Giant sees the Anthem X as the saviour of the pedal-powered trail bike. It’s the (slightly) longer-travel version of Giant's World Championship-winning Anthem Advanced SL, launched at the same time, blending XC efficiency with a ride more suited to having fun on the trail.
The Anthem X Advanced SL sports 120mm of rear-wheel travel and 130mm of suspension at the front.
The chassis is all-new, with Giant's FlexPoint Pro suspension Giant’s take on the single-pivot flex-stay arrangement that dominates the XC and short-travel trail markets.
I tested the bike on Giant’s home test tracks near its HQ and factory sites in Taichung, Taiwan, to get a feel for how it rides.
It’s certainly a bit of a rocket ship on a wide range of trails, and doesn’t shy away from the steeps, whether they’re up or down.
Giant Anthem X Advanced SL 0 frame details
The Anthem X Advanced SL is nearly identical to the XC race version (which loses the ‘X’ from the name), and utilises Giant's Advanced SL construction technology first found in the latest-generation TCR road bike.
While many carbon frames use air-inflated bladders to form the inside of the carbon tubes during moulding, Giant’s new technology uses a much more advanced internal mould.
This enables two things. First, the front triangle is formed as a single piece, rather than multiple tubes that are bonded together later.
Second, it allows for more precise control of the internal structure of the tubes, effectively enabling better butting and shaping of the tubes, leaving them as smooth and contoured as the outer surfaces.
This helps shave weight and control flex better, according to Giant.
Flex-less flex-stays
Giant’s FlexPoint Pro suspension linkage is used at the rear.
This is a flex-stay single-pivot design, similar to that found on many XC race bikes. Giant claims, though, that its leading competitor’s frame flexes eight times more.
As the rear triangle rotates through its travel, without a shock, you can feel resistance to the motion as the frame flexes in any flex-stay arrangement. By reducing this, there’s less uncontrolled and unwanted force interacting with the rear shock.
What resistance there is with FlexPoint Pro is concentrated around the sag point, adding a hint of stabilisation to the suspension here.
Elsewhere, we see internal frame storage, with a foam lining to reduce rattling, and cables routed through the headset.
This, Giant claims, has been designed to keep moisture out better, with additional sealing and stainless steel bearings, and conforms to SRAM’s guidance on cable routing, which suggests limits for the degrees of bend cables are routed through, preventing compromised shift or dropper-cable performance.
Giant Anthem X Advanced SL 0 geometry
There’s nothing extreme about the Anthem X’s shape; it has a well-trodden geometry that throws up no surprises.
A flip chip provides High and Low settings; the geometry chart below is for the bike in the Low setting.
| Size | S | M | L | XL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reach (mm) | 415 | 440 | 460 | 485 |
| Stack (mm) | 606 | 611 | 620 | 629 |
| Head tube angle (degrees) | 66 | 66.1 | 66.1 | 66.1 |
| Seat tube angle (degrees) | 75 | 75.1 | 75.1 | 75.1 |
| Seat tube length (mm) | 400 | 420 | 465 | 495 |
| BB drop (mm) | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 |
| Wheelbase (mm) | 1145 | 1172 | 1196 | 1225 |
| Chainstay (mm) | 437 | 437 | 437 | 437 |
| Top tube (mm) | 577 | 603 | 625 | 653 |
| Standover (mm) | 774 | 770 | 762 | 757 |
Giant Anthem X Advanced SL 0 specification
This top-level model is decked out with the best kit available.
Giant’s Cadex XCR carbon wheels feature a 120-point freehub for a 3-degree engagement angle, carbon spokes and a broad rim wall to ward off punctures in the Maxxis Rekon and Rekon Race tyres.
Fox supplies the suspension: a 130mm 34 SL Factory fork and a custom Float SL shock.
The latter has had the equalisation chamber removed to increase the positive air-spring volume, and the dimple between the positive and negative air chambers has been moved at Giant’s request.
Shimano’s XTR family provides the gears and four-piston brakes.
Up front, there’s an integrated bar/stem combo from Giant, while further back there’s a Fox Transfer Neo seatpost.
