[seespotendo]

so im trying to decide between the 2....
'05 giant faith 3
-$1000
-all stock except X9 trigger shifter and deraileur,Truvativ stem, and new Hayes 9 HD brakes with 8" rotors
-the seller is also including a Specialized Deviant helmet and Lizard Skin knee and shin guard
OR
'04 giant DH team
-$1000
heres the classified.....
http://www.ridemonkey.com/classifieds/cat-2/ad-2911/?catid=searchresults&searchid=7451

thanks,
nick

 

[buildyourown]

Faith without a second thought.

The Giant DH was a great bike when it first came out. It also brought some incredible performance down to what normal people could afford.

However, it has some major faults considering what available today.
-Limited shock choices because of the oddball size and the ones available suck balls. (edit: I guess that used one comes with and avy, but it's still a major drawback)
-Really high loads on the bearings. I've done at least 3 emergency bearing fixes on friends bikes in Whistler hotel rooms. Not fun. The horrible alignment of the front and rear ends doesn't help.
-Goofy wheel size. The zero dish wheel means a dedicated wheel and you can't swap with your friends in a jam.

 

[dhmike]

well i was going to say i'd buy the dh team [ i've always dug this bike], but buildyourown makes some good points and seems to know his sh*t .so i would really think about the faith.

 

[seespotendo]

alright im getting what your saying
here's another point....
in 2004 when the dh team was new it cost $5500 then in 2005 when the faith was new it was $2000.
and they both are now a grand?
do you think it is a good price for the faith?

thanks!

 

[DirtyMike]

Faith, yes its a good price for a complete bike.

 

[seespotendo]

yea.. and to put the cherry on top it also comes with a full helmet and some knee/shin guards!!

 

[Biffff]

FAith hands down. Trash bin the manitou Metal RP shock on the Faith 3. With the Faith you get one of the best linkages going, even compaired to best thats out there today. Active while braking, great pedaling, great small bump sensitivity and big hit performance. Plus they are super reliable and strong. They aren't the prettiest bike in the world, although I find they look pretty nice. They have great Race geometry even without the links flipped. Mine is: 66.3 head angle, 14.25 bb height with an 07 888.
here's some insperation to what can be done.

 

[seespotendo]

shweeeeeeeet. thanks!

 

[seespotendo]

They have great Race geometry even without the links flipped.

what exactly does the flipped linkage mean, and what is the result of it?

 

[seespotendo]

oh and another question.....
how would a medium fit me, im about 6 foot and weigh like 150 lbs?
im guessing it'll be on the small side?

 

[TGR]

what exactly does the flipped linkage mean, and what is the result of it?

flipping the linkage makes out that you have a slacker headangle and lower bb than the normal geometry.

 

[Biffff]

^^^^ I'm 6" right on and have a medium. The top tube is just short of 23 inches, and the stand over is like 30.5. The bike fits me perfectly.
I tried mine with the flipped links........it slackens the head angle a bit and drops the bb a bit. I switched it back and found the rear suspension to work much better in the stock setting. The stock bb height on mine is around 14.3 so its not high anyway.

 

[Spunger]

We just built one of these up for my brother. A budget build, has a Sherman slider fork, stock rear shock, and just the other parts needed to get it working.

I've ridden it around a bit and to me it feels more like a free-ride bike rather than all out DH. I have an M1 so if you know how those sit and feel it's 2 different bikes. For the $399 for the frame + rear wheel from wheelworld it was a steal.

Plus since they're authorized to sell Giant he gets their warranty which in this day and age is nice. Haven't had to use it yet but it's good to know it's there if we need it.

 

[rjsinclair12]

Faith without a doubt its such a smooth riding bike but the Faith III the Metal is a piece, and the drop off is to so... i dont know the components on the DH but i like the Faith frame anyways.