Giant Cross City 2 (2025)

Giant's latest Cross City 2 is a fitness bike designed for city streets, suburban bike paths and scenic rail trails.

In this preview, we'll cover who should consider the Cross City and key aspects of the Cross City 2 build.

Who should consider the Cross City?

Giant's Cross City is designed for riders who want a general fitness bike or a fast, comfortable commuter bike.

It's designed for riders who are:

• Getting back into riding and wanting to build their bike-fitness back up.
• Already riding an old entry-level mountain bike or suspension hybrid and need something lighter and faster.

For us, the Cross City 2 ticks a lot of boxes and is an easy recommendation.

It's versatile design just means it can handle a variety of road conditions. Plus the build kit (covered next) is super robust and reliable.

Note:

If you're (regularly) riding on bumpy surfaces then consider the range. The extra suspension will smooth out impacts.

The Cross City 2 Build

The Cross City 2 is designed for riders who need a reliable mid-range option.

Perhaps you're planning on riding more regularly or you just want to begin riding with something that's better than average.

As such, the parts on the Cross City 2 build are designed for recreational riding. They are easy to service, robust and very economical to replace.

Starting with the frameset.

Everything is made from aluminium alloy - frame and front fork.

The tubing is thin where it needs to be to save weight. In other areas it's thicker to handle the extra loads.

The lightweight frameset is paired to other aluminium components (such as handlebar, seat post, crankset and wheels).

Next, the gears.

Giant has used Shimano's latest 9-speed CUES (Creating Unique ExperienceS) components.

The hardware (such as shifters, chain, derailleurs) is upper-end recreational quality.

In fact, CUES delivers the best range of recreational bike components we've ever seen from Shimano.

The back cogs (called the cassette) use Shimano's LinkGlide technology. This tech was originally designed for e-bikes; helping improve component longevity.

The Cross City 2 is built with hydraulic disc brakes.

Hydraulic brakes are more robust than their mechanical versions. The seals that keep the oil inside the system also help keep dirt and water out.

Plus, there's no brake tension adjustment needed. So, maintenance is super easy too.

Lastly, the Cross City frame can accommodate pannier racks, mudguards and kickstand (not included).

SPECIFICATIONS