2014 Giant Anthem 27.5 2 // Amazing new bike!!

Wow, I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am about this now! I am after getting a brand new, 2014 Giant Anthem 27,5 2 as a sponsor bike! I will be able to use this awsome bike for the full season and will have the chance to test out the new 27,5" (aka 650b) wheelsize as much as I can in every possible condition. 

It is going to be a huge change for me in every level. My old bike was a hardtail with 26" wheels and 9 speed gear system on it, this bike is a full-suspension machine with 27,5" wheels and 10 speed system fitted. Such a big change indeed! :) 

But let's see the bike in details! 

It has ALUXX-SL grade aluminium frame that has been optimalized to the new 27,5" wheelsize and as a new feature it comes with internal cable routing. The OverDrive 2 headtube design gives super crisp handling. The bike is built with Rock Shox Reba RL Solo Air fork (with 15mm bolt through axle) and Rock Shox Monarch RT rear shock for the nice and smooth riding experience. 

The bike is built with Sram X.7 2x10 gear system and Sram chainset. The casette is a PG-1030 casette with 11-36 ratio and the chainset is fitted with 26T-38T chainrings. So, there's plenty of gears for everything!

The brakes are the Elixir 5 from  Avid, so the braking power is more than perfect I have to say! The wheels are from Giant's own house, they are the 27,5" Giant P-XC wheels (with DT Swiss internals and spokes) with  Schwalbe Racing Ralph tyres fitted on them.

The final touch is coming from Giant's own range: the nice and light Giant Connect / Connect SL finishing kit. 

...click here for the full specification! 

After I got the bike I've done only few little changes: I replaced the low riser handle bar with my own straight bar and got my own Fi'zi:k Tundra 2 saddle fitted instead of the Giant Contact Forward saddle that the bike came with. I just simply prefer them, so I stick to them! :)  

Internal cable routing and the OverDrive 2 head tube

Direct mount front mech

The legendary Maestro Suspension System from Giant with colour cordinated link & rear shock

For extra stiffness the Reba RL suspension fork comes with 15mm bolt through axle.

Nice and tidy front

So, this bad boy is going to be my new partner for a good while. I'm super excited about riding this bike and get into the 650b game straight after it has been released from Giant. It's a real XC bike and I can't wait to share the first thoughts on it in a few days! Wicklow Mountains here I come! :)

I would like to say a big thank you to John Clarke and ThinkBike for this fantastic bike and for the great support. It's a massive opportunity to represent my team on a bike like this!