More Maestro and a new range of components from Giant for 2010
Image 1 of 55
The braced seat stays offer a reasonable amount of tire clearance. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 2 of 55
The Anthem Advanced uses a pair of slender carbon braces on the rear triangle to keep everything rigid. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 3 of 55
(Image credit: James Huang)
Image 4 of 55
Giant designers built the new Anthem Advanced SL with slightly narrower chain stay spacing to better accommodate the SRAM XX crankset's narrow Q-factor option. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 5 of 55
The top-end Anthem Advanced SL0 will come with SRAM's new XX group. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 6 of 55
The rectangular-profile down tube spans the full width of the bottom bracket shell and measures over 200mm around. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 7 of 55
Adam Craig's race bike of choice is Giant's new Anthem Advanced SL0. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 8 of 55
The new Anthem Advanced SL's tapered head tube borrows design cues from the road-going TCR Advanced SL. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 9 of 55
The dual-link Maestro rear end features a fully enclosed carbon rear triangle. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 10 of 55
Giant foregoes its more typical bent top tube for a straighter design on the new Anthem Advanced SL. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 11 of 55
The top tube is moderately oversized but the down tube is simply enormous. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 12 of 55
A new carbon fiber upper link has molded in loops to attach the rear derailleur cable housing and rear brake lines. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 13 of 55
Interchangeable dropouts allow for different axle standards plus two geometry options. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 14 of 55
The new Faith frame is compatible with front derailleurs if so desired. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 15 of 55
Giant brings back the Faith nameplate for freeride devotees. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 16 of 55
The resurrected Faith returns with a newly tapered front end for improved steering and braking performance. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 17 of 55
The heavily shaped aluminum tubes are hydroformed in-house. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 18 of 55
The rear derailleur housing is routed through the chain stay for a tidier appearance. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 19 of 55
The stout rear triangle features a beefy Y-shaped brace joining the chain stays and seat stays. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 20 of 55
The full-length housing is routed along the down tube. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 21 of 55
The backside of the link plates are relieved to save weight. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 22 of 55
It's a small detail but worth mentioning nonetheless: the additional bracing in the Faith upper linkage follows the profile of the seat tube behind it. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 23 of 55
The new component range will also include hubs as well. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 24 of 55
The stout Y-shaped brace still leaves plenty of room for big DH rubber. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 25 of 55
The new Giant Glory frame shaves an almost unbelievable 1.5kg (3.3lb) from last year's overbuilt version. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 26 of 55
The new Glory is gobs lighter than last year's version but still boasts a massive front end. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 27 of 55
The rear derailleur housing is routed through the chain stay. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 28 of 55
Giant is able to adapt its Maestro dual-link suspension design across a broad spectrum of travel lengths and applications. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 29 of 55
Since no front derailleur will ever be used on a Glory, the frame features an extra-wide rectangular-profile seat tube. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 30 of 55
Hydroforming plays a key role in Giant's new 2010 line with even more aggressive shapes than before. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 31 of 55
(Image credit: James Huang)
Image 32 of 55
The Reign X0 includes a new RockShox Maxle Lite rear thru-axle. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 33 of 55
The 2010 Reign X0 is said to weigh just 13.7kg (30.2lb) without pedals. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 34 of 55
The updated Reign gets a newly tapered front end. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 35 of 55
The rear thru-axle threading is integrated into the replaceable derailleur hanger. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 36 of 55
Giant's Maestro suspension design seemingly works just as well in an all-mountain application as it does for short-travel cross-country bikes. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 37 of 55
The S-bend hydroformed aluminum down tube still leaves enough room for a standard water bottle. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 38 of 55
This mid-depth 29" rim design uses shorter spokes to yield a stiffer wheel. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 39 of 55
The new Giant Contact SLR carbon seatpost is said to weigh as little as 190g in a 375mm length. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 40 of 55
The rotating head uses a single bolt for adjustments and offers lots of rail support for lightweight saddles. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 41 of 55
