hi, i'm looking at buying a used bike, either an 03 Giant NRS1 or an 03 GT i-Drive Pro. They are basically the same price. A little different spec'd...
The NRS1 is mostly XT with SID front and rear shocks and Hayes disc brakes. The GT has XTR rear Fox float rear and SID front fork, but deore v-brakes.

I am into XC riding / racing and will be doing a fair bit of 12/24 hour racing.

Any comments on a choice between these two bikes.

thanks for any info
cheers

I've never ridden an I-drive.

I've put in a couple of years on an NRS, including XC races. The NRS was built for XC racing. It's an extremely efficient, lightweight frame. (but depending on the year and model, it may have heavy components). I've gotten a bit bored with mine for fun riding, but for racing, it would be my first choice. Also, the disc brakes would be an advantage in those 24 hr races if the weather is sloppy. Nothing worse than listening to muddy rim brakes all through a race.

i would go for the giant just because giant has top notch customer service. gt in it's current situation may not be very helpful if you have warranty issues.as far as the bikes, i had an i-drive and liked it alot, but the nrs is definitely better for racing.

I owned or should I say still own a Giant NRS and was happy with it, but as already mentioned, found it a little boring on fun sort of rides. It is a good reliable design, and with Giant behind you, you can have the confidence if you need warranty in the future.

Get the giant, its suited to racing, and is very popular among both short course racers and racers doing the long haul stuff!

Cheers
Trevor!