New bike brakes don't match specs

Tim

Tim

aka sptimmy43
So I got a 2018 Giant Anthem 2 in late July. I love the bike. I had a soft rear brake and while checking pads/specs I noticed the brakes are Shimano M615 and not the Deore M8000 brakes indicated on the specs on Giant's website. I called the shop where I bought the bike and was told that manufacturers change components/specs all the time without notice. Is that true? Obviously, I'd love to have the better brakes if there is a realistic chance Giant would cough them up.
 
Kirt

Kirt

JORBA: Chimney Rock, Team MTBNJ.COM
JORBA.ORG
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Yes it's true. Pretty common in the industry. Most of the sites have some kind of verbage. I don't think you will get any kind of an upgrade from the manufacturer but maybe the shop will give you a deal to upgrade. Good luck
 
Kaleidopete

Kaleidopete

Well-Known Member
From the Surly website.
Image1.jpg
 
Paul H

Paul H

Fearless OOS Poser
Blah... I think some bike shop mix up parts
My Trance was supposed to come with 750 bar and 70 stem and green highlighted saddle
What I got was 730 bar, 60 stem(not complaining about this one) and grey highlighted saddle
 
Tim

Tim

aka sptimmy43
The reality is the M615 brakes are fine. What would be really nice, however, would be i-spec-ii compatible brake levers (which the M615 are not). When I have my shifter between the brake lever and grip my hand is cramped and uncomfortable. When it's inboard of the brake lever I feel it's a bit too far inboard. Eh, if I find some money laying around maybe I'll upgrade to Deore or XT brakes.
 
Tim

Tim

aka sptimmy43
C8N said:
I am pretty sure the 2018 Anthem 2 was spec'ed to come with M7000 SLX
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The drivetrain is slx. In fact, the cassette is XT (11-46). Brakes were supposed to be Deore M6000 as was mentioned above.
 
Monkey Soup

Monkey Soup

Angry Wanker
sptimmy43 said:
The reality is the M615 brakes are fine. What would be really nice, however, would be i-spec-ii compatible brake levers (which the M615 are not). When I have my shifter between the brake lever and grip my hand is cramped and uncomfortable. When it's inboard of the brake lever I feel it's a bit too far inboard. Eh, if I find some money laying around maybe I'll upgrade to Deore or XT brakes.
Click to expand...

FYI, XT's are going for between $80-90 online, shifters are $40.
 
CrankAddictRich

CrankAddictRich

Well-Known Member
As everyone has already stated... sometimes the manufacturers change specs based on parts that are backordered or not available, or more likely, something is just cheaper from a cost perspective... sometimes, I even think it just comes down to a lazy data entry person that is copying in bike specs when building the website and not correctly updating.

Where in SP are you? I live over by the football field.
 
Tim

Tim

aka sptimmy43
I appreciate all the replies. I am relatively new to whole mountain biking thing and my 2018 Anthem 2 is my first "real" bike. I am learning all kinds of neat stuff about how manufacturers and (some) bike shops operate. I'm glad I found this site where I can get some good advice.

CrankAddictRich said:
As everyone has already stated... sometimes the manufacturers change specs based on parts that are backordered or not available, or more likely, something is just cheaper from a cost perspective... sometimes, I even think it just comes down to a lazy data entry person that is copying in bike specs when building the website and not correctly updating.

Where in SP are you? I live over by the football field.
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Yeah. I will probably buy some XT brakes at some point. I need to figure out potential sizing issues first. That was the other thing Giant changed since I bought the bike. Their original spec put me right at the bottom end of riding a large. I test rode a large (but not a 2018 Anthem) and it seemed fine so we ordered a large. Guys at the shop I bought from were more than confident it was the right decision. Well, Giant updated the chart a few weeks ago and I am right in the middle of the medium range. That probably explains why I have my seat moved all the way forward on the rails and still can't seem to get 100% comfortable. I'm thinking this may not be a bad thing once I throw a 35mm stem on (bike came with a 60mm stem). I am sure I will end up at Halters for a bike fit before too long. I found this site too late or I would have bought the bike from them. Hopefully I won't be buying a new frame in a size medium.

