HARO X6 or GIANT ANTHEM S?

[snapy]

VOTE NOW!!
which is better to perform.. state ur opinion here.. pls pls.. im newbie only..

[kulot_salot]

no comparison.

for AXC/AM: HARO X6 >> with 5" to 6" of rear travel, fork with 5"/130mm travel

for XC/XCrace: ANTHEM S >> with 3.5" of rear travel, fork with 4"/100mm travel

depends on your riding style... what's your riding style?

[yukon]

better if we can do apple to apple comparison X6 is very different from the Anthem. Jaymz is right, depends on your riding disicpline.

[ronaldarca]

since you're asking about performance, we should have the same platform to work with.
so far an AM/FR (Haro X6) bike vs an XC bike (Anthem) wouldnt do any versa.

how about a Haro X6LT vs. Giant Reign 3...?
both with All Mountain setup

ive ridden both but for only a short span of time and rode them more up rather than downhill, which actually defeats its purpose on performance to test with durability, ease of usage, components review, BLING!, etc...

but so far as my personal review is concerned, the stock Reign feels more solid to pedal than the Haro, since stock comes in lighter, plus the frame geometry feels more comfy.... although if i have a chance going down with one, i'll go with the Haro X6, the Marz All Mountain 4 160mm (OEM) calls me bigger hits.

both comes in stock with Fox Float R Pro Pedals, but thru pedal bob feel, i'm more inclined with the Reign, doesnt bob much; while the Haro names the tune "Rock The Boat" in two pedal strokes
the Reign could go me the longer distance with less effort to being with

so there you are, a comparison to satisfy such craving

if you're looking for a Haro XC counterpart, there's the Haro Sonix... but we have to yet see one in flesh

ride safe brad

---

p.s. i maybe not be the guy for the job, but a share of experience could somehow satisfy the purpose of this thread. i'm still an AM/FR wannabe, so dont count me in downhill reviews
let's see what others might say

[snapy]

im just newbie.. need advice on urban riding.. is anthem will do the job?

[kulot_salot]

snapy said:

im just newbie.. need advice on urban riding.. is anthem will do the job?

see what it is intended for...

Anthem S

---------------------

STP

[snapy]

ok thnx.. will read on this..

[DarKman]

Hi Guys,

Hope I can butt in. I'm also a newbie when it comes to biking and I plan to buy m first MTB next week. After researching and talking to friend's I was convinced to buy the X6 LT (well, i initially wanted the 2008 Flightline expert but I'd have to wait till September said the Haro distributor).

Reading this thread now, and being clueless at biking, am I making the right choice by opting for the X6 LT? By saying "right choice" i mean to say/ask -- is there a better bike out there that is similarly priced as the X6 LT? Value for money?

Thanks guys.

[yukon]

Ey darkman

some answers are found above. It really boils down to what your riding style is...let us know what you want to use it for and the Bike Gurus can tell you what to consider. AM, XC, FR, DJ...etc etc.
Hmmmm...I see your considering an AM setup and your budget sir it'll help too. Some can recommend you frames which arent too pricey
Keep on posting!

[snapy]

if we will use it for urban riding lang.. is ANTHEM will do the job?

[xctofi]

for the Nth time, Giant Anthem is an XC/Race frame. is will not do the job

[kulot_salot]

xctofi said:

for the Nth time, Giant Anthem is an XC/Race frame. is will not do the job

disagree! ;D

ask nelson! is will do the job!

parang i went against my previous posts.... heheheheh.... ;D ;D

[xctofi]

jaymz said:

xctofi said:

for the Nth time, Giant Anthem is an XC/Race frame. is will not do the job

disagree! ;D

ask nelson! is will do the job!

parang i went against my previous posts.... heheheheh.... ;D ;D

is just my opinion to help him in choosing what is correct to use, but if u want to use is Anthem for urban then is really possible and is your choice but the frame is really not for urban.

[kulot_salot]

kaw naman fafa tofs

just making your non-biking saturday bearable & full of life lang! heheheheheh... ;D

[DarKman]

Thanks for the reply Yukon.

