Giant Anthem 27.5 1

The Anthem is a stalwart of Giant’s mountain bike range. Since 2007 various incarnations of the Anthem have been relied upon to cover the distance as quickly as possible, by Giant sponsored riders and weekend warriors alike. Giant’s short travel dually began life as an awkward looking 90mm travel, 26-inch wheeled alloy machine. Long stems, narrow flat bars and steep head angles were the order of the day, and the Anthem delivered on all accounts. Just as the expectations of riders have evolved, so too has the Anthem. In alloy or carbon, the Anthem we see in 2014 has been through three major design revisions and three different wheel sizes!

For 2014 Giant has jumped into the 27.5 inch wheel game in a big way – a really big way. Giant says they started testing all three wheel sizes in 2011 and concluded that 27.5 offered the best balance of positives relative to the negatives, so the decision was made to invest heavily in 27.5 for the future. As we noted, the original Anthem used 26-inch wheels, then along came a single 29-inch Anthem model in 2011. By 2013 the 26-inch wheeled Anthem was relegated the history books, replaced by a range of 29-inch wheeled models.

Giant’s integration of the 29er was incremental but the arrival of the 27.5 Anthem is more like a hostile takeover. In 2013 Giant offered 22 models of 29er. For 2014 they have 24 models of 27.5 and only eleven 29ers. Giant’s global off-road category manager recently stated that 27.5 inch wheels ‘end the wheel war for Giant’. So there you have it; according to the world’s biggest bike maker 27.5 is ‘the answer’.

The latest Anthem, dubbed the ‘Anthem 27.5’, comes with a matched 100mm of front and rear wheel bounce. All models use an alloy rear triangle mated to an alloy or carbon front end via the same hardware and linkages. Giant typically develops a new model in alloy before releasing a carbon version after one or two seasons. The 27.5 Anthem hit the ground running, with both alloy and carbon versions on offer from the outset—there will be two models in each frame material for 2014. The same applies with their new 140mm travel Trance 27.5 and the XTC 27.5 hardtails. It’s a comprehensive line-up of both alloy and carbon 27.5 models—they really are taking an all-or-nothing approach in their first year of making mountain bikes with the ‘tweener’ wheel size.

Our Anthem 27.5 1 is the upper end alloy model. It retails for $3,299 and comes with a Shimano XT/SLX spec and Fox Performance level CTD suspension at both ends. The same frame is also offered on the $2,699 Anthem 27.5 2 but it gets SRAM X.7 running gear and RockShox suspension. In either case you are buying a great value bike—something Giant has built their reputation on.

Mass Production Masters

The frame of our alloy Anthem 27.5 is beautifully constructed. When it comes to fabricating in alloy there are few that can take the game to Giant—especially at a mass-production level. The welds on the front triangle are smoothed before a thick and glossy coat of Giant-blue and white paint is applied. All of the frame components (such as the linkages and drop-outs) are forged for greater strength and they are also scalloped out in various places to save weight. The suspension hardware on our test bike was also perfect and precise. It’s a lesson in how to produce an elegant machine in volume, and there’s no doubt that Giant makes it look easier than it is.

Much of the cable routing on the new frame runs internally. Only the rear brake hose sits outside of the frame, travelling underneath the down tube and along the non-drive chainstay. Both derailleur cables enter the boxy down tube from the side, just behind the head tube. The entry ports are rectangular and reasonably large with rubber grommets used to plug the holes. These grommets are angled to create a smooth curve where the cables enter the frame and the rubber also supports the gear housing to avoid rattles. There are also provisions for a ‘stealth’ style dropper post, with a hole at the base of the seat tube—the cable just shares the gear cable ports on the down tube. Giant uses blanking grommets to fill the front derailleur holes on models that come fitted with SRAM 1x11 and they look totally pro! All in all the internal cabling is nicely done, and while cable replacement gets a little trickier, it shouldn’t cause bike mechanics too much stress.

