Giant To Offer Carbon Anthem X 29er And Reign - BikeRadar

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When it comes to predicting what new models Giant Bicycles are working on, the Taiwanese company’s development history is telling. Each year their main focus flip-flops between road and mountain, and they always build new models in their Aluxx alloy first, before cutting molds and engineering layups for their ‘halo’ Advanced composite models.

Given that Giant focused on the road last year, we expect new mountain bikes to feature heavily in their 2013 product launches. And it would be a brave man who bets against some of their key alloy models being newly rendered in carbon fiber. We expect to see Advanced and Advanced SL level versions of the Anthem X 29′er, along with a composite version of the 26in-wheeled Reign, designed to take on Santa Cruz’s Nomad Carbon, Specialized’s carbon Enduro and Trek’s Remedy in the growing ‘enduro’ trail market.

Anthem X Advanced 29′er: Lighter, stiffer and better riding, in standard and SL variants

In the past few years 29ers have taken over the US mountain bike market, with big-wheelers now accounting for 80 percent of some shops’ off-road sales, according to trade publication Bicycle Retailer and Industry News. Giant were slow to join the 29er fray but they’ve made up for lost time with the likes of the XtC Composite 29′er hardtail and the full-suspension Anthem X 29′er. The stage is now set for Giant to ‘Advance’ their 29in mountain bike range.

The Anthem X 29′er’s features and geometry have been proven in alloy form, and riders are clearly calling for 29in wheels with the loudest voices they have – their wallets – so we’d bet that Advanced and Advanced SL level carbon bikes are on their way for 2013. We expect both bikes to sport Giant’s whole host of design features, including their OverDrive 2 tapered steerer and head tube (1¼ to 1½in, rather than the more normal 1⅛ to 1½in) and MegaDrive down tube.

From: http://ping.fm/aCe5R


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