Giant XTC SL, Why 27.5?

[redbruce]

See.... you're not talking about 29" XC hardtails... you're talking trail bikes....

Not necessarily:

"So, if you asked me whether I’d rather use the super light AMERICAN CLASSIC Race wheels, the DT-SWISS SPLINE 1250 XRC or the AMERICAN CLASSIC Wide Lightning – I would probably accept the slight weight penalty of the Wide Lightning’s over the other two for the benefits of the widest rim – being more traction and more comfort."

"Verdict: AMERICAN CLASSIC promised the Wide Lightning wheels to be the „One for All“ wheels – one wheel to use in XC racing all the way to enduro riding. Grannygear and I have been riding two sets of wheels during the last 4 months on an array of bikes and often in a very demanding manner and him and I can confirm – these wheels fulfill that claim perfectly well."

http://twentynineinches.com/2014/07/06/american-classic-wide-lightning-29er-wheels-final-review/

 

[Ackland]

I've ridden wide rims and keep coming back to 21-24mm internals

 

[silentbutdeadly]

I've ridden wide rims and keep coming back to 21-24mm internals

Just replace a rear wheel. The original narrow rim (Alex Evo Supercomp, 19mm internal) split due to light rim, light/narrow/soft tyres and poor rider attitude.

Now gone with Alex Volar 2.3 rim (23 mm internal, 100gm weight penalty over previous) and similar tyre 2.0 tyre (Thunder Burt this time) to see if I get a more durable result.

As for those 29er hard tails...too many nice choices elsewhere to worry about what Giant does...

 

[Ackland]

As for those 29er hard tails...too many nice choices elsewhere to worry about what Giant does...

And most with tuned stays for 2016 to add some rear compliance....

 

[mmatrix]

agree

Few years ago Giant released their top of the line race bike. 29 inch SL 0 race bike. Low 9kg weight and awesome spec.

They have since dropped the SL 29er and instead only specced it with the 27.5 inch series.

Why?

Looking for a new bike and the SL series had caught my eye but I am not going back to a 26inch, oops I mean a 27.5

Trek's new Pro Calibre Isolink also looks good but they have specced it with the new wheel spacing, I don't want a new wheel size, Turning into a joke. I mean really who has issues with too much axle flex?

SO agree with you. NOT going back to 26 er umm 27.5

 

[Grover]

My thoughts.

Giant couldn't make their Maestro (the Anthem) suspension platform fit well on a 29er and hence needed to compromise on the geometry. So they made them 27.5. In order to convince people this was still a fast XC bike they made their hardtails 27.5 as well and marketed 27.5 as the 'just as fast, but more playful' compromise between 26 and 29.

Once they figure out how to make a good handling 29er dual suspension XC bike, they'll once again have a 29er XC hardtail in their line.

As for BOOST, it improves handling not only through a stiffer wheel, but by allowing shorter chainstays. Trek for example shortened their hardtail chainstays by 10mm and their duallie chainstays by 15mm due to the extra room allowed by the wider chainline facilitated by a BOOST rear hub.

Personally I'm not buying into it yet, because my carbon wheels and powermeter crankset are incompatible. Frustrating, but I understand the reason for going that route.

 

[jp80]

Any thoughts on how rubbish it (its sister) was while being ridden away from the field in the women's world champs just now? Just kidding, bit really, "couldn't make their 29er handle"?? Pretty strange statement, I can't believe that anyone reading this thread hasn't been demoralized by someone on a Giant hardtail blasting past. And their demise on the start line, I think, has much more to do with other brands becoming more competitively priced than them not being fast anymore. It used to be Giant and daylight second for value. People now saying "I'd prefer a Rocky Mountain" prove that... compare the pricing of the two brands ten years ago, there was no decision to made between the two, it was more like a giant roadie and mtb, or one rocky mtb. 27.5 and the benefits/non-benefits are a bit easier for me to believe than boost mentioned above.

 

[caad9]

She could have ridden away on the balance bike she received as a prize.
Amazing effort to get up for 3 World Champs in a year.

 

[jp80]

She could have ridden away on the balance bike she received as a prize.
Amazing effort to get up for 3 World Champs in a year.

Yeah, she's awesome! Interested to see Pendrel on the HT after a year on the duallie.

