wheelhot

Which one is more suited for a cycle for fun/XC bike? I heard that the Anthem is on par with Epic. Im also wondering is it possible to get the weight of Anthem 1 with a Trance frame?

mtnbiker66

Not again!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nooooooooooo.(runs away and hides)

biggsmoothe

depends on your definition of "fun" and "XC". the anthem and epic are race oriented bikes. i think the trance is a bit more of an aggressive trail bike with more travel. which one suits you depends on where and how you ride - and how it fits you of course.

Pink Pony

Epic RULES..

a bit heavy.. but its pretty cheap...

wheelhot

erm, i was also thinking of epic cause i love the feeling of hardtail but when the trails get rough i would like some cushioning. and comparing epic with anthem and trance, epic is more expensive then both of them. But the problem is Giant makes the sound of no reliance to shock technology makes it sounds cool.

vw addict

the Iron Horse MKIII/Hollowpoint will own all those bikes.

mtnbiker66

How do you know this???

Bluechip

He must think it's still April fools day!

Justino

Funny, but I just dealt with the same question. I ended up with an Epic and here's why; I liked the fact that all three bikes had a good frame, even at the bottom of their respective lines, and could be upgraded as my needs dictate. I rode them all (and a bazillion other bikes) and, having had a hard time convincing myself of the merit of full suspension for a pure XC bike, I liked the feel of the Epic. Also, in the base model the Epic came with better components than either of the Giants, but without disks. The Epic is more expensive, though, and that's a hard pill to swallow. But it did have a relatively new (but not untested) technology in the Brain shock and that was nice. I'm usually so far behind the innovation curve it's laughable.

What eventually sealed the deal is a sale at a LBS that had the Epic Rim at the same price as the Anthem 3 or Trance 3. In addition, the shop wasn't allowing test rides (it was a chaotic tent sale) and instead offered 30 days money back. I had already ridden them all and was just trying to make up my mind. But no limits on riding and no restocking fees or anything. Now I've been riding the Epic for a week and a half or so and haven't looked back. Best of all, I still have plenty of time on the Epic and if it's not the best thing ever I can still clean it up, take it back and get something else.

skiahh

I'm pretty happy with my Epic. I don't race and don't huck. I enjoy XC mostly. I've taken it to Moab and had a blast with it there, though if I lived there full time I'd definately go for something with more travel. I got mine before the new Stumpy came out and haven't compared the two but from the looks of it, I might lean more towards the Stumpy if I were in the market today.

I'm a big believer in Specialized. This Epic is my 4th S bike. Traded my SJ hardail for an '00 Enduro which broke. S replaced it with the '02 frame which I didn't like so I sold that and got an 05 Epic frame. Other than the one that broke - which they made good on - I've had great success with Specialized bikes.

wheelhot

Hmm I wonder how nice if will feel using a epic while cornering downhill, i hope it will feel like hardtail abit. And how come 2006 Epic is 4inch rear? Is the weight still the same or abit heavier?

born2bahick

Might have something to do with the brain fade feature this year, you can set the brain shock for fully active to lockout, or trail tuned, or anywhere in between. If you run fully active you might want a small amount of sag in the rear. Or this could be total Hickwash!

vw addict

Well having ridden a MKIII and a Epic(and a Blur), I can tell you the ride of the MKIII is similar to if not better than the Blur. But you decide for yourself, it's your bike.

wheelhot

Thats odd, I thought the the Brain is designed to sense the terrain? why would you want to lockout or trail tuned or pro pedal? Im wondering what happen if you blew up your rear epic shock? How to replace it? Cause the brain is integrated with it? And what you guys think comparing the trance and anthem. Hmm, darn I love the Maestro system cause it doesnt rely on shock technology but i love to train myself by standing up by pedalling uphill on my hardtail.

ed 

I have been oogling the Giant Trance ever since I read a review in MBA and test-rode one. Now there's a Trance4 on sale @ my LBS for $750. The fork on the Trance4 is a Manitou Axel=crap, so that would have to go byebye before it ever left the shop.

I just got a Fox Vanilla R 130 for my HT and converted it to 100mm. I'm trying my hardest not to go to that dadgum LBS, trade them my HKEK for their Trance and throw the Vanilla on it. That's like my dream-ride. All the other crap can be upgraded as it breaks, so it's a great deal to get back into a doo-boinger.

My only issue with the Anthem and Epic here in Kansas is that the only 3 trails in the area that I wouldn't enjoy racing on a HT would be best served on a trail bike with 4-5" of travel. The Midwest Fat Tire series race @ Farlington is freakin' rough. Tons of rocks/roots pokin' their ugly faces outta the trail.

Sure, it can be done...I rode it 2x this weekend on my beater HT, but it's not what I'd prefer to ride out there even if I were racing.


I guess what I'm saying is:

Epic vs. Anthem
or
Trance vs. Stumpy

There are 2 different categories of bike here that you're trying to get advice on and you need to ask yourself where most of your riding time will be spent. The extra 1"-1.5" of travel can be TONS more fun if you're not as worried about the drawbacks native to that type of bike. (more bobbing/more weight)

Think about this as well...Specialized has been using that freakin' Horst Link 4-bar forever. It's basically the same bike it was several years ago barring better dampers and a few small geometry changes here and there. Does that mean it's better or worse than the one-year-old Maestro design? Some people say you need to constantly evolve...other say "If it ain't broken don't fix it".

MBA is head-over-heals about the Trance...adversly, they say the Stumpjumper is still one of their fav's for a trail bike.

Personally, pro-pedal/terralogic/spv and all that stuff is just stiction. You want stiction, buy a Rockshox Judy. I would want my suspension totally active all the time. I love to see small roots on the trail and not be able to feel them as I roll over them. As far as I know (please correct me here if I'm wrong) with pro-pedal / pedaling platforms...the only thing that activates the suspension are the slightly larger bumps. (I'm sure you can set it however you want it) So, if you have a decent platform for pedaling, doesn't that equal harsher small-bump absorption?

Mind you this is just my opinion and I HUMBLY apologize for taking up so much space on this thread. I'd get the Trance for my local terrain.

mtnbiker66

Oh Ok, Since you think it's better it owns everthing else. I think the ride of the blur sucks ,I guess my Bullit owns it.I like this way of thinking.

wheelhot

Hmm yeah maybe, I wonder how to change a trance into a XC weight bike? Any components suggestions?

ed 

Well, ideally for me I'd want it to be light but relatively strong. (I'm 185 lbs)

I'd go with Trance frame / Reba fork
XT HTII cranks
EggBeaters
Crossmax
Easton EC70 riser bar
USE Alien Aluminum Post
FSA 115 Stem
King Headset
Avid Juicy Carbon
Kenda Nevegal 2.1's (all the weight savings in the world can't make up for bad traction)
Titec Pluto Ti saddle
XT Cassette
XTR derailleurs

Though it would take me a few years to work my way up to all of this because last time I checked, it all costs money.