Specialized Epic comp vs Giant Anthem X 29er

[Nicol Rademeyer]

Hi guys.

 

I need some advice. I use to ride Giant Trance 26er. Changed to Specialised hardtail 29er. Want to go back to dual suspension and im torn between the Giant and the Epic, both allu not carbon.

 

Had the Epic for the weekend to demo. Amazing ride and handling. Quite fast.

Only been able to demo ride the Giant in the car park so not a great comparison.

 

Is the giant quite stiff on med or full on the back shock? For nice steady climbing, seated on standing?

 

Any advice?

 

The giant is available on a good deal for R30k. The Epic is about R7k more.

 

Thanks

Nicol

Edited October 23, 2016 by Nicol Rademeyer

[sub7]

Good deal on Epic Comp here: http://www.freewheel.co.za/bikes/mountain/specialized-epic-fsr/specialized-epic-comp-29-2016/

[Monark]

Ride both and see which bike suits your riding style and fits the best. The giant has a great spec at the price point

[bullet77]

2016 Anthem for R30k is a good deal. The Anthem climbs quite well without needing to lockout the rear. Mine stays in the middle position permanently, road, gravel and trail. Up or down.

 

Best to try an Anthem on some trails and then choose which one looks the best to you. Both good bikes but different also.

 

Some say the one has a far superior rear shock position than the other.  

[BaGearA]

Go for the anthem, thank me later

Edited October 23, 2016 by BaGearA

[steveO:K]

I have owed both and ridden them extensively since 2012.

 

Both great bikes. The specialized frame is probably the slightly better built and can accommodate 2 water bottles.

 

The giant is better specced overall. It is also lighter. The giant suspension is plusher but the epic is effective when it needs to be.

 

If they were the same price i would go for the epic. But at 30k the giant is a great deal.

 

I currently ride an alu anthem.

[majoubert@mweb.co.za]

Also owned both the bikes you have short listed , totally different rides , Giant can bob if your weight and shock stiffness is not perfect , Brain on Epic keeps  chainstays down and always have your rear in contact with the turf , no bobbing , Giant slightly more relaxed geometry vs slightly more racy geometry on Epic . Giant will always be better value for money proposition , however you need to ride both[not in the parking lot only] and the one you are most comfy with is the very one ! P.S. Giant has a great warranty on their frames too .

[Pieterlab1]

Anthem.

[NotSoBigBen]

Epic

[lerouc]

Anthem

[Kom]

P.S. Giant has a great warranty on their frames too .

Only because you need it, I've personally seen a number of anthems where the top tube cracks or completely dislodges where it meets the seat post tube. I know they have introduced a limited design change to address the issue in the form of a gusset, but from what I've seen, and I'm no engineer, the forces at play need way more support in that particular area, especially for the heavier South Africans we are.

 

Specialized also offer an excellent guarantee for the original owner of a bike, since you are buying new the warranty almost makes no difference, but I'd want to go for the one I'm least likely to use.

 

To the earlier point, I'm not so sure these bikes are comparable, I think the specialized camber is probably a better bike to compare, and is available at the same price point. The epic is a very aggressive xc bike, where the camber is a lot more chilled.

[Christofison]

Too expensive to service the brain.

 

Sent from my E5823 using Tapatalk

[Monark]

KOM the frame weld issue was sorted some time ago and was often caused by owners not inserting their seatpost far enough into the frame. It's sorted on the 2016 frame.

 

The brain suspension is expensive to service, agreed

[Baracuda]

Also owned both the bikes you have short listed , totally different rides , Giant can bob if your weight and shock stiffness is not perfect , Brain on Epic keeps  chainstays down and always have your rear in contact with the turf , no bobbing , Giant slightly more relaxed geometry vs slightly more racy geometry on Epic . Giant will always be better value for money proposition , however you need to ride both[not in the parking lot only] and the one you are most comfy with is the very one ! P.S. Giant has a great warranty on their frames too .

 

I am not inferring that yours did not bob, but I must say that I found an Anthem with the Maestro suspension one of the least sensitive to shock stiffness I have ridden. I just left mine wide open or on 'pro pedal' and never looked at it again.

 

It did win trail bike of the year a few years ago:

 

I loved mine. Have since moved on to a Pyga, but I found the Giant a fantastic XC bike. With light rims, it flies and is very comfy.

[lerouc]

Giant makes epic bikes, they don't have to call their models epic so that someone can refer to them as an epic bike.

[laichzeit]

They are borth good bikes to start with, but Specialized allowed you to demo the bike for a weekend. Giant only allowed you to ride in the parking lot. Wonder why the Giant is cheaper ? Because they don't invest in any demo bikes. Support the brand that allows you to test their bikes properly...