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2014 Anthem X Advanced 1 or 2014 Specialized Epic Comp Carbon?

27K views 56 replies 26 participants last post by  GrantRH 
#1 · (Edited)
I'm in the market for a new bike. Selling my Air 9 and moving on to a full suspension bike. I've been researching and narrowed my choices down to these 2 bikes. I race XC - so I'm looking for a race oriented bike. I believe these both fit the bill. MSPR on the Giant is $4650 and on the Spec is $4200. I can get either one of these for $3500, give or take $50.
Has any one ridden both? Or either? What are your likes / dislikes about either of these? As a racer or aggressive rider, which of these would you choose and why? Are there any other bikes I should consider at this price point?

Anthem X Advanced 29er 1 (2014) - Bikes | Giant Bicycles | United States

Specialized Bicycle Components

Giant is having a demo day at a trail near me next week - so I'll be out there - hoping they'll have an Anthem Advanced, but suspecting it'll be a regular Anthem.

Thanks in advance for your responses.
 
#56 · (Edited)
I currently have a 2014 Anthem X29er 1 and a 2013 Epic FSR Comp Carbon 29er. They are both great bikes but very different.

The Anthem X 1 - The Maestro suspension is one of the best rear suspensions on the market. It is very smooth and is considerably smoother than the Epic through rough, rocky, rutty terrain. The longer wheelbase also helps, the bike handles rock gardens and rutty trails like the Santa Cruz Tallboy. The beautiful thing about the Maestro is that despite the active suspension, the bike climbs well, if you remain in the saddle, very little pedal bob. The bike flows well down hill and is quite fast on descents. The bike has a much more upright, almost over the handle bar feeling and balance is only average, the bike feels slightly front heavy to me. Because of the riding angle, it is more difficult to get behind the seat on rough, steep downhills. Because of the upright feel and long wheelbase the bike is not particularly quick on tight single tracks.

The Epic Carbon - The bike feels considerably different than the Giant, it balances better and the rider position is better for me. The Brain works, the Epic climbs better than any bike I have ever rode (HT or FS). Although the suspension works to absorb the ruts/stones, it is not nearly as smooth as the Anthem. But, the bike is quicker and faster than the Anthem. You can stand up on rutty uphill climbs, almost impossible with other FS bikes without significant bounce. The bike feels almost like a HT when climbing, quite different than the Anthem. Think Lexus vs. Porsche. Although the ride is stiffer on the Epic than the Anthem, regardless of how the suspension is set, the Epic is faster, quicker, and climbs better. The Epic Carbon is like a HT that absorbs the sharp juts of the trail.

Lately, I have been riding with guys who like to ride fast, most of our riding is single track. I prefer the Epic for this environment, it is a faster bike. The Anthem is a great trail bike that can be used for racing, the Epic is a great race bike that can be used for trail riding. Keep in mind I am comparing the Carbon Epic with the Aluminum Anthem and this is simply my opinion.
 
#2 ·
I race XC with a 2013 anthem 29er 1 (SLX/XT Build). The suspension is great and I smoke any lap times I used to have with a 29er hardtail. People complain about the longer chainstays, however, I have never had an issue and it helps with stability when your bombing down steep descents. With the advanced you are just getting the frame weight savings, lighter wheels, and a full XT build out. Should feel pretty much the same as a regular alum anthem when you get to demo one. Only complaint I've had is frame flex under load and supposedly that is improved with the carbon front triangle of the advanced.

I am looking to move to 2014 anthem advanced and retrofit with X01 build for weight savings and simplicity. Supposedly the advanced comes in @ 25lbs before tubeless/pedals. Looks like I can get another 1.5 lbs by going X01/tubeless. Just thought I'd throw that out there as food for thought.

Never rode a specialized but looking at their available bikes it always seems they give you less component for more $$. Giant seems to be the value buy.
 
#3 ·
I race XC with a 2013 anthem 29er 1 (SLX/XT Build). The suspension is great and I smoke any lap times I used to have with a 29er hardtail. People complain about the longer chainstays, however, I have never had an issue and it helps with stability when your bombing down steep descents. With the advanced you are just getting the frame weight savings, lighter wheels, and a full XT build out. Should feel pretty much the same as a regular alum anthem when you get to demo one. Only complaint I've had is frame flex under load and supposedly that is improved with the carbon front triangle of the advanced.

I am looking to move to 2014 anthem advanced and retrofit with X01 build for weight savings and simplicity. Supposedly the advanced comes in @ 25lbs before tubeless/pedals. Looks like I can get another 1.5 lbs by going X01/tubeless. Just thought I'd throw that out there as food for thought.

