I’m looking at Giant Anthem X1’s.

I’ve seen the 2010 & 2011 bikes with good discounts off them both. I prefer the colour of the 2010… I think the specs look almost identical (I assume the frames are) apart from:

Rear Mech: 2010 XTR – 2011 XT
Fork: 2010 RockShox SID Team w/ Poploc – 2011 Fox F100 RL-11, tapered steerer, QR15, remote lock out.

Its really down to the fork as I don’t have much knowledge on forks past 2005! Which would be the best fork and why?

Does the Fox fork and down graded XT mech warrant an extra £300 or so over the 2010 model?

Ta

The bikes are nigh on identical.

The Fox’s aren’t worth the extra IMO.

I had a 2010 frame which was just replaced with a 2011 frame under warranty. In terms of frame, the 2011 has:
– a slightly different tapered top tube (I only noticed it when shouldering the bike),
– a bigger (supposedly stiffer) steerer tube (comes with tapered forks on complete bikes, but I am using 1 1/8 forks with a larger crown race)
– integrated instead of integral/semi-integrated headset (I think!)
– post mount rear brake (saves needing an adaptor, provided you stick with 160mm rotors)
– new Maestro links (curvier and the cables now zip tie to the bottom, so they don’t rub on the links and bushings they way they did on the 2010 frame)
– BB30 bottom bracket (supposedly stiffer, although I’m not convinced of the benefits over HTII)

The forks wouldn’t bother me either way, but the 2011 bikes have 3×10 rather than 3×9, so if you want a 10 speed setup going forward, you already have the right mechs and shifters.

I’m not sure the above adds up to £300 worth of difference, particularly if you prefer the look of the 2010 frame. £300 is a good chunk of cash to spend on upgrades if you want to.

Hmm I don’t know which way to go now!

Half of me thinks pay the extra and get a slightly more ‘future’ proof bike with 3×10 as I tend to keep bikes a few years and I dont want the same situation as now where it becomes difficult to get hold of 3×8 stuff!

Would I notice any vast difference in the fork ride, or the service needs? My current Fox fork as lasted very well without needing a single service.

defo get the 2011 one – the QR15 is a big bonus – especially as stiffening up 100mm travel will be a really added bonus…

plus the fact the resale value- £300 quid isnt a massive amount of money if you are spending that much already imo….

dont be tight, stretch to the extra and futureproof yourself! 😉

The BB Isn’t a BB30 by the way, It’s just a press fit shimano bb90/92, hollowtech type.

I’m selling my 4 month old Anthem X1 2011 (medium size) if you are interested. It really has only been ridden 3 times and would be difficult to tell apart from a brand new one in a showroom. The lowest internet retail price I have seen advertised is £2299, mine is for sale at £2100 do a search and you will find the posting with links to photos of it.