Giant Anthem Pro 29 vs Niner RKT9 RDO

After a few days of testing a 2018 Giant Anthem Pro 29 0 I do a comparison with it my Niner RKT9 RDO
First Look video of the Anthem: • 2018 Giant Anthem Adva...
Ride Review of the Anthem:
• 2018 Giant Anthem Adva...
Fund the channel: www.patreon.com/clintg

[@AaronSchroder]

This morning I went to the local Giant demo day to ride the Anthem Pro 29er 1 followed by the Anthem Advanced 27.5. The 29er was my pick of the two as a full noise fast xc bike. It was only slightly quicker than the 27.5 for my local undulating trails but but it handled so well. Cornering was so precise and it rolled so nicely up and down. It even felt pretty stable on the slightly steeper bumpy descents (nothing technical). Very nice bike that would be a great partner for my Trance Adv 1. Time to start working on the wife. She's not so convinced about the N+1 rule but give me time. Haha. Thanks as always for the video Clint.

[@banner67b]

nice review. I have the 2017 Anthem Advanced 0 (27.5) it is a great bike. The two things I miss for XC racing are: 1) no remote lockout for either front or rear 2) 29" wheel. they seem to roll over roots and rocks better and that helps hold the speed over those bumpy sections. I would have preferred the 2018 you reviewed, but I needed a new bike for racing, so I opted to try the 27.5er. Still a super fun bike!!!!

[@coreymclernon]

Wow! Great look at comparing the two bikes Clint. No doubt about your knowledge of both companies. I’ve seen your visit to Niner and also I’ve seen how you have been riding Giant for a long time. I just bought the Anthem that you are reviewing in this video and have just a couple things to add. I have been riding a Yeti ASR-C in a size large, which I love. It had to go back to Yeti for a warranty issue so I was without a bike and had some people coming to visit and ride. I needed a bike and they had this in the shop so I took it for a spin and loved how quick it was so I bought it! Well now that I got my Yeti back, I have to of the same bikes.... kind of. So kind of a little comparison here. I feel the Giant, like you said is fast. You step on the pedals and it goes! I also feel the maestro suspension has a great pedaling platform. Seated or standing, it doesn’t bob barely at all. If your climbing a fire road or really smooth single track you can hit the lock out and sprint or stand with out any movement. So here’s my goat with your review. And no offense please, but your single track is pretty timid and not technical at all, from what I can tell. I live in the mountains of Colorado and in a area that we are building tons of trails. Here in Snowmass Village alone,we have so much riding of all kinds. Smooth flowing single track to technical downhill courses. You really need more the one bike. But your right, the Giant is stable at high speeds but I feel it is super agile and can make tight turny sections easily. I seem to over turn a lot of them even. My beef with the new Anthem is, why would you not have a little bit more of a sloping top tube? And why not have your own proprietary dropper post at least as a option? Especially with a obscure seat post diameter? You said you would leave the Ikon tires on there. To each their own on that but, Ikons are fast but not well suited to a bike like this that puts the rider over that front tire so much. It makes you have great traction in the front but the back end washes out. Also why not take advantage of the front end traction and put a nice ardent or something a little more aggressive on there? I also feel your buddy cutting those bars down didn’t do him any favors. Did you know that with the new maestro suspension you can put about ten psi less air in it? My rear shock feels almost bottomless. Anyway, that’s my take on it. My bike is much better with more aggressive tires and by lowering the air pressure in the rear shock its buttery smooth. Now if they had a light weight dropper to go down a few inches this thing would be pretty close to perfect!

[@jrbowens]

corey mclernon I have found there isn't enough weight over the front wheel with this 69 degree head angle myself.

[@JEllesgaard]

corey mclernon chainreactioncycles has a good cheap 27.2 dropper www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobile/dk/en/brand-x-ascend-cx-dropper-seatpost/rp-prod159175 But be aware of the long total length if you are riding a small or medium frame

[@mikhailkan2726]

so, if you have a budget for only one bike, which would you buy? Giant or Yeti?

