Trek Hifi 29er Deluxe vs Giant Anthem X1 29er

[Gwaba]

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!

[Jon0]

in cpt bridge cycles for eft/cash on anthem 10% off the 28000 so like 26400, ridden both, anthem is better in the corners/hills/singletrack and flats, smoother ride, better geometry on the frame and the components are far superior to the x7 and x9 rear derailer..... where the x1 has full xt+fox limited edition shock, 5 year on the frame and the treck has 3 max i think?

go for the giant its lighter aswell

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Jon0, I need to ask you a couple of questions here...

 

Better geometry for who, and for what purpose? IE: is the Giant more race oriented, and therefore more aggressive in its geometry as opposed to a more relacxed geo on the Trek?

 

HOW is the Giant better on the Singletrack and hills etc?

 

Surely if the Giant has "better" geometry, suited more to racing, then the Trek would have a geometry more suited to descending, thereby inspiring confidence on the downhills?

 

Also - Do you know which wheelset the Giant & Trek come with? There's no more info other than that the rear shock is of (supposedly) higher quality, and the groupsets differ between the bikes.

 

Once again - smoother ride. How? As far as I know, the way a bike rides is due to the way it is set up, as well as the size of the wheels (flame coat on) and if they are both set up similarly, then they should be just as smooth as each other UNLESS you're talking about the way the frame adapts to different conditions?

 

 

Finally - when recommending a bike to someone else, determine the type of riding the OPer does, and give a bit more detail in your posts. EXPLAIN why the goemetry is "better" on the giant, or WHY it handles the ST differently. Or HOW the "limited edition" fox fork on the giant is just simply a marketing ploy, aimed to get giant customers to believe that their Fox is better than somebody else's...

 

 

 

 

Gwaba - ride both of them, and if you feel that one suits you more than the other, then go buy that one. If they're too close to call in terms of the way they ride & feel, have a look at the componentry (wheels - tubeless ready or not, for example) or brakesets etc, and then make the decision based on that.

 

Alternatively - ask yourself this - if you buy the Giant, will you always be looking at the Trek and thinking "damn, that's sexy" and have a longing look at the thing?

 

Insofar as warranty issues go, I cannot call on that section of the question. All you have to worry about though, is the frame of each bike. If another component fails, it's not the bike manufacturer's fault, but the part provider's.

[Stevief]

Rather get a 26er they better in ST, better over technical courses and have faster acceleration and generally more fun to ride. Oh and they MUCH cheaper and the designs are proven unlike these unproven 29ers that the bike co's are hastily flooding the mkt with.

 

 

This should rattle the hornets nest

[Gwaba]

Rattle Stevie, rattle!

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

[DJR]

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

The answer is a longer travel (5 inch) full suspension trail bike (including riser bars with bar ends) - and there nothing beats the fun and comfort to cost ratio like a 26er.

[Doggone]

I faced this same decision a couple of months ago. I bought the Anthem because I like it's looks. Technically they are similar. Buy the one you love to look at most. Otherwise you will always wonder what the other one felt like.

[Jon0]

dt swiss on the giant. overall thier geometry great (personally)

and i was giving a personal opinion...whati found was better in the one vs the other as rode both to test them out with 2 other friends who agreed.

ridden a small giant and a medium and jusat the medium trek. still decisions didnt change even if i was on the small giant.

then look at the numbers of giant x1 29er riders vs the trek.

 

personal opinion.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

DT Swiss on the Giant vs Bontrager on the Trek

 

XT Giant vs X9/X7 on the Trek

 

Fox on Giant vs Fox on the Trek (Both Tapered F29 100mm jobbies)

 

RP23 rear shock Giant vs RP2 Trek

 

 

Seems pretty close, until you see that the Giant has full XT vs some X7 parts on the Trek, but I'd rate the Trek's wheels above the Giant's

 

Shock and fork on the Giant is slightly better than the Trek, but then it is more expensive.

