Giant ATX 2 (2018) - Review

The ATX 2 is all about strong yet sleek tubes and curves on the ALUXX grade butted aluminium frame. What's essentially a slim head tube is only oversized on account of a ledge that curves up from the triangular down tube. The down tube also curves and tapers, before flaring out slightly to support the threaded and sealed bottom bracket.The Suntour XCT front suspension fork is all about performance. With its 1mm travel this suspension fork can handle the roughest of trails with ease. The lack of a suspension lockout was a letdown as it would have helped get stiffer and faster on flatter surfaces on trails.

To make sure that the Giant ATX 2 is ready to take on everything from city streets to trail riding, a wide range drivetrain is specc’d on it. The ATX 2 gets a 3x7 speed Shimano Tourney drivetrain, with three gears in front and seven in the back, giving you the capabilities to climb steep inclines and go fast on city roads. These gears are just enough for moderate speeds on trails. The Shimano EF4 trigger shifters were the standard offer to operate Tourney derailleurs. For the price of this bicycle I expected to see at least Shimano Altus at the front and back as derailleurs.

The Giant ATX 2 218 which I test rode came in a bright yellow coloured frame with black and blue graphics in a few places. The gloss paint job was perfect and the shade of yellow was quite bright. Spotting this hardtail MTB on the trail or on the road will be easy. The internal cable routing made the bicycle look neat and also saves the cables from grit and dirt in turn prolonging the life of the cables and performance of braking and shifting.

For slowing down on the ATX 2, there are no top notch Hydraulic Disc brakes as this model feature Tektro Mechanical Disc brakes at the front and rear. They are as powerful in wet or dry conditions, so you won’t have to worry about rainy riding. These Mechanical Disc brakes performed well during the test ride and were more than sufficient for moderate trails and rough urban roads.The Giant Sports low raise handlebar was aggressive with its length and that slight raise from the middle contributed to the little bit of comfort to the rider in terms of posture.

Each Giant ATX model including the ATX 2 gets Giant's own branded wheels, matching double walled alloy rims to Joytech Disc hubs to provide quick and stable rolling. Tire size can contribute quite a bit to the riding experience especially when it comes to trails. The 27.5” x 2.1” Giant Quickcross tires were treaded powerfully to give maximum traction on all kinds of roads and the roughest of trails. The stock Giant Contact comfort neutral saddle was designed for trail rides. The shape and width of the saddle was comfortable to keep the rider seated safe without any soreness and slips. The overall ride quality was comfortable on urban roads and trails.