Giant Anthem full sus the way to go ?

radarrider

I have been looking at hardtails but its been suggested that a modern full sus is the way to go. Are they as good as a hardtail in the way that they ride with the added bonus of suspension if you need it or are they really only any good for the rough terrain. My riding is mainly on the flat which was why i was thinking hardtail but i started thinking if a full sus can be ridden as a hardtail with the bonus of suspension if you want it, then surely thats the way to go because you would have two good bikes in one to cover everything. Or am i wrong ?

cooldad

What is flat? Road, canal paths, trails?

radarrider

cycle routes, bridle ways, rough gravel tracks up the sides of rivers, canal paths, up the sides of fields, connecting tracks through countryside, some road, probably not trail centres. What else is there ?

paulbox

A lot of people will say that you don't need full sus for bridleways, tow paths etc. but I think there is a benefit of not having your saddle stuffed up your @rse everytime you do hit a bit of a bump. I think you can ride for longer without feeling as fatigued. However, I would advise you trying one before you spend your money. Most decent bike shops will have some demonstrators, if you can get along to one of Giant's own stores they will definitely let you borrow one for a weekend.

cooldad

I would stick with a hardtail for that. Get better for your money.

Mr Dog

My carbon hardtail bounces around like a spacehopper on knarly stuff but will out pace my anthem on straights. The anthem has capability to float over stuff which would push a hardtail right into your crown jewels. Your riding style should point in the right direction.. out and out speed hardtail.. fun and adventure Anthem. Enjoy> 8)

Mr Dog

PaulBox has great advice.. Giant have a demo series. Ride the a few.

radarrider

im sort of thinking along the lines of PaulBox and also the top end hardtails that ive seen look more suited to racing head down arse up rather than a more upright position or traily long forked. Or is 120 becoming the new xc ?

paulbox

Don't get me wrong, I've just spent the last half an hour looking at the Zaskar frames on eBay thinking about building one up. Hardtails are good fun to ride too. But if I was just having one bike it would be my Anthem, I love it. Does everything I want.

Try and get along to one of the demo series days, you get to ride loads of different bikes and see which one suits you best. It's a good day out, ride some top end gear and they was them afterwards...

radarrider

i was hoping the anthem was fairly fast ? Plush , fun and adventure sounds good. I never imagined trying to decide on a bike could be so hard !

paulbox

radarrider wrote:

i was hoping the anthem was fairly fast ? Plush , fun and adventure sounds good. I never imagined trying to decide on a bike could be so hard !

It is a fast bike, a carbon hardtail race bike is just a bit quicker if you are a good rider.

For regular riders like me the Anthem is probably quicker as it takes out some of the obstacle issues.

radarrider

im assuming the anthem would be more of a comfortable upright position than a race hardtail

cooldad

Why does it have to be a race hardtail? You seem to be considering extreme bikes for non extreme riding.

radarrider

cooldad youve got the wrong end of the stick im not looking for a race hardtail. You said
a hardtail you get better for your money but the high end hardtails seem to be more racy which is exactly what i dont want because i will be more stretched out and head down. I am looking at the higher end for a light bike with a more upright position.

cloudynights

if you can go and try a anthem out, one of my mates runs a carbon specialized frame very very light, my anthem is still quicker and safer up down or on the flat but mountain biking is about what style you ride alot of people forget that, no two riders ride the same best to try as many bikes and see which suits your riding style best

t0pc4t

the anthem is a lush bike and pretty quick but if it's not trails and stuff I'd probably go for a hardtail, I wouldn't bother riding my anthem to and from work for example, which is cycle paths and bumpy back roads.

If you need it for canal paths, bridleways etc, I would test an anthem, but if it were me I would be looking at a hardtail at a similar price which I'd hope would be lighter and probably have a better fork.

bartimaeus

On Sunday I rode over to my in-laws via Kingley Vale and the South Downs Way... and to my mind the Anthem is just perfect for this sort of XC riding.

It climbs well with the suspension giving great traction and composure on the long uphill sections; it is comfortable blasting along the bridle paths as it sucks up the ruts and roots; and best of all it has the composure to get you out of trouble if you challenge yourself a bit on the downhill sections. So for all around XC riding, but with the option to take on some more serious terrain, the Anthem is a good all-round solution.

But I would say that, as I have one

Definitely try to get a ride on one. One of the things I like about the Anthem is the slightly stretched out position (compared to many other MTBs)... you mighty prefer something more upright.

paulbox

radarrider wrote:

cooldad youve got the wrong end of the stick im not looking for a race hardtail. You said a hardtail you get better for your money but the high end hardtails seem to be more racy which is exactly what i dont want because i will be more stretched out and head down. I am looking at the higher end for a light bike with a more upright position.

Anthem's are also pretty stretched out, maybe one of these would be better in terms of upright cycling position:
Trance: www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/bikes/mode ... 868/45508/

Stumpjumper FSR: www.specialized.com/gb/gb/bc/SBCMain.js ... emId=15794