Here goes... initially i just wanted a bike that will take me from my house to the village basketball court about 4 blocks away. However, once i got to asking acquaintances about bikes I realized that biking is a very complicated business. Man, a few days ago i thought good bikes generally cost about 10k only! Imagine my suprise when I went to the only bike shop i knew in Megamall (now i know there are a lot) that good road bikes ranged about 20k (which i know now again that 20k is peanuts and prices can range as high as the sky).

To cut the long story short, my bike education has been fast and confusing the past week. My friend who is a biker told me that i would eventually move onto more demanding biking (i think he meant trails, obstacles, etc.) so better by a good FS bike outright to save on future costs. He said try Haro because it cheaper than other brands like specialized and Giant..and because Haro's are generally well spec'd and have good value for money.

My budget started at 10k initially but I'm now leaning toward 50 - 60k...Every time i search for a new bike site or read a thread i feel like i get hit by a virus or something...teka, parang dehins na maganda toh ah, nawawala na ang control ko sa pera...im willing to spend 60k on a bike? wahhh!

I've been to every bike shop in metro manila mentioned in this website except those in cartimar. I've read countless bike websites and threads and forums, etc... but i still am not sure if i am going to do the right thing. Btw, I'm now contemplating biking from my house in QC to my office in Ortigas. I also want to try what the weekend biker's in UP Diliman do every weekend. I also want to try things i overhear from bikers every time I enter a bike store.. "uy trail tayo sa ...". Biking possibilities are endless.

sorry for the long reply. Please confirm if I am making the right choice by buying an X6 LT. Whatever happens, i'm buying a bike this coming Wednesday kasi dehins nako makatulog and all i think of is biking. Nababaliw na ata ako. I want to try it na!

Cheers!

[mountguitars]

darkman,

go for a giant. its bang for your buck. giant's design is well thought of and priced just right. i dont think haro has any rear suspension technology meaning it relies more on the rear shock to do the work. with a giant, the frame design is so solid that it doesnt rely that much on the rear shock. in fact, it makes its own proprietary rear shock on some models.

go for trance. you can do a lot with this bike becoz its an aggressive XC/ trail bike.

hope this adds more to the confusion, hehehe. ;D

if you need more help, feel free to ask.

[DarKman]

Thanks sir,

your post has added an entirely new dimension to my confusion...but it's well worth it.

I'll check it out...but where? sa Bike Extreme? puro kasi Giant yung nakita ko dun eh... and how much kaya?

THank you so much.

[yukon]

DarkMan

If you want me to accompany you to Extreme let me know. I'm from QC parked at GMA7 and sometimes (just sometimes) pass by Extreme and Cycle Options before I go to Ortigas at 7PM. Take note, I just pass coz I dont have moolah to buy anymore.
BTW, with your budget...I think you can get a decent AM/XC bike for that matter. Make sure you give yourself a strict timeline to upgrade else your budgets gonna go kapoot!
Before I forget dont restrict yourself to the LBS mentioned above. There are lots of bike shops here and you can get a good deal by proper negotiation..and yes, hope to ride with you soon.

Ride Safe

[xctofi]

and make sure you get stuff from authorized dealers!

[DarKman]

Thanks for your help guys.

Actually, I saw the X6 at cycle options and the mechanic or manager (Efren) there was very kind and patient in explaining things to me.

I guess for my very first bike I want to buy from a reputable store ( i mean, dehins muna siguro sa cartimar o quiapo, etc..).

I'm leaning towards the Haro coz it seems like it is cheaper and has more value for money (ok na daw yung parts). Yung sa Giant kasi nalula akos a price...same with specialized..hehehe

thank you again for all your help.

[snapy]

i guess trance is so expensive? is it for urban riding? and whats the use of anthme by the way? where is it best for?

[yukon]

Anthem = XC

[dayuhan]

Gotta say I disagree with your friend's advice. I don't think it makes sense for a new rider to go out and blow large bucks on a good FS frame. Almost all good FS frames are built with a specific purpose in mind, and most beginners really don't know what style will eventually draw them in.

