I’ve been an anthem fan for several years now. Over the years I’ve had 26" and 27.5" variants and since 2018 when the full 29er version merged, i thought it would be hard to make that rig any better. To date it has been my go-to bike unless it’s big jump day in which case I reach for the TranceX for a bit more travel.( The Anthem is a 110mm XC bike where as the Trance X is 150 but with more travel comes more weight, so its horses for courses.
When I heard a new revision to the Anthem29 was on the cards in 2022 I was a bit apprehensive as to if Giant could ruin what is an awesome rig already. As it turns out I had nothing to be concerned about.
With the recent trend of down county to overcome trails becoming more technical, a slacker front end was in order. But the big news was a change in rear suspension platform from Giant’s very successful Maestro to a new Flex Point Pro system. Why you might ask? In a word, weight. The new system shaves 250g off the frame which is a massive saving on a bike that was no heavy machine to start with. At the time of writing, this makes the Anthem the second lightest XC dually frame on the market!
The frame is (and was previously) a carbon front and rear triangle, but the revised rear rocker design allows for shorter chain stays and allows the carbon to flex a little to add to compliance. Other frame changes include a change to a more traditional seat clamp size with a 30.9 (rather than the previous 27.2) seat post diameter. A nice detail in the new frame is the shape of the front adding a bit more shape and style to the layup, which has been seen on the likes of the newer Giant models recently. The front fork is raked out a little slacker which add a fraction more stability in the rough stuff too.
A big upgrade for the Pro1 and 0 in 22 is the Fox live valve suspension. A further review will be done on this down the track. For now I’ve just set the sag and will use one of the 5 preset modes via the Bluetooth connection to my phone. This may be a big part of where the additional 2k in retail price has come from on this model.
The bars have gone from. 30.9 alloy flat bar to a 35mm carbon Giant top spec XC SLR barset. I was pleasantly surprised to see a set of silicone grips as standard also. These are typically two of the first things I change out on a new bike, but not this time!
Fox 34 SC fork. Only 30g heavier than the 32 and much stiffer. With the live valve addition I’m yet to bottom it out!
Fizik Anreres saddle (I changed out to a giant one which matched my rear ended better)
The 30mm XCR carbon rims are awesome. They are hookless which many out there seem to bork at, but don't! I've not even looked like burping a tyre and hookless makes them lighter. The rim width is the big change that I love the most. The wider internal width allows me to have a super fat tyre profile. It runs a Maxxis 2.4 as standard, which ends up being wider than a 2.5 on the Trance which has rims about 3mm narrower. This in turn gives me a greater tyre volume so I can run lower (18-19 psi) for more grip, softer ride and no rim damage still (and I don't even run an insert). No I'm not heavy and I'm light on equipment but still air volume counts peeps. More grip and softer ride being two of the bigger bonuses and if you can get more grip without adding chunkier tyres (which add rotation weight) you get a much faster bike!!
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