It’s finally here and I got to spend a week rallying it around Cape Town. So how good is the World Champ’s bike?

| WORDS: Myles Kelsey | IMAGES: Nick Muzik | LOCATION: TokaiMTB, Cape Town |

The Anthem Advanced SL is a completely new XC and Marathon race whip. Geometry, travel, kinematics, raw materials of the frame, the manufacturing process, wheels and the cockpit have all been rethought, redesigned and remade.

Giant openly acknowledges Alan Hatherly’s role in shaping the Anthem’s ride characteristics. The goal for the new bike: to maximize pedalling efficiency while increasing capability in demanding terrain. Many months later and before the bike had even seen its global launch, Hatherly piloted the new Anthem to a commanding World Championship victory. If ever there was a fairy tale, this was it.

What isn’t public knowledge, is during it’s development and in those few months that the manufacturing was moving from the alloy prototype to the pre-production carbon frames, Alan actually asked if he could race the aluminum prototype at World Cups. He felt that although heavier, the aluminum prototype was already so much faster than the outgoing carbon model so he wanted to be on it right away. He would take the knock and ‘deal with the extra weight’. Remarkable. Understandably, his request was declined. Nevertheless, that’s a pretty powerful endorsement on the redesign.

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Video Review

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The Bike

Giant sent in the Advanced SL 0 model for testing. It has plenty of bling and retails at R184k. Think of it as the racer’s edition. Although, for the most discerning shopper there is one model above known as SL SE, which gets the Flight Attendant (aka electronic suspension) treatment and retails for, ahem, R269k. Let’s say that would be the professional’s race whip, or, just someone who wants and can afford the absolute best-of-the-best. If you can, why not?

There are two other models in the lineup, the SL 1 and the SL 3 that retail for R134k and R74k respectively. Crucially, and this is something that riders looking at these two models will smile at, all the carbon frames in the entire lineup are the same.

It’s the same geometry and the same carbon layup. They also have the same secret sauce in the highly technical layup and manufacturing process I’ll touch on in a moment. And, in case you were wondering, all the Anthem models are also exactly the same frame that *Sir Alan Hatherly races on. (*I’ve said before he should be Knighted for his services.)

A new production method allows the front triangle to be created in a single mold, using larger and fewer sections of carbon. Giant says the result is a structure that’s both stronger and lighter. Interestingly there’s still around 700 individual pieces of carbon in the frame. On the scales, a painted size medium frame weighs just 1,530 grams which is an 89 gram saving over the previous generation. Not much for most riders, but if you are chasing every possible marginal gain you’ll take it. For the real-world bean-counters, a frame with all the mountain hardware, headset and headset bolts, top cap, spacers and derailleur meat, weighs in at 1746 grams.

Essentially, the Anthem’s low weight and high strength comes down to Giant’s highly technical manufacturing process. At the heart of it is their own carbon layup which is woven in-house and then combined with a proprietary resin. This resin works at a microscopic level to form what Giant describes as tiny internal buttresses, increasing frame strength by up to 14% compared to carbon without the secret sauce.

While the front triangle benefits from the new one-piece molding process, the more visually dramatic update comes in the suspension layout. Giant’s revised FlexPoint Pro system partially integrates the shock into the top tube and represents a significant departure from the previous Anthem design.

Giant worked closely with Fox and RockShox to refine shock tunes, chasing every incremental gain in suspension performance. Particular emphasis was placed on improving small-bump sensitivity throughout the travel, while maintaining strong bottom-out resistance.

Central to the redesign was improving suspension efficiency by minimizing unwanted spring forces that can be introduced by flex-stay systems. On the new Anthem, Giant says most of the flex from the flex-stay design, occurs in the mid-stroke of travel which is precisely where the shock is best able to manage it. Here’s the kicker: by effectively isolating the shock from much of the spring ramp created by flexing flex-stays, the design delivers improved small-bump compliance across the full range of travel. Another way to think about this is by having a stronger structure with less flex, there’s fewer ‘external’ forces working against the shocks compression and rebound damping so the shock can do exactly what it is tuned to do.

Both the front and rear suspension have three possible lockout settings that are actioned through the RockShox TwistLoc, mounted next to the grip. There’s a fully rigid locked out mode, a pedal mode and then a fully open option. Geometry is adjustable via a flip-chip housed within the shock mount, offering both high and low settings. Depending on the flip chip setting, the head angle is either 66.5 or 67-degrees, with a BB drop that’s either 45 or 51mm, respectively.