Never rode a specialized but looking at their available bikes it always seems they give you less component for more $$. Giant seems to be the value buy.
Thanks for that write up. You mention you smoke any lap times with your FS over hardtail. I started to learn that lesson last night. I just wanted to ride a FS bike and my LBS let me take out a Specialized Camber Comp for the evening. It's not really geared towards XC racing from what they told me. I rode it and complained the whole ride to a friend about how heavy it was and how slow it got moving. But once it got moving, that thing was gone and over rocky technical terrain, it didn't miss a beat. My Air 9 usually wears me out by the end of an aggressive ride. After the ride last night, I didn't feel worn out or anything. I gave what I felt was a level 6, maybe level 7 effort - and at the end - I had set 10 new PRs on Strava. I usually have to kill it on my Niner to get those times. After all the complaining, I got home and weighed the bike. It came it at a portly 31lbs. HUGE difference from my 23lb Niner. If I could perform like that on a 31 lb bike, I bet I could fly through the trails on a 25lb Anthem Advanced 1. That carbon is sounding mighty tasty right now.

As for downhill bombing...here in North Texas, we don't have many "hills" per se, but I could still see the usefulness in a handful of areas.
 
#4 ·
I haven't ridden the 29er version of either of these bikes, but have ridden various incarnations of both in a 26. The Anthem wins relative to my rides 10 times out of 10. It pedals and climbs nicely, the suspension is more responsive, handling is telepathic, and has excellent high speed stability. The Epic climbed a bit better but had way more flex, twitchy handling, and was not stable at high speeds.

The only place where I have had a complaint relative to the two is on tire clearance. The Anthems I have ridden doesn't have a whole lot of room for larger tires in the back, but it also has a much more solid rear end than the Epic.

Integrated storage on the Epic may be cool though.
 
#5 ·
Just finished a ride on my 2013 Epic comp alloy--has some upgrades... It just smokes going up hill (Just KOMed a climb lordamercy). I truly enjoy putting the spurs to it. Brain works for me (Fork does not have brain on mine, plain Reba). I set it the brain pretty firm and forget about it, get full travel out of both ends when I point it downhill, and do plenty of stand and mash when heading up. Its like a supple hardtail going up, weird feeling. Rear traction is very good, hard to make the bike spin out.

I don't find the bike twitchy at all pointed down, seems like a pretty stable go-fast platform. HTA is not all that steep on the Epic, 70.5 I believe. It has good rear tire clearance, I set it up with a 2.4 Purgatory in back and Hans Dampf up front for fun riding, racier stuff for...racing. I use a dropper post--2014 Epic went to 27.2 seatpost though I believe, which would limit the options there. In short, very competent heading down but not mind blowing. Dropper post helps increase the fun factor.

However, I haven't ridden the Giant so can't compare--it gets plenty of love so don't think you can go too far wrong with either.
 
#8 ·
Thanks for the responses so far. For Specialized, I like how easy the new Autosag feature works. I dislike (from what I've read) that when the brain/shock needs servicing, it's propriety and has to go back to Specialized...leaving you with some downtime. I guess that's what road bikes are for. Anyone know about the turnaround time on Specialized on something like that? A few days? A week or two?

I need to do some research, but I don't know much about the Formula C1 brakes on the Specialized either. I know Shimano brakes are really good.
 
#9 ·
I've had mine serviced a few times by Specialized, and each time it was 1-2.5 weeks including shipping time. I've heard that some shops will perform air-sleeve services, but even that may be a difficult sell, and will likely void the warranty. I will say though, it's not too difficult to flick the lockout switch while climbing on the Anthem...or you could upgrade the rear shock to the new Cane Creek DBAir stuff which I hear is incredible for climbing platforms.
 
#10 ·
For Specialized, I like how easy the new Autosag feature works.
Gotta say, love my Epic and all, but I think the autosag is baloney. I pumped it up to 300psi as per instructions, got on with all my 155 lbs, and hit autosag--whereupon the shock pump read about 250psi. No way is that right, it left about 3mm of sag. Kind of a gimmick if it's your bike, but great I'm sure for bike shops with demos and the like...
 
#11 ·
Good to know. It might have worked for me, but isn't enough by itself to lean me toward that bike. It was cool when the shop mechanic set me up on it the other night. He just set "sit on the bike" and then used the autosag and was done. Something I'll probably understand more after I purchase my FS bike.
 
#12 ·
Yeah... I've used the autosag literally 100+ times and it's always worked well.

