[Closed] Giant 29er Anthem vs Trance

I had an Anthem 29 2 for xc stuff (sold as between sizing and consolidating bikes). Fab at xc, better going down than it should be for the travel, but not a trail bike. You can fit a dropper but limited by 27.2 size. Having said that when I was enquiring about getting a larger frame a guy on here used one in the Alps and was fine - thread here. For what you describe I'd be looking at the Trance and adjust to the handling.

Thanks.

Funny you mention the sizing. I am 5 foot 8 inches so somewhere between the small and medium.

You need the trance for the kind of riding you intend to do.
The new Spark (not RC) is probably on a par with the trance too and will feel very different to your current Spark, might be worth a try.

In the STW tradition of reccomending what you have; I have the Anthem 27.5 having gone from an old 29 Orange 5. It does everything I ask of it( pretty much) and is a million miles away from the traditional xc race bike of the old ones. A review of it is on the stw website.

Do you want to buy my carbon anthem advanced 29er in large?
I'm selling as it is too race focussed and not great on tricky stuff

PS. I'm not expecting you to buy it, just trying to answer your question in a clear way.

Don't get the anthem for doing tricky stuff.

The Anthem 29 is a pure race bike so definitely not what you are after. Limited options for a dropper and steep head angle. Still a great bike for general xc though.

The Trance 29 seems to fill the gap in their range for the now absent 130mm front / 110mm rear Anthem 27.5 (only available this year in a few countries as 29ers have taken over the short travel trail bike market). If you're set on a Giant then this seems to be the one to get and there's currently some great discounts on the 2019 models. I'm thinking of getting one but want to try and sort a longer demo before I drop the cash as I'm not sure it will climb as well as my current 2017 27.5 Anthem.

As above though, the new Spark is worth demo'ing as another option.

Yes the Anthem 29 is a xc/race bike, but it is still fairly capable. It's not a modern trail bike but bikes like this are ridden on fairly gnarly stuff in world cups. I was pleasantly surprised by how capable it is - the stock 780mm bars help. I just wish the seat tube wasn't so bloody long on the large!

Having said that OP would be better off with the Trance - it's a trail bike and more of an all-rounder.

Thanks for the tips I may have to revisit the Trance again.

It was just the slow response of the steering. Perhaps I just need to be a bit more forceful with it, and submit it in to the corners more. I've ridden XC bikes for three decades, so it's going to be adjustment to my riding style.

Still open to tips and advice.

Will's Singletrack review of the Trance 29 says something about it taking more effort to move around and turn. Perhaps sizing up and / or running a shorter 35mm stem might quicken the handling?

I own an anthem 29er. Its quite scary on steep loose stuff but does ride it, did the devils staircase in glencoe for instance. The big shortcoming is travel, it just doesnt react well to any reasonable hit.

Wheels are also a bit noodley, but you can change that.

Most trail bikes will suit your needs and to quicken steering, wide bars, short stem.

A Medium Trance 27.5 is bang on for me at 5ft 8, for what that is worth.

Last season's medium Anthem 27.5?

https://www.paulscycles.co.uk/137/products/giant-anthem-1-275-full-suspension-mountain-bike-2018-charcoal.aspx

Nice spec with carbon rims and SRAM Eagle GX!

Limited options for a dropper

Its quite scary on steep loose stuff

I could happily live with the fact that the Anthem won't take any dropper posts that I could find last year, but what really really pissed me off is the stupid fancy ****in stupid Allen key wedge bolt thing they use instead of a seat post collar. On any other bike you can fit a QR collar or even adjust the height in seconds with an Allen key. With the stupid ****ing stupid fiddly monstrosity on the anthem changing seat height is bloody nightmare.

I find mine far too twitchy on tech stuff,eg Cavedale and Cadair Idris and was hoping to try to adapt it to make it more manageable. I could get one of the new droppers that was on the front-page last week to fix the seat height issue but that still leaves the twitch....
Would s slightly longer fork give dual benefits of longer travel and slacker angle?
Is it possible to adjust the fork or do I need to buy s new one?

Have a Trance 29er. Great for lots of XC and downhill stuff around the Peak District and North Wales. Feels well out of it’s depth at Valnord, but ok for a couple of days there once a year.

I bought a Anthem Pro Advanced last year with the intention of using it to do various stage races this year. Great bike hampered by the 27.2mm seat post diameter which in turn restricts what dropper posts can go on it.

Ended up selling it and then buying the Santa Cruz Blur TR which is pretty capable I've got to say - not as light as the Anthem (24 vs 22) but as a multi-day stage race bike will tackle some pretty steep terrain.

Personally for what you want to do I wouldn't recommend the Anthem.

Thanks for the advice.

I am going to have a quick go on a Anthem 29er tomorrow, but it looks more likely I'll go for the Trance 29er following the comments here. I'll just have to adapt to the slower steering and try a short stem etc.

Oh but they've got some Scott Sparks 29er as well.....

Have a look on tredz, they have some Trance 29ers reduced and have an additional 10% off code at the moment!

Thanks for all the advice. In the end I went for a Trance 29er 1.

Had a ride on it Saturday and very happy with it! Head angle isn't such an issue. Surprised how well it behaves downhill.

Thanks again.

bugger - realised he's already bought!