Giant Anthem Advanced SL SE review: A feast for the eyes

As colourful as a Matchbox car, the Giant Anthem Advanced SL rolls into our major comparison test of the latest high-end cross-country full-suspension bikes. To enable it to take part in this benchmark test, an XL frame in a limited-edition special design was specially converted to match the specifications of the Anthem Advanced SL SE frame. But there’s much more to this race bike than just its good looks. Beneath the eye-catching paintwork lies a carbon frame built to the very latest technological standards. Our test reveals whether the Giant Anthem Advanced SL SE can secure a lead in the race for the title of the world’s fastest XC bike.

​Conclusion

The Giant Anthem Advanced SL SE’s effortless handling and excellent rolling performance have left a lasting impression on me. No matter which XC race it is: I’d always be happy to line up at the start on a bike like this. Handling, control and a perfect riding position are the Giant’s strengths. The sporty suspension complements this perfectly. Other rear suspensions offer even more reserves on the downhill. - Jan Timmermann, BIKE editor

​The Giant Anthem Advanced SL SE in detail

• Intended use: Cross-country / Marathon
• Price: 12,499 euros
• Frame material: carbon
• Available sizes: S / M / L / XL
• Maximum system weight: 138 kg
• Warranty: lifetime
• Special features: Flex-Pivot, Flip-Chip

The race bike of the very best

Giant is widely recognised as the largest bicycle manufacturer on the planet. The Taiwanese have been building bike frames for 54 years – an age! This dominance brings with it a wealth of resources. As one of only a handful of manufacturers worldwide, Giant is able to produce its own specialised prepregs – the raw material for carbon fibre constructions. The optimisation of the Advanced SL frame begins long before the chassis takes shape. Production of the SL frame is highly automated. Robots cut and position the material. Thanks to the precision of the machines, less material is required than when assembled by hand, which ultimately saves weight.

The frame of the Giant Anthem Advanced SL is made from just 700 individual parts and is laminated in two large sections to eliminate the need for overlaps. Despite its lightweight design, this cross-country full-suspension bike is rated for a 138-kilo load and comes with a lifetime guarantee. This generous manufacturer’s promise inspires confidence in the durability of the Anthem Advanced SL frame. In size XL, we measured a frame weight of 1,836 grams in the BIKE test lab. When we first tested the bike around a year ago, this figure earned Giant the title of the third-lightest 29er full-suspension frame in the world, behind the Arc8 and Specialized. Since then, however, Canyon and Scott have also overtaken it with their new race bikes. The Anthem SL does not feature a frame storage compartment or any other mountings for accessories.

At breakneck speed

A red fork and a ridiculously loud sound from the rear hub make a bike faster – every racer knows that! But joking aside: the fact that the Giant Anthem Advanced SL SE feels incredibly fast right from the off isn’t just down to visual and auditory stimuli. In the saddle, the rider is sportily integrated into the frame triangle. The reach is modern and long but not overly generous, and the extremely wide handlebars – 780 millimetres as standard – draw the upper body towards the top tube. Cross-country racers will love the aggressive riding position with plenty of pressure on the front wheel. But even on long rides, the integration with the bike feels great. The riding position hits an efficient sweet spot and was extremely well received by our 1.90-metre-tall test riders.

When the Giant Anthem Advanced SL is in the open position, the rear end rocks slightly when riding out of the saddle. The platform damping is a welcome feature during races. On the top-of-the-range model, priced at 12,499 euros, this is handled fully automatically by RockShox’s Flight Attendant electronics. Apart from that, the rear suspension’s excellent traction earned plenty of praise from our testers on technical climbs. The medium pedal mode, in particular, offers a very well-tuned setup off-road. The wheels and complete build of the Anthem Advanced SL SE are lightweight and, in laboratory comparisons with the very best in cross-country cycling, achieve good results but not top marks. And yet: somehow, the Anthem Advanced SL feels livelier and faster than the isolated laboratory data would suggest.

This is likely due in part to the wheels. Cadex, the Taiwanese company’s premium in-house brand, laminates a high-volume hub body and wide, blade-style carbon spokes. The spokes are firmly laminated to the hub. At the centre are extremely smooth-running bearings. Their smoothness is not detected by our inertia test rig. In reality, however, the Giant rolls across the entire editorial car park with just a single, brief push. The wheels feel as though they turn without any resistance.

No bitching

Among World Cup cross-country bikes, the Giant Anthem Advanced SL SE is one of the more playful models. Short chainstays and an extremely low bottom bracket ensure agile handling, and when needed, the bike readily lifts the rear wheel or takes to the air. Even in the flat flip-chip setting, the head angle of 66.9 degrees is slightly steeper than that of the competition, and the wheelbase is moderate. The Giant masters successive hairpin bends particularly quickly. Riders who have mastered the technique can, for example, carry a great deal of speed through bends on the Anthem Advanced SL.

Generally speaking, the Anthem SL is neither a sluggish workhorse nor a temperamental diva. Compared to the highly specialised racing bikes from the competition, it rides with refreshing simplicity, without, however, lacking any competitive edge. We can’t fault the Giant for a lack of smoothness or control. You don’t have to think too much about handling on the Anthem – and that makes it fast! With thick HS2 rotors, the SRAM Motive four-piston brakes bite with gusto. The Maxxis Aspen tyres are tried-and-tested cross-country tyres, but they have a narrow sweet spot in wet conditions.

The suspension is well-balanced, reliably filtering out most of the bumps on the trail, but due to its early-kicking-in progression, it cannot quite match the shock absorption of the top-performing XC rear suspensions. Overall, the suspension feels a little sportier and stiffer than, for example, the 120mm rear suspensions on the new Scott Spark RC or the Specialized Epic 9. The Giant really shines in terms of control, particularly in the mid-travel range. This suits fast-paced riding on the XC course well, and for 90 per cent of the race, riders won’t find anything lacking. However, in this absolute top-end class, a bit of nit-picking is allowed: some competitors offer more reserves on rough terrain. Giant riders must choose their tyre pressure settings carefully, depending on the route profile.

​Measurements from the BIKE test laboratory

• Total weight: 11.07 kg (BIKE measurement, size XL, excluding pedals)
• Frame weight excluding shock absorber: 1836 g
• Weight of shock absorber: 417 g
• Fork weight: 1646 g
• Weight of wheels: 3875 g (front and rear combined, including tyres, brake discs and cassette)
• Inertia of the wheels: 3105 kg/cm² (the lower the value, the faster the acceleration)
• Frame stiffness (front/rear): 5.7 / 18.7 N/mm
• Customer service rating: 7 out of a maximum of 15 points (average)

Facilities

• Fork / Shock: RockShox SID / SIDluxe Ultimate Flight Attendant
• Drivetrain / Gear ratio: SRAM XX SL Eagle AXS transmission (1 x 12), 34; 10–52 (520 per cent)
• Brakes: SRAM Motive Ultimate, 180 / 160 mm
• Dropper post: SRAM Reverb AXS, 150 mm
• Wheels: Giant / Cadex XCR
• Tyres: Maxxis Aspen MaxxSpeed Exo TR, 29 x 2.4”

Strengths and weaknesses

Pro

• An eye-catching look in the special edition
• perfect seating position
• Wheels with smooth, effortless running
• straightforward, neutral handling
• High maximum system weight and a lifetime guarantee

Cons

• No delivery options for accessories
• less suspension travel reserve on rough terrain than other top XC bikes
• The weight of the frame and the complete bike has now been beaten by the competition

The BIKE rating

​The BIKE rating system is independent of price and is based on the school grading system.

​What do you think: would you be prepared to pay extra for a professional replica? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!