Sometimes you need to press the valve multiple times to get it to release all the excess pressure, particularly if you pump it up to 300 PSI and happen to be a lightweight dude.

Anyway, it's a nice feature, but I wouldn't let it sway you one way or the other.
 
#16 ·
Oh, I'm sure they're not all like that--mine might be defective, but since the shock can just be set up the normal way it was fine and I didn't really care...as mentioned it would be pretty irrelevant to a buying decision unless you have a rental fleet or something.

Sometimes you need to press the valve multiple times to get it to release all the excess pressure, particularly if you pump it up to 300 PSI and happen to be a lightweight dude.
I did press it several times while my weight was on the bike, but couldn't get any more air to come out after the initial burst. After getting off, manual specifically says not to depress the valve again (obviously) but also says if not enough air is in the shock (rider wt plus 100 for epic) and you mess with it more autosag might let air out of the neg air chamber and mess up your sag. So you need to pump back up to reset. So as far as I could tell I followed all the directions...probably just a glitch. I went through the procedure a few times just out of curiosity really, but it would never go below 220 or so. This was shock pump not attached, and shock pump attached. Pumped up to anything from 260-300, didn't seem to matter. Shock works fine otherwise.
 
#17 ·
I dunno...I just sold a 10-year old Epic and have ridden about every incarnation between then and now, and there is a lot of truth to that statement. I know they went through a ton of recalls in the 2006-2009 years too.

The Anthem works on a more simple, more elegant platform that doesn't rely on a finicky and expensive piece of technology.
 
#18 ·
Haven't ridden the new anthem (hopping to try one next month on a demo day to see the differences), but had a 2011, and currently ride a 13 epic.

Try both before making a decision. I got the anthem as for what I wanted at the time it was the best value, but looking back, wish I'd gone with something else (was fairly new to MTB at the time and didn't know enough or do the research I should have). I know some people find it good, but for me it never worked properly.

Best analogy I can come up with is it felt like driving a truck (high off the ground, slow steering, awkward to manoeuvre in tight stuff, always felt like I was going over the bars and difficult to get the weight back, no matter how I changed the setup, though I got it a lot better in the end, it still wasn't great and sapped my confidence).

When I tried the epic though, I was instantly riding straight through things with out even thinking about it when I had trouble forcing myself to try them on the anthem, it was better balanced and I started having a lot more fun on the trails again, as well as knocking about 5% off most of my times.

Anthem seemed to have a softer small to medium bump feel, while the epic is harsher on small bumps, but actually feels plusher on the bigger ones (think normal soft road car suspension feel on the anthem but stiffer full on race car suspension feel on the epic, but that's feel, not performance).

Like I said, try both, even though they're fairly similar geometry wise, the anthem just didn't suit me, while the epic feels like an extension of my body. Might be the opposite for you or the same, and the new 27.5 might fix some of the issues I found I had with it.
 
#24 ·
Haven't ridden the new anthem (hopping to try one next month on a demo day to see the differences), but had a 2011, and currently ride a 13 epic.

Try both before making a decision. I got the anthem as for what I wanted at the time it was the best value, but looking back, wish I'd gone with something else (was fairly new to MTB at the time and didn't know enough or do the research I should have). I know some people find it good, but for me it never worked properly.

Best analogy I can come up with is it felt like driving a truck (high off the ground, slow steering, awkward to manoeuvre in tight stuff, always felt like I was going over the bars and difficult to get the weight back, no matter how I changed the setup, though I got it a lot better in the end, it still wasn't great and sapped my confidence).

When I tried the epic though, I was instantly riding straight through things with out even thinking about it when I had trouble forcing myself to try them on the anthem, it was better balanced and I started having a lot more fun on the trails again, as well as knocking about 5% off most of my times.

Anthem seemed to have a softer small to medium bump feel, while the epic is harsher on small bumps, but actually feels plusher on the bigger ones (think normal soft road car suspension feel on the anthem but stiffer full on race car suspension feel on the epic, but that's feel, not performance).

Like I said, try both, even though they're fairly similar geometry wise, the anthem just didn't suit me, while the epic feels like an extension of my body. Might be the opposite for you or the same, and the new 27.5 might fix some of the issues I found I had with it.
You saying the Anthem was crap but say the have the same similar geo? And unless the Anthem has changed drastically since 2011, the 2012 I rode for first time ever had me going with full aggression through and over everything! I liked it so much that im picking one up(2014) 2marro
 
#20 ·
Specialized proponents and marketing say the same thing every year. The way I read it is "last year our shock was crap, now it's better. Oh and the year before was even worse." God forbid you have a three year old Epic.
Yeah, ummm, if never improving a design was an argument for its perfection, we'd all be rocking our pennyfarthings, arguing over whether 6 feet or 7 feet was a better wheel diameter... Improve away, I say.
 