[@JEllesgaard]

Mikhail Kan you can’t get a yeti on budget. You get better spec on a Anthem in same price range. A yeti with slx and allow wheels will give you a giant with gx eagle and carbon wheels. Also the yeti I don’t know how the yeti infinity switch suspension thingy will handle wear and tear. Giant uses stock bearings and damper in rear suspension

[@qltyctrl]

The suspension on these two is quite different from vpp even though both designs use 2 links. Santa cruz purchased the vpp design, they did not invent it.

[@TI23Y]

Playing with stem height on the anthem may help with giving the anthem a more racy feeling? Stem looks a little high. Make up for the cornering feel by getting a lower center of gravity?

[@NoBrakes23]

I think Maestro is much closer to DW link than VPP. VPP, (In my experience,) bobs all over the place, even when seated. DW and Maestro don't bob like that even when standing. Thanks for the comparison.

[@jrbowens]

Thanks for the review!

[@TheNationalTrails]

Kicking around some ideas with you here Clint: I've been riding a 2015 Salsa Spearfish Carbon with and without a set of Stan's Bravo Carbon wheels. (Note that the Spearfish has the same geometry as the Anthem. Also, that the rear shock is the same dimension as the RKT and the Anthem. However, the linkages are setup for 80mm of travel and not 90mm.) The Bravo wheelset has transformed the bike! It's significantly more capable in every aspect of riding. I feel like I've been chasing trail reflections ever since I first started riding mountain bikes. Stan's NoTube Bravo wheels have transformed my bike into the most compliant ride I've ever ridden, in every facet. Back on point here with the ride-compliance aspect of your Anthem vs RKT video, Stan's claims that their bead-socket technology is the equivalent of riding on a 2 - 3mm wider internal width rim as opposed to a rim without. That would mean that your 23mm internal wheels are actually closer to a 26mm internal carbon wheelset. That being said, I would therefore think that the tires on your Valor wheelset have a significantly greater contact patch, more closely related to the tire manufacturer's intended use parameters, and that the greater tire volume may also be contributing to your suspension feel; especially while the tires flex and/or are being driven under power. That being said, having ridden two Giant Trance Advanced bikes (2017 Advanced 1 and a 2014 Advanced 0), I absolutely feel that the Maestro suspension, although having 140mm of travel, feels as though it wants to lockout in it's mid-to-upper stroke. Perhaps that means that Maestro suspension simply doesn't feel as compliant across the entire product line? However, at this point, having ridden the Spearfish with Bravo wheels, I truly wonder if a set of Stan's Bravo wheels would completely eliminate that "locked-out" characteristic? If so, that would be one great ride!

[@TheNationalTrails]

Was able to ride a 2016 Anthem Advanced 0 this week. Surprisingly, the rear shock feels bottomless with no mid-to-upper stroke compliance issues. It is absolutely fast, light, and holds a line when and where you need to. Really impressed with the performance! Stunned that I like the bike so much, frankly. The same wheels that were on the Trance Advanced 0 2014 happened to be on the Anthem Advanced 0 2016: Carbon P-TRX0's with 27mm outer and 21mm internal.

[@familybikeguy]

Hi Clint, thanks for this info. I am going to be in FL for family xmas and happen to be selling my HT and upgrading to a FS. Anthem Pro1 and Norco Revolver and my two options (I am a bike ambassador for a shop in MN that sells those brands). Problem is, I can't get on an Anthem for a test ride up here... no demo's. For a price like this, I'd really like to thoroughly test my bike. I race XC competitively on all types of surface. Since I'll be in FL in the Winter Haven/Lakeland area for a week I'll be getting out to ride Balm Boyette, Alafia and Loyce Harpe between xmas and new years (last year I rode them all in a day, fun stuff). Thank you in advance for any thoughts or bike shops you could point me to!