 

My recommendation remains the same. If you're set on getting the better specced bike, get the Giant. BUT - Only if you prefer the way it rides to the way the Trek rides.

[surfking]

Dude, you first of all have to decide what type of riding you are doing. For trail riding and singletrack stuff, a 26er will always be better than a 29er. If you are racing more and riding longer, less twisty stuff, then a 29er is your friend. I have a Trek Hifi Pro and a Morewood Shova, both very different bikes for different applications. I ride the 29er mainly on races and through the cane, but wouldn't ride it in Tokai a much as the Shova (if i lived in CT) for example. You can use both types of bikes for ether types of riding and each has it's benefits and faults, but it's horses for courses in this case. The efficiency and 'comfort' of a 29er is only really evident over longer endurance type rides. If you are riding 20kms etc, you aren't going to feel the difference and a 29er isn't like riding an arm chair compared to a 26er. It also isn't a wonder machine that makes you go so much faster and cures all your troubles, so don't get suckered into thinking that.

If you do decide to go for the 29er, the Giant is the better of the 2 above for spec. the Hifi pro is a closer match to the Giant, but a bit more. You do get all X9/XT stuff though and the wheels are race ready and way better than the Giants. If you get either you won't be dissapointed and you can always upgrade your Giants wheels at a later stage if you want to go light and racy.

Hope this helps?

[Gwaba]

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?

[zuludog]

what i can tell you - i have the Giant = i like

[krl747]

Coming to the party a bit late, however. What about the GT Sensor 29er Pro? It is cheaper than both the above bikes?

[Gwaba]

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

[Balsie]

I have the Giant and love it! All about personal choice though and you MUST test ride both so that you don't have post purchase cognative dissonance.

[covie]

DT Swiss on the Giant vs Bontrager on the Trek

 

XT Giant vs X9/X7 on the Trek

 

Fox on Giant vs Fox on the Trek (Both Tapered F29 100mm jobbies)

 

RP23 rear shock Giant vs RP2 Trek

 

 

Seems pretty close, until you see that the Giant has full XT vs some X7 parts on the Trek, but I'd rate the Trek's wheels above the Giant's

 

Shock and fork on the Giant is slightly better than the Trek, but then it is more expensive.

 

My recommendation remains the same. If you're set on getting the better specced bike, get the Giant. BUT - Only if you prefer the way it rides to the way the Trek rides.

 

I still say "testing" a bike is a moot point unless you have unlimited use for a month, takes me about a month on every new bike to get the saddle height just right, the tire pressures perfect and shock pressures all hooked up, and then only do i get to know the characteristics of the bike.

 

One thing to keep in mind here is that weekend warriors eventually evolve, not into full race snakes but you always want to go longer further and higher, so at some stage you will find time in the week to ride, join night rides, enter competitions for the fun of it.

 

Both those would be good choices to be honest. I personally like the anthem and ill stick to it. Its described as a vanilla ride, i.e. not too playfull and very few suprises, just the way i like it since im attached to my teeth and I would really like them to stay in their sockets. The build quality is good, and the after sales service for giant is not that bad, not so sure about trek since down here in the cape its mostly cycle lab that stocks them.

 

Trek geneerally has a more playfull setup sharper head angles, lower BB heights etc. So it depends on your riding style. However I can gauruntee you that once you get into the swing of things you WILL want the best front and rear fork with the BEST possible shifting. It all adds to the pleasure of MTB.

 

So i would go with the Giant, (yes im still biased ) and remember the profit margin is insane, if you get a quote for the trek a couple of K cheaper and go to your LBS 90% of them will give you the giant at the same price. Saves you the headace of upgrading later ...... cause you will want to upgrade.

 

And not sure mayhem how you like bontrager above DT Swiss? I know many people that have dontated kidneys to get some DT swiss jobbies, dont know anybody that would selll body parts for bontrager.

 

At the end of the day buddy im sure you will have a ball of a time on either of those two beauties.