Giant Bicycles landed on the map when it shifted the geometry of classic road frames. Giant manufacturers 100% in house, and broke the stigma that performance dictates a high price tag.
Giant Bicycles is the world’s largest bike manufacturer. They not only build for their own label, but also for several of their competitors, including Colnago, Scott, and Trek. Their size means two very important things; first, they have a vast store of knowledge, second, they build all their frames in-house. They intimately know not only what makes a great bike, but have the ability to produce it as efficiently and inexpensively as possible. This makes them both a premium brand and a value brand at the same time; a boon to all cyclists.
One of Giant’s innovations was to create a women’s-specific brand to address female sizing needs. Liv Bikes is Giant; they are designed as equals to Giants, just with sizing tweaks for people who have trouble fitting traditional sizes. Giant women’s mountain bikes, for example, are Liv-branded.
Giant builds in nearly every bike niche, and usually at least a few platforms and in several different component specs. They offer lots of choices. Most models have both aluminum-framed and carbon-framed offerings, with the latter typically getting the “advanced” moniker.
Giant got into MTB in a big way in 1995 by sponsoring the legendary John Tomac, who was a world champion cross-country racer as well as a national champion downhiller. Their commitment to building for every off-road discipline has been there since this start, though back then, there was pretty much just cross-country and downhill.
Nowadays, cross-country bikes are light and fast, but those who don’t compete are often better-off with a trail bike. That’s the meat of Giant’s off-road offerings, with several models to choose from, built in both aluminum and carbon-fiber, including electric and hardtail options. Going down bigger hills and taking bigger hits calls for an enduro bike, and these are typically plenty for even most addled thrill-seekers. Giant’s enduro platform is currently the Reign, and they build it in aluminum, carbon-fiber, and even have an e-bike version.
While the popularization of compact road geometry started with Giant’s TCR design in 1997, Giant’s first manufacturing innovation was probably mass-producing carbon-fiber frames in 1987; one of the first companies to mass produce in carbon. Their track record with Giant road bikes is one of innovation and refinement. The TCR, their all-purpose road platform, has been built in both aluminum and carbon-fiber for years. It might not seem radical today, but that’s only because so many followed in their draft.
The Pro’s Closet carries the width and depth of used Giant road bikes. Plenty of used Giant Advanced TCR road bikes, as well as the Giant Defy, their fondo bike, not to mention of plenty of Giant Propels, their aero road bike. If you’re looking to get max speed in races against the clock, there’s Giant’s Trinity TT/triathlon bike.
With a long, successful history building road, mountain, and cyclocross bikes, Giant had no problem finding the keys to building great-riding gravel bikes. The Revolt is designed with racing in mind, but also is plenty capable when the goal is adventure. The Revolt can do double-duty as a Giant touring bike, thanks to all the mounting points they designed into the frame. They’ve got cool stuff on the Revolt, like a proprietary compliant seat post, which can be swapped out for a round, standard-diameter dropper post. They’ve got flip-chips at the fork and stays, so you can change the wheelbase to favor smaller or larger tires.
Giant, as you’d expect, offers e-bikes for the road, mountain, gravel, and what they call “lifestyle,” which is what they refer to as commuting. The Giant commuter e-bike line is folded in to their Momentum brand, and offers a range within that as well. Giant’s motor technology is called Syncdrive, and there are five different versions, each tuned to different riding needs. In addition, the motor assist actually lets up for a split-second to make shifts easier, as well as having six embedded sensors which allow the motor to work in coordination with the effort you’re putting into the pedals. There’s a sensor dedicated to determining the slope you’re on, determining the pitch of the climb and adjusting power output accordingly.
