Anyone have their eye on a new anthem? Details of the advanced pro anthem were released a while back but now the alu 1 and 2 are out:

https://www.giant-bicycles.com/int/anthem-29-2-2021

Appears nearly identical to the 2020 (so basically I should have bought one of those 6 months ago). Read plenty of speculation that we’d see some changes but it doesn’t appear to have happened – it ain’t broke at the end of the day.

Still has a stupidly sized seatpost … Facepalm.

Still has a stupidly sized seatpost … Facepalm.

There is no logical explanation for that one, even the wankerteering department are stumped !

There is no logical explanation for that one

28% more Breathing with the Trails.

Ironically I’ve had to use a shim on the dropper on my 2012 29er to take it from 27.2 to 30.9

Still has a stupidly sized seatpost … Facepalm.

There is no logical explanation for that one, even the wankerteering department are stumped !

Whilst I agree that they shouldn’t be on 27.2mm at least they have got rid of that ******** awful wedge ******arrangement and replaced it with a proper seat collar which you can quickly adjust with a big allen key.

So in summary, slightly less shit.

BTW, anyone thinking about this bike, but wants something a bit lighter… I have the 2018 Advanced version (Large) that I keep thinking about selling.

Complete and utter rocket ship (though with the aforementioned wedge adjuster in the seatport )

ive always wanted one. i recon it would be a frigging missile for dicking about in the woods with 27 wheels and 120/130 forks,

i`d probably snap it though (much like my last xc bike) !!

Colour’s a bit boring.

And still has that bracket for fixing a front derailleur!

Does anyone convert from 1x to 2x or 3x? Especially those XC weight weenies? It’s not been sold 2x since 2016, maybe earlier.

But I’d still have one 😉

Although pricing seems to be missing. Guess on £2.5k for the 2?

£3.2k for the 1? No XT.

ive always wanted one. i recon it would be a frigging missile for dicking about in the woods with 27 wheels and 120/130 forks,

Is confused. Which bike to you want? The Anthem 29er and the 27.5 are completely different bikes and ride completely different.
My 29er does 17mph average speed road rides
My son’s 27.5 is absolutely perfect for him to use in the alps
My 29er would be utterly awful for uplift, and there’s no way his 27.5 would do fastish road rides.

It’s barely any different to the 2019 Anthem… and I’m a massive Anthem fan 🙁

Offft. That seat angle, seat tube, stack and head angle are not 2021.

I guess Giant changed their minds about 29ers being terrible and 27.5 having all of the advantages and none of the disadvantages eh

Still. There’s never been a bad Anthem, has there?

Is confused. Which bike to you want? The Anthem 29er and the 27.5 are completely different bikes and ride completely different.
My 29er does 17mph average speed road rides
My son’s 27.5 is absolutely perfect for him to use in the alps
My 29er would be utterly awful for uplift, and there’s no way his 27.5 would do fastish road rides.

i want a short travel, lightish, frame for dicking about in the woods. jumps, turns etc that i can ride back up the small hills. there is nothing local to me that needs more than 100mm of travel in the back. i`ve wanted one for the last 10 years!

my most fun bike ever was one like this but i cracked it around the bottom bracket probably from a decent drop – and i think i know exactly which one too!

id happily take it to BPW. my HT was fine on the most tech reds so a 100mm travel rocketship would be fine too. i’d leave it it at home for places like antur and revo though!

a buddy once had a cannondale rush 100mm bike (look it up) and that was amazing.

Still. There’s never been a bad Anthem, has there?

Indeed not. There is timeliness, and then there is timelessness – the anthem abides.

i want a short travel, lightish, frame for dicking about in the woods. jumps, turns etc that i can ride back up the small hills. there is nothing local to me that needs more than 100mm of travel in the back. i`ve wanted one for the last 10 years!

You want a Transition Spur

Love my 2012 Anthem 29er1, often wondered what the latest 2020/21 version would feel like in comparison, anyone switched to a newer model with updated geometry?

The aluminium one looks the same as 17-18 model year I got cheap when they brought out the “new” (no different) one. It still had the normal 2 bolt seat collar back then.

I’m 62kg so perfectly happy with the nice light and flexy 27.2 seatpost and I already had a Thomson dropper for the 2 weeks in the year it was needed.

Non-progressive geo is fine for what they get used for – xc whippets smoking past slow blokes on enduro bikes 🙂

xc whippets smoking past slow blokes on enduro bikes 🙂

Family moto……

My son has my old 27.5 anthem. I put 130 forks on it not long after i got it, its a brilliant bike. Took it to morzine last year and it was fine.

I was under the impression for 2019 they made the Trance 29 the short travel fun bike and made the Anthem 29 back into the fast twitchy race bike it once was, hence no dropper.

I was under the impression for 2019 they made the Trance 29 the short travel fun bike and made the Anthem 29 back into the fast twitchy race bike it once was, hence no dropper.

First bit is true
Second bit is also true, you’ve got the date wrong, it happened a few years back. Certainly my 2018 29er is a fast twitchy race bike

Enduro mag just reviewed the Trance 29er (although I can’t work out if the same bike is available in the UK/they have the wrong model name or price)

GIANT Trance 29 1 2020 on test – fast, direct and fun

I’d like or of these please but with Shimano.

https://www.giant-bicycles.com/int/anthem-1-2018

Checks link, notes still looks like covers entrance to a field, leaves.

I’d like or of these please but with Shimano.

I’ll be looking to shift my old one as junior is getting to big for it. its a 2017 Anthem 3 but with a 130mm revelation fork.

Anthem 29er is a xc race bike. If you want a short travel trail bike there is the Trance. Having said that the Anthem is ‘old school’ geometry, rather than the newer progressive xc geo as seen on Specialised Epic, Scott Spark etc. However, it is a very fast xc bike and rides far more confidently than the geometry suggests (see review in the mag a couple of years back). Having said that it would benefit from a bigger seat post to make droppers easier to come by.

would we agree they got the price wrong in that Endur review? 2999 Euros is a steal for that bike

You want a Transition Spur

nice but too much travel. i`d get a stance if i wanted 120mm – but i dont.

I have to say a Trance 29 (2 or 3) is on my wish list – although both would need brake upgrade for me, but I would likely just slap on 4-pot Deore or SLX calipers.