The answer is 2900 against 3380 according to my calculator but…….

I was looking for a trail bike full susser, and after borrowing rides of various bikes I had kinda settled on the Giant Maestro system as my preferred option. The bike I rode that hooked me was a 26er Anthem, albeit it was in a large and I need a medium. I do quite a bit of riding in the Lakes so I was looking at a Trance 26er in a medium. I sat on one in a shop and it just didn’t feel right for me. I sat on an Anthem 29er and that felt right straight away, but I’m not sure it’s the right bike for my intended use!!!
(The Trance 29er just seems to have the seat too far back over the stays which I know from experience will hurt my knees, and my knees have been in crisis recently so I don’t want to risk it)

The question is….. will the Anthem 29er do the Walna Scar, will it do Parkamoor to Nibthwaite?

Obviously the answer is to get a demo bike and try it out, but in the meantime I’d welcome any input from folk who’ve ridden an Anthem 29er over Lakeland trails.

Trance and Anthem both have a 73degree effective seat angle (unless you run the seat very low or very high).

It may equate when you roll over stuff, but if you hit a jump/drop, then 100mm is still 100mm on landing.

steveb77 on here has just bought an Anthem 29er and loves it. I think he rides those sort of trails on it.

It may equate when you roll over stuff, but if you hit a jump/drop, then 100mm is still 100mm on landing.

This. For all this 29er talk of rolling over stuff, that’s not all there is to it. Is it??

If I am airborn nowadays, it’s usually by mistake, or a mistake, if you know what I mean. I’ve been riding mountain bikes long enough to know that I’m not a very good rider!

If the Large Anthem felt good and the medium Trance didn’t feel right, could it just be that a large suits you better than a medium. The “old” Trance 26″ (with a straighter seat tube) is still available I think and is still a very capable bike for the sort of general trail riding that you are planning.

Really?

Whether you get up, or down stuff is mainly to do with how good you are as a rider.

Any 29er will give you better grip because it has more contact, it will also roll over stuff better. I suspect the Anthem will be enough bike.

This. For all this 29er talk of rolling over stuff, that’s not all there is to it. Is it??

No. A big wheel is not a equivalent for suspension, on a landing.

But in many circumstances it can be a good alternative for a bit of suspension damping.

Get a demo ride if you can, its the only sure fire way of knowing what’s best for YOU, rather than what’s best for someone else on here. Most people recommend whatever they ride themselves, and thats also based on their own skill level, riding style, and choice of terrain / conditions thay ride in. You’ll also get alot of very bias opinions about wheel size. My advice would be to try both bikes for yourself if you can. Is there a Giant Concept Store or similar near to you?

100mm is 100mm, the “feels like more travel on a 29er” thing is marketng twaddle because they can’t make longer travel wagon wheelers work properly.

I do indeed have an Anthem X 29, it suits me & my riding style down to the ground if I’m totally honest, I’m much faster and therefor have more fun than when I had my 26er Nicolai Helius CC.

On a recent group ride one of the guys asked why I’d bought a 100mm 29’er FS, I said I can’t really jump, don’t ride mega techy rock strewn trails and like covering ground quickly so why buy a bike that doesn’t play to my strengths when I can get one that does and lets me ride other stuff too.

The Anthem is a cracking bike, proper fast, pretty light (mines a fraction over 11kg in a medium), handles really well, climbs excellently – almost as fast as my FF29 on smooth trails, but much faster on anything rougher – descends really well, and despite having “long” chainstays doesn’t exactly get held back in twisty woodland singletrack either.

Personally if you like long natural rides in Wales etc, marathons, old school Enduro events, XC racing and ripping up trail centres it’s the bike for you. If you like air time & radness, go for the Trance. Don’t get me wrong it’ll do tech, just not as well as something with more travel IMHO.

The Anthem is the fastest MTB I’ve ever ridden, and it makes me want to ride it faster every time I go out on it.