Giant Anthem X Advanced SL 0 spec
- Advanced SL composite frame, 120mm FlexPoint Pro suspension
- Fox 34 SL Factory fork, GRIP X damper
- Fox Float SL Factory shock, 210/50
- Giant XCR WheelSystem
- Maxxis Rekon / Rekon Race 29x2.4in
- Shimano M9250 XTR Di2 drivetrain and M9220 XTR 4-piston brakes
- Giant Integrated XC cockpit, 780mm-wide, 50-70mm stem length (S-XL)
- Fox Transfer Neo dropper post and Giant Grit SLR saddle
- CAD $11,699 / other prices TBC
Giant Anthem X Advanced SL 0 initial ride impressions
I rode the Anthem X for a day on Giant’s test trails in Taichung, Taiwan. The trails were fast and flowing, with short and punchy climbs, a few steep chutes, and plenty of twists and turns.
For a full review, I’d need to ride the bike on my local tracks to get a full impression of its performance, but these are my initial takes.
Giant Anthem X Advanced SL 0 climbing performance
With its XC DNA, it shouldn’t be surprising that the Anthem X is a stellar climber.
On the short, punchy climbs of my test loops, it felt as though every ounce of power was directed between the cranks and rear wheel, with instant acceleration not hampered by any unwanted bob or wallow at the shock.
Turn into an ascent and jump on the pedals, and the bike feels as though it wants to drive forward. The 3-degree engagement angle of the rear hub only adds to this urgency, with no deadstroke or clunk as the freehub is engaged.
Where these steeper ascents got tight between trees, the Anthem X seemed to navigate narrow gaps and sharp corners easily. There’s no front-wheel wander or lazy handling here.
The rear shock remained stable on prolonged climbs. During my test laps, I never needed to reach down to the lockout lever on the Fox damper – and I didn’t miss the lack of a shock remote.
Over chunkier ground, there’s not the total isolation from the bumps you might get from long-travel, plush trail bikes, but nor is the ride choppy or uncomfortable, and you can maintain your pedalling rhythm.
The Rekon Race tyre at the back is fast-rolling, giving the Anthem X a zippy feel. Shimano’s XTR groupset had no issues with last-minute shifts as gradients steepened, while shifting across the block was fast and accurate when I was trying to keep up with fast French journos.
Giant Anthem X Advanced SL 0 descending performance
Testament to the progression of XC and XC-derived bikes over the past couple of years, the descending performance of the Anthem X impressed during my test loops.
The geometry, although not as radical as some dedicated trail bikes, is still shapely enough to give confidence on a range of terrain, from fast and flowy to steep and loose.
On those steep chutes, the bike didn’t feel as if it wanted to tip me forward – long gone are the days of sketchy and nervous handling on short-travel bikes.
The Fox 34 SL fork is stout enough to provide decent tracking through corners, and doesn’t twist and twang on the trails this bike is built to tackle.
If you weigh more and ride rowdy terrain, there will be a fair bit of flutter, though.
The fork didn't feel quite as smooth as the RockShox SID found on the XC variant of the Anthem I also rode (briefly). However, when combined with a broad 2.4in Rekon tyre and an integrated cockpit that didn’t feel as harsh as many do, there was ample up-front comfort.
It’s a similar story at the rear.
The custom Fox shock has an efficient firmness to it, without being harsh or pingy.
The kinematics give a good platform to push against, so lofting the Anthem X into the air, or generating speed through rollers, is a satisfying process.
The damping felt a little firmer than it did on the RockShox SIDLuxe-equipped Anthem, and so small-bump chatter was a little more pronounced.
However, we’re talking on the margins here. The FlexPoint Pro suspension is an effective partner on a short-travel ripper such as this.
The geometry isn’t super-stretched, but the 66-degree head angle and 460mm reach on the size-Large bike in its Low setting make it more than capable of taking on all but the gnarliest of tracks.
Although it's skinny-looking, I’ve always been impressed the Maxxis Rekon's tread. The tyre blows up fairly square on the 30m internal carbon rims, making the small shoulder tread blocks a touch more prominent.
Leaning over, there’s always far more grip than you might imagine from this tyre. In a straight line, it rolls fast, paired with the Rekon Race at the rear.
As soon as the trail pitches downhill gently, additional speed is not far away.
The four-piston Shimano XTR brakes are more than powerful enough for a 120/130mm-travel bike. Their snappy performance adds confidence, although the large rear caliper requires a noticeable hump in the rear seatstay to give clearance.
Giant Anthem X Advanced SL 0 early verdict
With only a day’s riding on the Anthem X, it's not possible to draw out too many conclusions about the bike.
However, I’d say there’s tons of potential here, and it’s a bike I’d love to spend more time on.
The geometry and spec package backs up what is a capable chassis, and I suspect this bike would feel great on a wide range of rides, from flat-out blasts to epics.
With more time, I’d like to play around with the suspension more, to fine-tune its feel and get even more suppleness out of it.
