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Giant AC1

skatetokil

Turbo Monkey
Jan 2, 2005
2,383
-1
DC/Bluemont VA
I had an 03 for a couple years. Had a psylo and then a super t on it. Nice little bike for the money, but I had a couple complaints. Lots of brake jack, the interrupted seat tube made long climbs a bitch, and the pivot bolts would come loose really quick. Other than those beefs, I thought it handled itself pretty well as a light fr bike. Rode it at snowshoe, bootleg canyon, moab, diablo, wisp etc etc. Felt sketchy at high speeds runs compared to my race bike, but hey, it only has 6 inches in the back. It really shined in the slow tech stuff, and it jumped surprisingly well for a 40lb rig.
 

miuan

Monkey
Jan 12, 2007
395
0
Bratislava, Slovakia
I never broke mine and it still works. The 03+ models can accomodate a DC fork as well. I have an air Swinger 4-way and it works surprisingly well, very plush and just enough platform for any climb except aggressive granny sprints. A Marzocchi Z1/AM 150mm with ETA is a very nice fork for this frame. As for the seat tube, using a swinger air, seatpost clears the shock just fine, allowing for any length you need. Unlike with the coil swinger I had before. The frame is flexy, not intended for fat as*es.
Anyway your question was answered so many times before. Just try to search.
 
Jul 9, 2007
51
0
I currently ride an AC which I have made a lot of changes to over the past few years.
It is a great trail bike and can probably stand up to light freeride if you are just getting into it. I use it as my All Mountain bike and regularly do 3-5 foot drops and a few moderate sized jumps. A really light weight person could probably use it for pretty heavy stuff, but my 180 pounds is too much for the bike for all out freeride. The chainstays flex a lot in hard cornering and landings, and I think that is where most people break them.
 

kona-ryder

Monkey
Jul 18, 2006
577
0
Above you on the podium.
I had one way back in the day.
It was a great intro into the freeride world. It didn't cost a ton of money, and it was built on a fairly solid frame.
The stock components are nothing to rave about, but the frame is tough enough that you can put some upgrades on it.
I ended up slapping a new fork, wheels and cranks before I unloaded it.
I'd say go for it if you are fairly new to biking. You won't notice many of its downfalls until your skills progress past the bike, and by that time you will probably have enough dough to upgrade to something better.
 

bballe336

Turbo Monkey
Mar 3, 2005
1,757
0
MA
I had one as my first downhill bike. I'd try and buy something better. I'm sure it would be an alright trailbike but I wouldn't pay more than $100 for one of those frames.
 
Jan 6, 2008
18
0
motueka
i have a giant AC1 frame it has been sitting in a shed for a couple of years it has no rust anywhere on it it is in perfect condition apart from a small dent on the side........shall i fix it up or leave it.
 

skatetokil

Turbo Monkey
Jan 2, 2005
2,383
-1
DC/Bluemont VA
$1700 or so?

I really don't understand why people love bikes like the bottlerocket but turn their noses up at ACs. It's not going to win any bling contests, but I thought mine was a very capable and versatile bike. . . and it was cheap.

I'm the first to admit that it has its limitations in terms of durability, suspension design, and geometry for any given application. As the name All Conditions would suggest it is a compromise bike. It does nothing especially well.

A build gone wrong and its funky handling bad climbing pig, but if you know what you want to do with it and select parts accordingly, it's a perfectly good rig.
 

skatetokil

Turbo Monkey
Jan 2, 2005
2,383
-1
DC/Bluemont VA
Looks like you have the pre-03 frame without the hydroformed gussets. You're not cleared for a dual crown and the frames are more prone to breakage than the newer ones. What shock does it have? The RS Pro Deluxe is a notorious turd and it came stock on the early models.