I’ve got a new Mountain Bike!
When I was in South Africa I was working with Alex who turned out to be a bit of a mountain bike junkie. I made the mistake of saying that I had been doing quite a few Adventure Races over the past year and that I was thinking about getting a new mountain bike. He immediately thought of the Giant Anthem X1 and gave me lots of reasons why it was the bike for me. Then few weeks later he said I should look at Mountain Bike UK Magazine which had a review of the X2 model (the one below the X1)
After exchanging a few e-mails with Stephen from Transition Cycles (in Bedford), I popped over to have a look at the X1 today. I took it out for a test ride, but as it was 0C outside, my breath was frosty and my fingers were frozen it was only a short ride. However I could tell that it felt light, was easy to control, the front and rear suspension worked well when I rode over large cobbles and it looked good! It was clearly a very impressive bike so I bought it 
Giant Anthem X1 - My new bike!
Full Specs:
| MODEL | Anthem X1 |
| SIZES | XS (14.5″), S (16″), M (18″), L (20″), XL (22″) |
| FRAME | AluxX SL aluminium, Fluid Formed,Maestro suspension system, 4”/100mm travel |
| FORK | Roch Shox SID Team 100mm travel, Motion Control lock out |
| SHOCK | Fox Float RP2 |
| HANDLEBAR | RaceFace Evolve XC |
| STEM | RaceFace Evolve XC |
| SEAT POST | RaceFace Evolve XC |
| SADDLE | WTB Silverado Race FR, CroMo rails |
| PEDALS | N/A |
| SHIFTERS | Shimano XT 27 speed RapidFire Plus |
| FRONT MECH | Shimano XT |
| REAR MECH | Shimano XTR Shadow |
| BRAKES | Shimano XT disc, 160mm rotors |
| BRAKE LEVER | Shimano XT |
| CASSETTE | Shimano SLX 11-34 |
| CHAIN | Shimano HG73 |
| CRANKS | Shimano XT Hollowtech II 44/32/22 |
| BOTTOM BRACKET | Shimano XT Hollowtech II |
| RIMS | Mavic XC717 26″ |
| HUBS | DT 370 Disc |
| SPOKES | Sapim Race |
| TYRES | Schwalbe Racing Ralph Evo 26x 2.1″ |
| *WEIGHT KG / LB | 11.26 / 24.13 |
I also bought a pair Altura skin tight, thermal trousers which look kind of funny, but will keep me warm over the Winter months.
Altura Kinetic Bib Tight