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Giant Anthem X Advanced 29er Introduced

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The new Giant Anthem X Advanced 29er is a cross-country bike designed for competitive racers and riders. The front triangle is crafted from carbon fiber, but retains an aluminum linkage and rear end. It sheds 185 grams in comparison to its aluminum Anthem X counterpart (for a medium frame, w/ shock). The 100 mm travel full suspension bike is not only lighter, but stiffer, and introduces several new features.

Also unveiled was the first full suspension women’s specific 29er, the Anthem X 29er W. The frame uses a shorter top tube, and taller head tube, to achieve a more comfortable ride. The complete bike also uses lighter wheels, a narrower handle bar, and wider gear ratios.

Pictures and details after the break…

The new frame has guides for a dropper post and internal cable routing. The geometry carries over completely from the Aluminum Anthem X, which translates into a 71.3 degree head tube angle, and 462mm chainstays. Giant also carried over the aluminum rear triangle, in an effort to keep cost down, so look for full carbon frameset sometime in the near future.

Do you see yourself benefiting from a 7% increase in steering stiffness?

The new frame set also incorporates Giants new OverDrive 2 headset standard. The new  standard uses a 1-1/4″ top bearing and 1-1/2″ bottom bearing to “deliver precise steering and front-end stiffness,” which the manufacturer claims increases steering stiffness by 7%.

Giant also went to great lengths to increase power transfer by integrating an 86 mm wide BB and using an over sized “bottom bracket…chain stay area…and downtube.”

Note: The frame ships with a conventional 135 mm quick release in the  rear.

The claimed weight of the new frame is 4.85lbs. The featured build, shown above,  finished with XX components, SRAM wheels, a Monarch RT3 Shock, and SID RCT3 Fork, weighs 22 lbs.

New Womens Specific Anthem X 29er 

According to Giant, “a woman’s center of gravity is typically different than a man’s” so they lowered the stand over height, and gave the bike a slightly steeper head tube angle. The bikes will be available in a variety of sizes, from extra small to large, for that perfect fit. Completes will be sold in two very affordable trims.

 

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Paul M
Paul M
11 years ago

Having just bought a sweet composite 29er HT ….this would look perfect next to it ….

Dirty Jane
Dirty Jane
11 years ago

The Women’s bike doesn’t make any sense – why would I want a taller head tube and a steeper HT angle? The issue with most 29’ers is that the handlebars are too high for proper fits and climbing. Wouldn’t having a taller headtube also make the standover higher??
Also, I would buy a 29’er for more stability vs. a 26’er, I don’t think having a steeper HT angle will help that.
I’m glad that they are trying to give women some more options but I don’t think this bike was designed right. I’ll wait for the next women’s 29’er that comes to market.

Mountainbike verkopen
11 years ago

Also the first bikes with the new SRAM 40 wheelset?

matt
matt
11 years ago

@Dirty Jane

The taller head tube angle is to help properly fit women to the frame, because women (typically) run longer legs and shorter torsos, the drop from the saddle to the bars on a men’s frame with a woman rider typically is an issue, as its too low, causing the need for a higher rise stem (which can potentially compromise handling as well. Therefore, Giant typically, but not all the time (if you look at their mens vs womens bikes) runs a longer headtube on a women’s frame. Also, if you search for other shots of the women’s bike, you’ll see it has a dip in the toptube for standover. You will still get greater stability from a 29er, even with a steeper headtube angle because of wheelbase length overall, the larger wheels hold their momentum better, and give the rider more leverage control through technical sections. I think if you study women’s fitting and the actual women’s bike (since you can barely see it in the last picture), you will appreciate the fact that Giant truly did deliver a good women’s model.

On another note, the bikes look awesome, can’t wait to get out and try one of the carbon versions! Its nice to see a variety of price points coming from Giant on this model!

Dany
Dany
11 years ago

Would the women’s Anthem 29er be available in carbon?

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