A GIANT STEP FORWARD FOR XC?

All-new suspension design for Giant’s Anthem cross-country bike

The new Giant Anthem is the latest in a long line of top-flight XC race bikes to switch to a so-called ‘flexstay’ system, following the lead of the Santa Cruz Blur, Specialized Epic, Scott Spark and a host of others.

Giant’s new ‘FlexPoint Pro’ set-up replaces the twin links of their Maestro platform with a single main pivot and rocker-actuated shock, with flex built into the rear triangle helping to keep everything in line as the suspension compresses. The advantages of this, according to the Taiwanese brand, are excellent kinematics, fewer bearings to service and a 250g weight saving over the previous virtual pivot point design. While Maestro will still be used on Giant’s longer-travel bikes, it seems that when it comes to XC racing, this lighter, simpler system is preferred.

The Anthem’s geometry has been updated, too – its head angle is now a slacker 67.5 degrees, reach figures have increased by up to 24mm on each size and seat tubes are both shorter and steeper.

Four builds will be available internationally, but we’ll only see two in the UK – a £7k bike with Fox’s electronicallycontrolled Live Valve suspension and a Shimano XT-based spec, and a £5k one with regular suspension and Shimano SLX. Both get a 110mmtravel Fox 34 StepCast fork, rather than the XCspecific Fox 32, reflecting the increasingly gnarly nature of XC race courses, along with lightweight carbon fibre wheels.