2004 Giant Warp DS2 6 Month Follow Up

July 11th, 2005 by Guitar Ted

Back in January I purchased my self a sweet Giant Warp DS 2. It’s been about 6 months now and I thought I’d share with everyone how the rig is holding up.

I got like 3 feet of air…

I’d have to say the Warp has been doing pretty well for an entry level full suspension mountain bike. I’ve taken it through a bunch of different Southern California trails such as Woods Canyon, Rockit, Cholla, Top of the World, Lynx, Panorama, Meadows, Fullerton Loop, Annex, as well as one race that I did in Southridge, Fontana. For a while I even used the Warp as my daily commuter, 18 mile round trip.

There are a couple things that I would like to eventually upgrade:

Fork- This fork was nice in the beggining and has never bottomed out, but I think something that has more travel and offers a nice soft ride would be sufficient.
Rear Derailleur- Very finnicky. It uses an Alivio and it won’t stay tuned long enough. I have to adjust it every 10 hours of riding.

I haven’t had any issues with the frame or the Giant Proprietary components like the rear shock, cranks, stem and handle bars. However, every so often I get a creaking sound either from my seat post or the stem. But that’s typically just some dirt getting in the tight spots.

The Warp is a great climber and jumper. It can climb the toughest hills and take on the scariest rock beds. I am very confident about the Warp.

Other than those two things I mentioned, the Warp has proved to me that I don’t need a high end bike to enjoy riding and the occasional race.

6 Responses to “2004 Giant Warp DS2 6 Month Follow Up”

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1 Cory on Jul 11th, 2005 at 1:22 pm

Not sure about the Warp frame but my Giant AC creaks from the seat tube area as well. For my bike, the creaking usually results when some fine grit makes its way between the seat tube and the seat post shim that Giant seems to fit on a bunch of their bikes. It’s a headache, but a little bit of love every couple of weeks usually keeps the thing from groaning…
2 Reilly on Feb 17th, 2006 at 2:33 pm

I own a 2004 Giant warp ds2 and a 2003 gaint ac. both are excellent bikes. I use my warp as a trail rider and my ac as a downhiller. The warp makes that same creeking sound that you were mentioning. i dont really mind it though. I must say, the components are horrible. i broke the forks and replaced it with a marzocchi exr pro coil (phenominal fork), and i replaced the whole drivetrain except for the front derailleur. first my chain went bad (went through about 3 chains all together) then my crank went bad, then my derailleur got caught up in the spokes, finally the cassett went bad. so with deore and xt on the drivetrain, it functions quite well. good beginer bike. get an ac though. they are just amazing
3 Mitchell on Mar 16th, 2007 at 7:38 pm

i have been riding a 2005 Warp DS2 for 2 years now and i’d have to say even though the bike store ripped me off when i was a kid and made me give up 1200$ to buy it (i didnt know a thing about mounitan bikes) it has been a great! i have ridden 2000$ + bikes and sure they ride super smooth and dont grind a moan like the warp does ( just like evryone elses lol) but the warp is all i need. i’m no pro so this bike fits all my needs. the frame is super strong and with some minor upgrades this bike can easly keep up with the hefty expenisve bikes. ( i bought some Marzoccohi all mountian 3’s, sun rim single tracks and new tires for it, as well as a few upgrades due too repairs. overall if you own this bike dont sell it just to get something more expenisve. put some money into the Warp and trust me you wont be dissapointed, plus the bike is a sweeet looking bike, people are constantly staring at it.

it’s not about how good the bike is, it’s how you ride it.
4 destin on Apr 24th, 2007 at 3:19 pm

i like my warp…well its actually a giant canyon. its the same frame they just painted it red and put different stickers on it. i agree withyou guys on the fork and drivetrain… they suck. oh and mitchell my cousin has a 03 cannondale jekyl 900 with an all mountain lefty. i raced it once and it blows my warp out of the water. plus you can pick up a used jekyl on ebay 4 like 700 bucks so why spend that much on a warp. i did but that was before i knew much about bikes.
5 destin on Jan 30th, 2008 at 5:23 pm

just a followup to my last comment. its been almost a year now. i officially hate this bike. the frame is durable but too heavy for racing. the shock sucks and the rebound doesnt do anything. the fork is leaking oil. ive one through at least 10 deraileur hangars since my last review on this site. the shifters both blew out, and the bottom bracket had to be replaced. the tektro io disc brakes always rub no matter what you do to them, and they still cant stop even w/ new cables and pads. i just recently got stuck 10 miles into the woods…alone because the freewheel broke so when i pedaled the cassette spun but the whhel didnt. fun walk. a few of the cable mounts on the frame have snapped off leavin my bike zip tie city. DO NOY BUY THIS BIKE IT IS A PIECE OF CRAP AND IM AFRAID TO JUMP ANYHTING OVER A FOOT ON IT FOR FEAR OF BREAKING IT!!!!! oh the disc brake mounts on the frame also broke off so i cant have a front brake. fun.
6 destin on Apr 28th, 2008 at 3:44 pm

ok giants warranty covered all the frame issues, so i got a new frame. i put a rock shox sid xc rear shock on it, along with a manitou black elite front fork with 90-120 mm travel(rapid travel wind down). ive also added a fi:zi’k nisene saddle, a deore xt rear deraileur, deore lx shifters, and dt swiss wheels. my bike is good now but im currently looking to replace my frame with a lighter frame for racing purposes, but overall the warp is a good beinner bike.

2004 Giant Warp DS2 6 Month Follow Up

6 Responses to “2004 Giant Warp DS2 6 Month Follow Up”

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