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Giant Anthem X 29er

3K views 16 replies 8 participants last post by  XDR 
#1 ·
Well I picked up a 2011 Giant Anthem X 29er 2 for $1000 this last weekend. Overall it is in great shape. Some things that have been changed from stock specs are; Geax AKA TNT rear tubeless, Geax Saguaro TNT front tubeless, 3rd chainring removed/bashguard installed, SPD pedals. I think the deal I got was really good and I'm happy with the bike. I also ordered a set of Giro Code shoes for $129 shipped!

Are there any pointers on things that can help tune the bike? Any recommendations on things that may be good upgrades? I have a shock pump on order so I can set the sag, so I know that will help.


 
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#3 ·
I just finished up building a 2011 Anthem X29. The frame broke on my first one so I took the opportunity to build it up (replacement frame) the second go around. It is a sweet bike and I think you will have a blast on it. As David said move the front brake line to the inside of the fork before you take her out. Have fun!
 
#7 ·
Next thing with the brake. I removed the caliper to move line inside. Now when I roll the tire by hand I can hear it hanging up slightly and it dosent free roll as smooth as the rear. I tried loosening both mount bolts and spinning tire as I tightened with no change.
 
#10 ·
Sometimes you have to tinker with it. I will usually loosen the mounting bolts a bit, hold the brake lever in, and tighten the mounting bolts while holding the lever in. Works (almost) every time. If that doesn't work I'll eye ball it like Alberto.
 
#12 ·
XDR, You definetly need ride time and keep tweaking the geo on this bike to get it riding like you want. There is a good thread on this I will try to find and link to this post.

Some keys for me on this bike, also I have shorter legs and longer torso am 5'7 and ride a Giant Medium, I prefer to be stretched out o nthis bike more comfortable for me for long rides/races.

- Shorter 0 degree Stem, less pressure in fork in than recommended.
- Falt bar with some sweep (just 9 degrees).
- Saddle to bar drop drop almost level, short legs with 29er makes it hard to get a 1-2" drop, but I see your bars are relatively high, good area to start tweaking in my experience.
- Kept the setback seatpost for rearward stance more weight over the rear wheel
- Less than 25% sag on the shock and running a little stiffer rear shock, I only use propedal on road and long gravel climbs, pedals fine climbing singletrack open.

Also note I had everything sen to push as it needed to be rebuilt anyway and they setup how I was running it. I think the valving changes in the rear shock were well worth the cost.
 
#14 ·
I owned the same Anthem as yours for over two years, its spec is pretty nice from the factory. I did however do a couple of upgrades that I found useful. First, was a dropper post. I had the Giant unit, and it added to the versatility of the bike. Second, was to ditch the Avid Juicy 5's in favor of Shimano XT's. There was a incredible increase in braking performance, and no more brake noise. Just a couple things to think about if you like.
 
#17 ·
I was aware of that recall prior to purchase, from my understanding is that all the recall bikes were either demos or that the others were pulled from the shelf before they could be sold to end-user. I did a good visual inspection of all welds prior to buying also just to make sure.
 
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