Anybody with first-hand experience?

I’d been away from mountain-biking for around 5 years now and sold my 2009 orange five last year.

Things have moved on but I’ve always liked the look of Giant Anthems.

I realise it’s not the same as an orange 5 but as a general trail bike would I find it lacking?

It’d be ok for an odd trail centre trip – Dalby, Whinlatter etc?

More xc focused I think. Giant trance 27.5 better all rounder and climbs very well for a bigger travel bike.

Or Giant Trance 29 would be even betterer… 😉

Yeah it’s still a very race-focused XC bike, very different kettle of fish to your old Five.

Perhaps consider the Orange Stage 4? There are some good deals about on full bikes and it’s more of an all-rounder while still being light and fast.

I’ve recently got one myself and I love it to bits.

Another question (can of worms I suspect) .. wheel size – are 29 wheels still a popular choice? Will they be sticking around or is the 27.5 more and more popular?

I had 2 bucket list bikes . Orange 5 and an anthem.

The 5 was a wallowy piece of shit.

I now have 2 anthems. 27.5 and 29.

Brilliant bikes.

[strong]stox[/strong] wrote:

Another question (can of worms I suspect) .. wheel size – are 29 wheels still a popular choice? Will they be sticking around or is the 27.5 more and more popular?

I would say that 29″ seems to be the flavour of the month with manufacturers and influencers alike. I suspect that when sales of 27.5 start to lag behind 29ers then we may see a swing back the other way in what is considered cool :-0 A cynic, moi?

Zippykona – way back I got my 5 I loved the anthem then but I was young and went with the 5 as it suited me more at the time.

Now I just think I’d like a bike I can hop on for a quick blast out so I think the Anthem would be ok for that BUT I know I’d like to have a bike I can do the odd trail centre visit on too. It wouldn’t be very often and I’m no big downhill type so I’m not planning on big jumps or anything silly

27.2 seatpost = no buy for me. Haven’t they heard of dropper seatpost???

Giant Trance 29 is an effecient short travel trail bike.

This is carbon one, but gives you the idea. I had an Anthem 29 and it was ace for xc stuff, but Trance is more of an all-rounder.

Trance review

I’m not looking for something to replace the orange 5. I like the anthem and i like the idea of a quicker XC orientated bike. I’m just not sure how restrictive I’d find it.
For those that have / have had an anthem – what did you use it for?

Used mine for local xc loops – it’s efficient and fun. I found, at 5’10”, that I wanted a bigger frame – seat post over max extension despite Giant’s sizing chart firmly putting me on a medium. I’d have another like a shot, but size up. It is designed as a xc race bike – 69 degree ha which is steep by modern standards. A dropper would make it more capable, it comes with nice wide bars. I suspect a set of 110/120 forks would make it awesome!

Love my Anthem (recommend what you’ve got 😉).

Only do trail centres a couple of times a year, but it’s more than up to the job.

Rest of the time, it’s beyond awesome, really robust.

I’d go 29″.

For those that have / have had an anthem – what did you use it for?

I’ve got a 29 anthem Advanced and the son has a 27.5 aluminium. Completely different bikes. He’s done a fair bit of Alps, lakes gorms etc on his. Very good general mountain bike.
The 29 is a different beast altogether. Very twitchy, shorter travel and much more racy. The 27.2 seat tube is a pain in the arse but nothing compared to the seat collar adjustment bolt. It’s **** awful. Utter pain in the arse to use.

Anyway, back to the ride, it’s s rocket ship on easy cross country,gravel, road. I did 100km on mine recently (very flat) at around 19kph average. It’s amazing how quick it wants to go.
BUT it’s severely restricted on the downs. Really compromised. On stuff like Cadair Idris and borrowdale bash it was a joy uphill but really compromised down

I’ve been looking for something more capable for big mountain days…. I have the specialized enduro as well. One is great uphill the other is great downhill.

I did make a feeble attempt to sell the anthem earlier in the year..

