Category: Bikes

Stuck in a cycling base layer?

We have all done it, you get home from a ride, go to get changed/shower and find you can’t get the cycling base layer off as its covered in sweat! Do you wait until it dries then try again? Do you just rip it and buy a new one? No! The trick is to roll up the bottom part as high as you can to the arm pits then pull it over your head. You should be able to use you arm to grab the back of the remainder and pull it off. It can be tricky and feel a bit claustrophobic but don’t panic and you will get there eventually!

The best thing you can do to upgrade or improve any bike is the tyres, this will make the biggest difference to your cycle, making it an easier and faster ride.

Tyres
I see a lot of people cycling around with tyres not at the right pressure, I also used to do this as a kid and its only now I can see the error of my ways. Put some air in your tyres and not only that, put the right pressure in. Most tyres will give you a PSI range on the side:

In the example it shows a range of 60-80 PSI, I normally go for the higher end of the range, you can really feel the difference!

If you are cycling on the road then you need less grip and thinner tyres in general. If you are offroad then more grip and thicker tyres is normally the answer. People who have a hybrid bike or do a bit of both then there are many tyres that fit inbetween to give you the best experience. You can purchase tyres from sites like wiggle or sometimes the best bet if your not quite sure is to go to your local bike shop, tell them what you are using it for and your budget then they will recommend something that works.

Wheels
Next we have the wheels, they consists of a hub in the middle, some spokes and a rim a similar size to your tyre. When I first purchased my hybrid bike the wheels were reasonably cheap and I had a lot of problems with them going wonky. Normally this is because some of the spokes have gone a bit loose. The spokes all need to be at the same tension and a spoke key can be used to tighten or loosen spokes but this is very fiddly balancing them to the right tension. I found it was worth spending a bit of money on a decent set of wheels to keep you on the straight and narrow.

MORE TO COME

INTRODUCTION

I was given one of these bikes many years ago for christmas (1997), it has served me well over the years and I was shocked to see that the internet is pretty empty when it comes to providing information on this fine machine. I am going to dedicate this page to compiling facts and specs from the original design. I have also collected some pictures in the gallery at the end of the page. The 1998 version was blue/yellow with Magura hydraulic rim brakes and RST front dampers. The 1999 version was red/black with diatech disc brakes and Suntour front forks.

Edit: Due to popularity of this post I have also added the Box Two, Box Three and Box Shock specs and images, please do let me know via the comments if you have additional information or spot any errors.

FRAME

Firstly it was sold in the standard frame sizes Giant full suspension bikes are sold in these days.
-Size
-Measurement
-Approx height range

-Small
-16.5”
-5ft 3 – 5ft 6

-Medium
-18.5”
-5ft 6 – 5ft 11

-Large
-20.5”
-5ft 11 – 6ft 2

-XL
-Normally Giant have XL as 22.5” frame but I believe this series XL is 21.5″.
-6ft 2 plus

The most common is the 18.5″.

Made from alloy, none of this aluminium/carbon malarkey you get now days 😛
6061 T6 Aluminium

ORIGINAL SPECS

Blue box one:

Model: Giant Box One ’98 Freeride series, blue – yellow
Frame: 6061 T6 Aluminium 21.5 inch, full suspension, V form
Shifters: SRAM ESP 7.0, 3×9 gripshift gears
Derailleur: SRAM ESP 5.0, 3×9 front and rear derailers
Suspension:
Front: RST 381DH, oversized
Rear: Giant GTM 7 fully adjustable rear shock
Brakes: Magura HS11 special – hydraulic rim brakes

Red box one:

Model: Giant Box One ’99 Freeride series, red – black
Frame: 18.5 6061 t6 alloy frame
Shifters: SRAM ESP 7.0, 3×9 gripshift gears
Derailleur: SRAM ESP 7.0, 3×9 front and rear derailers
Suspension:
Front: Sr Suntour dc90 magnesium triple clamp adjustable forks
Rear: Giant GTM 7 fully adjustable rear shock
Brakes: diatech dp9 pro disc brakes with anodised calipers
Others:
– quick release alex al-dv22 double wall rims with giant hubs
– tioga factory downhill 2.10f tyres
– 24 speed
– sr suntour xr32 crank
– vp 565 peddles
– selle italia karve seat
– giant quick release alloy seat post
– ntg a-head set
– giant stem and bars

Dark Grey/Silver/Blue box two:

I’ve been sent a picture of a Box Two frame (in gallery below). It may be from 1998, but cannot find a lot of info. Giant also sold these as “Warps”. The one in the image is a 21.5″ frame.

Gold/Yellow/Pink box two:

Model: Giant Box Two Freeride series, Dark Grey – Silver – Blue
Frame: 21.5″ Frame. 18.5 in aluminium frame Giant 49 CMS frame
25″ Wheel. 26″ x 1.95 tyres/wheels
21/24 gears/24 speed shimano 8SIS gears.
Full Suspension (Front & Rear) RST Front Forks
Quick release Wheels and Saddle
Torque Bar on Handlebars. Alloy Pedals. GEL Fusion Padded saddle cover. V. Brakes. Travis X Handlebars.
Dia Compe VC757 brakes
Suntour DC80 magnesium front shocks

Box three:

Giant box three freeride series. A grim survivor from the late 1990s when frame experimentation was king! Although it looks like a full sus, it’s actually a hardtail
SRAM 5.0 twistgrip groupset.
RST forks.
Vbrakes.
21.5 inch frame.

Box shock:

Hard tail Aluminium 6061 box frame
DC 7500 Front suspension
21 Shimano gears (SRAM grip shifters & Derailleur)
SR Suntour XR20 Crank
26 inch wheels (quick release)
New Schwalbe Landcruiser fast rolling cross tyres (new inner tubes)
Suspension seat post

COMMON FAULTS

Unfortunately there was a common design fault with the Giant Box One. It would generally last one or two years then the frame would crack. My personal Giant Box One had this problem and I have seen many more examples with the same issue. Once this happens it is a write off.

GALLERY

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