Whyte 901 2016 v Giant Anthem 27.5 2 2015

dong888

I've got £1200 to spend on a mountain bike and I've narrowed it down to these two - both get good reviews. I'm new to mountain biking and can't make my mind up if I should I go for the full sus Giant rather than the Whyte hardtail. The Giant was originally £1900 so at a £700 saving I'm thinking that its a decent deal. Any opinions appreciated.

Heres the spec for your expert eyes:

Whyte 901 2016:

Frame : 6061 Hydro Formed T6 Aluminium, Custom Drawn and Multi Butted, Tapered Headtube, Get A Grip seat clamp system, Internal Stealth Reverb routing
Fork: RockShox Sektor Gold 27.5" Lock-out, Maxle Light 130mm Travel, Solo Air, Adjustable Compression and Rebound, Tapered Steerer
Stem: Whyte Gravity Stem, 40mm S/M, 50mm L/XL
Handlebars: Whyte Custom 6061 Alloy, Low Rise, 760mm Wide
Front Brake: SRAM DB3, 180mm Rotor
Rear Brake: SRAM DB3, 160mm Rotor
Gear Shifters:SRAM X-5, 10 Speed
Front Derailleur: SRAM GX 36T, 10 Speed
Rear Derailleur: SRAM GX Type 2, Medium Cage, 10 Speed
Crankset: SRAM FC S1000, GXP, 22/36, 10 Speed, Double Compact
Cassette: SRAM PG-1020, 11-36, 10 Speed
Wheelset: Whyte Trail 21 Offset Disc rim, 32 HoleFront Tyres: Maxxis Ardent, 27.5" X 2.25" 60TPI Folding Front
Rear Tyres: Maxxis Ardent Race, 27.5" X 2.2" 60TPI Folding Rear
Saddle: Whyte Custom, Triple Panel Design
Seatpost: Whyte 20mm Offset, 30.9mm x 400mm, 6061 Alloy, 2 Bolt Clamp

Giant Anthem 27.5 2

Specification
Year: 2015
Frame: ALUXX SL-Grade Aluminium, 4"/100mm Maestro Suspension
Fork: RockShox Reba RL Solo Air, 100mm travel, 15mm Axle OverDrive Tapered Steerer, PushLoc
Rear Shock: RockShox Monarch RL
Shifters: Shimano SLX 20 speed
Rear Mech: Shimano SLX, Shadow +
Front Mech: Shimano SLX
Bottom Bracket: SRAM Press Fit
Chainset: Shimano SLX, 24/38
Cassette: Shimano HG50 11-36
Chain: KMC X10
Brakes: Shimano M615 160mm
Pedals: N/A
Wheelset: Rims: Giant P-XC 27.5, Hubs: Giant P-XC [F] 15mm [R] 135mm QR, Spokes: Sapim
Tyres: Schwalbe Racing Ralph, 27.5x2.25" Performance Folding
Handlebar: Giant Connect Trail, Low Rise, 730mm
Stem: Giant Connect, ±8 degree rise
Seatpost: Giant Connect, 30.9mm
Saddle: Giant Contact Forward

Thanks

paulneenan76

The Whyte 901 is a cracking bike but the spec and price of the Anthem is a swinger imo - but what are you riding now, what are your core skills like, what terrain do you ride/want to be riding?

kickaxe

How much do these two bikes weigh? They both seem very decent, the biggest difference obviously being hardtail vs. full suspension...

JBA

The Anthem gets my vote. Better forks, great kit list and universally praised as a good bike.

My son has a 2012 Anthem X4 and loves it. It takes everything he throws at it (he's 15, so a lot gets thrown at it), is good uphill and downhill and is a comfrtable ride.

dong888

The Whyte is 12.2kg and the Giant 13kg. I haven't rode a mountain bike for 15 years but I intend to use for trails at the nearby forest (Delamere).

Cheers

PaulBravey

I have the anthem 3 and it's been great around the Cannock blue trail and the easier of the two red trails so far (Walking the Dog).