Graduations make for easier height adjustments. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 42 of 55
Giant claims its new Contact SLR carbon stem is the stiffest it's tested in-house. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 43 of 55
The four-bolt faceplate is made of 2-D forged aluminum and is fixed with titanium hardware. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 44 of 55
The Y-shaped brace is molded together with the seat stays. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 45 of 55
Aluminum disc tabs complement the mostly carbon fiber rear end. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 46 of 55
The new Trance X Advanced SL's huge down tube pays noticeable dividends when it comes to handling precision and pedaling responsiveness. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 47 of 55
The 2010 Giant Trance X Advanced SL gets lighter and stiffer but keeps the awesome Maestro rear end. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 48 of 55
Yup, the new Trance X Advanced SL gets a tapered front end, too. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 49 of 55
The Maestro rear end on the new Trance X Advanced SL lets it climb like a race bike but descend like something much more capable. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 50 of 55
The top tube flares in width as it approaches the head tube. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 51 of 55
The new carbon fiber upper link is held in place with all-new hardware. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 52 of 55
The bridgeless chain stay design allows for tight rear-end spacing. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 53 of 55
Cutaway aluminum dropouts shave a few grams. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 54 of 55
2010 isn't just about full-suspension bikes for Giant as it also jumps into the 29" market with some new aluminum hardtails, too. (Image credit: James Huang)
Image 55 of 55
A tapered head tube and steerer reinforce the front end against the 29" fork's longer legs. (Image credit: James Huang)
Giant's new 2010 lineup of full-suspension mountain bikes will retain the company's superb Maestro dual-link architecture and geometry but virtually everything will change. Five all-new frames highlight the range for the new year and bring with them less weight – incredible losses in some cases – equal or better stiffness and improved aesthetics to boot.
Anthem X Advanced SL – Giant's best race bike yet
Topping the XC range is team rider Adam Craig's race bike of choice, the revamped 100mm (4")-travel full-carbon Anthem X Advanced SL. At a paltry 2.1kg (4.63lb) claimed weight for a painted frame w/shock and hardware, it's a full 200g (0.44lb) lighter than last year's aluminum Anthem X. Even better, a top-end medium-sized '10 Anthem X Advanced SL0 built with SRAM's new XX group will peg the needle at an impressive 9.8kg (21.8lb) straight out of the box without pedals.
The production model is actually the fourth prototype that Craig tested and earlier versions were actually even lighter with the lightest being under 2kg. However, Craig and Giant ultimately decided that it was worth a bit of extra weight to gain more chassis rigidity and the new model supposedly boasts a modest five percent bump thanks to the material upgrade but also heavily revised tube shaping.
As such, the front end now boasts an 'OverDrive' tapered 1 1/8"-to-1 1/2" steerer with a correspondingly enlarged 'MegaDrive' rectangular down tube that measures a whopping 205mm in circumference (measure your current bike for comparison). The top-end SLO model also gets a Giant-exclusive tapered version of RockShox' SID XX, which by itself is claimed to deliver a 25 percent jump in bending stiffness as compared to the standard fork.
In addition, the '10 Anthem X Advanced SL also gets a new composite upper rocker arm, new pivot hardware, and a slightly narrower outside chain stay width to take advantage of the SRAM XX crank's optional narrow Q-factor version.
Geometry is wisely unchanged from last year with 71/73° head/seat tube angles, short 425mm chain stays, and a stable 10mm bottom bracket drop.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
New all-carbon Trance X Advanced SL for '10
Giant's 127mm (5")-travel Trance X trail bike platform gets a new all-carbon version for '10, the Trance X Advanced SL. As compared to last year's aluminum version, the Advanced SL's 2.25kg (4.96lb) claimed frame weight (medium, painted, with shock and hardware) is a full 400g (0.88lb) lighter and yet also seven percent more rigid for improved handling and pedaling responsiveness.
Frame shape upgrades are similar to those on the shorter-travel Anthem X Advanced SL and include the OverDrive tapered front end and a similarly huge MegaDrive rectangular down tube – again over 200mm around.
Frame geometry is also unchanged from last year (69.5/73.5° head/seat tube angles, 435mm chain stay length, 0mm bottom bracket drop) save for one exception: head tube lengths on the large and extra-large sizes have been shortened 5mm and 15mm, respectively, to allow for more handlebar drop.
The top-end Trance X Advanced SL0 model will weigh in at a race bike-like 11.1kg (24.5lb) for a medium size without pedals and it should be noted that it easily could have been lighter. However, Giant global mountain bike category manager Kevin Dana felt that middleweight items such as the versatile Mavic Crossmax ST wheels and Fox 32 TALAS FIT RLC fork (with 15mm thru-axle dropouts) were better suited to the frame's broader capabilities. Lighter and/or smoother riders – or ones that just want to drop weight – could shed another half-kilo without too much trouble to make for an even faster rig.
