Narrowed choice down to these two.

It will be for occasional race duties, and local stuff too.
Which one offers best spec and gets the STW approval?

Thanks.

I have an XTC Advanced 3 which I got in November. Absolutely love the bike. It’s very agile and the frame feels nicely stiff without being too harsh on the rough stuff. I also have a 2011 zesty, but have a feeling the Giant will become my go to bike for the majority of my riding.

When I bought the XTC I had no chance of trying the Scott. I would have liked to compare the two, but am more than happy with the Giant. Spec wise, they aren’t miles apart, but for my money, I’d rather have the Reba forks than the fox evolution ctd, as I’ve always had Rockshox forks and found them very reliable.

If you get the XTC, you’ll need to budget for changing the front tyre at least. Racing Ralphs on the front, in the mud we’ve been having, are a bit of a no-no. I kept the rear and put a mountain king 2 race sport on the front of mine.

Thanks. I too having problem getting a demo, or even getting opportunity to sit on one to size.
The forks was swaying me towards the Giant too. Only had a fox fork once, and never liked it. Plus the reputation kinda scares me off.
Thanks again for your input.