Rating: 7 out of 10
I bought this Taiwan-made bike because I wanted a road bike for my time here in Taiwan, and I wanted one cheap since I had no intention of bringing it back to the U.S. when I left. At US$475, I thought this bike was a steal, and for the price I'm very happy with the bike. But being happy with the bike for the price is different from thinking it's a great bike. It's not a great bike, it's a good bike with its shortcomings readily apparent.
I changed the brake pads almost immediately, within a week or two. I had read reviews complaining about how they felt "mushy", and that was 100% right. That's one area where Giant cut costs. For serious road riding, add the price of new, better quality brake pads to the cost (about $20).
Also lowering the cost of the bike (but will be added after purchase) are the cheap tires, which will last longer than the brakes but you'll want to replace them sooner rather than later. Of course all tires wear out and need replacing, so this may be no big deal. If you let the originals go bald, you'll feel it in the lack of confidence on downhills and on wet roads. Nothing gets under the skin of my confidence when I feel the wheels slide several millimeters sideways on wet asphalt. They also lose all resistance to glass shards.
The Shimano components are competent but cheap. The derailleurs are very hard to get right in tune and so the drive train is noisy. Unless you're a mechanic and put time into it yourself, it's hard to find that "sweet spot" where shifting feels really good, but at this price I can't complain too much. Emphasis on the competent.
Also low-cost is the design and road vibration isn't absorbed in this design, so you feel every bump and crack through your hands on the headset.
What makes this a good bike is the price. And at this price (which actually has gone up about US$300 due to inflation a year after I bought mine), this bike has satisfied me on many rides and many hundreds of miles in my short time in Taipei. It's a competent, no-nonsense road bike, and if this kind of quality is Giant's entry-level road bike, then I'll definitely look into their higher end lines if I look into something more serious.
