Giant Anthem X4 - The end

rockmonkeysc

After the death of my XTC I decided to go for a bouncy Giant XC bike. I got the frame used for a reasonable price & threw it together this afternoon.



Frame - 2011 Giant Anthem X4 Large
Shock - Fox Float R
Fork - Rockshox Reba RL, 15mm axle
Wheels - Mavic XM719 rims on Superstar hubs
Cranks - Deore
Mechs - SLX
Cassette - SLX
Bars - FSA Gravity 720
Stem - Specialized 80mm
Seatpost - Raceface Respond
Brakes - Shimano Deore (2013)


Mech is a bit bent and the chain is a little short so they will be replaced ready for the first ride on Sunday.

gmacz

Great looking bike, i like the colour scheme.

bartimaeus

Very nice

97th choice

are they 100mm rebas?

rockmonkeysc

They are 120mm Reba's. I was going to put in spacers to drop them to 100mm but after talking to the mechanic at my local Giant shop decided to stick with 120mm. I was told that (although irrelivent for me) Giant will warranty the frame with 120mm forks, so strength won't be an issue and I was told that Anthems ride pretty nicely with 120mm forks.
Just been for a quick blast and it rides really nicely, really happy with it. It feels light and fast, maybe not quite as fast as the XTC was but I will certainly feel better at the end of a long ride than I did on the old boneshaker.

97th choice

Good, was wondering how the anthem rode with 120mm forks.

rockmonkeysc

I had a 2010 Trance with 140mm forks and that was wicked fun & I had read about people fitting 120mm forks to Anthems so I thought it was worth a try. It feels kind of a fun trail bike but a very fast one.

rockmonkeysc

First proper ride today. It rides really nicely. Climbs extremely well, virtually no pedal bob. It handles really well, not too sharp steering and the suspension works well. The 120mm forks seem to suit it nicely.
It feels like it should be spot on for epic xc rides.

WindyG

Great bikes Anthem's, got a decent bit of weight off mine from new, mine looks really compact compared to your's as I only have a 16" frame

rockmonkeysc

Its ideal for the epic rides im planning. It doesn't feel as racey as I expected which is nice.
I could certainly shift a couple pounds off it but im no racing whippet so a bit of strength and reliability is good for me. An XT groupset will be fitted at some point and im going to go tubeless.

bartimaeus

Yesterday I did most of the SDW (home to Eastbourne - 88 miles in all) on my Anthem - it's definitely a good bike for an XC epic

The Rookie

Looks nice.....

From memory those bashes are pretty heavy, so a cheap weight loss there

rockmonkeysc

I have just cracked the bash so I will replace it with a llightweight raceface one.

rockmonkeysc

One last ride before I do the right thing and go single ring. I haven't used the granny since I built the bike so it's coming off.


On top of Cold Kitchen Hill in Wiltshire on a beautiful summer evening.

Lewis A

Nice, though I hope you switched out the green grips!

rockmonkeysc

I am replacing the green grips.....
with a new set of green ODI Ruffian grips.

I like my green grips, kind of like a pair of lucky pants but grip shaped and less stained.

Lewis A

I have a pair of the lime superstar ones, although just ordered new ones as they didn't match the green on my bike (and were worn out). Blue ones would look better

rockmonkeysc

I have made a few changes to it and it's getting close to how I want it.
Nobby Nics have gone in the bin and been replaced with Continental Rubber Queen Race Sport 2.2" which are incredibly grippy, they have the black chilli compound so are super soft. The extra volume helps on the rocky trails I ride on Exmoor & the Quantocks. Not bad weight (650g) for their size.
I have fitted a Renthal SR4 34t chain ring up front, I never use the granny ring so it had to go. At the moment I'm using the front mech locked off on the stop screws as a chain guide. I have ordered a E thirteen XCX-st chain chuide, the first one I ordered turned out to be a cyclocross one sold as a standard mtb one so waiting for the right one.
Next thing will be a XT chainset and a Push tune for the shock to get a little more low speed compression damping.

WindyG

Looking good, I''ll be interested to see how you get on with the single up front, I'm just in the process of doing my Scott but undecided on the Anthem at the moment, it does take a good bit of weight off though, mine is about 11kg now.

rockmonkeysc

I cant see it being a problem. I was running a 36t middle ring and hadn't used the granny ring for a couple months. I have a very hilly commute and have a compact chainset on my r**d bike so I guess that feels similar.
It does shift a bit of weight changing to a single ring. Mine is 26.5lb even though I have gone for a few more heavy duty components to suit my "enthusiastic" riding style.

rockmonkeysc

I went for a ride on the Quantocks today. Beautiful day for it and nice to be back on an xc ride for a change
This was down in Frog Coombe


I had a bit of trouble with the 1x9 gearing but only failed to get up Ladies Edge which is a killer climb so I'm sticking with it for now.
11-34 SLX cassette and 34 tooth Renthal chain ring with E*thirteen XCX guide

97th choice

That guide ain't cheap! How do you find it works?

rockmonkeysc

Haven't dropped a chain yet. Nice and easy to set up and looks great.

rockmonkeysc

I have entered the mini enduro race at Forest of Dean. It could be fun, as long as im smooth the Anthem should be fine.
A friend has had a couple enduro top tens on his Anthem X29 so it should be up to the job.

rockmonkeysc

Frame and forks are now for sale to make way for something new
Please send me a PM if you are interested in the frame (£450) or forks (£220)

Stevo_666

Good luck with the sale, that's a nice bike. I'd have it if I didn't already own one

rockmonkeysc

To be honest I can't fault it. It's been a great bike and made some epic rides a lot easier. These bikes are a lot more capable than people give them credit for. I did an enduro race at FoD and managed to beat most of the people who were laughing at me only having 100mm suspension, its light and fast and as long as you are careful picking lines and ride smooth it's more than up to the job. It was quite a smooth course which helped as well.
It's just not really right for next summers alpine trip and I want to do a few more enduro races and be able to ride more aggressively.

rockmonkeysc

Last ride on the Anthem today. Beatiful sunny day on the Quantocks, bloody freezing though. Rode a superb route with some fantastic trails. Smiths Coombe never fails to make me grin like an idiot, better than any purpose built trail.
On the way there I remembered that my first ride on the Anthem was also on the Quantocks.