Irrational Anthem

I would like to think that my bike purchases are considered, rational and born out of need. I have sufficient self-awareness, however to accept that this is rarely the case and my Giant Anthem is a good illustration of this. It's predecessor was a delightful Specialized Epic S-Works, a light four-inch travel, full-suspension, cross-country bike, featuring a carbon main-triangle frame and pretty much all you would need for  bike of this type. I bought the Specialized frame from an end-of-line sale for a good price, around £800 and although I would have preferred the carbon Giant Anthem frame, none were available for less than twice this amount at that time. I was happy enough until some time later, I happened across an advert for a similar bargain, but this time for one of the last new examples of my favoured Giant frame for a mere £999 and had to snap it up.

A light frame...

I have always loved the design: the 'Maestro' rear end of Giant MTB's has been well-regarded and never looked better than on the 3 1/2 inch travel Anthem Advanced. The current version employs a vertically-mounted suspension unit, adds a further half-inch of travel and is built to accommodate the fashionable tapered-steerer forks, but at the time was significantly more expensive. Given that the fork I was to transfer from the old bike had a conventional non-tapered stem, it made sense to go for the older style frame. Older it may be but it remains pretty much state of the art. The main and rear triangles are all carbon, with the exception of the lower link, which is made from magnesium alloy so it remains as light as they come for a full suspension frame. I generally go for a medium frame with an MTB, but the top tubes are on the long side on these frames, so the small size with its 22.6 in top tube suits me nicely.

As new, these Anthems had 80 mm front forks, although a number of riders have fitted 100 mm forks, like the Fox F100 I transferred from the S-Works. This slackens off the relatively steep, by today's standards, 72 degree steering head angle a little, which is no bad thing as the steering is pretty sharp anyway. While the rear travel is half an inch shorter than the Specialized's it does not feel that way in practice and the rear is much more supple than its travel measurement would suggest. Further irrational behaviour is manifest in my subsequent upgrading of the fork stanchions and rear shock to Fox's 'Kashima'-coated versions. The low-friction surfaces look fantastic, but I can't honestly detect any great difference in the function of these already excellent suspension components.


I've kitted it out in the main with Shimano XTR M985 race components. I love the 2x10 setup they now offer and run a 40/28 front and 11-34 rear and find this perfect for XC racing. There is a good range of gears and the change quality is superb. The drivetrain is complimented by the wonderful brakes that are sensitive, powerful and have proved to be pretty much 'fit and forget'. Wheels are Hope XC3 with 24 straight pull spokes and natty 3-bolt discs, a great value, reliable wheelset, currently fitted with tubeless Schwalbe Racing Ralph 2.25 in tyres. Clearance at the back is a little tight for these tyres, but as I generally use them for dryish XC races, it's not a problem. Finishing kit is Thomson Elite X4 stem and seat post (my favourites), Easton XC90 bars and Fi'zi:k Gobi saddle. It all adds up to a light bike (21-22lb, according to my not very accurate luggage scales) and one which functions beautifully.

The Anthem excels in its primary role, cross-country racing and while heavier than a carbon hardtail, it gets me round XC courses without beating me up too badly. Steering is sharp and the compact frame makes the bike easy to throw around. A sign of its excellence is the way in which it handles terrain it was not really designed for. It's been for thrashes round Nant yr Arian and Machynlleth in Wales and coped brilliantly. Unlike on a proper trail bike, however, I had to stay 100% alert and keep my weight well back on the descents, otherwise flying over the steep front end would have been the order of the day. Needless to say, the bike was a delight on the ascents. In the recent spell of cold weather, the Anthem has allowed me to get out on the frozen roads which I would avoid on my road bike. There is sufficient grip from the wide tyres to stay upright and I find that my average speed is only around 2mph slower on average than my road bike.


I would recommend an Anthem (alloy or carbon) without hesitation: it really is all you could ever need in an XC bike. Furthermore it is worth looking out for 'end of line' bargains, as the old model will still be just as good as it ever was, yet can be picked up for a fraction of it's original cost. Come to think of it, that's quite a rational way to buy a bike!