What exactly do we mean whaen we say "urban"? That can be anything from casual riding around the city to highly specialized stunts, which a beginner won't be doing for a while anyway.

My suggestion would be to spend 20-25t, buy a decent hardtail, and ride it a lot, in as many circumstances as possible. It won't be perfect for anything, but it will be adequate for everything. Don't worry about what the bike is right for, just ride as much as you can in as many places as you can, and concentrate on learning basic skills that will be useful in any type of riding.

After a year or two you'll have a much better idea what you really want, and a lot of the stuff on that bike will be useful in building a new bike.

A bike like the X6... seems to me that the bike is built to do stuff most beginners son't do, like serious jumps and drops, which means that for a while, while you're building basic skills, you'll be hauling around a lot of weight that you don't need.

[mountguitars]

snapy said:

i guess trance is so expensive? is it for urban riding? and whats the use of anthme by the way? where is it best for?

i think giant doesnt have an urban specific frame. meron siguro but its hardtail or maybe its not posted on giant's regular site or it might not be available in the philippines.

if you want something for urban use, i think haro has something up its sleeve. an X6 might even do the trick. i think it has a coil over rear suspension. IMO, air suspensions just cant handle the harshness of urban landscapes.

but then again, the best urban frames are hardtails. you can do a lot of tricks with a hardtail. and besides, a full suspension rig really looks out of place in an urban landscape not to mention expensive when you compare it with a hardtail. get a GT brad.

[DarKman]

Might be worth waiting a few weeks for the upcoming Haro flightline series then, sabi by September daw dadating na.

thanks for the inputs!

[hyperion]

mountguitars said:

i think giant doesnt have an urban specific frame. meron siguro but its hardtail or maybe its not posted on giant's regular site or it might not be available in the philippines.

There's the Giant STP (street trailer park) which is kinda like XTC on steroids - much bigger tubes and shorter chain stays. It is not officially available here but there's a built STP at Paulina's for P40k. I want one actually hehehe.

[DarKman]

Thank you guys for your inputs. I think Dayuhan has a very good point....

My final question (i hope), what is the BEST bike na lang for a beginner like me given what dayuhan said above?

thanks!

[Dragunov]

Darkman,

a hardtail will do for a beginner like you, but i suggest buying a nice and good frame and fork so you won't have to upgrade it in the future, upgrading the rest of the parts are easier on the wallet , a merida, giant, trek hardtail would do

but if you really like FS then its anthem for me, its light and designed for XC which i think is going to be your discipline

[dayuhan]

Merida, Giant, and Trek all make quite decent hardtail frames at reasonable prices, also KHS, Jamis, Kona. Just look for a general purpose frame. HT frames designed specifically for urban/DJ use have a geometry that will make longer rides or trail rides uncomfortable, especially if much climbing is involved.

Let's say you get a decent deal on a KHS Alite 2000, solid all-around HT frame (or equivalent). If you can find one, the Marzocchi EXR Pro is an excellent entry-level fork, very good value for money. I'd go BB7 on brakes, one place you don't want to go cheap. Shifters, cranks, derailleurs, Deore or LX. For wheels, Deore hubs, Mavic 223 rims, generic spokes. Bars, stem, post... Turbolite is solid and not so expensive. Don't get the cheapest saddle, look around for something comfortable, your butt will thank you.

A bike like that may not win beauty contests, but it won't break your budget either. You can ride it anywhere, and if you keep it well it will serve you well for a good long time. The important thing is to ride it, a lot, in as many places as you can. Learn to service, tune, and lubricate, learn how everything works.

You may not ride a bike like that forever, but you'll get a lot of pleasure and a lot of learning out of it, and when you do upgrade, you'll know what you're looking for.

[mountguitars]

solid advice from dayuhan. kinda sounds like me from eons ago, hehehe. ;D

i started with a hardtail, too. and after that, everthing went the way dayuhan said it.

yup, go for a hardtail. i think it'll be perfect. no fuss, no frills.