Giant Anthem 29er vs Scott Spark 29er Expert

[RussT]

Any thoughts?

[TheV]

Any thoughts?

 

I have a Spark 29er Elite - upgraded to complete XT-2012 (brakes, pedals, front mech) and Crankbrothers Stem, Bar, and Post.

 

Saddle was changed to F'zik Gobi.

 

Now it's awesome....

[covie]

lol theres a 20 page thread on this from two weeks ago just search for it.

[covie]

Anyway heres my two cents, the rear shock on the scott is useless, The giant is trusted proven setup with great reviews where the scott got mediocre reviews.

 

That said, the scott to me is a more racing orientated bike where the Giant "I have a 26" anthem X" leans more towards fun on the rough stuff than outright speed.

 

Both good value for money, and in the end i didnt go with either, Went for a higher priced but lower spec'ed bike but man oh man i couldnt be happier. Its all about the geometry on a 29'er weight comes a distant second.

[arendoog]

Giant anthem 29 voted by 29inches website readers as their favorite bike ,Mostly in the USA .I agree

[RussT]

Sorry Covie, I did try searching for Scott Spark Expert and there were only elite topics. Had both bikes weighed now and the Giant came in at 11.96kg and the Scott (Carbon) came in at 11.92kg

 

Seems like the Giant is the better bike overall for such a small weight difference. Thanks all for the help

[Li Mu Bai]

What did you get Covie?

[Dubber]

What did you get Covie?

 

He got this one:

 

Rocky mountain element 950

http://www.bikes.com...SCATID=1&Y=2012

[Benjamin]

Sorry Covie, I did try searching for Scott Spark Expert and there were only elite topics. Had both bikes weighed now and the Giant came in at 11.96kg and the Scott (Carbon) came in at 11.92kg

 

Seems like the Giant is the better bike overall for such a small weight difference. Thanks all for the help

I've got the Scott. Loving it.

[wapad]

Sorry Covie, I did try searching for Scott Spark Expert and there were only elite topics. Had both bikes weighed now and the Giant came in at 11.96kg and the Scott (Carbon) came in at 11.92kg

 

Seems like the Giant is the better bike overall for such a small weight difference. Thanks all for the help

 

I have the Giant 29 er size large and at the moment depending on the tyres I use weight is between 11.8kg-12.0kg

 

Have a look at the Epic the giant 29er is probably the most popular bike as I witnessed on the prologue last year

 

That bike handles Tokai like a beast its not unwieldy in the turns my only gripe is I wish the rear shock had a full lockout eg the rp2 for the climbs it has a small amount of pedal bob but nothing to cry about

 

But the suspension is great, the spec of the bike is good although I prefer the 2011 model to the 2012 not wild about 2x10

 

but you cant go wrong one thing Scotts hard to come by at certain times and Giant excellent back-up service

 

I have made a few upgrades but the bike as is, is great

 

The Giant as I remember actually has a racier geometry but in the end the test ride should be your decider

 

12.0 kg as is now I need to lose some

Edited March 6, 2012 by wapad

[covie]

What did you get Covie?

 

Rocky mountain element, still have to do some upgrades but here she is in her virgin form, Iver riddent the giant the scott and a couple others all good bikes, but this even with its lower end spec is a phenominal machine. They got it just right. ..... My bias opinion off course.

 

climbs like a hardtail,

It accelerates like a cheeta,

and handles like a 26"

while having all the advantages of the big wheels.

 

I am never selling this one.

[Musashi]

I bought the Scott Spark Expert a few weeks ago and I am very happy. Overall Giant is a very popular bike and more shops stock them that's why you'll see more of them around, not necessarily because it is a better bike. That said, it is a very good bike and no-one I know have ever complained about it. As far as I know, parts (pivots for example) are cheaper for the Giant as well.

 

I decided on the Scott for two reasons:

 

1. The rear suspension is great. I hate the bobbing of the Fox shock (had it on a previous bike) and prefer the full lock-out of the DT Swiss shock, especially on a 29'r where you can ride with full lock more of the time. And the remote lever is very useful as you can't always take your hand off the bar to lock/unlock the suspension.

 

2. There are more Giant bikes around so I prefer something different. Not that it was really that important.

 

Tough decision so good luck!

[BergForce]

I bought the Scott Spark Expert a few weeks ago and I am very happy. Overall Giant is a very popular bike and more shops stock them that's why you'll see more of them around, not necessarily because it is a better bike. That said, it is a very good bike and no-one I know have ever complained about it. As far as I know, parts (pivots for example) are cheaper for the Giant as well.

 

I decided on the Scott for two reasons:

 

1. The rear suspension is great. I hate the bobbing of the Fox shock (had it on a previous bike) and prefer the full lock-out of the DT Swiss shock, especially on a 29'r where you can ride with full lock more of the time. And the remote lever is very useful as you can't always take your hand off the bar to lock/unlock the suspension.

 

2. There are more Giant bikes around so I prefer something different. Not that it was really that important.

 

Tough decision so good luck!

 

The DT Swiss M210 shock is entry level, it does not perform as well as the Fox, the Giant wins by far in the rear suspension department.

[covie]

The DT Swiss M210 shock is entry level, it does not perform as well as the Fox, the Giant wins by far in the rear suspension department.

Im not fond of the DTswiss at the rear of the scott, neither is anyone who has reviewed the bike, like i said in the last thread about this, some reviewers even went as far as to say Scott should break their allegance with DTswiss if they want to stay in this market. The Fox rp23 has always been a great shock, i have one on my anthem 26" but it does induce a fair amount of pedal bob on the maestro suspension, This however is something you can live with once you start hitting the technical stuff the fox RP23 beats the hell out of the dtswiss 210. However that said, i have a very aggressive riding style especially on the technical stuff and to me the new RS monarch outclass them both. And I am not sure if its the smoothlink suspension on the RM or the rockshox but there is no and I mean no visible pedal bob on the custom valved RS monarch on the element. Ive not once felt the need to go look for a lock out switch.

 

if its soley between the scott and the giant the giant wins hands down (once again my humble opinion) not that im saying the scott is bad, but the scott you will either run semi open or locked out full open is just a waste on that shock. But truth be told you will be happy on either of those bikes. i personally would have gone with the Giant above the scott even though the scott just looks slicker.

[TheV]

Rocky mountain element, still have to do some upgrades but here she is in her virgin form, Iver riddent the giant the scott and a couple others all good bikes, but this even with its lower end spec is a phenominal machine. They got it just right. ..... My bias opinion off course.

 

climbs like a hardtail,

It accelerates like a cheeta,

and handles like a 26"

while having all the advantages of the big wheels.

 

I am never selling this one.

 

Nice bike ---- how tall are you, you must be tiny by the looks of the saddle? must really look like a clownbike when you ride it, no offense?

[covie]

Nice bike ---- how tall are you, you must be tiny by the looks of the saddle? must really look like a clownbike when you ride it, no offense?

 

Nah the saddle was as i got it fromm the shop that day, dropped it to set the sag, im 181cm