Does any one have one?

I have the X0 with flat bars and 90mm stem and i have finding that i am loading the front wheel far to much over the rocky stuff, i hit a rock at slow speed and tend tom going over the bars.

I have adjusted my riding style acordingly and when i am starting to ride and cliping, whilst sat on the saddle it feels light on the back end, once i am cliped in and up and running i can position myself and make the bike do what i want it to do.

I am just wondering if any one else finds this with the anthem x* or is it just the fact that i have flat bars and a long stem on.

I know the post august anthem X0 will be shipped with riser bars and i am just wondering if it is worth me upgrading to risers and a shorter stem.

any thoughts?

i still love the bike, just would be better if i can sort this problem of frount loading…

Here is a mine 🙂

Risers and shorter stem (try 80mm) may well go some way to helping. Worth getting something cheap on the classifieds to try a few positions and then 'upgrading' once you have found the right spot.

Also look at how much the forks are compressing when your weight is pushed forward descending. If they are set up too soft (i.e. could be too much neg chamber pressure) you will find that they dive into the stroke and steepen the head angle, making the bike more difficult to handle.

Nice bike.I have a trance but am having pangs after an anthem.

I have an anthem X2, sorry no pics at the mo.

I have changed the spec alot from stock. Im running 120mm forks, 65mm stem and medium rise riser bars. It's lost some of it xc race whippet feel, but now feels more forgiving on steeps stuff and in singletrack. Feels amazing now.

whilst sat on the saddle it feels light on the back end,

I seriously looked at an X1 but ultimately didn't get it coz I didn't like how it felt on the downs. Felt that it wanted to pitch me off… Pity as it was otherwise a cracking bike (and a bargain spec for the price).

I wondered how 120mm forks would feel on it 😈

I wondered how 120mm forks would feel on it

Amazing 😉

Cheers all,

Just been looking at the Giant website and they have changed to Race Face Next 3/4" low rise 31.8 bars and Race Face Deus XC XL 70mm stem for a reasion, and before that i was looking at CRC and was thinking of getting them.

its the laws of physics i guess…

Have you got any pics yet Russ? Would be interested to see yours, as it was your comments (above) that prompted me to put my 100 – 130mm Revs on mine. It's great at about 115 / 120mm on the steeper stuff, compared to the 100mm Rebas I had on it before.

Not the most inspiring pic, but this is how it looks now. I think they're wound in to 100mm in that shot. It's a 2009 medium X3 that I stripped completely and put my kit on, including an 80 or 90mm stem and 685mm bars. Love it.

Now on 140mm Revelations

I have an X1 with a few changes made (list below). The original stem is too long (IMO), I havent noticed any problems with nose dive and love the handling on the bike.

Stan ZTR Olympic wheels
Bontrager XXX Carbon flat bars
Fizik Gobi XM saddle
Ritchey WCS Foam Grips
Fizik Gobi XM Saddle
Magura Marta SL Brakes
Race Face Deus SL 70mm stem

I'm loving these Anthems with longer forks and shorter stems. I've run mine on a downhill course and it has been quite hairy at times, loading the front. You have to take things with more speed so the front clears, and expend a bit more energy lifting the front over big stuff, but otherwise they were fantastic rides, so light and agile, just wants to go. I'm still on stock forks 100mm Fox F-Series and 100mm Raceface stem.

Your seat is all the way forwards thats why your weight is so far up front, shorter stem and move seat back the subsequent amount

I hope to be able to contribute to this thread in a few weeks time 😉

There's a 2010 X3 with my name on it somewhere…

Its probably that way for a reason, when I demo'd one the climbing traction was tenacious!

Downhill it liked being ridden, for want of a better word, 'passively'. Just liked being pointed in the right direction, get your weight back and let it rip as fast as you dare. Unlike bigger bikes (and even slacker XC bikes like the yeti as-r-sl) that reward input the anthem-x just wanted to skim over bumps in a staight line and realy pump the rear wheel through corners.

Just bought a s/h cannondale hardtail and it feels very similar.

Your seat is all the way forwards thats why your weight is so far up front, shorter stem and move seat back the subsequent amount

Agreed. About a 1" shift toward the rear should balance it much better: 60-70mm stem and push saddle back. The short stem will make the steering even twichier though, but you'll get used to it.

But first check the rear shock sag and increase it slightly so that you sit slightly lower into the travel, maybe 1/3rd sag, and also increase the rear shock rebound damping so that it doesn't ping you up from bumps. Maestro on my Trance X is reasonable tolerant of these changes although it may introduce a hint of pedal bob, but then you have pro-pedal if it's a problem. Finally try increasing the air in the fork to stiffen it somewhat and make it stand up more without compromising the bump tracking too much. It's a real balancing act.

I've not ridden an Anthem X, but just want to say don't expect the bike to do it all for you – if you're getting pitched over the front of any bike it's not just the bike to blame. Riding over terrain that is bumpy enough to have you over the bars and staying in the saddle is a massive no-no for starters – even on the most bum-up hands-down cross-country rig you can still get back on to your feet and drive the bike over the bumps rather than just letting the ride happen to you.

I do agree with the comment about saddle – looks a little high and forward, plus with a canted forward angle. I think that may be encouraging you to roll forwards in your basic position. Also, your brake levers are pointing down to a huge degree – I'd guess that you are riding in a very rolled forwards stance, which is already half way to a trip over the bars before you hit any bumps! I think you can tweak your existing set-up and riding style to make a fast bike more enjoyable for free. If you fit different bar and stem but neglect to fix the set-up and riding style issues I doubt it will make much difference.

Hi

I have a 2009 x3 with a recon sl fork and fox r shock. Most of my riding is fast singletrack, little to no downhill. What pressures would you recomend in the shocks?

Oh I'm about 14 1/2 stone.

Been reading this thread and I just got a 2010 Anthem X frame on which I am transplanting some parts from a boardman.

My fork from the boardman is a Recon Uturn 80-130mm but a guy I know is getting rid of a Fox RLC 120mm so the question is, what's the consensus on running the Anthem X with a 120mm fork?

I am a small rider only 5' 4", bought the XS frame.

Perfectly fine, i run my rebas at 115mm fine, granted with a bit more sag for better small bump sensitivity.

Like you I've had plenty of trips over the bars on my Anthem with 100mm Rebas, 80mm stem and low riser bars.

I've been wondering if actually I should be riding a large and not a medium frame size. At 6ft I'm thinking a longer toptube may help, looking at the amount of seat post you have out your setup is similar to mine.

Shifting the seat back didn't help me and it increased the sinking feel when climbing seated (and I run the shock pretty hard.)