...cudos to research friends...

There are only two things more annoying than a bike that is not set up properly. The first one is when you are not set up properly (...read not fit...) and the second is when the bike is not in a rideable state. Both of these are easily fixable through time (training) and money (bike shop), but some of the finer nuances to a sweeter ride is pure and simply by doing some research and experimenting by some trial and error.

Every one of us know how to do at least some basic research by either googling it, getting some magazines, asking around, etc. However one of the best sources is that guy that we all know with all the knowledge at their fingertips. Here again you get two types - the one that thinks he knows everthing that is really just a pain at the best of times; and the one that actually does, who always have the information you need - because on certain topics they have done all the research already and the topic matter becomes so integral to their lifestyle that they can be a lifesaver in certain situations. Fortunately I know a fair amount of people here in both categories.

In the case of the Giant Anthem the standard manual and google items render some moderately useful items, but in general they are not quite what is needed to get a dual suspension bike tuned perfectly. Here my friend Julian proved his worth again through just having that information on hand in a very consumable thin PDF file that hit the sweet spot perfectly.

Now you generally do not need to be a rocket scientist to tune a shock to get a good ride, but the last part, the one or two minor adjustments came perfectly to me in this document and made an awesome ride just plain perfect. I tried to apply some of the basics of this to my Giant NRS, and had some success, but for tuning the front and rear shock of a Giant Anthem (anyone in the range) this document was priceless.

Following the setup in this document to the letter completely removed the bob and reduced the sag in such a perfect way that the bike literally behaves like a hardtail on flats and really comes to the fore on the rocky and downhill patches. To be clear, the setup is now so awesome I only disengage the Pro Pedal on extremely rare occassions.

This valuable document is available for download at:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/9363815/08-Suspension-QS-Guide-20070609




So, to get these two shocks for the Giant Anthem set up correctly give this setup a try. It won't take you more than 15 minutes and satisfaction is guaranteed...