More 'up' for the all-mountain Reign X
Though the weight losses on Giant's shorter-travel Maestro bikes are impressive in their own right, the crash diets of the longer-travel platforms are far more dramatic.
The new '10 Reign X all-mountain chassis retains its ALUXX aluminum construction and 170mm (6.7") of travel but careful redesigns have shed a full 675g (nearly 1.5lb) off of last year's version – claimed weight for a medium painted frame with a Fox DHX Air rear shock and hardware is now just 3.1kg (6.83lb) and a complete Reign X0 is a very climbable 13.7kg (30.2lb) without pedals.
Much of the weight savings comes with the new co-pivot suspension arrangement already in use on the Anthem X and Trance X platforms whereby the lower shock pivot doubles as the axle for the forward lower link pivot. As a result of the new packaging, last year's hefty pierced down tube configuration can be traded in for a more conventional – and more svelte – frame tube setup.
The OverDrive tapered front end and correspondingly bigger down tube make an appearance here as well and also work with the more aggressively hydroformed tubing to yield a five percent increase in stiffness as compared to '09. In addition, rear dropouts are now compatible with RockShox' 12x135mm Maxle Lite thru-axle, the new down tube-routed full-length housing paths are cleaner and less prone to ghost shifting, and cable guides are included for remote telescoping seatposts, too. Moreover, the S-bend down tube even provides enough room for a bottle cage.
Last year's quintessential all-mountain geometry is carried over with 67/72-72.5° head/seat tube angles, 440mm chain stay lengths and a -13mm bottom bracket drop (meaning the bottom bracket sits higher than the hub axles).
Giant brings back the dedicated freeride bike
Huckers will be pleased to note the resurrection of a dedicated freeride bike from Giant for '10 instead of last year's somewhat compromised Glory. The Faith nameplate returns after a three-year hiatus with a slightly shorter 177mm (7")-travel and geometry and handling purpose-built for spending as much time in the air as on the ground.
Although reducing weight isn't quite as important here as with more pedaling-oriented segments, a lighter bike still makes for a machine that's easier to control in the air, more eager to change direction, and quicker to slow down and the Faith certainly doesn't disappoint in that area. At a claimed weight of 4.06kg (8.95lb) for a painted frame with coil-over Fox rear shock and hardware, the Faith sheds an almost unbelievable 1.1kg (2.43lb!) from last year's Glory and a complete medium Faith 0 is 16.7kg (36.8lb) without pedals.
An OverDrive front end, co-pivot Maestro suspension layout and huge hydroformed aluminum down tube and top tube make their way here as well and help make for a seven percent stiffness increase over the last-generation Faith (which was far heavier). Convertible 12mm rear dropouts will work with standard, Shimano Saint or Maxle thru-axle setups, too, and will also allow for either a 66.75° or 66.24° head tube angle (and corresponding changes to chain stay length and bottom bracket height) to fine-tune the handling.
Finally, full-length housing will run along the down tube for better long-term shift performance and a cleaner appearance and a standard 73mm-wide bottom bracket shell (with ISCG05 tabs) will allow for a wide range of drivetrain setups.
2010 Glory downhill bike gets leaner and faster
Giant readily acknowledges that though its 2009 Glory DH was an excellent – and very popular – overall performer but it was also massively heavy (or as Dana puts it, "it was an overbuilt tank"). After nearly two years of development and refinement work on the '10 version, though, the result is an unreal 1.5kg (3.3lb, or 26.8 percent) weight loss as compared to its overbuilt predecessor.
Claimed weight is now a much more competitive 4.06kg (8.95lb) for a medium painted frame with rear shock and hardware while a complete Glory 0 model is a rather feathery (for a downhill bike) 17.19kg (37.9lb) while retaining the same stiffness as last year. That's akin to a 70kg (154lb) rider losing nearly 19kg (42lb) overnight and it doesn't take a brain surgeon to envision the changes in handling dynamics that results.
Travel actually decreases a bit to 203mm (8") from last year's 224mm (8.8") but Giant claims it's the right amount for the job at hand, stressing quality of travel over quantity.