Anthems are great bikes and far more capable than just towpath mincing, my 26” version went down the Megavalance track at A’dh with some minor mods. Trail centres are it’s bread and butter I’d say, have you seen a World Cup XC track these days?

I’ve had a few 29er variety too but replaced mine with a Scott Spark now, which is lighter, pedals just as well, has nicer angles for a bit more fun and a seat tube you can get a dropper in. It will also take 2.4” tyres on wide rims.

PS Ride cross country from the door. Techie shorter climbs and descents (Chilterns), and it is perfect for this.

Dropper means it handles the harsher bits of trail centres without a thought.

Ref the weight comment ^, my bottom spec Anthem 29 in alu was lighter than my full carbon Occam Tr (which had full carbon frame, carbon hoops, XT rather than SLX).

I had the old 26 years ago and loved it I’m currently drooling over my workmates 29er very nice

There’s been a few different versions of the Anthem from 2017 to the present. You can get the 27.5 with either a 120mm or 130mm fork (in 2017 the longer travel version was called the Anthem SX). The frames are the same so if you buy a 2017 model with the 120mm fork you can increase the travel or change the fork over, no problem. The 27.5 is billed as a do it all XC / light and fast trail bike and can do quite a bit with a few modifications (see below) The head angle is 68 degrees for the 120mm version or 67.5 degrees with a 130mm fork. These angles would have been considered firmly in trail bike territory 3 or 4 years ago but are now in the middle between slack XC and steep trail bike territory.

The latest 29er was released in 2018(ish?) and is billed as an XC race bike but is very comfortable and capable for general riding. I’d say these are more on the marathon side of XC (slightly more relaxed geometry for all-day riding) but you could ride it in a competitive race on a modern technical XC course, no problem. You could get round the red run at Dalby / Gisburn on one of these rather quickly and not be out of your depth, but I personally wouldn’t take it down any black runs.

I own a 2017 27.5 model but increased the fork travel to 130mm. There’s a review for the same bike here on the Singletrack website https://singletrackworld.com/2017/03/review-giant-anthem-1/ and it was rated very highly.

General thoughts – extremely fast and efficient uphill. I rarely have to use the 46t cog on the rear, even on the steepest climbs. The rear suspension is so plush and feels bottomless. I always had horst link bikes and this is my first Giant Maestro bike and I am totally sold on this suspension design.
Confident and very playful going downhill and far more capable a descender than it should be but steep and rooty / rocky trails can feel quite sketchy, as can bigger drops so if you want to hit these sorts of features then get a Trance. I’ve ridden mine on all the black run bits at Dalby, Gisburn, off-piste steep stuff in Guisborough Woods and rocky Swaledale stuff without a problem and I wouldn’t consider myself to be the smoothest of riders.

There’s a video of an Aussie rider doing some crazy jumps on his Anthem here, so you can get an idea of what you can do on these things – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clnhmMOx_g8

Thanks all .. It’s the latest 29’er I’m
Looking at.
Devash – thanks for that, guisborough forest and the surrounding area is where most of my riding will be so that’s good to hear.

I’m not looking for something to replace the orange 5. I like the anthem and i like the idea of a quicker XC orientated bike. I’m just not sure how restrictive I’d find it.
For those that have / have had an anthem – what did you use it for?

I’ve done most things on mine (29er), except stuff that is obviously steep and difficult – decent case for it being the best full suspension XC bike design in the history of mountain biking.

It will slay any of the classic trail centres in the UK, but you wouldn’t take it to an uplift bike park and expect it to cope. Mine is a few years old, no dropper. A newer one with a dropper would be even better on technical stuff.

I have a carbon 29er and love it. I have also fitted a brand x dropper on mine and have internally routed it.

I’ve got an old 2012 anthem – it’s a fab bike; happiest on fast bumpy xc or moorland stuff where it fair flies along even with my skinny legs pedalling. It’s done plenty of stuff in the Peak and Lakes and there’s not been many times where I’ve needed more travel although I’m not the heaviest of riders.