HenryTheHoover

You may already know this but it should be possible to get the Reba fork on the Anthem extended to 120mm if you want a bit more upfront on the Anthem.

kinioo

I have an Anthem X2 2013 and it rocks !!!!

fantastic bike.

C.

Rigga

I've got the anthem 2 2014, only difference is sram x7 gears, it's awesome. The Reba fork is excellent as is the monarch. I got mine for £1050 reduced from 1900 as it was the last one in stock at je James. Bloody Bargain!!

kickaxe

Would this be your first Mountainbike? If not, what do you have now? If you are new to Mountainbiking I suggest taking the Hardtail, it's just as much fun as a full suspension and is less forgiving (there is less suspension to do the work for you), which makes you a better rider. I'm not saying either of the bikes is better than the other! In the end, it's your decision, and I think that you will be happy which ever one you take.

HenryTheHoover

I have recently gone from riding mostly fully ridgid bikes for 20 years or so straight to full suspension. I just find it different. Not an evolution of ability as such. If anything I feel a little bit stuck in the mindset of someone who has been riding a less capable bike.

dong888

Looks like the Giant is well respected

HenryTheHoover

Having bought an Anthem this year there are a couple of things I would add.

- In my view it's well worth getting the fork extended for two reasons.

1. At 100mm I found the bottom bracket a touch low for my rocky local trails and suffered more pedal strikes than I would have liked. You change your technique but the 120mm fork does lift lift the bottom bracket.
2. It makes the Anthem much nicer to descend. More travel and a degree slacker on the head tube angle.

- I find the lite skin Shwalbe tyres next to useless for general trail riding. I have persevered for months on my Anthem with mine and had countless problems. Bizarrely I bumped into the Swalbe rep whilst out riding and he agreed they were a terrible tyre for general riding, he said he couldn't believe Giant didn't pay the extra £2 to spec the Snakeskin versions. It's a ball ache but whip them straight off, sell and replace.

- Giants have slightly old school cockpits with longer stems and narrower bars. You'll get an 80 mm stem on a medium. I would reccommend keeping £25 spare to shorten up a bit and bear this in mind r.e. Sizing. It Makes the bike much more fun with a bit less stem on it.

( + Despite what all the reviews say 2015 Giants are NOT Overdrive 2, they are overdrive. I.e. Normal stems fit fine, you don't need the special giant made ones )

kinioo

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19740228#p19740228]HenryTheHoover[/url] wrote:

Having bought an Anthem this year there are a couple of things I would add.

- In my view it's well worth getting the fork extended for two reasons.

1. At 100mm I found the bottom bracket a touch low for my rocky local trails and suffered more pedal strikes than I would have liked. You change your technique but the 120mm fork does lift lift the bottom bracket.
2. It makes the Anthem much nicer to descend. More travel and a degree slacker on the head tube angle.

- I find the lite skin Shwalbe tyres next to useless for general trail riding. I have persevered for months on my Anthem with mine and had countless problems. Bizarrely I bumped into the Swalbe rep whilst out riding and he agreed they were a terrible tyre for general riding, he said he couldn't believe Giant didn't pay the extra £2 to spec the Snakeskin versions. It's a ball ache but whip them straight off, sell and replace.

- Giants have slightly old school cockpits with longer stems and narrower bars. You'll get an 80 mm stem on a medium. I would reccommend keeping £25 spare to shorten up a bit and bear this in mind r.e. Sizing. It Makes the bike much more fun with a bit less stem on it.

( + Despite what all the reviews say 2015 Giants are NOT Overdrive 2, they are overdrive. I.e. Normal stems fit fine, you don't need the special giant made ones )

This is what I did to my Anthem...shorter stem, and 'proper' tyres; I still use 'standard' 100mm fork (mine is Anthem X2).

I also did a 1 x 10 conversion and tubeless conversion.

Wider bars are on the way.

Dropper seat post is on the way.

Maybe better wheels...

...but love it anyway - great bike.

C.