Last year's OverDrive tapered front end carries over but the suspension layout now gains the co-pivot arrangement as with the rest of the line along with completely overhauled hydroformed tubing shapes. Convertible rear dropouts can be configured to work with standard 12mm, Shimano Saint or RockShox Maxle thru-axles, the 83mm-wide bottom bracket shell (with ISCG05 tabs, of course) offers a straighter chainline with wider DH-style hubs, and new down tube-routed cables are cleaner-looking and less prone to ghost shifts under heavy impact.
As with the rest of the revised '10 lineup, frame geometry on the new Glory is mostly carried over from the previous version's proven setup, including a 65.5° head tube angle, relatively short 445mm chain stays and a -24mm bottom bracket drop. The only significant change is with the medium frame size, whose top tube is now 37.4mm longer than before to take a more logical in-between position relative to the small and large.
New component line for 2010
Giant will also devote some attention to new componentry for 2010 that will include the usual bars, stems, and seatposts but also wheel bits such as hubs and rims. Four lines will be offered in total, topped off by the carbon fiber Contact SLR range.
The Contact SLR seatpost weighs as little as 190g in a 375mm length and features a one-piece carbon mast and head. The stepless rotating aluminum clamp offset is adjustable from 12-23mm and the lower cradle is 55mm long (and reversible) to support lightweight rails. Alternate clamp bits will be available for taller carbon rails, too.
The Contact SLR molded carbon fiber stem is similarly feathery at 125g for a 100mm length complete with a forged alloy four-bolt faceplate and titanium hardware. A neat semi-recessed design keeps the included carbon fiber top cap flush with the rest of the stem surface for a cleaner look and stack height is a tidy 40mm.
The Contact SLR range will also include three all-new carbon mountain bike handlebars: a bar-end compatible 125g flat bar with a 5° sweep and 620mm width; a 165g 15mm riser with 9° of backsweep, 5° of upsweep and a 670mm width; and a 175g 19mm riser with the same angles but a more generous 690mm width.
So how do the new bikes ride?
The relatively short launch format didn't allow for quite enough time to sample all of Giant's new wares (and the Anthem X Advanced SL rocket ship wasn't available to ride) so we spent most of our time on the Trance X Advanced SL and Reign X0 and the trails in and around the ski resort of Keystone, Colorado.
Giant touts the Trance X Advanced SL as 'the ultimate go-to bike' for mixed-terrain riding involving equal parts climbing and descending and our test loop suitably included a 600m (2000') uphill slog before jumping on to the famed Colorado Trail for a fast semi-technical descent back to the base. As we've come to expect from Giant's dual-link suspension design, pedaling efficiency was superb – even with the Fox RP23 rear shock's ProPedal feature turned off – and the feathery weight of the new carbon chassis made the journey noticeably less painful.
The new Trance really showed its mettle once we finally headed downhill though with sharp handling owing to the newly tapered front end and stout front triangle. Suspension movement was well controlled across a wide variety of bump sizes, too, plus a taut, springy feel throughout the travel range and no mid-stroke wallow. Good stuff all around for a first taste and a good indicator of what's to come long-term.
Transition to lift-accessed trails and the new Reign X0 showed similar benefits, in particular the stiffer and more accurate-handling front end plus the excellent traction of the Maestro rear end. The stock single-ply Kenda tires were perhaps a bit too light for Keystone's rocky terrain (we got three flats on one run before swapping to DH tubes and increasing tire pressure) but to be fair, the Faith or Glory probably would have been better tools for the job.
Even so, the Reign comfortably handled some of the area's toughest terrain – including a nice 2m+ (6') drop – and still pedaled quite well back to the lift base.
All in all, we like what we see from Giant for 2010 and it's a pleasant surprise to see so many upgrades applied to so much of the line in a single model year. As long as Giant's engineers have managed to retain (or improve upon) the durability records, things are looking good when these bikes become available come later this year.
Projected pricing is as follows: Anthem X Advanced SL0: US$7,800 Anthem X Advanced SL1: US$4,950 Trance X Advanced SL0: US$6,800 Trance X Advanced SL1: US$4,950 Reign X0: US$5,650 Reign X 1: US$3,600 Reign X 2: US$2,250 Faith 0: US$4,125 Faith 1: US$3,100 Glory 0: US$5,350 Glory 1: US$4,125
