Looking at either the 2011 X3 or X4. The X3 is £200 more expensive and (amongst other things) has a RP2 with lockout The X4 has just a RP shock.

I will be using this bike for a lot of road commuting duties. Is it worth getting the x3 over the x4?

Thanks.

I certainly wouldn’t pay £200 if the lockout is the main upgrade, Anthems are rapid without one and you could just up the psi in the shock for lots of road use

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The other differences I can see are:

X3
SLX ish drivetrain
Giant SL bars etc
Giant branded PC rims
Elixir discs

X4
Deore ish drivetrain
Giant bars etc
Giant branded SC rims
Deore discs

hopefiendboy – thanks for the offer but I def a small

Its not actually a lockout on the RP2 just a pro pedal thing.

In reality, on the road it makes a bit of difference, off road I never use it..

If you HAVE to use the Anthem for on road commuting, then save the £200 and by some skinny slicks, or buy a 2nd hand £200 road bike for commuting.

i had a 2010 anthem x2 with rp2 shock.i never used lockout on it ever (and that included road sections).anthems are great (may well get another one soon,or a road bike,am undecided 🙂

From a quick look at Pauls Cycles, I think the other differences between the 2011 x3 and x4 are :

X3
SLX ish drivetrain – 10 speed
QR15 through axle on the fork

X4
Deore ish drivetrain – 9 speed
9mm QR on the fork

Which makes the x3 a bit more future proof, especially if you’d be tempted by trying 2×10 or 1×10 later on. Not that there’s anything wrong with 3×9, but it’d cost a lot more than £200 to go to 10speed later.

Edit: I think the blue/black x4 looks better than the red/silver x3 though..

Maestro linkage is supposed to be pretty good for limiting pedal bob so should be good anyway

I have the X3 and I certainly wouldn’t miss the lockout. I think the other upgrades are worth the extra though. The grey/red colour scheme isn’t QUITE so bad in the flesh as it look in the pictures.

I think if you’d asked the same question about the X3 to X2 upgrade, then it’s proably not worthwhile.

Isn’t the RP a platform shock with the platform/pro-pedal permanently turned on? I think that was the case with the older Anthem X’s (Float R)..

Isn’t the RP a platform shock with the platform/pro-pedal permanently turned on? I think that was the case with the older Anthem X’s (Float R)..

Certainly, my old Trance (Float R) had permanent pro-pedal, and very little bob.

My Anthem X has an RP2 shock – you do get a bit of bob with the pro-pedal turned off, so I tend to leave it on. Pumping up the shock to compensate means you don’t get full travel.

Anthems are low-bob machines and you won’t need lockout. Likewise I wouldn’t bother about 9 speed drivechain, I’m happy to say 9 sprockets will always be enough for me! 1×9 is almost perfect for most XC fast riding.

10 speed on a mtb is not really a attraction for me – especially everything else I own is still 9spd.

Edit: I think the blue/black x4 looks better than the red/silver x3 though..

I’m don’t worry about how a bike looks very much but I definitely agree with you there.

I’ve got a 2009 x1 with RP2. On a long hill I do use pro pedal, but only if it’s a smooth, Tarmac or fire road type. If technical, I’ll leave it off and spin smooth circles as I find this is best for traction vs power. Would I pay the extra for it? Well I’d miss it, but if the shock otherwise worked the same, I think I’d be fine unless I also did quite a bit of road work too and from the trails.

I found that the lockout on the Anthem was so far away, right down near the BB, that it was too far to sensibly be able to get to it anyway. Luckily you don’t really need it.

It’s not a lockout. It’s a propedal on/off lever.

To be fair, there might be a lockout on some of the higher specced Anthems, but not the 2011 X3.

To my mind, the X3 has a nicer fork and generally lighter components. I bought one and I’m very happy with it but I daresay I would also have been happy with an X4. So down to you – would an extra £200 stop you buying new school shoes for the kids? Or would you get upgraditus and spend it on the bike anyway?

I can guarantee that the X3 will get you loads of grief off your riding mates. Every time my red waterproof goes on – “why that goes well with your brake cables” etc.

i concur with flatpat