Climbs effortless,rolls confident downhill,excellent components for everyday riding

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I have conquered every terrain with this bike:uphills,downhills,rock gardens,medium drops,muddy sections..best bike I ever had in 6 years doing serious cross country.

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Giant Anthem 2

climbs well, excelerates great, rear shock lock-out, stiffer than AM so nice for racing but plush enough over rough terrian esp for multiday races. love the shifters.

none. same weight as my hardtail.

Fantastic bike, has Merida dependance, great ride, best value for money in category, best of both worlds (rae snake and full suspension).

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Wow where to begin, Great bike for the price paid. all top class components

None this far

I bought this bike with the Cape Epic in mind. It has it all. I received her on the Wednesday and rebuilt her myself. I did not manage to even ride 1 km with her on any type of road before the first race on the Saturday. This was a 50km Monster in Knysna. Not one issue.

I took her out on the Petzl Adventure night race with my daughter on her Merida and we did 12km of sheer mud hell. Pictures can be seen on http://www.magneticsouth.net/images/OysterFest08/Night%20Bike08/index.html pictures 143, 145, 146, 147.

Needless to say the Merida shifted 1 gear per click with all this mud. She kept on rolling when other bikes actually froze up and they could not even be pushed. 1 issue came to the forefront and it was the racing ralph tires. They were tough to control in these conditions.

I cleaned her and set her up for the next challenge which was the XTERRA in Knysna. Pictures also available. Once again no issues and she just kept on rolling and going where I asked her to go.

Last weekend I took her into the Northern part of SA and we did a 40km race which started with a 19.8km sand pit as a start. I finished 7th in this race BUT had to repair 2 punctures.

I am getting new tires this week and yes they will be Tubeless.

Still no issues on the bike and I have challenged her to the brink. We will still spend many a happy year eating up the trails with smiles and total fear at the same time.

If you have the cash and want to get a REAL bike do not think twice. The only issue is getting yourself to the level that the bike deserves :-)

PS: I do not work for any bike shop or dealer, Just an IT techie with a passion for cycling (I now own 11 bikes)

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handles like a dream. Corners better than my other two bikes. Bike is so well balanced climbing is effortless. Trails and single track are a pleasure. Full xt Changed saddle post, handle bars, post etc to KCNC

None

If you are in any doubt as to which bike to buy in this category, look no further. This IS an Awesome bike.

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Spec'd up my Fuji outland comp to full xt. was still heavy and cumbersome in comparison.

Changed my life, cnr like on rails, flys over anything, great spec at the price.

none so far

If you ride a hardtail and are looking for a softtail that can do both this is the bike just think you can still put two bottles on for the shorter rides, lock out the rear and its a hart tail.

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Giant VT 2 , NRS 1 , Trance 1

does not bob as much as other bikes upon pedaling up hill even without the lockout.

had a hard time adjusting the air on the rear shox, no clear specification for that had to make a couple of trials and error.

for a cross country and trailrider i really feel that this bike adjust well and easy to both type of riding. and with the lockouts utilized it can even function as a hardtail which would work well during climbs. all in all it is a pretty complete bike good for all terrains.

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gary fisher hifi pro, Giant Trance

smooth, awesome suspension, great design, really well built, little cheaper than other brands with same gear.

none so far

Great value, seems to float over bumps compared to my hardtail. Rochshox reba fork, full xt running gear, great looking frame. After about 100kms in first week of ownership don't know if i'll ever ride my Avanti again. Absolutly awesome, can't stop raving about it. At about 12.4kg it's heavier than my hardtail but accelerates just as fast and as a bonus you can keep pedaling over rough stuff instead of standing on pedals and hanging on.

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Avanti Competitor Pro Elite hardtail 10.3kg

Coming from a harftail, this disspells my fears about dual suss. The ride is as plush as you want it (with both front & rear remote lock-out). Equipment (full XT) super smooth. A lot cheaper than other brands with same gear.

The Rear-shock (Manitou Radium RL LRS) collapsed twice within 2 weeks. Eventually replaced & been fine since.
A little heavy at 12.4kg.

I was waiting for the new shimano rapid fire triggers , as I don't like dual control nor SRAM.
Great value , can lockout on the fly. Rockshox Reba SL fork, full XT running gear, great looking frame.
I still have a place for my hardtail (Giant ATX 890 with XTR & XT & SID XC)

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Raleigh RDS9 , Spaz Epic Marathon