By shifting the shock from the downtube to the top tube, there’s plenty of real estate to accommodate two water bottles, inside the main frame. That’s a massive bonus. Rear travel has increased from 100mm to 120mm, delivered through a single-pivot layout paired with the FlexPoint Pro suspension system and a full carbon rear triangle.

Maximum chainring size is 34T and the tyre clearance is up to 2.4 inches. The new wheels have a 5mm thicker rim bead, with a rounded edge, that Giant says improves durability and reduces pinch flats. The rear hub features a lightning quick, 3-degree engagement. There’s four frame sizes available with reach numbers running from 420 to 490mm, covering riders between 1.6 and 2m tall. Topping it off is Giant’s new one-piece cockpit that saves weight, increases stiffness and adds a whole lot of bling.

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Ride Impressions

Rolling out onto fire roads in Tokai on the Anthem, the first thing I thought is: “Okay, this thing means business.” Rocky climbs that usually feel like you’re pedaling through an earthquake? The Anthem barely raises an eyebrow. It locks in, you sit tall, watts into the pedals and it just keeps driving forward. I feel like Alan – for two minutes, then I blow up and turn the throttle off. But seriously, gooi watts and there’s no wallowing, no hesitation, just forward momentum like the bike’s taking bets on me PRing the next climb.

Climbing out of Tokai’s lower sections where the fire road pitches up and the rocks resemble a scrapyard, I’m impressed with how the Anthem stays glued to the ground. Over the jankiest sections of the climb, it’s impressively efficient and smooth for a lightweight race-bred machine.

Again, I dump power through the cranks, and instead of feeling like the trail is chewing my watts and momentum, the bike seems to digest it, and feed it back to me by chucking me up the next incline. Especially what I notice is seated climbs that would normally have me gritting teeth and shifting around in the saddle feel easier, smoother and faster.

Now let’s talk about those bumpy bits of trail. You know the sections, rutted traverses with chunky rock, baby-head size stones and single-track that feels like you’re on a 1980’s Hilux with original suspension that’s done 300 000km! In those moments, the Anthem’s rear end feels like it’s been told to behave – like it’s acting under instruction from the suspension gods. There’s an actual plush yet efficient feeling coming from the suspension. I can stay in the saddle, feed power to the pedals, and let the trail’s nastiness roll off instead of battering my butt and forearms. It’s like the bike is whispering, “I got you…” while still making sure you’re launching forward.

Descents on the Anthem are absolute grin-factories. The trails around Tokai have that perfect soup of roots, rocks and ruts that can provide joy but they can also punish a lack of precision. In the gnar, the Anthem does a great job of staying composed. The front wheel tracks terrain like glue and deals with loose stones and sandy bits equally competently. I feel like I can actually choose lines that I would on my 160mm machine, instead of wincing around them. It has a planted feeling that I’ve felt on only a handful of XC machines and in some situations it definitely reacts more like a trail bike, than an XC. Which makes it a safer bike for everyone. It’s fun too. A lot of fun.

And on the techy singletrack? I’m thinking how to describe this and I’m going to say this bike doesn’t just handle tech, it partners with me becoming more of an extension of my body. Intuitively doing what I want it to. And I don’t say that often about bikes! When I read the terrain and decide what I want to do, it answers with a yes. When I flick it over roots, boost rock gardens or add some steeze on the tables, it doesn’t argue back. Drop watts on sketchy climbs, (even over roots or slick surfaces!) it bites in and drives forward.

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Bottom Line

Whether it’s rough fire roads, rocky singletrack, descents or techy lines, the Anthem is an operator. It climbs with confidence, soaks up nastiness without dulling power delivery, and turns anything sketchy into funny-grin territory. On smoother surfaces it holds speed incredibly well – even with the suspension open.

The new Anthem is the epitome of a contemporary XC and Marathon race bike. It’s already proven on the international circuits and I think can handle any kind of terrain you’ll find on the South African Marathon, Stage Race or XCO circuits. I didn’t get a whole lot of riding in on it but from what I did experience, I do think it might very well be the best on the market right now. It’s honestly hard to see how Giant could have made it any better and I think it’s one of (if not the best) XC bikes I’ve ridden. //

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