 

[Klips]

She could have ridden away on the balance bike she received as a prize.
Amazing effort to get up for 3 World Champs in a year.

This. PFP is the biggest outlier on two wheels at the moment, and I'm including Rachel when making that statement. Killing everyone for a year on one bike is hard, killing them in three completely different disciplines is MENTAL.

On topic - it's interesting how short the head tubes are getting these days. A move back to longer ones would see the second hand fork market take a bullet as you wouldn't be able to sell anything to a large section of the market.

 

[Grover]

"couldn't make their 29er handle"?? Pretty strange statement., I can't believe that anyone reading this thread hasn't been demoralized by someone on a Giant hardtail blasting past.

You've misinterpreted. Their 29er hardtail was fantastic.

They couldn't make their Maestro dual suspension platform fit a 29inch wheel without the chainstays being very long. Hence they started only offering it in 27.5. Then they had to convince people 27.5 was 'just as fast, but more playful' (or something like that). So they started only offering the hardtail in that wheelsize too.

 

[Geoff Gump]

I feel 27.5 wheels with a rear shock is a sweet spot for XC, along with 29er HTs.

As opposed to a 29er FS or 27.5 HT.

 

[silentbutdeadly]

You've misinterpreted. Their 29er hardtail was fantastic.

They couldn't make their Maestro dual suspension platform fit a 29inch wheel without the chainstays being very long. Hence they started only offering it in 27.5. Then they had to convince people 27.5 was 'just as fast, but more playful' (or something like that). So they started only offering the hardtail in that wheelsize too.

Err...you can still get the Giant Anthem duallie in a 29er format in both alloy and composite frames. And the XTC hardtail comes in 29er format too but only in composite.

The only XC format the Giant does exclusively as 27.5 is the slacker Anthem SX (duallie) version and the high spec composite SL frame version of the XTC

 

[Grover]

You're right to an extent 'silentbutdeadly'

I'd not looked at their 2016 range because quite frankly it doesn't interest me.

The SL model of their hardtail frame is only 27.5, you have to get the non-SL model if you want 29" wheels (which was the original complaint in this thread)
The highest spec of their Anthem is only 27.5

There are more 29er options than in the previous years.

I note that the 29 Anthem chainstays are still 462mm! Trek/Specialized are down around 430mm now for their 29er duallies.

I guess their marketing didn't work, they lost market share because they didn't offer 29ers so they've had to introduce a wider range of them again.

 

[silentbutdeadly]

I note that the 29 Anthem chainstays are still 462mm! Trek/Specialized are down around 430mm now for their 29er duallies.

Yep...that's because the Anthem 29er rear end hasn't changed since it was launched and it is unlikely to. I suspect most of the commentariat forget that they were initially targeted as an XC marathon bike (which it is rather good at) rather than a singletrack trail stormer (which it's not as good at)...

Mind you, I have one. It corners just fine...just not as whippy as a short stayed HT!

 

[jp80]

You've misinterpreted. Their 29er hardtail was fantastic.

They couldn't make their Maestro dual suspension platform fit a 29inch wheel without the chainstays being very long. Hence they started only offering it in 27.5. Then they had to convince people 27.5 was 'just as fast, but more playful' (or something like that). So they started only offering the hardtail in that wheelsize too.

Maybe I misinterpreted rone's statement, but it seemed to cover all 29ers.

Your idea that the biggest bike manufacturer in the world felt bound to change an entire line of off road bikes in order to hide long chainstays on another model is hard to get behind. For one thing, they have the resources and know how to do whatever they want, the anthem is the way it is because they want it that way.

 

[caad9]

Your idea that the biggest bike manufacturer in the world felt bound to change an entire line of off road bikes in order to hide long chainstays on another model is hard to get behind. For one thing, they have the resources and know how to do whatever they want, the anthem is the way it is because they want it that way.

Aside from sponsored riders, how many people do you see riding high end Anthem 27.5's?

 

[jp80]

I dunno, some. Why?

 

[GazzaPops]

Aside from sponsored riders, how many people do you see riding high end Anthem 27.5's?

Most Sundays I go riding with a couple of blokes on top end Anthems.
Giant probably went 27.5 across the board to get economies of scale to keep prices down.

 

[caad9]

I dunno, some. Why?

I really believe the only people that got behind this move was Giant's marketing team. Riders certainly haven't flocked to the 27.5 models.