The pivot hardware is easy to access and it held the back end of the Anthem together without a creak or groan. However, if Giant has missed one point on the Anthem it’s the user-friendliness of the pivot hardware. Tightening the pivots requires various combinations of four, five and eight millimetre allen keys plus flat sided 12mm and 19mm spanners, and none of the hardware is marked with a torque rating—it’s not a big deal but we’ve seen it done better.

More than a Wheel Size

When looking at the new Anthem 27.5 and the 29er that came before it, it’s difficult to make comparisons based solely on the wheel size change. Each bike is unique with different components and frame geometry that will affect the handling and performance above and beyond the variation in wheel diameter. However, we feel that it’s entirely reasonable to compare the old and the new as a complete package. With each new generation of bikes we expect to see progression and design development, so it’s only fair to compare the Anthem 27.5 with its predecessor; the Anthem X 29.

Our large Anthem 27.5 frame hit the scales at 2,604g. When we last had an Anthem 29er on test, the frame was surprisingly svelte at 2,490g. That bike had the raw alloy finish which usually saves around 100g over the painted version, so it seems the frame weight is very similar for the 27.5 and 29-inch versions. Of course you stand to shed a few grams with the smaller 27.5 wheels and tyres, and the shorter 27.5 fork will be lighter too, but overall there’s not a massive weight difference with the new model. With mainly XT running gear our Anthem 27.5 1 came in at 11.9kg excluding pedals; that’s within 50g of the similarly spec’d Anthem X29er 1 that we last reviewed. All things being equal, a 27.5 wheeled bike should be a few hundred grams lighter than a 29er. This all points towards the new Anthem 27.5 being more robustly built and Giant does advertise the new model as being substantially stiffer.

Giant has used the ground-up redesign as an opportunity to modernise the Anthem and tidy a few things up. It’s got much cleaner cable routing than before and the dropper post integration is an added bonus. Giant finally provides compatibility with 142x12mm rear axles; in theory this should boost stiffness and it also brings their bikes in line with the latest standards.

There is a catch however, as the Anthem 27.5 1 doesn’t actually come with a 142mm rear hub or axle—although at first glance you’d be entirely forgiven for thinking that it did. The dropouts are fitted with adaptors that allow a regular 135mm quick release hub to be used, and that’s what our test bike came with. Swap to the optional 142x12mm adaptors and you can fit a sturdier thru-axle, but you’ll need you buy a different rear hub or wheel to complete the package. As it stands, the 9mm axle and adaptor setup makes wheel removal slower than with a regular quick release but doesn’t offer the stiffness benefits—it appears to be a simple cost cutting measure.

And what of the Anthem’s race credentials? The original 26-inch Anthem was unapologetically race-focused; it came with an extremely steep 72-degree head angle and an 80mm travel fork! Even on a present day 29er those numbers would create a super-fast steering set up. Thankfully the 27.5 1 is a comparatively mellow in the steering department; it’s more relaxed than the X 29 and way slacker than the beast that originally carried the Anthem family name. The 69.5 degree head angle is roughly in the sweet spot for 100mm travel bike at the moment, and the 730mm-wide riser bar is a far cry from the skinny twig that bull-horned the first generation Anthem. The profile of the 27.5 is far more ‘trail bike’ than ‘race bike’. It looks chunky and aggressive, like a bike made for shredding flowing singletrack rather than stem-chewing climbs.

Slacker Generation

Hit the dirt, especially if you’ve ever spent some time on the 29-inch Anthem, and the 27.5 is an entirely different experience, so much so that to call both bikes ‘Anthem’ is almost misleading. Yes, the smaller 27.5 wheels definitely lend a different feel, but the nature of the bike is really defined by the frame geometry and they’re practically from different planets.

Slacker in front and with a trail-worthy wide bar, the 27.5 is instantly keen on heading downhill or aiming at sweeping corners. While the wheelbase of 27.5 is only 5mm shorter than the X29, the chainstays measure just 432mm compared with the postcode breaching 459mm stays on the X29. This creates a longer front-centre and a more rearward weight bias on the 27.5 bike. With this geometry the Anthem doesn’t feel nervous on steep roll-ins and you can pop the rear wheel off and over trail obstacles as required—it comes across as being eager to attack the trail and that makes for an engaging ride. If the X29 is vanilla then 27.5 is mint choc-chip; sharp and chunky but still a sweet treat.

