Steven Knoetze (sk27) Posted March 23, 2015 Share Hi guys, After much searching on the interweb, I have found that I am not the only one struggling with pedal strikes on a Anthem x29er.It is annoying and mostly you can ride around it by knowing when to pedal and when not to. My biggest problem is it is hindering me in climbs, only on rocky climbs though. If the pedal stroke coincides with a rock there is just no way around it.Is there anything more that could be done to avoid these pedal strikes? And yes I could but a PYGA or spez, etc but I am looking for suggestions with regards to my current setup.I have a Large Anthem X29er, running a Epicon fork seta at 120mm, Fox Float rear shock, standard shock which is setup quite firm as it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted March 23, 2015 Share What pedals? And no, even on my Reign X I have to be careful. Giants actually have pretty low BB's... it's all in the planning. Means you just have to go faster! Steven Knoetze (sk27) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madbradd Posted March 23, 2015 Share I also find that but not to the point where I can't plan and work around it. Maybe once out of 10 rides I find myself unclipped as a result. I'm running a standard fork and shock, front on open rear on trail mode and rear on the plusher side. Also get yourself some crank boots to protect your cranks a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MintSauce Posted March 23, 2015 Share Ultimately, as mentioned, pedal strikes will happen on any bike. Some more than others. Lower BBs do result in better handling so it's something I'd gladly live with. Best advice is to learn to adapt. If it seems imminent, I ratchet the cranks to clear the rock and avoid the strike. In these instances a rear hub with more engagement points might help. It simply means you'll be off the power for a slightly shorter period before the freewheel reengages. The only options I'm aware of are Industry9 and Chris King. A Chris King hub has 74 engagement points (I9 even more IIRC) whereas on normal hubs 24 is the norm. The only problem is that the hubs in question are rather pricey, but then throwing money at a problem for the hell of it has it's own rewards. To be perfectly honest though, this is more a convenience really because if you cannot ratchet on normal hubs then I doubt you'll magically be able to do it with a hub with more engagement points. All of the above being said, bare in mind that irrespective of bike or equipment you WILL always have pedalstrikes. No amount of technique or eqiupment can prevent them entirely. Steven Knoetze (sk27) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wil6 Posted March 23, 2015 Share Shorter crank arms? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Knoetze (sk27) Posted March 23, 2015 Share What pedals? And no, even on my Reign X I have to be careful. Giants actually have pretty low BB's... it's all in the planning. Means you just have to go faster! I'm using 5/10's with Saint pedals. They already have plenty of scars from the rock strikes!! I also find that but not to the point where I can't plan and work around it. Maybe once out of 10 rides I find myself unclipped as a result. I'm running a standard fork and shock, front on open rear on trail mode and rear on the plusher side. Also get yourself some crank boots to protect your cranks a bit. Running crank boots. They at least offer some protection but find it's mostly the pedals that suffer. Ultimately, as mentioned, pedal strikes will happen on any bike. Some more than others. Lower BBs do result in better handling so it's something I'd gladly live with. Best advice is to learn to adapt. If it seems imminent, I ratchet the cranks to clear the rock and avoid the strike. In these instances a rear hub with more engagement points might help. It simply means you'll be off the power for a slightly shorter period before the freewheel reengages. The only options I'm aware of are Industry9 and Chris King. A Chris King hub has 74 engagement points (I9 even more IIRC) whereas on normal hubs 24 is the norm. The only problem is that the hubs in question are rather pricey, but then throwing money at a problem for the hell of it has it's own rewards. To be perfectly honest though, this is more a convenience really because if you cannot ratchet on normal hubs then I doubt you'll magically be able to do it with a hub with more engagement points. All of the above being said, bare in mind that irrespective of bike or equipment you WILL always have pedalstrikes. No amount of technique or eqiupment can prevent them entirely. I do rachet whenever I can but it's really hit or miss depending where in the pedal stroke