I love my VT2.
It does all I am prepared to do, and no doubt way more that I'm too debt
ridden to attempt to do (lest I end up in traction for a month without pay)
But then I have little to compare it to. My previous bike was my first
mountain bike, and it was a Merida, and whilst it was one sweet ride (though
I hated the fact that the front gears would only work correctly for one
ride, then have to be adjusted again), this Giant leaves it for dead.
And my only real bike before that was my old ten speed from high school days
which did thousands of Kms over about 18 years.
The, only fairly recently purchased, Giant VT2 hasn't put a foot wrong in
over 500Kms of almost exclusively single track riding.
Speaking of "fairly recently purchased" that reminds me, I spose I'd better
take it in to the LBS, they give 12 months of free servicing, and that 12
months is likely to be up pretty soon.