Upgrades for Giant Anthem 1

[Edge540]

Being new to mtb I recently got a 2014 Anthem X29er 1 which I absolutely love . I intend getting the Giant dropper post for it but what would be other worthwhile upgrades for it if any. It's SLX throughout with XT rd. Would any upgrades be noticeable to me with my limited experience in mtb ? Your commets will be greatly appreciated

[arendoog]

Ride it ! .Punish it ! Excellent as is !

[Palaeodom]

Always the first and most worthwhile upgrade is wheels. Not sure what the standard wheels are, but I think giant alu rims. Good wheels make a big difference

[Palaeodom]

Always the first and most worthwhile upgrade is wheels. Not sure what the standard wheels are, but I think giant alu rims. Good wheels make a big difference

[IH8MUD]

Just ride it . . . nothing on that bike is holding you back.

[Edge540]

Always the first and most worthwhile upgrade is wheels. Not sure what the standard wheels are, but I think giant alu rims. Good wheels make a big difference

 

The standard wheels are Giant PXC2 double wall. What would a suitable upgrade be? What would the gains be from different wheels? Weight?

Edited July 5, 2014 by EDF

[PoiZoNouZ]

Less weight, less to spin up as you pedal.

 

Something like ZTR Crest, and then do tubeless on the bike.

[wepat]

+1 I have this bike changed wheels to ZTR Crest with EVO Hubs made a noticeable change also once worn out get Geaax Seguaro tryes

[RichieT]

Wheels. I have Mavic Crossmax SLR's, lightweight, I saved nearly a kg. Bit espensive but check out the classifieds

[The Search]

You can upgrade the wheels. I got the ZTR ArchEX wheels =1698g. A little bit heavier than Crest but you can punish them a little bit more. Also better if you are heavier than 85kg. BUT are you willing to spend more than R5000 to save 500g? I still got my Giant wheels, they are actually brilliant. They are also cheap on maintenance and converts well to tubeless. SLX is a brilliant groupset.

 

Save your money for races and exploring.

[SimpleDom]

I have the same bike. I have upgraded the wheels to Arch Ex, and added a dropper. Also changed to 1x10. My order of upgrade benefits is:

 

1. Dropper

2. 1x10 (I just love it, but don't have a good reason...)

3. Wheels.

 

The OEM giant wheels are good enough. It the only upgrade I feel that I could have spent the money better...

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

The OEM Giant wheels are bulletproof. The current ones, that is. Previous incarnations were a little noodly, but the new ones (2013 onwards afaik) are great. Heavier than the likes of your Crest / Flow / Arch & Hope combo, but not by much. Their durability is excellent, and they're easier to service. I wouldn't upgrade them yet.

 

First thing I'd get is a dropper. Even die-hard anti-dropper snobbies are loving them and wondering how they survived without one. Yes, they add weight. But the 200g or 300g that they do add is faaar outweighed by their functionality. Get one.

 

SLX is a perfect gruppo. You won't be gaining anything by going up to XT, except the loss of a few grams here and there.

 

2nd upgrade would be to get a tubeless conversion done, and get rid of the standard Schwalbes on there, swapping them out with the Schwalbe SNAKESKIN TLR tires of your choice (Nobby Nic up front and Rocket Ron out back, maybe, seeing as you're down here in Tokai - they offer reasonable levels of grip without being stupidly expensive, and are far better than the Racing Ralph guys when the going gets tough.

 

From there... the only tangible upgrade would be the rims. But then you're spending stupid money to get the durability of the Giants while losing the weight.

 

So - dropper. DEFINITELY

Tubeless conversion with proper tires

Wheels. But only after the dropper & tubeless conversion.

[fanievb]

The OEM Giant wheels are bulletproof. The current ones, that is. Previous incarnations were a little noodly, but the new ones (2013 onwards afaik) are great. Heavier than the likes of your Crest / Flow / Arch & Hope combo, but not by much. Their durability is excellent, and they're easier to service. I wouldn't upgrade them yet.

 

First thing I'd get is a dropper. Even die-hard anti-dropper snobbies are loving them and wondering how they survived without one. Yes, they add weight. But the 200g or 300g that they do add is faaar outweighed by their functionality. Get one.

 

SLX is a perfect gruppo. You won't be gaining anything by going up to XT, except the loss of a few grams here and there.

 

2nd upgrade would be to get a tubeless conversion done, and get rid of the standard Schwalbes on there, swapping them out with the Schwalbe SNAKESKIN TLR tires of your choice (Nobby Nic up front and Rocket Ron out back, maybe, seeing as you're down here in Tokai - they offer reasonable levels of grip without being stupidly expensive, and are far better than the Racing Ralph guys when the going gets tough.

 

From there... the only tangible upgrade would be the rims. But then you're spending stupid money to get the durability of the Giants while losing the weight.

 

So - dropper. DEFINITELY

Tubeless conversion with proper tires

Wheels. But only after the dropper & tubeless conversion.

Quick question are those standard tires TR?

[Dubber88]

My vote goes for a Crest wheelset. It transformed my Giant into another bike. More playful and easier to maneuver with a more lively feel. One thing about having a bike that works great is not buying the most expensive groupset or fork for a upgrade. It's about understanding how to service your bike properly, for example servicing shifter cables will fix your sifting not a new RD... SLX brakes are more than adequate if you don't contaminate your disc rotors and understand how to bleed brakes, with Shimano being the easiest of them all. So I will suggest get tools to service what you have and give your equipment a longer life and the best possible performance they can deliver which will be more than adequate. SLX cassettes/chains are basically the price of XT components a year or two back, keep that in mind when your upgraded components are due for replacement.

Edited July 6, 2014 by Dubber88

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Quick question are those standard tires TR?

 

No, but they can be easily converted with a tubeless kit, or duct tape and a tubeless valve.

[fanievb]

 

No, but they can be easily converted with a tubeless kit, or duct tape and a tubeless valve.

Cool thanks

I wasn't sure if they will work tubeless as I know the rims are TR.

Just hope the tires (sidewalls) last long enough for me to save up and buy proper ust/tubeless tires