original saddle on. Haven't tried any other bikes as am happy with this hybrid, although it is quite heavy to lift onto a cycle carrier. Have done about 200 miles in the last 3 weeks or so and the clicking sound is getting quite annoying now!! Will take it into a shop if I can't figure it out. Maybe something needs tightening up!

Ditch the sus, fork and put a rigid fork on it. I had a Cypress for a year with rigid fork and used it as a commuter bike with drop bars, and it worked very well. Always thought it would have made a good touring bike. Good bikes. I have two Ferraro's in my shop that are getting refurbished for the customer. These are the older ones with rigid fork, and the people want to fix them because they really like them.

I have ridden a Giant Cypress for the last two years. I rode over 5,000 miles last year.

The only problem I have with the saddle is I slide a little bit forward sometimes. I have no problem with the handlebar height. At 6"3 the handlebars are almost the same level as the seat due to how high I have to have the seat up.