Giant Anthem x 29er 1 2014 review.
First up, Bike Radar, my favourite bike test site, awarded the 2013 model the, “Trail Bike of the Year award”. You don’t get much better than that. The bike was awarded 5/5 stars. To quote bike radar, “The poised Anthem rewrites the rules on what to expect from an affordable short-travel trail bike” 
The new 2014 bike is out, and it is every bit as impressive. Giant have also managed to keep their prices in check, despite the recent Rand/Dollar challenges.
Here are the specs – Group set.
| Shifters | Shimano SLX, Rapid Fire |
| Front Derailleur | Shimano SLX |
| Rear Derailleur | Shimano Deore XT, Shadow Plus |
| Brakes | Shimano SLX, hydraulic disc, [F] 180mm, [R] 160mm |
| Brake Levers | Shimano SLX |
| Cassette | Shimano HG81 11×36, 10-speed |
Shock details –
| Fork | Fox 32 Float RL CTD Evolution, w/15mm thru-axle, OverDrive 2 steerer, 100mm travel |
| Shock | Fox Float CTD Evolution |
The bike comes with a life time warrantee on the frame, with standard Shimano and Fox warrantees applying to their respective parts.
An oversized head set area. The bearings and tapered shape of this system ensure that the front forks are attached as stiffly as possible to the front forks. This rapidly increases the stiffness of the ride and your level of control.
The bottom bracket bearing area in all the bikes has been chunked up, thereby increasing the stiffness of the bike. Basically, you don’t want a bike to flex when you pedal, as less of the energy generated goes into spinning the back wheel. Giant Anthems have an 86 mm wide bottom bracket, setting them apart from many of their competitors.
The geometry of the bike allows you to have an amazing riding experience. The big 29er wheels will allow you to accurately pick your lines, while the front and rear shocks keep the bike stable.
Giant once again use their almost upright rear shock as opposed to a more horizontal shock. They have called this system “Maestro”. Once again, Bike radar has said that the Maestro system is without equal in the mountain bike world. Many bikes that had a tope tube rear suspension system have migrated toward Maestro type systems over the years.
Here is last year’s bike review – http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/category/bikes/mountain-bikes/full-suspension/product/review-giant-anthem-x-29er-1-13-47170/
Regards
Mike
