Lots of testing of different brands, styles (XC, trail, AM), wheel sizes etc last year in search of the one bike does it all for me (XC tris, duathlons, Mtb orienteering, surrey hills, Lakes etc). Oddly found that XC suits me better than most trail set ups and that I suit 29ers or vv. So came down to Giant Anthem 29er (Spesh epic comp elite was the best to ride but 4k!!??)

Then all the anthems sold out 🙁 so wait for this year. Then out comes the 2013 Trance 29er (great early reviews and looks v nice in the shop) and the 2013 anthem 1 has rather nasty graphics (at least on the web the yellow looks gopping). So looking forward to testing the trance, but irritated that if I like it, there will be the usual one versus two bike debate.

1. Trance (29er) plus XC hard tail or
2 Stick with the Anthem 29er as a one bike fits all
3. Use the trance in XTT, orienteering and just accept compromise

So questions:

Has anyone ridden the Trance 29er yet?
If go for option 1 – any rec’s on value XC 29ers (probably ht) – what are XTC composites like?
Has anyone seen the 2013 Anthem 29 1 in the flesh. Does it look better than on the web?

I wouldn’t use a ‘slack’ 5 inch bike for racing. The anthem would be my only choice in your boots as it can handle pretty much everything the trance can.

I know where there’s a 2012 Anthem 29 1 going for £1750 (new,and a 2 for £1400).What size are you after?I’ll have to double check tomorrow.

L size (6:1). Cheers!

Glasgowdan – I think you are correct and funnily enough I found the anthem easier to ride on steep stuff than stumps and trex fuels, devanci dixons etc? Odd I know, but as they say, bike fit is v personal. But look of new trance made me think back to having two bikes 😉

I will post on here in’t morning.

Nice bikes, mate had the 2011 model with XT Drivetrain , I must say it was a nice bike to ride and not too many about , unfortunately he sold it and has gone full darkside
If I was in the market for an XC 29er I would be looking at on of these

I am probably hoping that the 2013 version looks OK in the flesh TBH!

I am a crap shopper and dont want all the “choices again.” Also secretly hoping that trance demo will feel like stumpy/fuel ex which will make choice easy.

I was surprised that 2013 was cheaper than 2012 version but spec doesn’t look worse to my untutored eye?

Cheers Rorschach

I’ve got anthem 29er Gr8 bike,but I bought second hand. 2011 x1 in polished alloy finnish looks awesome and rides as good.complete bargain and lots of money left for upgrading or second bike.
I’ve also got an 2011 giant reign 2 (with lots upgrades)for tougher stuff.
Both bikes came are near mint and came in well under 3k.

You didnt buy the Anthem off a guy called Jas by any chance did ya

No,I got off a mate,Shame they don’t do the polished frames anymore.personaly I think the 2011 model is one of the best looking 29er’s out there and gr8 spec aswell.

don’t let a colour scheme put you off the right bike for you

Yeah it’s a large. Basically 2013 is shimano instead of SRAM and its got yellow on it.
Ring 01978854300 (tell em Chris set you).

Cheers Rorschach. Is this a business or personal number? The forks are different too – CTD for 2013 I think.

As just posted on the Overdrive 2 thread, I demo’d a Trance 29er yesterday. In summary, it was fun downhill (although I didn’t get a chance to really stretch it and didn’t want to push it too much anyway in case I crashed and damaged it :p ), uphill and on the flat it felt a bit sluggish though. I thought it was just my legs but swapped to my usual Zesty after a couple of laps and the draggy climbs were noticeably easier, however given the Trance is lighter than my Zesty it was likely due to the Trance being a medium and me not being able to get the seatpost quite high enough (I’m 5’11”), reach-wise it seemed very similar to the Zesty though.
I think I’d be happy with it if I was buying my first FS but I didn’t come away thinking I needed to get one instead of my Zesty although def going to demo the large soon and try it somewhere a bit more demanding.

I wouldn’t use a ‘slack’ 5 inch bike for racing

Particularly not off-road tris, which are basically fireroads in the main!

Is this a business or personal number?