It will slay any of the classic trail centres in the UK,

Mine slew the Beast at CyB in 2:25 or thereabouts and I’m not particularly fit. Fast fast fast.

Still got my 2015 27.5 2 model & I still love it. It’s been hammered down the Fort Bill Red (now black) run a fair few times, I did put the forks to 120mm put a 180 disc up front & add a dropper to help matters though.

It is pretty sketchy on steep descents compared to my trail bike , but it can do them with a bit of focus. I’ve put around 13k on it & the frame is showing sighns of stress cracking, no doubt down to it getting a bit abused in places it probably wasnt intended for.

I want another but I’m holding out for a good deal (like I got with my current one). The buggers fair shot up in price after 2017 & I want the previous to 27.2mm model, cause a dropper is essential to me these days.

I’s a bit triggers broom with only the frame original now, it will be a sad day when its retired.

I agree with the sizing,at 6″2″ I have an XL in the 27.5 wheel size. It really is a do it all bike; only 110mm out back but feels much more. I built it up with 120mm rebas initially and think that if I keep it ( want an orange, because…) I will put thicker forks on so the front can match the back.

I have the latest variant 29’er (2018) and it’s the best bike I’ve owned. I’m a bit of an old school xc rider and much prefer super efficient fast climbing bikes. I ride the north downs and swinley. Don’t use a dropper but I think ks do a 27.2 internal routed model. Only thing I changed were tyres and saddle, Paul’s cycles have amazing deals on last years models.

If we’re talking about Anthems other than the one the OP is looking at, I’ll mention that my first full-sus bike was a 2007 Anthem and it was very fast – but I used to go OTB quite often thanks to the steep head angle…

Current 29er one seems to be cut from the same cloth, which is reassuring somehow.

60mm travel Chapaking?

No, a whopping 80mm.

Chapaking I think mine was 2007 too a black and silver anthem 1, I went over loads and struggled not to wheelie up steep climbs, it was very fast though

They would probably be cutting edge gravel bikes if they had drop bars and 650b wheels eh?

I can only echo the above comments, I owned a 2013 or 14 Anthem x2 26er (white with fox 100mm front forks)

Climbed like a mountain goat and could be ridden all day at a great pace.

Perfectly in its element around UK trail centres and quick too due to the short by today’s standards amount of travel.

The only time I found it out of its depth when I had it was riding the forest of dean off piste sections, some steep off cambered downhills where the steep front head angle made it hard work and the cause of a few over the bars moments.

Bought a trance and a reign shortly after and the difference in capability was like night and day on anything steep.

Still own a 2017 trance 1 and a 2019 trance 1 advanced and a 2015 Reign 2, the trance is good uphill but not a patch on the anthem,but then the trance comes into it’s own when the trail points down.

I still remember fondly some of the rides on my anthem, was a brilliant bike for all day epics and trail centres, especially remember descending foel Fadian(part of the trans cambrian way)in the midst of winter absolutely flat out on it, although the brakes were on fire on the final grass part trying to get it slowed down before the gate! Due to the relatively small rotors and braking set up!

We have had/have 3 Anthems in our family and I think they are great bikes. However, Giant appear to have changed the intended use of the Anthem over the last 3 years. In 2018 they were advertising it as an XC/Trail bike and upped the front suspension to 120mm with 110mm rear and fitted a dropper as standard. Since then they have decided it is a pure XC bike, changed the seat tube diameter to 27.2mm and dropped the suspension back down to 100mm/90mm. This year it is only available as a 29er.

If I was after an Anthem now I would try and source a 2018 27.5″ model for the extra suspension travel and dropper post.

Think it was only available as a 29er from about 2018. The 29er Anthem has never been more than 100mm at front, although I think quite a few owners upped the front travel.

I think in Giant’s eyes, current Anthem is their xc bike, if you want a trail bike you go for the Trance 29 (which I think is 115mm travel rear, 130 front).