Old school meets new school - with its polished aluminium frame and blue anodised accents, the Giant Anthem brings back memories of bikes from the 90s. Yet the bike is anything but well worn: Hydroforming technology gives the aluminium tubes their exciting, cutting-edge shape. In the BIKE lab, the bike impresses with its low chassis weight (2.4 kilos with shock), light wheels, minimal drivetrain influences and very good geometry. The sensibly chosen equipment with top suspension elements from Fox crowns the harmonious overall picture.
First things first: the Giant Anthem is one of the best 29er full-sussers we've ridden so far. In the saddle, you don't notice that you're on a full-suspension bike, the suspension is extremely sensitive, there are no annoying effects and it provides plenty of travel and therefore riding comfort. As with the 26-inch full-suspension bikes from Giant, the Maestro suspension system does a good job. The large wheels don't stand out negatively either, quite the opposite. They extend the range of use, you can let it fly downhill, over steps and roots the larger diameter shows its strength.
PLUS Top chassis, low weight
MINUS Straight handlebars, grips rotate
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