Price Paid:  $800.00 at ebay

Model Year:
2001

Favorite Ride:
W-road

Bike Setup:
complete 105s. Started with triple in front (52/42/30...I think thats what is was)and 12-25 on the rear. Changed out BB, front chain ring to a double (52/39) and rear cassette (12-27)

Summary:
All in all I have been satisfied with this bike. It is a great entry-level bike. I have put 2500 miles on this one with only minor upgrades. My only problem with this bike is the frame. Since it was poorly made, I do not want to invest money in too many upgrades and now I am forced to buy a new bike with a better frame so that I can upgrade in the future. But, it has been good for the most part for the riding that I've done.

Strengths:
setup for the price. Of course, I did buy it on ebay for half-price with only 20 miles on the bike.
It gets the job done. I have had to do very little to this bike and it has performed well

Weaknesses:
Frame Geometry. This model has a compact frame design with an elongated top tube. This forces the ride to raise the seat up abnormally high (looks kinda funny riding it). Also, in speeds in excess of 40 mph the bike begins to vibrate quite violently. I was on a decent once and it started shaking badly, and when I naturally grabbed the brakes that exacerbated the problem. Nearly had to change my shorts when I finally got the bike to a speed at which it would no longer shake.

Similar Products Used:
Trek 1000, Giant OCR3, Cannondale Six13

Price Paid:  $0.00

Model Year:
2007

Summary:
I love everything about this bike except the brakes. I live in a hilly area and I have had several close calls and one bad spill because of the brakes on this bike.

Weaknesses:
Brakes.

Price Paid:  $1400.00 at TBE

Model Year:
2007

Bike Setup:
Stock.

Summary:
Overall I think this bike is very good value for money.

Strengths:
Very good value for money. Nice selection of parts.

Weaknesses:
The following issues are related to Shimano and not Giant, but I though I might mention them anyway. The Shimano Rear Rim was faulty, because it came out of true and we where not able to fix the issue. The Shimano 105 Rear Shifter also has a fault which causes the cable to break at the shifter every two months.


the and came out of true quite easily.

Price Paid:  $600.00 at Pawn Shop

Model Year:
2006

Favorite Ride:
Bee Caves Road

Bike Setup:
Stock but for seat, Profile design century aerobars, Keo Look pedals.

Summary:
I bought this bike because the price could not be beat at the Pawn Shop, but it was also exactly my size, almost all of the components are Ultegra (front derailler is 105). Came with stock seat which I immediately replaces, added some Look pedal and aerobars.
It's a comfortable ride, I can go for hours with out any immediate or delayed discomfort. Not as fast as I had hoped. I had competed in a couple of triathlons on my Hybrid bike and did really well, was told I would be super fast on a road bike. But, not so much.
I had to replace the front derailler bracket. From the start I was having difficulty shifting after multiple professional adjustments and on one of my first rides out I has a chain suck so bad I had to take the bike home before I could pull the chain out of the crank.
I also replaced the white (white?) handle bar tape. It was wrapped too far up the brakes causing the cables to creak and after about 1 1/2 months it was filthy.
Overall I am happy with this bike for sprint and olympic triathlons, but once I start racing long distance races I will upgrade.

Strengths:
Comfort, smooth ride, price

Weaknesses:
front derailleur bracket, seat, bar tape, not very light, kinda slow

Price Paid:  $950.00 at Bike Route, Sugar La

Model Year:
2005

Favorite Ride:
Sienna Point Loop

Bike Setup:
Shortened stem from original, new Specialized tires, new Specialized bar wrap (which has lasted 2x original stuff). All else is stock.

Summary:
This was my first real bike and hated dealing with the LBS employees in the area. Shopped for drivetrain component level, rather than considering the whole package. The bike is ok, if your don't ride or intend to ride at 20+. It is heavy, really heavy (size 58). It's got about 2k miles on it now and has only needed minor tune-ups and adjustments, so kudos to it's reliability. Used it for many recreation rides, a couple of MS150s, and many short tris. Would probably not buy again if I was put back in time. Would have bought something lighter and sacraficed some drive train components.

Strengths:
Ultegra shifters, rear der. Price.

Weaknesses:
Seat post (creeks and rattles), overall weight, wheels (heavy), bar wrap is terrible, handlebar shape (drops are not comfy), frame is lazy (soft/flex) to respond to sprints and breakaways.

Similar Products Used:
Trek and Specialized products.