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2010 Giant Alias

TreeSaw

Mama Monkey
Oct 30, 2003
17,669
1,847
Dancin' over rocks n' roots!
Well, to really answer that question, you'll have to give us a little more information:
What type of trails, what type of rider (experience) and what other bikes are you comparing it to? Personally, I think Giant does make some nice bikes, but to know if it's a good bike for the $ I'll need more information. :)
 
Sep 8, 2009
32
0
The Land Down Under
The riding i do is fairly rough but usually slow, biggest drop i have done was about 1 meter but gradually getting bigger, and I hadn't really compared it to many others except for the giant stp 2, my budget is around the $1200 mark
 

Pebble

Monkey
Dec 6, 2006
137
0
Nannup
My experience is that I've had both a '07 Giant Alias and '08 STP 0

Both bikes are good bikes for the money but they are aimed at different styles of riding:

Alias:
Obviously an XC hardtail with XC geometry and build
It felt good to ride and easy to lift the front wheel with a short stem, easier than the STP.

STP:
Burlier and heavier than the Alias, slacker geometry aimed at dirt jumping etc

I personally found the pedal position on the STP relative to the frame was noticeably different to that of most XC bikes (namely the Alias and Giant Trance etc) it's nothing detrimental just not as optimal for longer XC type rides compared to the others in my opinion.

I think the STP only comes with a single chaining up front so 9 gears, whereas the Alias has a full complement (triple up fornt and 9 gears up back). And the STP fits a larger rear tyre than the Alias ( Alias max would probably be 2.35, STP can take a 2.5).

Now i would normally ride a 17" (size small) Alias so I know that an STP can fit me well enough for XC or whatever, whereas a lot of people would find Dirt Jump style bikes on the small side for XC riding as well.

They are two quite different bikes and if you have narrowed it to those then it entirely depends on the type of riding you do at the moment and how you're hoping to progress as to which would be a better choice.

It's always good to compare other brands as well, so if you're going the Alias way then compared it to say a Specialized Hardrock, or compare the STP to one of the Specialized P models to make sure you are making an informed purchase.

With the STP Giant has discontinued selling them in Aus for this year too, something to keep in mind even though I'm not sure if it's a good thing or bad thing. But I know on the 2nd hand market most seem to fetch less than half the new RRP (check the Rotorburn forums as well as Ebay if you are looking to buy 2nd hand).