Sizing wise – I’m a bit of an odd shape – I’m 5’11” and have a medium with the seatpost 10mm below minimum insertion, the saddle is 10mm from the furthest back and the stem flipped with one 5mm spacer under it, fits perfectly. The large just felt massive, but is bang on for my mate who’s 6’1 and a bit with a remarkably similar set up.

100mm is 100mm, the “feels like more travel on a 29er” thing is marketng twaddle because they can’t make longer travel wagon wheelers work properly.

Actually,you’re the one talking twaddle as they do feel like they have more travel than a 26″ wheeled bike with the same amount of travel.Not sure if it equates to 20mm but it definitely feels like more….

I base this on currently owning 2 29ers & 7 26″ wheeled bikes…………..

29″ Anthem’s are a great bike…

I base this on currently owning 2 29ers & 7 26″ wheeled bikes…………..

N+8 😀

Nice work Emac.

oh dear the wagon wheel evangelists have arrived, yes i’m sure they do go up hills without you even having to peddle, turn the redbull rampage course into a fire road, turn darts players into world champion XC racers over night etc,etc. . .

Erm……… nope

Don’t tell me you’ve never embraced something different

steve_b77

Thanks for the input, it all helps.

I’ve been cogitating today during a ride over the South Downs (in sunshine/everywhere else was rain).

I buy (build up) Trail/All Mountain Bikes, yet I mostly ride XC, which sometimes goes over all mountain and trail type terrain. You are right… I don’t jump, sometimes I deal with big obstacles well if the force is with me, but mostly I bottle out on the basis of….why spend several months in hospital going over that section of rockery in your mind, when you can just walk round it and forgo the months in hospital with no recriminations???? If in doubt…bottle out…Specialized did a video with that message back in the early 1990s.

Also I have a 5 to 6 ins full sus frame from 2005 which has been out on a series of loans for a couple of years. I’ve now got that coming back to me for a reincarnation to cover the roughty toughty end of the market.

And….the Anthem felt instantly good.

Test ride coming up

Sounds like the Anthem will be perfect for your needs.

I’ve got a Trance 29er and a 100mm 26er Hard tail….the Trance definitely feels like it has more travel.

Yeah,its funny the Anthem X 29 has 100mm travel but feels more when riding it.To compare a little it seems to have the feel of my 130mm 5 Spot but has the speed and agility of my DW Flux with 100mm travel.Unless your an air bandit I think you will find it suits your needs well.
Thanx,
Max

Double post!

I’ve got a Trance 29er and a 100mm 26er Hard tail….the Trance definitely feels like it has more travel.

That would be because it has more…perhaps.

I’ve got a Trance 29er and a 100mm 26er Hard tail….the Trance definitely feels like it has more travel.

That would be because it has more…perhaps.

You’ve ruined it now,we weren’t going to tell him that….

Tom’s only just worked out how to get the front wheel off….I sh!t you not……. 😆

The question is….. will the Anthem 29er do the Walna Scar, will it do Parkamoor to Nibthwaite?

May require a rider…

I have an anthem.

I’ve ridden everything in the lakes. Steep. Tech, rocky what ever.

Mine is a 26, with 100mm up front. There is very little i won’t / can’t ride on it.

I run mine with 730mm bars and a low front end. feels very fast.

I think that maybe a smiley was needed on my first post 🙂

Emac is right though, took me a while to figure out the maxle system thing 😳

Full suss 29ers rock 8)

wbss – Member
I have an anthem.

I’ve ridden everything in the lakes.

Even all the sneaky cheeky bits?

i invented the cheeky bits.

It’s people like you that make things tough for the rest of us 🙂

I’ve just got used to the fact that, in order to ride all the great natural routes around Scotland, I need something with a minimum of 120mm travel and a head angle less than 70 degrees. Longer and slacker than that will make the descents easier and the climbs harder, but that’s the minimum. Then you come along and point out that it’s quite possible to get down steep techy stuff on a shorter steeper bike, which would also be faster everywhere else. Stop it will you, it’s not helping 🙂