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Hi all
I am after as mentioned in the title a more xc bike for longer all day rides where a 150mm 27.5 all mountain bike is a bit overkill.
I've currently narrowed down the choice to either a giant anthem advanced 1 29 2022 or a santa cruz blur 2022 (unsure of the model designation) but both bikes around 6k
Anything else I'm missing?
Ideally around 100mm travel front and rear , 29 er, dropper and 1 x 12, carbon frame, carbon/composite rims
Had an anthem x1 26 of 2012 vintage and remember it being a great do it all bike, it was out of its depth on steep off piste trails, but I hear the geometry has moved on since then.
Looking forward to suggestions
Look at Travers - if you fancy Ti.
I have the 21 anthem 1 (think was the last metal one) - goes without saying the anthem rules for XC, so the advanced carbon one will be an excellent bike.
Is it new bike day or would you consider s/h? 20 or 21 anthem 1 and a new wheelset would be almost as good for half the price.
Look at Travers – if you fancy Ti.
Not sure the OP will enjoy the amount of travel on the rear of one of those 🤔
Ah, missed that he wanted FS.
Orbea Oiz looks good.
The anthem only take one bottle
For warranty I'd go with either Santa Cruz or Specialized S-Works.
For performance xc full sussers, I'd look at Cannondale, BMC or Trek.
I'd also try out a modern 'down country' type full susser. I've a 120mm Cannondale Scalpel SE and its both efficient and capable.
£1500 off if you're a medium
Hmmmm. A topic close to my heart.
My son has a 650 Anthem and it is a wondrous thing. So capable adaptable and light. It's done about 6years of uplift in Austria, Germany , France, Italian alps and Finale, Antur, Lecht. Loads of torridon, cairngorm, etc etc. It's bloody excellent bike.
I have a 29er advanced Anthem and it is:
Brilliant on road. 17.2mph measured average over 45km. ( I've never recorded over 18mph average even on my road bike)
Great on gravel.
Great for easy long rides. Did a few 100km+ part road part mtb ( eg macc forest & Buxton, or Jacobs Ladder from Altrincham type of thing)
But it's frankly shit off-road. An absolute liability, especially compared to my son's 650b. It shares the name and the paint job but nothing else.
Do not buy one Anthem based on how another different Anthem rides
It was great going up cadair iris, and OK on the track descent, but the top bit was awful in descent
It was great on the Woodhead part of Peak Lord of the Loops, but I walked most of cavedale.
It was great on the lrt bits of cairngorm loop, but shit on upper Glenfeshie and the other singletrack.
It was great back of skiddaw, but shit on Birketts Leap on the Bash.
Etc.
I hit it on the bounce from my Spec Enduro. I have now settled in the middle on an Occam which is better in every single way except road miles.
Is the seat clamp still a wedge these days? Whoever invented that needs shooting.
And 27.2mm seatpost. Bastards.
On the plus side the carbon rims lasted a hell of a lot better than the DTSwiss 1501xmcs I got recently, so not all bad.
Have a compare of the geometry of 2018 version with the one you're looking at. If they are similar then walk away.
If you still aren't deterred then you're welcome to take mine for a spin in the Peak to see just how bad they are (were)
HTH. And just in case it looks like I have something against giant or anthems or green bikes. ... the 650b version is the best bike per£ I have ever bought.
The 29er Advanced... not so much
Gary, was that a 29er or 27.5?
Same position as my 160mm 27.5 bike is overkill.... personally I'm between the Intense Sniper or Vitus Rapide FS but do also like the look of the new Anthem Advanced too
Done a quick comparison. Geometry is quite different between 2018 and 2022 so my input above is of limited use I think.
Eg head angle 67.5 instead of 69 degrees....
I mean that better, but still seems steep....
So bearing that in mind, I need to correct my initial post:
Do not not buy one 29er Anthem based on how another different 29er Anthem rides:-)
Mine is a 29er.
You wouldn't see big geo differences between recent anthem29 models I wouldn't have thought - they're not known for ersatz geometry innovations.