#27 ·
Yes but they aren't just improving, they are fixing known issues. Every year.
Well I guess Giant is fixing a "known issue" by moving so hard into 650B. Both Spec and Giant are rather large bike companies, trying to max their bottom line...which is difficult to do if you build bad bikes, no matter what sort of marketing budget you have. Anthem and Epic have both sold thousands of iterations on the respective models, plenty of time for either to have developed terrible reps if they were deserved. Since neither have, I guess OP will have to try and ride both (not always possible I know). Regardless, ride the hell out of it Faztcobra...
 
#28 ·
Until I ride others, I'll have to reserve judgement for "best". That bike wasn't even on my list. The store I ride for just happened to let me take it out since I wanted to ride a FS bike. With 110mm travel, I don't know that it's designed to be a race bike, which is what I'm looking for. Certainly the Carbon version would be the only option I'd consider as 31.5 lbs (on the shop scale) would be entirely too heavy for me to race. I'm hoping to rent/borrow the Epic Carbon Comp this weekend for a race and Giant is having a demo day on Tuesday at a local park - where I'm hoping to ride at least 1 if not both the Anthem X and Anthem X Advanced. I should be able to provide more opinions here afterward. But I'll certainly pay attention to what you mention about the Anthem being too steep. I've had some fitment issues with my current Niner and the Camber cockpit felt very comfortable to me, so this is an important factor in my next bike.
 
#29 ·
Got lucky and my LBS had an Anthem X built up for demo and I took it to a race yesterday at Tyler State Park. I got a little extended seat time but unfortunately I DNF'd when the chain snapped on a long climb. Having run a 1x9 for the last 4 years, I've never snapped a chain, so I've never even bothered carrying a spare. As for the bike, it rode like a dream. I was able to let it hang out on the downhills - breezing over wet roots and terrain changes with ease with no sketchiness. The Fox Evolution was a pretty solid performer, even for being the base model Fox fork. I've got a Reba SL now and I like the Fox better. I also like that locked out means locked out. On an Reba I've ever owned, I've been able to push down on the fork and get it to bounce a little even in locked out mode. The extra gears were nice on the climbs as there was a lot of elevation change (compared to typical N Texas trails) on this course. The suspension felt really good to me. The LBS set it up before I took it and I guess they did it well as I didn't notice any perceivable bobbing on the climbs. The SLX brakes were awesome. Even for budget brakes, I enjoyed them far more than my Elixir CRs on my bike. I've heard great things about Shimano brakes in general compared to Avid and finally got to experience it first hand. The bike shop didn't get the tune set up very well, as I had shifting issues the entire race...jumping from ring to ring. That probably had more to do with the chain snapping than anything. Coming from a 1x9, it was nice to have the extra gears at this course. Some folks would run off and leave me and then I'd catch back up to them on the climbs as they were just barely making it or in some cases, even pushing up the climbs. This bike was definitely a good climber. Overall, I'm pretty happy with the Anthem and at this point, just need to make 2 choices...X or X Advanced. Gotta figure out if the extra $1775 (2875 msrp vs 4650) is worth it for the Advanced. Performance Fox fork, XT build, lighter wheels, and carbon frame are the differences). The X I had weighed in at 27lb and I have read the Advanced is about 25lb. And also M or L. I typically ride a L or 19" frame. The shop's bike was a medium and the frame standover was about like my 19" Niner. But when on the bike, it felt slightly small. I was able to hike the seat post way up and make it feel rather comfortable. I'd probably need a longer stem to finish feel right at home on the bike. I need to try a L before making a final decision. Giant "was" having a demo day here tomorrow, but with the rain all day so far today, I'm guessing that's not happening. I was really hoping to ride the Advanced tomorrow.
 
#30 ·
Nice, especially being able to look past the broken chain, for whatever reason that broke (shop?). It's a solid bike and those things shouldn't prevent someone from buying it.
 
#31 ·
I don't even think it's necessarily the bike shops fault. This think was just built up and I raced it on it's maiden voyage. At races closer in (this was an hour and a half away), we usually have a team mechanic available to fix stuff like that. Limiters must not have been adjusted correctly and cables too. I'd get a lot of rubbing and other random drivetrain noises through the ride when I wasn't in the middle gears, chain jumping, etc. This just tells me I need to take the time to learn more about how to do that. As long as I've been riding (6 yrs), there's no excuse really for me to not know this stuff by now.
 
