Review: Giant Anthem 1

Rewind to Issue #110 of Singletrack Magazine, for our review of the Giant Anthem 1 as part of the Big Names bike test.

As the world’s largest bicycle manufacturer, it doesn’t get much bigger than Giant. And as far as popularity goes, it doesn’t get much more popular than the Anthem. It’s like the Costa Coffee of the bike world.

The Giant Anthem has been redesigned for 2017.

The Anthem was first introduced in 2006, and has since become a stalwart of the racing scene. There have been changes to both travel and wheel size over the years, but the Anthem has ultimately retained its focus on sharp handling and efficient pedalling.

We’ve been testing the Anthem 1, which is the top-model with the alloy frame. Carbon frames are also available.

For 2017 though, the Anthem gets its biggest redesign yet. Showing a substantial swing towards trail bike territory, there’s an all-new frame with Boost hub spacing, a bump up to 110mm of rear suspension travel, and reworked geometry that includes a slacker 68° head angle and shorter 42.8cm chainstays.

A chunky Fox 34 fork on the front quickly lets you know what the Anthem is up for.

The biggest visual indicator though is that chunky Fox 34 fork. Bestowed with 120mm of smooth-sliding travel, the 34mm chassis adds a certain presence and ‘chuckability’ to the front end of the Anthem.

An all-new carbon composite rocker link connects to a trunnion mounted rear shock by two sealed bearings.

Out back, a new Metric-sized Fox shock bolts on via a trunnion mount, which trades the old DU bush in the upper eyelet for two cartridge bearings. The rocker link itself is a one-piece composite number that Giant claims is 50% lighter and 50% stronger than the alloy version of old.

Equipped with 750mm wide bars and a stealth dropper post, the new Giant Anthem offers loads more on-trail capability.

The rest of the parts spec is, in a word, dialled. Giant has clearly been listening to feedback from consumers, and it shows in the Anthem 1’s build kit. Bar the cheapest Anthem 3, all of the new Anthem models feature an internally routed dropper post, wider bars, shorter stems, and chunkier front tyres – basically all of the things that bike journos like me would normally complain about.

There’s a Shimano XT 1×11 drivetrain, with the yuuuge 11-46t cassette delivering a very usable gear range.

The frame features a PF92 bottom bracket shell, neat internal routing through the downtube, and a direct mount rear derailleur hanger. While our test bike comes with a Shimano Deore XT 1×11 set-up, there is provision to fit a front derailleur.

The hydroformed alloy frame is light, stiff and beautifully crafted. Who needs carbon when alloy is this good?

Combined with the sleek rocker link, zero-stack headset and tidy non-QR thru-axles, this new Anthem is without doubt the best-looking version that Giant has produced so far.

Coming in at 11.78kg, the Giant Anthem offers an impressively low weight.

The Ride

I’ve found previous Anthems to be overly firm on anything but super-smooth cross-country trails, but the new Maestro suspension design is a completely different beast.

The new Maestro suspension design is far more supple than the previous iteration.

With a lowered average leverage ratio and Fox’s EVOL air can, the Anthem has a much more active beginning stroke. As a result, small-bump sensitivity has improved out of sight, with the Anthem delivering more comfort and more traction on scrabbly climbs. There’s decent bottom-out control for bigger hits, but the 110mm of travel now feels like it’s suspending the rider, and not just protecting you from the harsher hits.

Despite the small-bump compliance, the Anthem is still a wickedly efficient machine with loads of zip.

The Anthem’s rear travel is within 10mm of the Specialized Camber, the feel is still more pert overall. The dual-link Maestro platform delivers outstanding pedal efficiency, which negates the need for running the Fox shock in anything but Open for 90% of the time.

Along with the whippy sub-1,600g carbon wheels, this is a bike that wills you to click up the gears, jump out of the saddle, and attack any open section of trail that you possibly can. I know because I regularly finished test rides completely out of breath, without realising that I’d been hammering myself the whole time.

Handling has also improved out of sight. Slacker geometry has resulted in more intuitive cornering, and significantly better stability.

Handling has also taken a massive leap forward, with the new Anthem standing as a terrific example of the modernisation of cross-country. The riding position is still long and low, with a solid 435mm reach and a compact 574mm stack height.

Light carbon wheels, efficient suspension, and a dialled cockpit result in a very nimble feel through the turns. Dare we say it, the Anthem is actually balls-out fun.

In present company, that means the headtube sits a full 2in closer to the ground than the Camber. As such, the forward-leaning cockpit biases climbing efficiency over all-day cruiser comfort.

The modern cockpit is a far cry from Anthems of old. In fact, this bar and stem combo wouldn’t be out of place on a much longer travel all mountain rig.

However, the increased front centre on the Anthem delivers much-appreciated stability as the trail turns downwards. This is assisted by the generous 750mm wide bar and stubby 60mm stem that, realistically, wouldn’t have been out of place on a Giant Reign only a season or two ago. Along with the reworked suspension, the Anthem offers far greater descending confidence than its predecessors.

Being so light and sprightly, the Anthem loves to fly.

In all, there really is very little to complain about in the component department. I did experiment with some wider and more aggressive rubber to make the most of the Anthem’s capabilities, and found sufficient clearance in the rear triangle for a 2.4in WTB Trail Boss. The Giant dropper post is smooth enough, but I did find it short on travel, and the cable started gumming up on us after being subjected to many muddy rides.

Hardcore XC racers may be disappointed in the Anthem’s new-found stability, but for everyone else, this bike ticks a lot of boxes.

Overall

The Anthem achieves a number of accolades in this group test. It’s the lightest (by a fair margin), it’s the most efficient pedaler, and it packs the best parts spec. However, it’s the capability of the new frame and suspension design that impressed me most. Gone is the nervous and twitchy Anthem of old, and in its place is a plusher and more sure-footed machine. My only qualm is that hardcore cross-country racers may feel left out with the latest Anthem. Those folks should keep an eye out for a new, sharper 29in Anthem in the future, but for those who just want a fast and fun cross-country bike, the Anthem 27.5 is brilliant.