I don't live too far from you. I am between Park and Woodland.
 
qclabrat

qclabrat

Well-Known Member
sptimmy43 said:
I appreciate all the replies. I am relatively new to whole mountain biking thing and my 2018 Anthem 2 is my first "real" bike. I am learning all kinds of neat stuff about how manufacturers and (some) bike shops operate. I'm glad I found this site where I can get some good advice.



Yeah. I will probably buy some XT brakes at some point. I need to figure out potential sizing issues first. That was the other thing Giant changed since I bought the bike. Their original spec put me right at the bottom end of riding a large. I test rode a large (but not a 2018 Anthem) and it seemed fine so we ordered a large. Guys at the shop I bought from were more than confident it was the right decision. Well, Giant updated the chart a few weeks ago and I am right in the middle of the medium range. That probably explains why I have my seat moved all the way forward on the rails and still can't seem to get 100% comfortable. I'm thinking this may not be a bad thing once I throw a 35mm stem on (bike came with a 60mm stem). I am sure I will end up at Halters for a bike fit before too long. I found this site too late or I would have bought the bike from them. Hopefully I won't be buying a new frame in a size medium.

I don't live too far from you. I am between Park and Woodland.
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Looks like Giant designed the 2018 Anthem to be more slack by changing the trail, which drops the BB and lengthens the wheelbase. They also shortened the stock stem and added wider bars to account for the geo change. Looking at the numbers, I'd think the 2018 L is still much closer to the 2017 L than 2018 M. I usually like my frames smaller, but it really depends on the bike. Ride the bike more then give the techs your feedback to help dial in the bike.
 
Tim

Tim

aka sptimmy43
qclabrat said:
Looks like Giant designed the 2018 Anthem to be more slack by changing the trail, which drops the BB and lengthens the wheelbase. They also shortened the stock stem and added wider bars to account for the geo change. Looking at the numbers, I'd think the 2018 L is still much closer to the 2017 L than 2018 M. I usually like my frames smaller, but it really depends on the bike. Ride the bike more then give the techs your feedback to help dial in the bike.
Click to expand...

The guys at the shop had me test ride a 2017 Stance which is a 130mm trail bike. I am 5'10" with a relatively long torso which seems to be the issue with the large Anthem. I have enough standover but it's close. 150mm dropper post is inserted all the way in the frame and might be just a touch high still when it's up. Moving the seat forward seemed to help that issue. I have always felt like I have a bit too much weight on the bars. I am going to throw a shorter stem on and see if that helps. I am thinking that the fact that I have a relatively long torso may make the L actually work. I don't really have an issue riding the bike (other than lacking skills since I am a newb) but I would love to get it dialed.

So far all of this has been DIY. Are bike fits something that mountain bikers do or is that primarily a roadie thing? I would think a precise fit is less important on an MTB since so much time is spent out of the saddle.
 
qclabrat

qclabrat

Well-Known Member
sptimmy43 said:
The guys at the shop had me test ride a 2017 Stance which is a 130mm trail bike. I am 5'10" with a relatively long torso which seems to be the issue with the large Anthem. I have enough standover but it's close. 150mm dropper post is inserted all the way in the frame and might be just a touch high still when it's up. Moving the seat forward seemed to help that issue. I have always felt like I have a bit too much weight on the bars. I am going to throw a shorter stem on and see if that helps. I am thinking that the fact that I have a relatively long torso may make the L actually work. I don't really have an issue riding the bike (other than lacking skills since I am a newb) but I would love to get it dialed.

So far all of this has been DIY. Are bike fits something that mountain bikers do or is that primarily a roadie thing? I would think a precise fit is less important on an MTB since so much time is spent out of the saddle.
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people do both, but much more critical/common for road bikes
you can also get a shorter dropper, which is cheaper than getting a smaller frame

also going from 60mm to 35mm can be pretty drastic for the stem
 
Paul H

Paul H

Fearless OOS Poser
The longer you ride, more it will hurt if you don't have the right fit.
Coming from a guy who has never been fit and also a DIY'er, I can tell you it will prolly be cheaper in the long run to get a fit done than to experiment with different rise, length bars and stems. I have 4 or 5 bars and prolly more stems in my parts bin trying to get things dialed in on the bike.
 
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