2013 Bike : The Giant Anthem X Advanced 29 Reviews

The Giant Anthem X Advanced 29 is the latest iteration of the best selling full suspension bike by Giant.  It is a 4 inch travel full suspension bike  meant for XC riding and this year, the front triangle has been converted to carbon fiber.  The tapered head tube steerer has been increased to 1.25″ on top instead of 1.125″ and this along with the change to carbon has resulted in a 7% increase in stiffness. The BB area has increased in stiffness by 3% with the switch to carbon fiber.  These numbers might not seem large but these are improvements to an already awesome platform from the previous year.

Geometry is unchanged from 71.3 head angle and 73 degree seat angle. The chainstays stay at 462 mm or 18.1 inches.

The rear triangle is kept at aluminum since the stiffness benefit of switching to carbon fiber was not significant. In fact, the rear skewer is still the old 135 mm quick release instead of the emerging 12 mm thru-axle standard.  These two decisions were made based on the minimal performance benefit to the Anthem X design and passing on the cost savings to the consumer.  However, this will be no consolation to customers who want a full carbon frame and the latest axle technology and rear wheel compatibility. Also, buyers of the top end $8900 Advanced 29 0 may wonder where the cost savings went.

The Anthem X has switched to Rockshox for both front and rear suspension. While Rockshox makes excellent products, some may be disappointed with the migration away from Fox and all the wonderful new technologies like  Kashima, Talas, and lighter stanchions for 2013.

Product line-up comparion of Anthem 29 line. ‘W’ models are women’s specific models courtesy of the Liv/Giant team.

MY13 Spring Launch
Model Size Weight (imperial) LBS/ounces Price
Anthem X Advanced 29er  0 M 22.06 $8900
Anthem X Advanced 29er 1 M 25.05 $4650
Anthem X Advanced 29er 2 M 26.07 $3300
Anthem X 29er 4 M 28.03 $1925
Anthem X 29er 0 W M 26.12 $2950
Anthem X 29er 4 W M 28.10 $1925
Anthem X Advanced 29er frame weight, size medium = 2200 grams = 4.85 lbs

All bikes share the identical frame with different shock options.

The Giant Anthem X Advanced 29 Developed to give pro XC racers every advantage on technical courses, Giant’s first composite full-suspension 29e has arrived. With an Advanced-grade Composite front triangle and ALUXX SL rear swingarm, plus the legendary performance of Maestro suspension, this is the bike that makes fast riders faster. The handcrafted composite frame is engineered for 29-inch wheels. Its OverDrive 2 steerer tube design offers front-end stiffness and pinpoint steering. The MegaDrive downtube and PowerCore bottom bracket boost power and control in the rough stuff.

Key Upgrades (over Anthem X Advanced 29er 1)

RockShox SID 29 RCT3 with QR15 thru-axle, OverDrive 2 tapered steerer suspension fork and RockShox Monarch RT3 rear shock
SRAM XX 2x10-speed componentry
SRAM XX World Cup hydraulic disc brakes
Giant P-XCR Composite 29er 0 WheelSystem
Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL
Color: Composite/Blue/White

(mtbr.com, giant-bicycles.com)

Posted on 4:31 PM / 0 comments / Read More

Santa Cruz Nomad Carbon

It seems like barely a year and a half ago we totally revamped our beloved gnarl-hound with updated suspension, geometry and a host of details that saw an entirely new Nomad emerging from where the old Nomad had been - lighter, sleeker, snappier and at the same time tougher. Time flies. It was just a year and a half ago that eight unlucky souls got mangled in the Hellride while claiming first saddle time aboard the new beast. And while the now tried and true aluminum Nomad is still a vital part of our lineup, we decided to splice some carbon fiber into it's DNA and see what happens.

Patented counter-rotating link design
Allows flexibility to design and manipulate shock rates for a huge diversity of uses, from razor sharp XC performance to bomber tough and ultra plush 10-inch travel downhill duty.

Short links
(Carbon Fiber Upper, Forged Aluminum Lower) and large diameter axles combined with angular contact bearings bring chassis integrity and handling precision to a whole new level.

Grease ports!
Tons of seals! Locking collet axle hardware! Super trick, low maintenance, superior durability, easy to service when the time finally comes.
You won't find this kind of stuff - whether it be quality of hardware or versatility of design or chassis integrity - anywhere else.

 

 

 Reviews

The nomad carbon is an incredible mountain bike. If you want one bike that can handle the climbs and descents, this is it. I ride this on mondo 30 mile with 4k ft of climbing and descending rides. Its not the fastest cllimber but it gets you to the top pretty quick. You can charge any aggressive line and the nomadc will hold its line like a champ. You can drop off a 5 ft rock drop, no problem. Hit a 10 ft gap with ease. You probably won't win an xc race with this bike but whatever.

If you want a fun bike that can handle pretty much anything other than resort downhill, this is it. You do sacrifice some speed on the climbs but the fun is on the downhills. My only regret with purchasing this bike is not purchasing it sooner. Get the nomadc it is so sick. Don't buy this bike if you are a pure xc rider. Buy this bike if you want to ride to the top and enjoy the downill to the fullest. It would be nice to have a water bottle cage for holding energy drinks on big rides.

My build is 30lbs with 7" travel in the front and 6.5" in the back.

 

 My fifth Santa Cruz bike and best to date. Use it for gnarly trail riding. Downhill the bike rewards being pushed hard and never seems to get fazed by anything. Get the best brakes you can get - you'll end up going a whole lot faster through the rough stuff ! Carbon frame is super stiff so suspension setup is super important - stiff wheels are also key to keep up with the frame ! Corners on rails - you have to get used to the razor sharp handling !
Brilliant on climbs - very very impressed. This thing climbs anything..

Rear shock:
Frame came with a DHX Air and I was never happy - dead rear feeling and blew through travel too quickly. Upgraded to a Cane Creek Double Barrel - 100% improvement - absolutely brilliant and no messing with air pressures again ! Transformed the ride - downhills through rock gardens are a breeze and I am always amazed by how much it can handle. Shock Setup is tricky and I have ended up running very little low speed rebound and low speed compression damping - rather let the VPP do its job.

(mtbr.com, santacruzmtb.com)

Posted on 8:05 AM / 0 comments / Read More