Despite of the fact that I have fewer and fewer time (in correlation to my bad physiological fitness, of course) to ride my bike, I decided to sacrifice a whole page for this hobby, since the information provided here may still be interesting to a majority of r(i)eaders..My.bikes.
Yes, I admit. I've two of them. Even only one is used (more or less) frequently. See the specification table below to compare my two bikes and you know why.
.Specifications.
| Modell | Giant Box One '98 Freeride series, blue - yellow | Merida XC Mission Elite, 2002 |
|---|---|---|
| FRame | 6061 T6 Aluminium 21.5 inch, full suspension, V form | 7005 Aluminium, 22 inch (XL), LRS suspension |
| Shifters | SRAM ESP 7.0, 3x9 | Shimano XT, 3x9 |
| Derailleur | SRAM ESP 5.0, 3x9 | Front: Shimano XT, 3 gears Rear: Shimano XTR, 9 gears |
| Suspension | Front: RST 381DH, oversized Rear: Giant GTM 7 |
Front: Manitou Mars Elite Rear: German:A LRS |
| Brakes | Magura HS11 special - hydraulic rim brakes | Avid Single Digit TI v-brakes |
.Stories.
My (originaly) Giant Box One supports fast downhill rides as well as mountain touring sessions. Its Magura hydraulic brakes serve in any critical situation to the best. Never use V-brake again! The picture on the right shows the modell 99, because I couldn't find an official picture of my one from 98. Anyway, the differences are not essential, except the Magura brakes and the RST front dampers. Ah yeah, the color is originally yellow / blue.
Read the whole, bloddy truth about this bike.
Well, since September the 13th, a new star is part of my property. The Merida XC Mission Elite was really worth it's price. It's high value components already proofed by serving to the best in any situation. The innovative low ration suspension (LRS), developed by the German engineers of Centurion, performs in a till now not known level, no matter if up or downhill.
Only the brakes don't fit to the bike's overall performance - disc versions would be prefered, as on the cheaper "Comp" version...
.Adventures.
