I keep procrastinating over n+1 versus a do-it-all bike

Always ridden an XC HT apart from demos. But want something a little more aggressive too. But not too much as I love going uphill!So camber evo looks like the DIA bike but then saw a 2013 half price carbon XC HT that looks soooo tempting (carbon anthem advanced 1 29 er) Super light and super fast.

So what are the downsides of a 29, carbon HT that is by all accounts very stiff? (If I bought it is would probably go form more travel than a camber for a second bike)

Ummmm Anthems are FS not hardtails’s…

No downsides at all for a bike like that IMHO, stiffer the better – people race them all day so there’s nae bother with comfort. Superb xc bike and if you’ve got some basic skills it’ll be hugely versatile. You prob wouldn’t enter an enduro on it (although you could if you’re good), but is that what you want to do?

I guess this last point is the crux – if you’re limited technically then an anthem 29er will prob not help much in that department compared to the camber.
You mention looking at a second longer travel bike, but you also need to think about riding such a smart machine over the British winter (or maybe just Britain in general). Trails have been harsh for months, so you need a cheap on one or something to lash round when it’s rough.

Sorry, didn’t meant anthem (great bike) meant XTC advanced from 2013. Def a HT!!

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/bikes/model/2013.giant.xtc.advanced.sl.29er.1/11848/56858/

Would never had paid this much for a bike at the time. But a few left at much, much lower prices.

No downsides to a nice stiff XC bike generally.

The XTC is however a bit old school in feel to ride as the HTA is steep (71.5) compared to other XC hardtail like the Cannondale FSi or Scott Scale in the 69/69.5 region (and other geo traits follow similarly) and that build isn’t going to be very light either. I never bought in to worrying about the geo too much on a bike especially and XC race frame where you expect they are all much of a muchness but the Giant is quite different to the rest and not in a way that appealed to me when I tried one. If the headset/ headtube is still a weird proprietary thing then stems (and forks?) could be difficult sourcing too.

If you buy the xtc you will still be leaving the camber evo itch to scratch.

If you are really looking for a hardtail race machine then fine, but it is a very very different bike. Thay are very different buying decisions.

Cheers Dan. Good points.

I enjoy riding both anthem and trance 29ers but they ran out if stick before I bought one!!

I sat in this in a giant store and it is light (at least felt so). Still expensive if you have trouble with parts.

Oddly I quite like XC set ups on steep stuff!!! In fact I love epics!!!

True if I bought a real XC bike, I would go for something with more travel than the camber. Will demo the stumpy evo and enduro just to make my mind up in early may. But I am not a good enough or ballsy enough rider to make the most of an enduro (I think) but want to scratch the itch to make sure. Not sure how much a bike/travel would make me better on ballsy stuff. I try to get down everything on an old school XC HT at the moment!!

In the end I think the camber evo will be the bike I buy. Ok it’s not as super as an epic on the uphill but not that far behind and much faster IME than trail/am bikes.

I have been riding mainly hardtails for the past few years (my downhill bike is basically a holiday bike and gets **** all use), and looked very closely at the camber evo earlier in the year, ended up going for an enduro 29, not finished it yet so i can’t tell you how good it is but I still have a niggling thought that the camber evo might have been the more appropriate bike.

I should add that the main aim for the bike was to do some of these “trans-provence” style guided tours. This year because of the money I am splashing out on the bike itself I am just doing 1, but for the next few years I am hoping that it will propel me over 2 or 3 such holidays ayear. And that my downhill bike is wasted on a middle age cowardly rider like myself.

Downsides of very stiff bikes- they can beat you/shake you up more- not just the traditional sore arse/lower back that people complain of, I never really get that but I get more generally fatigued. Control can be lower too, they’re just naturally more inclined to bounce and kick. But most of this stuff is personal taste anyway, some people love a super stiff ht

I’ve got 2 hardtails. A Cannondale F-Si and an On One 45650b. The difference between them is massive. Yes the Cannondale is much, much faster when your giving it some but the 456 is much, much more comfortable. I wouldn’t like to ride the Cannondale for a big day out, I’d be beaten to a pulp on it!

It really depends on the bike. My superfly sl is very stiff under power but you can feel flex in the back end when going over rough stuff which provides comfort. I will happily ride all day on it and it is far comfier than previous ht’s I have owned.

There are no downsides. Only weak riders

There are no downsides. Only weak riders*

*Or too narrow tyres at too high pressures

nope. that would be down to weak riders again.

Whinge much?

every time i see your username post, i just scan right, it says “member” and i don’t read the nonsense you post

Thanks for the comments – NW I am very used to be bounced around on my old bike! Reading ton’s recent thread I wonder if everyone goes through the I need a big bike and then realise it can be too much?!?

I loved the anthem 29 when it first came out, but then enjoyed the trance 29 even more. But then they went for small wheels!! But the closets is probably the camber evo now.

The XTC advance 13 looked very, very nice in the flesh but seems an extravagance unless I do some duathlons or MTB orienteering/adventure races.

I am currently loving my Camber Evo.

Also have a Stumpjumper Evo (which I am now looking to off load) and a SC Highball.

The Camber seems to cover all bases by which I mean it’s quick down and up for a fairly fit rider. It does seem to give me extra brave pills too.

I ride a carbon XC race hardtail in the same places as you, find it great, I like the speed. Not the perfect tool for all the trails, but better than I am.

my lurcher gets pretty tiring on non trail centre natural stuff with lots of baby head type loose stones compared to a full susser, though I do have pretty narrow tyres on it. Also gets really skippy going fast over rough stuff and the constant chatter gets a bit wearisome after a while. A light hardtail is great fun in its own right though, I love the agility, acceleration and climbing, just a different experience to riding a full suss.

nope. that would be down to weak riders again.

Whinge much?

I never got mtbel to begin with, now – he’s my keyboard hero.

he certainly makes me go weak.

I suspect every single rider is faster downhill on FS than on a Hard tail hence their lack of use in Downhill races its either that or all the pros are weak and the Hardtail has no down sides. So either he is talking nonsense or hardtails are as fast downhill as a FS bike.

Please save us from your pointless reply

If you’re not 100% tied to the Giant…

I’m still massively in love with my Trek Superfly 9.8 HT after a year of use. I’m running sensibly low tubeless pressures on some Bonty XR3’s (XR1’s for the summer), it’s very fast but comfy enough for all day rides. I’m still surprised at the speed to comfort ratio, and it handles great too, stable but snappy when you want it to be.

Any good stiff carbon hardtail should still be comfortable, you can’t go fast for long if you’re uncomfortable. As mentioned above if you’re running overly high pressures it wont be very comfy or handle well.

Well I’ve just got hold of this years xtc advanced sl. Oh my it’s light, it’s fast, but the single most impressive thing so far is just how well it handles on the rocky rooty stuff. No problem with the comfort so far, but I’m probably biased as I only ride ht’s (have owned fs’s in the past)

Dunna fret….its a spambot.

Really depends on the bike?

I ride a stumpjumper marathon 29’er and find it a very efficient, great handling bike but also comfortable for a ht with its skinny seatstays, 27.2 seat tube and carbon seat post.

Whether the skinnyness in this area is durable is questionable as I’m on my 3rd carbon frame in 2 years but specialized have always taken care of my warranty very quickly. The quality of the ride makes this inconvenience a worthwhile trade off for me.

I just set a load of PRs at CYB on my XTC Advanced 27.5. Previous times were set on a 26er Anthem with 120mm forks. I was surprised. I did have some issues keeping the back end on the ground, but the front end was fantastically planted and predictable.