#32 ·
On the value question, the Giant brand wheels on their value and lower-end 29ers are fairly terrible from what I hear, and a good wheelset on a 29er makes a HUGE difference. That being said, the Stan's Crest are only like $500 if you bought the lower spec and upgraded just the wheels. Do the remainder of the other upgraded components value out to over $1200 for you?
 
#33 ·
If I got the lower Anthem, wheels would be a must. The P-XC2 were heavy and slow to spin up. I've got Arch EX with Hope Pro II hubs on my Niner. I'd likely go the same on the Anthem. Or for that matter, since I'm trying to sell my Niner, maybe move the wheels over to my Anthem and put the stock Anthem wheels on the Niner. I'd probably have a harder time selling the bike that way, but who knows. It definitely needs wheels though. I had 40-45psi yesterday in the tubes and I usually run 28-30psi in my tubeless set up. I bet the ride gets a little more cushy and even better traction once I set the Anthem up tubeless.

I'm happy with the Fox fork on the Anthem, and the SLX brakes and I don't have any qualms with the XT rear derailleur. Going from Evolution to Performance on the fork probably makes no difference to me. The difference I believe is adjust-ability and I don't tinker a whole lot. The SLX brakes seem like an upgrade to me over Elixir CRs, so I'm happy there. The big difference would be the rest of the SLX components and carbon frame and I don't know if that justifies the extra $$. I also think the black frame on the Anthem X is beautiful (Anthem X 29er 1 (2014) - Bikes | Giant Bicycles | United States) over the Advanced (Anthem X Advanced 29er 1 (2014) - Bikes | Giant Bicycles | United States). But it is going to serve as a race bike...those extra 2 lbs will help. Every little bit helps. I'd probably be better served by making the engine stronger first :) A strong engine can take nearly any bike to the podium.
 
#35 ·
Thanks for the pics. That's actually the Anthem I rode. I love the speckle in the paint too. And they are most definitely proud of their name. The wheels are heavy but that is compared to the Arch Ex I have on my Niner now. As for price, I got that covered and then some. I listed MSRP, but in reality, I'll be out the door with tax for less than your total there.
 
#36 ·
Narrowing things down now a bit. Well, back to my original 2 choices anyway. Giant had a demo day in my area (Sansom Park) and I was hoping to compare the Anthem X to the X Advanced. In their movement to 27.5, they actually had neither of these in 29er format at the demo day. The only 29er they had was a Trance. Since that wasn't what I was in the market for, I almost just left, but after driving 30 miles to get there, I figured I'd try at least one bike out and get a good workout in. The bike ended up being the 27.5 Anthem X Advanced. Decked out in XX1 items I figured I'd give it a shot. I hadn't ridden the 1x11 drivetrain yet, so that definitely appealed to me as well. In short, I "almost" fell in love with that bike. Fast. Fun. Super quick, yet not "twitchy" steering. Climbing was far better than I expected. I'm currently on a 1x9, and the extra 2 gears on the 1x11 made child's play out of some very tough hills (as tough as hills in DFW can be). Loved the ride of the carbon frame on a tubeless setup. Buttery smooth. Loved the shifting quickness/precision of the XX1 components. But I did say "almost" fell in love with the bike. The thing holding me back is that I had numerous pedal strikes. In the 29er world, that's very rare and that annoyed the heck out of me. Not sure it's something I could live with - especially since I like riding techy stuff. I'm not sold that the 27.5 would give me the clearance I prefer. So I'm back to square 1, but my decisions are either get the Anthem X and then upgrade the wheels (Stans Arch EX with basic Stan's hubs and the drive-train to 1x11 and be done. Or get the Anthem X Advanced and just be happy with the bike stock. My budget with the Advanced wouldn't allow for any upgrades. Having ridden 1x9 for the last 4 years, I'm partial to going 1x11 and keeping a simple drive-train setup. But I also can't get over the fact that the carbon ride was so smooth. I need to just pick one and I'm sure I'd be happy either way. Which would you choose and why?
 
#37 ·
I'd be surprised if the BB height was really all that different between the two. My Felt 29er HT has the exact same BB height as an old Felt 26er HT, and if you look at the pictures, you'll see that the BB for the 29er is lower than the axle height, and on the 27.5, the bb is at about the same height as the axles. This would affect how the bike feels though. A lower BB relative to the axles would make the bike feel a bit more stable, but if the BB was at the exact same height as the axles, I'd imagine the handling would be really intuitive.

Granted, my generalizations are by just eye-balling some side shots on the Giant website.
 
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