Mid spec Spark RC and add a dropper and carbon wheels.
It probably will be as capable as your 150mm 27.5 bike down hill anyway.
My son has a 650 Anthem and it is a wondrous thing. So capable adaptable and light.
I have a 29er advanced Anthem and it is...frankly shit off-road. An absolute liability
Does your son have one of the 2017 / 2018 27.5 Anthems? I used to have a 2017 alu one but with the fork travel increased to 130mm like the 2018 models (same frame across both years).
It rode more like an ultra-efficient trail bike than an XC race bike. Downcountry before the term had been coined. XC-BMX I'd call it. Amazingly fun bike.
The new 29er Anthem is a twitchy race bike with old skool geometry. OP, if you're not racing I'd personally go for something like the Blur TR (120mm model) Oiz TR, Epic Evo etc. In fact, any XC-biased 29er 120mm downcountry bike is going to ride very efficiently for longer rides, but also work for UK trail riding.
Just to echo the generalist, I used to love my Anthem 29er until I moved to my current Spark. I too now have an Occam (LT) and the Occam is showing me how to race the Spark much better downhill. As good as it was on flat trails and uphill, I’ve a feeling the Anthem held me back and knocked my confidence when it got rough.
As per bearback, a mid range Spark would is a great short travel trail bike.
In true STW tradition of recommended what you’ve got - Scott Spark 900RC
Mine is the old style with XTR and Sidi forks, the new version has a bit more travel.
Bloody superb bike imo and I’d buy another if I needed to replace it.
Good enough for Nino, Kate, Tony 4sett and a 54 year old fat man (me).
I am after as mentioned in the title a more xc bike for longer all day rides where a 150mm 27.5 all mountain bike is a bit overkill.
I’ve currently narrowed down the choice to either a giant anthem advanced 1 29 2022 or a santa cruz blur 2022 (unsure of the model designation) but both bikes around 6k
So a second bike for all day rides not racing
Anything else I’m missing?
About 3.5-4k????
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/29-inch-full-suspension-carbon-mountain-bike-rockrider-xc-900-white/_/R-p-325040?mc=8614815
some bits to upgrade if you must but ??
Vitus Rapide FS is 100mm front & rear with some pretty trail friendly geometry.
NS Synonym is the same frame available in 100mm or 120mm versions.
Both the above can be brought direct from Carbonda in China although the 120mm rear end on the FM936 has a bit of a wait (presumably until their tie in with NS Bikes expires).
Thanks for all the replies guys.
No I don't race, just enjoy multi day trips and big rides (70k 1600m climbing)
My other bikes are fine for this but obviously not the perfect tool and as mentioned above a bit over biked for the kind of terrain.
Technically it would be a 4th bike, I already have a 2019 giant trance advanced 1 and a 2017 trance 1 and a 2015 giant reign 2. (Bit of a Giant fanboy!)
I may consider selling one of them as I dont really need 4 bikes (or do I?! 🙂)
I've looked at the scott spark previously and been intrigued, must admit I'm not keen on the rear shock hidden behind the frame, but I'm not ruling it out.
The other bike that caught my eye was a canyon lux trail, but having read a few reviews it's descending capabilities were constantly critiqued.
To throw a spanner in the works, have just seen this on offer.
I know it's not xc, and I know it's a giant but boy am I tempted, I mean I could ride xc on it, right ? 😅
I had an Anthem but traded for a Specialized Epic Evo, evo bit is important as no Brain tech on it, 120mm front but carbon and, in my view, awesome for big old xc or marathon rides.
Done 1000s of miles on mine this year and not regretted the change once.
James
If you aren't racing I don't think there's any loss to going to a 120/120 long shocked xc bike with a dropper.
My NS synonym is barely heavier at 120 than it was at 100 (just removed the shock travel spacer and swapped 32 SC for 34).
Similarly, I'd ignore all of the personal anecdotes relating to any bikes prior to 2021 really - e.g. @thegeneralist's anthem would have had a 70 Deg head angle. The current model is like 67, a totally different bike.