Thanks to Giant’s efficient Maestro suspension platform, the Anthem 27.5 ascends as well as its forefathers. Seated climbing is perfectly fine, even with the rear Fox CTD shock set to ‘Descent’ mode. The middle Trail mode was probably the best all-round option; it could handle pretty much anything, seated or standing, climbing or descending. The ‘Climb’ mode was really only for the tarmac, and most of the time I’d only bother with the ‘Descend’ setting on really long downhills.

Out of the box the 27.5 1 has everything it needs to be a workhorse trail machine, which sets it up perfectly to be refined by the end user. The drivetrain is a combination of Shimano XT and SLX with XT brakes—bankable blue-collar performance there. The Giant branded wheels are solid and great for everyday trail thrashing. With some more aggressive tyres, a dropper post and shorter stem, the Anthem 27.5 could serve as a super-fun technical XC animal that’s capable of riding up whatever gets in the way. Just remember that Giant uses their Overdrive 2 head tube sizing with a 1 ½ to 1 ¼ inch steerer tube, so the range of compatible handlebar stems will be narrowed.

Whether the Anthem will serve as a full-blooded XC race machine really depends on the nature of the course as well as your individual preferences. The frame is pretty light for an alloy dually, so investing in lighter wheels and cockpit parts could get the Anthem under 11kg without too much fuss. It’s also stiff and efficient to pedal, so laying down the power is never an issue. However the slacker feel of the 27.5 compared with previous Anthems might surprise some ‘XC-purists’—it’s not the tight and twitchy nervous handling bike that many associate with XC racing. The new Anthem 27.5 is a bike that really comes into its own on rough and technical XC courses. It may lack the razor-sharp handling that’s traditionally associated with XC racing but it’s easy to throw around and encourages the rider to get a bit rowdy on the descents.

Most of us aren’t world cup racers and with the Anthem 27.5, the fundamentals are in place to have a rippingly good time on the trail. The versatility is right up there on this bike and Giant has made it as future-proof as they can. It’s stiff enough to take some rough treatment in its stride and it pedals well enough to satisfy those who worry about their wattage and lactic threshold too. Cruising the trails is fun on the 27.5 and climbing is a breeze, but it really finds its calling when the rider takes charge. Grab the wide bars for all they’re worth, give the pedals a good heave and really get stuck into working the trail. The more the rider puts into the 27.5 the more it returns.

Thumbs Up

Stiff and solid

Totally sorted rear suspension

Versatile and always up for a challenge 

Thumbs Down

Doesn’t come with 142x12 rear axle as standard

Not as ‘racy’ as some might expect 

Specifications

Frame: ALUXX SL Alloy

Shock: Fox Performance CTD 100mm travel

Fork: Fox Float Performance CTD 15QR 100mm travel

Headset: Giant OverDrive 2, 1 1/4 - 1 1/2

Handlebars: Giant Connect SL 730mm

Stem: Giant Connect SL OverDrive 2

Shifters: Shimano SLX

Front Derailleur: Shimano SLX

Rear Derailleur: Shimano XT Shadow Plus

Cassette: Shimano HG81 11/36 10-speed

Chain: KMC X10 SL

Cranks: Shimano XT 26/38

Bottom Bracket: Shimano

Pedals: N/A

Brakes: Shimano XT

Rims: Giant P-XC Alloy

Spokes: DT Swiss Competition

Hubs: Giant Tracker Sport

Tyres: Schwalbe Racing Ralph EVO 2.25

Saddle: Fizik Tundra MG rail

Seatpost: Giant Connect SL Alloy

Weight: 11.9kg without pedals (Large frame 2,604g)

Available Sizes: XS, S, M, L (tested), XL

Price: $3,299

Distributor: Giant Bicycles Australia www.giant-bicycles.com