[@KevinONeillPlus]

Hey Clint, thanks for doing these, your trance reviews helped me decided to drive a little further and give one a test ride (I subsequently bought one). Two quick questions, what model are the egro handles on the anthem and where did you get those great little stands (the only ones I can find locally are huge)?

[@ClintGibbs]

+Kevin O'Neill I don't know the model. They were on the bike when I borrowed it. That stand is absolute garbage! I think it's made by Saris but I would not recommend it. It barely holds up a bike and the bikes fall over half the time. Way too flimsy.

[@KevinONeillPlus]

Clint Gibbs any recommendations for a small back wheel stand?

[@bryanmacb]

Great review with good information. This along with some of your other RKT videos led me to pull the trigger on the niner..... Those trails look like San Felasco, are you in Gainsville?

[@ClintGibbs]

Yes, my office backs up to San Felasco. I'm still loving the RKT 9. Such a fun and fast bike for Florida trails.

[@iverhey]

I know you did a review a while back on those Mezcals on your Niner RDO - Have you kept those on since that review video back in July? If so, what are your long term thoughts on those? Thanks Clint, keep up the great work on these videos!

[@ClintGibbs]

+Fresh Coast MTB still use those tires and really enjoy them. Smooth and fast but decent cornering grip

[@JerryNelsonBike]

Would go with the anthem.

[@michaelcraven1764]

I've ordered a cane creek angle set to try on 3 bikes just to feel the difference between head angle, just an experiment.

[@RobertWelge-kd3kg]

How did your head angle experiment go. any conclusions?

[@MarCheChan]

Hey Clint, do you think changing the FORK rake to 42 or 46mm on the Anthem will help corner better? And viceversa on Niner to 51, 55mm will make it more stable on high speed? Thanks!

[@ClintGibbs]

+MarChe Chan unfortunately Fork rake is not something I have experimented with so I can't give you personal feedback yet.

[@Eagerrr08]

Thanks for review, so Eagle system doesn't give more efficiency? Thanks

[@ClintGibbs]

+Maks B it just gives more gear range (for a 1x System)

[@gabrieledalessio6707]

did you use the time/mavic pedals on the anthem? how were they? differences from shimano spd?

[@ClintGibbs]

+Gabriele D'Alessio I used Shimano XT

[@vihrenkostadino]

Is there a reasoning behind that oddly-small looking cassette on your Niner? Training or?

[@ClintGibbs]

+V.I.K yes, it's an ultegra cassette that I use on flatter terrain. Saves half a pound on the bike.

[@TheNationalTrails]

3:08 || ... Spot on, in terms of rider safety... || 3:21

[@TheNationalTrails]

Been riding w/ a 40mm stem for the past year on my steep headtube angle XC bike. The short stem helps retain a "quick-response" for riding technical trails uphill/downhill and it provides a great deal more support while riding downhill at faster speeds. Given that the bike is and always will be an XC bike, to me it never truly steps away from the soul of the build, but perhaps "frees it up" to ride significantly safer when the trail turns to all-out chatter.

[@mds1422]

Hey Clint, what's the weight of these two bikes?

[@ClintGibbs]

+Mark Smith 23.3. check out my first look video of the anthem.

[@brianrichards782]

My bike has a 67 degree head angle and that is perfect for xc

[@NightRiderFPV]

It works fine but a steeper head angle climbs better by helping you weave and dodge rocks, Slower steering takes larger inputs and a longer turn radius. Splitting hairs, but there is a difference.

[@inyourears2596]

i choose niner over giant..the main reason is to be different because many giant user here in the Philippines you can see them everywhere including fake!

[@hassaneindmx1729]

🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔👏🏻👏🏻👌🏻

[@Tech2K]

second

[@ewanscott1259]

First

[@ClintGibbs]

+Ewan Scott 🏆

[@jayson8722]

Third

[@ClintGibbs]

+Jayson Vertucio we have a podium