Any opinions on Giant NRS frames?

[comish]

So a colleague of Mrs. Comish's is selling an NRS - 3 for $600. We both used to have Specialized FSR XC bikes which we liked, but sold one before moving across the pond. I have been completely out of the loop on mtb suspension progress and don't know anything about this NRS frame? We climb so don't want a big porker downhiller bike, but she rides mostly open fire roads. She is a diesel, in that she can climb and cruise the smooth terrain or on her road bike, but technical stuff throws her for a loop.

Anyways, thoughts on this frame, the design, does it bob, is it light, how does it climb?

[bagtagley]

NRS is an XC race machine. The suspension is designed to run w/ zero sag. This is because pressure from the pedal stroke actually (in effect) locks the suspension out, so running zero sag prevents the shock from topping out w/ each pedal stroke. Because of this design, the bike has no pedal-induced bob at all. I've ridden a couple NRS, and when climbing and hammering it feels more like a hardtail than an FS. It's biggest weakness is the fact that the anti-bob design is affected by braking forces the same way it is by pedaling forces. This creates a chattery feeling under hard braking because the rear suspension stiffens up. This doesn't make it a bad bike on the downhills, it just means you have to be a bit more strategic with your braking.

I'd say, if she's looking for something to get more diesel on, this is probably a good choice. However, if she's looking to boost her confidence and get better technically, she may want to look at something a bit more plush.

dos pesos