New bike - Giant Anthem X4 or Specialized FSR XC PRO?

manc_ian

Hi.

The time has come to finally upgrade to full suss from HT. Ive been into MTBing for 5 years now and always rode a HT (Giant XTC). I used to ride on my own alot but ive now joined a club and got some more riding buddies. Ive noticed now im getting left behind on the decents. Ive tried to improve my technique on the decents but i just aint fast enough. Most of the decents are of the Peak District kind aswell. All the other riders are on Full Suss so i now want to follow suit.

Ive narrowed my search down to the X4 and FSR XC PRO. At first i was dead set on the X4 due to the rave reviews it was getting and the price was good but then i started thinking a could do with more travel (X4 = 100mm, XC PRO = 120mm). I then found the XC PRO.

The spec of the XC PRO looks abviously better then the X4 but i cant really find any reviews of the XC PRO. Im thinking i wouldnt really need to upgrade anything on the XC PRO but with the X4, i would want to change the brakes and wheels asap.

Ive just noticed that in Cyclesurgery the X4 is now £1,249 (down from £1,400). The XC PRO is £1,500. Could i use the £250 to upgrade the X4.

What do people think. Should i go for the XC PRO for the longer travel and better spec? Help would be much appreciated.

Cheers.

llamafarmer

What has made you narrow the choice down to only these 2 and have you tried either of them yet? They're quite different bikes.

neninja

I went from an XTC Composite to an Anthem X4 this year and felt immediately at home on the Anthem as the geometry was identical between the 2 bikes.

I transferred over the best bits from the XTC - ZTR Olympic wheelset, XT and Thomson parts, etc and upgraded the brakes.

The Anthem seems to perform better than the spec's would suggest and forms a great base for upgrading. It's coped with trail centre visits and rough XC rides in the Yorkshire Dales/North York Moors without any problem.

With 100mm travel and a light frame you have to pick your lines on descents and use some finesse unlike a bigger travel bike. You'll find it flies up the climbs though compared to 120/140mm bikes. You should beat them up the hill and have a big head start on the way down.

manc_ian

To be honest i was dead set on the X4 and have been for quite a while. Id looked at various other 100mm bikes around the price of £1500 (my limit) and nothing compared to the X4 and its spec/reviews.

I then got talking to a mate about having a bit more travel and i came across the XC PRO as it was at my limit of £1500. The specifications list was prop the most appealing thing about it. Ive never riden a specialized before so dont know what they feel like. My XTC has reba sl forks and i love them. The XC PRO has the same forks but with 20mm more travel.

Im going to nip into my local Cyclesurgery and have a look at them both but i dont know what sort of facility they have for test riding. I would prob just have to sit on them both and see how they feel.

Id say my riding isnt that polished so having a 120mm would help when i do pick a wrong line on a decent.

Anybody got any experience of the XC PRO and know what the ride is like?

Cheers.

underdog

Giant Trance X4 or X3?

llamafarmer

You'll probably feel at home on the Anthem because the geometry will be really similar to your XTC. The Spesh is a bit more relaxed, which may inspire confidence or may seem more sterile, depending on your own tastes.

If you go for the Anthem that £250 would buy you a nice set of Hope Hoops and save 3-400 grams I reckon. The specs are pretty close actually - the brakes on the Giant are maybe a weakness, but it's a great chassis with the Fox shocks all round.

Do some research and see if you can get a proper demo ride somewhere - how easy that is might depend on the frame size you want!