Yep – I’ve had a granite chief for a few years (bought in 2011)
I didn’t have the room to store multiple bikes – so was after one that could do a bit of everything: Swinley, trail centers and the alps. I wanted the usual combination of strong, light and cheap – and have been really pleased with it.
The good:
It’s as tough as old boots – the frame is just really beefy. I’m pretty heavy, and don’t ride with a great deal of finesse but this thing is absolutely rock-solid.
It’s pretty light, given it aforementioned beefiness.
The spec was really good for the money – in line with what you get from a German direct-to-consumer type model.
I got a chance to test ride it first – Fin (UK rep) came and met me at Swinley and came out for an hour or so with me.
The “configurator” tool lets you swap some bits on the standard specs. however, the choice is a bit limited, and I’m not convinced of the economics of this vs ordering upgrades/selling bits on ebay.
It was better put-together than my mate’s Canyon. Not an issue if you are a fettler – but out-of the box it was noticably better built.
It came with a thru-axle at the back, which at the time was unusual. having broken a couple of rear triangles, this was a selling point.
The warrantee is 10 years on frame breakages.
The bad:
It took about 5-6 weeks to arrive, but to be fair – it arrived on time and the communication was good.
The specs have changed quite a lot in the last few years. They were shipping with Magura bits for a while – but now the “2” seems to be Pikes/XT/formula/DT swiss. The 2013 “4” is equivalent to what I bought, and is currently on sale at about what I bought mine for.
They have other competitors now in the DTC market – the canyons and YTs are arguably better value.
It’s got a PF30 BB which is a shame. However, now hope/praxis are bringing out some decent alternatives to the plastic press-in adapters, this wouldn’t put me off.
In summary – I’m really pleased with it. Strong, light, good value, and rides really well. I’m getting the “new bike” itch, but I really can’t justify replacing it until it breaks….. which is looking like no time soon 🙄