you are at.I have a Novatec rear hub, not sure of the model though.I realize it will be an issue with any setup but it is happening way more than my riding partners. they even comment about it. Shorter crank arms? I haven't really considered this. I run 175mm at the moment, problem is I run 1x10 and am more a grinder than a spinner. High cadence hill climbing blows my legs big time. Seems it is something I will have to just deal with. I have compensated for it and it is better than it was initially but when you get tired and the mind and lines stray it happens more often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baracuda Posted March 23, 2015 Share It is really about planning. The Giant bb height is 32.5 cm, Spec Epic 33cm, Spec Camber is 33.5 and Pyga 34.5. If rocks are big enough to stop you on Giant, I can't see the Spec been that much different. One needs to evaluate how many rocks are between 32.5 and 33cm in height on your average course. If there are lots of them, perhaps buy the spec Edited March 23, 2015 by Baracuda Cassie 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
North Shore Posted March 23, 2015 Share Increase your fork travel and you will raise your bb height (you may have to buy a new fork to achieve this) or get fatter higher volume tyres. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dev null Posted March 23, 2015 Share Bunny hop the rocks. Seriously, it is something I am also keeping in mind when planning to get rid of my BMC Fourstoke 26er. The BMC has excellent BB clearance, but I heard of the issues with the Giant. Spez not much better. Thinking seriously of the Canyon Lux CF or the new Swift Evil Twin. Edited March 23, 2015 by Moridin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bomberman Posted March 23, 2015 Share Bunny hop the rocks. Seriously, it is something I am also keeping in mind when planning to get rid of my BMC Fourstoke 26er. The BMC has excellent BB clearance, but I heard of the issues with the Giant. Spez not much better. Thinking seriously of the Canyon Lux CF or the new Swift Evil Twin. This is how I would do it...... go very fast, use the first rock as a launch pad..... fly over the rest.... easy. Flatdog7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baracuda Posted March 23, 2015 Share Bunny hop the rocks. Seriously, it is something I am also keeping in mind when planning to get rid of my BMC Fourstoke 26er. The BMC has excellent BB clearance, but I heard of the issues with the Giant. Spez not much better. Thinking seriously of the Canyon Lux CF or the new Swift Evil Twin. The BB height on the Canyon is even lower than the Giant. But if one looks at: http://forums.mtbr.com/ibis/ripley-bottom-bracket-height-comparison-877325.html There is not really anything between most of the top brands. The Giant Anthem 29 was runner up Trail Bike of the Year last year (international mag) and is very competent. I think Greg's advice of looking up and ahead and planning a course will do far more than buying a different bike cause the pedal is 1cm higher: Captain Fastbastard Mayhem 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr X Posted March 23, 2015 Share I wish Giant would just raise their BB it is too damn low. They should lift it by 1.5-2cm. I had the x29 before, with lots of pedal strikes, and now I have a different bike with a slightly higher BB and it is much better with regards to pedal strikes and it also boosts my confidence. The Anthem 27.5 also suffers from a too low BB and is propbably the reason why I did not go for an Anthem again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Knoetze (sk27) Posted March 23, 2015 Share Hard to bunny hop a rock on a 11% incline but I hear you.Seems it is a common problem across many brands, just need to ride smarter I suppose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odinson Posted March 23, 2015 Share I think Mintsauce wrapped up the tread perfectly. I've recently put a 100mm RS SID on my Camber, dropping the travel and also the BB by a bit. I've not noticed an increase in pedal strikes, but can imagine it could be frustrating on rides. I think the main thing is to scout the trail ahead, plan your approach and execute. Irrespective of what bike you ride, some rock gardens cannot be pedaled through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dicky DQ Posted March 23, 2015 Share That is what happens when you ride a dual susser; you forget to pick your lines and think you can go over everything. Go back to a hard tail for a while and learn to pick your lines properly. you bike will than you for that. Cassie 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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