For the budget quoted you could buy any sort of nice xx1 axs / xtr equipped secondhand bike. If you must go new, you won't get nice parts on a nice frame for that much so the bike will be more like 25-28lbs. I'd be tempted by a cheaper (Vitus FS) frame dripping carbon parts before a GX-equipped blur.
Edit, @sri16v
Just seen you said you have a 2019 trance advanced. Why not just buy some new bling wheels for that? It's a 115mm downcountry rocketship. I had the 0 model and have won xc races on it and ridden plenty of North lakes tech. It's literally the bike you're describing in your opening post. Neither over nor under. If you want a blinger one with dvo and carbon wheels - buy mine for just over £2k? 🙂
Hi @continuity my 2019 trance advanced is a 27.5 not a 29 er so has the fox 36 performance elite with 150mm travel, it also has the carbon frame and composite wheels.
I notice the rolling speed when out with a friend who has a 29 er and it's quite impressive how much faster it rolls compared to a 27.5
Really tempted by the above posted link of the trance x advanced 1 29, not the criteria I was originally looking at but really like the look of it.
Similarly, I’d ignore all of the personal anecdotes relating to any bikes prior to 2021 really – e.g. @thegeneralist’s anthem would have had a 70 Deg head angle. The current model is like 67, a totally different bike.
Hmm, Devil's in the detail here. My anthembis 69 not 70, and this year's is 67.5 not 67, so actually the difference between the two is half what you say.... 1.5 degrees not 3. IIRC
Does your son have one of the 2017 / 2018 27.5 Anthems?
Yep, 2017 I think
It rode more like an ultra-efficient trail bike than an XC race bike. Downcountry before the term had been coined. XC-BMX I’d call it. Amazingly fun bike.
Totally, 100% agree. Especially for a 35kg midget it was amazing
The new 29er Anthem is a twitchy race bike with old skool geometry.
Amen ( or at least mine defo was)
OP, if you’re not racing I’d personally go for something like the Blur TR (120mm model) Oiz TR, Epic Evo etc. In fact, any XC-biased 29er 120mm downcountry bike is going to ride very efficiently for longer rides, but also work for UK trail riding.
Totally
Really tempted by the above posted link of the trance x advanced 1 29, not the criteria I was originally looking at but really like the look of it.
My son's got a Trance, ( non X) and it's pretty good. Not a patch on the 2017 Anthem 27.5, but good.
Just to back up Conti's point, his Trance has done some proper solid stuff with great aplomb.
Twitchiness is usually defined by wheelbase, front centre, rake and head angle.
The old 27.5 anthem sx you loved has the same head angle as the 2023 anthem, the same wheelbase despite being 27.5 and a lower standover and shorter rake. Of course it's going to be more comfortable and less twitchy than your anthem. The 2022/23 will be none of those things - as you have found already - 1.5 degree ha can make a huge difference! Not only that, the 2023 anthem has a 2cm longer reach and a 3cm longer wheelbase - more akin to my 2019 trance in geometry than anything.
That's sort of what I meant. For most big brands there has been a step change in terms of combined adjustments to geometry that will make the experiences people are discussing not super valid anymore.
That's not to tell OP he need to buy my trance in the classifieds 😉 but that he should look for Enduro / trail bike geo in a lighter package with 29 wheels. Or, keep his 27.5 trance (basically a carbon renamed anthem sx) and bling it up a bit!
What about a Trek Top Fuel? I've just got one to slot between a Ti hardtail and a Starling Murmur and it does pretty much what you're describing. Mines not light (>14 kg) but it's very sprightly to pedal and the Geo makes it very capable.
Trek Top Fuel is a good shout, specifically one of the 2022 versions with 120mm front and back if you want it for XC. The new 2023 ones hitting stores at the moment have been beefed up a bit with 130mm forks and fit more into the short trail bike category (more similar to SC Tallboy / YT Izzo etc).
In true STW tradition of recommended what you’ve got
Ahem...
Intense Sniper?
Rocky mountain element.....new one but the old ones were fantastic.....