Gwaba

For those who might be interested I ended up buying the Giant Anthem. The decision was made for me since the LBS could not get their hands on a 23" Trek HiFi Pro or Deluxe. They did offer to strip a 21" Pro and transfer the components to a 23" Plus but who wants to pay R29k for a bike that looks like a R19K bike?

I did look at the GT but that is more a trail bike as oppose to a XC bike. The colours are also wacky - not "windgat" enough to pull that off ;-) I was not too impressed by the comp set and I'm not sold on only 2 front blades

What about the Trek Hifi Pro vs Giant Anthem X1? I think that is more an apples with apples comparison. Specs and price very close. I rode the Trek 21" yesterday but felt very cramped. Tried the 23" which was much better (I am 1.85m). Went to a friend and rode his 19" Anthem. Had the same feel as the 21" Trek - bit cramped. Will try to ride the 21" Anthem soon. Some people also mention the geometry of the bikes but looking at the specs they are very close. I am also a bit concerned about all the “Giant LTD Edition” parts on the Anthem. What happens if you need to replace a LTD Edition part in a few years time?

Rattle Stevie, rattle! I personally have done enough teeth rattling miles on a 26er - legs are getting old and am looking for comfort now...

The decision has been made to get a 29er!! Went to all the bike shops over the last week to see who has what to offer in my price range (+-R25k). For me it is now a choice between the Trek Hifi Deluxe and the Giant Anthem X1. Their specs look very similar with the Trek having a combo of SRam x9/x7 and the Giant mostly XT. The suspensions are also similar with the Trek a little better on the rear shock (in my opinion). The best deal on the Trek is R24,300 and on the Giant R28,000. I think the Giant might be a slightly better bike but is it worth to pay R3,700 for? I am a weekend worrier, will I even notice the difference between the 2? I like the looks of the Trek better than the Giant but one of the Giant retailers when on a rant about how bad Trek's after sales service is. Apparently one could wait very long for parts and warranty repairs. Is that true? Anybody out there with some experience with the Trek & Giant? Thanks!