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Giant unveils 2014 mountain bike lineup

Taiwan-based bike maker makes fleet-wide expansion to 27.5"

For the 2014 model year, Giant is going all in with 27.5″ across its mountain bike lines. While the company is known for top-quality products, it doesn’t have a reputation for daring moves such as this. Giant’s expectations for the burgeoning wheel size are also quite bold. Like other bike manufacturers, Giant expects 27.5” will overtake both 26” and 29” sizes. The company expects to phase out those big 29” hoops in the future.

Why such confidence in the tweener wheel size? The performance benefits that 27.5” has over its small and larger siblings seem to be the case. “It’s not a middle ground,” says Andrew Juskaitis. The senior product marketing manager at Giant wants to stress that 27.5” is not merely 29″ light, or 26″ heavy for that matter. The newer wheel size doesn’t split the difference among the qualities of the two established wheels sizes. Instead, Giant says that 27.5″ actually hues quite close to the beneficial qualities of both 26″ and 29″.

With regards to weight, Giant says 27.5″ wheels are only 5 per cent heavier than 26″ hoops, while 29″ wheels weigh 12 per cent more than the smallest diameter. For a wheel’s ability to roll over objects, 29” is better, but 27.5” only has a difference of two degrees in terms of its angle of attack.

The 27.5" wheel has a rollover ability close to that of the 29". Image credit: Giant Bicycles Inc.
The 27.5″ wheel has a rollover ability close to that of the 29″. Image credit: Giant Bicycles Inc.

When it comes to the acceleration of 27.5” wheels, Juskaitis is unequivocal: “The snap is back. It’s not the freight train feel we’ve grown accustomed to with 29.”” He argues that it’s not only the weight of the 29″ wheels that makes them more difficult to spin up, but the distance at which the majority of that weight (rims and tires) sits from the hub. Since 27.5″ wheels carry their mass closer to their hubs, its easier to get things moving.

Giant says a 29″ wheel gives you 9 cm of of rubber pressing on the ground for traction and control. The 27.5″ has 1 cm less, giving the rider 8 cm of contact patch. A more advantageous reduction that comes with smaller wheels is that the bike’s frame can be more compact, allowing for more stiffness.

The list mountain bike models that get the 27.5″ treatment for 2014 include XTC, Anthem, Trance and even the entry-level Talon. The caveat for Canadians: not all of Giant’s 27.5″ models will be available in Canada. Currently, the models Canadians can look forward to, and their prices, are not available.

Liv/giant

While the changes to the men’s line of mountain bikes are extensive, the changes in women’s Liv/giant department are even more dramatic. Giant will say goodbye to 26″ and 29″ hoops for women. “Twenty-seven five is the best wheel size for women,” says Jackie Baker, women’s marketing manager.

According to Abby Santurbane, Liv/giant product developer, Giant looked beyond the surface physical differences between men and women to how women ride their bikes. “Women carry their weight differently and use their weight differently,” says Santurbane. “We’ve developed geometry from there.” Riders looking for “lady-fied” models from the men’s line, say a Trance W or an Anthem W, won’t find them. Models, such as the Obsess, Lust and Intrigue, weren’t spawned from their male counterparts and, therefore, get unique monikers. The Liv/giant bikes, however, do draw upon many of the technologies used among the male-oriented machines, such as the Maestro suspension system, Giant’s Advanced-grade composite, OverDrive2 stems and the Giant Contact Switch-R dropper post.

As with the men’s line, not all of Giant’s 2014 27.5” models are on their way to this country. Models and prices will be available soon.

The Advanced 0 is Giant's top-of-the-line enduro machine.
The Advanced 0 is Giant’s top-of-the-line enduro machine.