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2014 Giant Anthem Advanced SL 29er XX1 photos.

5K views 14 replies 9 participants last post by  bikensand 
#1 ·
2014 Giant Anthem Advanced SL 29er XX1 photos.

Anyone found any on the net yet? The new epic is already up online. Can't be too long before epic beater is ready to start ripp'n.
 
#11 ·
I actually like this change....

I have not been a fan of my Rockshock fork on my 2013 Anthem Advanced X 29er 0. Small bump compliance has never felt great (finally just took some oil out of it and it feels a little better now), and the lockout isn't always a lockout. Plus it's thru-axle always seems to come loose. I always thought my Fox forks felt smoother...the only think I've liked about my RS this year has been the seals...they seem way better than Fox's.

As for the SRAM drivetrain on it (XX). Not that big of a fan either...it shifts fine, but I've broken both the left and right shifter over the past several months. Each time, I went for an 'upshift' and the thumb lever just went all the way to the ground and I was stuck in whatever gear I happened to be in. Both were replaced under warranty, but I wouldn't expect that to happen on their highest groupset with so little miles on it.

And then the SRAM XX World Cup brakes.....Shimano XTR / XT have a way better feel to me. And less maintenance too.

The Anthem frame itself? Absolutely in love with it! Also, their wheels...love the Giant P-XCR 0 carbon hoops. Stiff and light and have held up to a lot of abuse like a champ with no truing needed at all.

everyone's mileage may vary of course!
 
#13 ·
Fox is very progressive whereas RockShox is more linear. For some (including me), that means that we won't get full travel out of the Fox unless we run excessive sag which leads to too much bob out front. One solution is to have your Fox Push'd (which is what I did) so that you end up with a half decent peddling platform AND full range of travel. YMMV. All of this is based on the 2012 models and based on my own experience (but echo'd by others).
 
#15 ·
My only complaint with RS has been reliability. I've had to send the fork (SID RCT3) back to RS once and the shock (Monarch RT3) back twice. Other than that, I love the way they ride. To their credit, RS has rebuilt or sent new product every time, no questions. I recently changed the shock out to a Fox RP23 just because a few others that had the same shock were having the same issues and I just didn't want to deal with the down time. Maybe they have the problem fixed now. I still have the RS fork and really like it.

For the drivertrain, I'm a shimano fan, but the difference isn't a huge one. I've had a few SRAM shifters stop working on me and that's what formed my opinion. The only time I've ever had an issue with a shimano component is if I've wrecked and broken it. As with most things, it all just boils down to personal preference. I'm sure 50% are pumped with the changes on this year's bikes and 50% are bummed.
 
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