Google is your friend – looks like Alf Jones Cycles. Although wierdly it’s also a freight haulage company! 😕

Njee – obviously I am not in your league, but I think we both ride the same areas on the whole. Off road tris include XTT stuff at Hawley Lake (All About Triathlons), maybe a few Gorrick events and things like the Peaslake MTB and other orienteering events. Plus thinking about some Human Race events to keep John L happy!!!So not just fire roads, but I get your point and I do want a fast bike first and foremost (I am not a jumper by any means). Recreational stuff is typically Surrey Hills and the Lakes. Talking with Jackie at Smithbrook got me to think about sticking with XC set ups which was confirmed in demos. Ride Winterfold, Pitch, Hombury, Leith for mucking about and current limits are typically the steeper runs from top of Pitch down to Windmill. Funnily enough I rode those best on anthem/epics rather than stumpy/ex!?! Happy on most well known SH trails although sometimes find the tighter, bomb hole stuff on Leith more tricky. Also regularly ride longer XC stuff across Devils PB, Hankley, Puttenham. Bourne, Crooksbury etc which is classic Anthem/epic stuff. Gibbet Hill isn’t though!!!

As a family member had a very bad MTB accident in 2012, I am likely to be avoiding Alps, jumps etc and doing more and more XC stuff, hence the original choice. But new Trance 29er just got me thinking about having a fun bike for the bomb holes/Lakes etc!!!!

It’s a shop (trying not to astroturf to badly!)

Hi,
Have an Anthem x 29 and love it.I bought the 2012 frame and built it up from there.Much more capable than you would imagine.Gave a few 5/6 inch 26ers a worry or two in Coedy last year.In fact thinkin of selling my other 26 fully and getting a XTC 29 for less demanding terrain locally!
Thanx,
Max

That’s interesting Max thanks. OOI, wouldn’t the XTC and the Anthem be too close a ride to each other (barring the obvious difference!). How muc lighter is the XTC 29 1 versus A29 1?

I’ve got a Anthem 29er and I’ve tried a Trance 29er. I liked the trance but still prefer my Anthem

Off road tris include XTT stuff at Hawley Lake (All About Triathlons), maybe a few Gorrick events and things like the Peaslake MTB and other orienteering events. Plus thinking about some Human Race events to keep John L happy!!

Yes sorry, my comment wasn’t sarcy, I genuinely wouldn’t want to ride a slack 5″ bike at off-road tris – having done the XTT twice, as well as the Vachery tri last year and another one down in the New Forest, and they have all been really straight forward, doable on a cross bike. Good fun, but just not tough course. That’s not the point of them – all things being equal 2/3 of the participants aren’t cyclists, and get suitably phased by a piece of singletrack, introducing anything technical would be a nightmare!

njee20 – Member
Yes sorry, my comment wasn’t sarcy, I genuinely wouldn’t want to ride a slack 5″ bike at off-road tris

I know and understood your point perfectly!

all things being equal 2/3 of the participants aren’t cyclists, and get suitably phased by a piece of singletrack, introducing anything technical would be a nightmare!

Funnily enough I got into MTB after the very first XTT at Hawley Lake. I come from a tri/road background and am really a swimmer** and a runner! The first XTT was an eyeopener: (1) Much harder than a normal oly tri, (2) blimey the proper MTB/XC riders were unbelievably fit (and I wasn’t fit enough having been injured that season) and (3) singletrack is/was harder than I thought (even the easy stuff) but great fun to race *

I crashed several times and did the 10k covered in mud from head to foot! I was quite a sight. But from that moment on, I wanted to be a better MTB rider – I was hooked!

Thanks for the comments all – I will demo the T29er hopefully next week and then decide. OOI njee, do you race on a HT?

* by the end, I was too tired to brake so got faster and faster in the ST!!!!

** Off for a swim now!

Hi,
Yeah the Anthem X29 and XTC are of similiar ilk but that suits my riding and i think the Anthem feels a lot of bike locally.It means i can pick and choose the sort of bike dependant on terrain.Also the hardtail would be usefull in the winter slop,less maintenance in the long run!
Thanx,
Max