2014 Giant Anthem 27.5 2 // The first 1000 km

Since I got the 2014 Giant Anthem 27,5 2 I have done 1000 km on the bike, so it's time to write few words about it. The bike has been my faithful partner on the trails in pretty much all conditions (dust, mud, snow, ice) and since day one all I can say: this bike is a truly amazing machine! 

One of the main thing about the Anthem is that Giant really nailed the spec on this bad boy. They got everything fitted that fits into this model's price point. The parts are mid-range ones, but they are really reilable and they are working very well indeed. The modern design features such as OverDrive 2, the bolt through front axle, the internal cable routing really add to the overall experience on this bike. Not to mention the 650b specific frame geometry and the legendary Maestro suspension design. Incredible!

After 1000 km in the saddle, the Anthem still runs like like it did on day one: smooth on the descents, agile on the climbs. No, that's is actually not true...it runs better and better every day. It was super easy to "grow onto" this bike. But let's see the details! 

Pros: 

• the cable casings are very well sealed thanks to the internal cable routing, original cables are still running sweet & smooth
• the wheels are quiet strong, got a couple of knocks on the trails but they are still running true
• the Sram gear system works very well  
• the direct mounted front mech has very good shifting performance
• the bearings & bushings of the frame are well sealed, no maintenance on them so far

Cons:

• the Schwalbe tyres are a bit too soft, so they wear out quiet fast  
• the dropout design is a bit of a "week point" I think (very sensitive)

So, after the first 1000 km on the Anthem 27,5 2 I'm very-very impressed in many ways: the 650b magic truly works for me, the bike is in perfect condition even after some really rough spins in the Irish "winter". The bike works very well and I have tons of fun in the saddle every time I hit the trails on the Anthem. And that is my friends exactly what I'm after when I'm on the bike! Looking forward to the next coming 1000's of kilometers on this beast of a bike! :)

Sunrise over the trails // Djouce

Team ThinkBike MTB Spin // Threerock

I went out with the lads from Team ThinkBike to have a blast on the trails of Threerock and I have to say we had one of the best group spin in ages! It was absolutely awsome!

For start the weather on Sunday was a gift compare to Saturday. That's always a good start, right? So we were all happy and smiley as we were heading up on the first climb from the Taylor's Pub carpark. Mild morning, sunshine and good crowd. What more a mountain biker could ask for on a Sunday morning?

We did the usual trails (Metros, Schizeile Loop, etc...) and of course the new bit of the Metro 2 upper section. Man, that trail just keeps getting better every time I'm up there. Simply brilliant! 

After we finished the 2 hours long spin we all got back to the carpark and went home from there. Myself I definitely wanted to stay for longer but I needed to get to work on time. But I'm sure if we can put another good spin like this together again it'll be a longer one indeed. I'm a bit of a loner on the bike but I gotta admit that riding with a group like this was very-very good: good pace, savage trails and no messing around. Simply the way it should be! Nice one lads, thank you all! :)  

Operation Stem Slam

Eversince I started to use the 650b Anthem the only thing that I wasn't 100% sure about was the riding position on the bike. I always had my bikes set up in a quiet "agressive" way with a nice & low front. To me it feels better, climbs better and I just simply prefer things this way. 

So, the next project was to find a way to set the bike up with a bit more slammed front so I can find the riding position I'm after. It might sounds very simple but since Giant works with OverDrive 2 standard on this bike it wasn't that easy to find a solution. 

The original stem was a Giant Connect SL stem with 80mm lenght and 8° angle. I needed something a bit longer and with a bit steeper angle. 

The original Giant stem that came with the bike

Now, since the steerer tube of the fork is 1 1/4" the selection isn't that big on the market and because I didn't just want to buy a stem that may or may not work I started a little DIY project. I had a Specialized stem with an adjustable angle in my bike box. It has a washer that allows you to set up 8° or 16° angle (depends what way the washer is fitted). 

The adjuster washer- no need for it anymore

The solution was simple from here. Took the washer away that was designed for the 1 1/8" forks and this way the stem's diameter got bigger. It was a tad bit bigger than the 1 1/4" steerer tube, so I needed to make things work with a neath custom shim between the steerer and the stem. Headset cap back on, stem bolts are tightened, the whole thing took about 30 minutes.

Checked it out, tested it out, works the way I wanted it. Happy days! :)

2014 European XC Marathon Champs // Update # 4

I really don't like when things don't go the way they were planned. But of course there are millions of circumstances that are out of my control, so I guess I just have to deal with them the way they are thrown at me. 

The truth is, things didn't really go well in the last few weeks. I had a lovely 2 weeks Christmas Holiday and of course a lot of spins planned for that time...but it didn't happen. Pretty much the whole family got sick. Little Rhys picked up the virus that was going around for weeks, then my wife Anett and eventually I got into the usual winter manflu as well. This all happened in the middle of the Festive Season and I missed lots of training (cycling & running) because of it. Needless to say how dissapointing it was. I was gutted to know I can't ride the bike when I actually would have time to do so...grrr... 

Anyway, thankfully everything is back to normal at this point. I'm back on the bike for about a week now and will re-start my running sessions again in the next few days. 

There's still plenty of time before the Europeans but also plenty of work to do until then. Health is back to normal, motivation is through the roof, so bring it on! :)

Kickstart 2014 // First spin of the new year

The first spin of the new year. It's always planned and it's always special in a way. This one was extra special, especially because it happened only for the second attempt. :)

We had a nice spin scheduled for the 1st of Jan but the weather was so miserable that is nearly impossible to describe. Long story short: we cancelled the mountain bike ride. So, to celebrate things I had a lovely hot cup of tea that I was saving for after the ride. Lashing rain, about 3 degrees temperature and me sitting in the car sipping away the my tea that was rapidly picking up the taste of the plastic cup. Lovely...what more I could wish for hah?! :) 

Anyway! We mountain bikers never give up (not easly anyway) so there's always another day for riding my bike. And that day was today: brilliant sunny afternoon with very little wind and mild temperature. Off I went and I managed to have a good 45 km mountain bike spin around the Leadmines and Threerock. Trails were excellent around Leadmines but I have to admit that Threerock was a freakin' disaster. Very wet it was with mud up to my knees. Lovely!

So, first spin of the new year: it's done & dusted! It was lovely and was defo enough to make up for yesterdays cancellation. If all my spins will be as good as this one I will have a fantastic 2014! Can't wait!