Turning to Suntour for suspension duties probably saves Giant some cash over Fox or RockShox alternatives but, on paper at least, the fork doesn’t balk on features when compared to what the big brands can offer. Stopping is taken care of by Tektro HDM discs that run a 180mm front rotor and a 160mm rear. The Tektro brakes have fairly long lever blades, like all the other brakes on offer at this price range Steve Behr The bike has a 145mm travel Giant-branded dropper post, a 1×10 Shimano Deore drivetrain and Suntour SF19-Raidon 32 fork with 120mm of travel. The Maxxis Ardent tyres are setup tubeless from the factory and are wrapped around 30mm internal-width Giant AM 650b rims. The Fathom’s party piece has to be its headline spec. Surprisingly, Giant has settled on a 67-degree head angle and a 45mm bottom bracket drop (with an off-the-floor height of 315mm), figures that I’d normally expect to be accompanied by longer reach and wheelbase numbers. Likewise, the 425mm chainstays suggest that the bike is designed to be more playful than Giant initially let on. Giant states that the bike’s geometry is trail-friendly, but there are some measurements that surprised me.įor the size large, a 444mm reach is a little on the conservative side, as is the 1,153mm wheelbase. There’s also a standard, tapered head tube and a tapered fork.Ĭrunch the numbers and it’s clear that Giant’s intentions are a little mixed. There are two bottle cage mounts - both inside the front triangle - but the stock dropper post on my large test bike fouled the seat tube bottle cage mount - stopping it from being fully inserted. The rear wheel is attached with the Boost QR 141 axle, which replaces a standard 12mm Boost axle in favour of a quick-release system. Unusually, the bike’s seatstays join the seat tube lower than the top tube, which Giant claims helps to increase the bike’s bump-absorbing ability and make the back-end feel smoother on rough terrain. Here, they continue their journey along the underside of the chainstays to the mech and brake caliper. There’s provision for a front mech on the bike if you’d like to add more gears, and the cables are routed internally through the down tube, exiting just above the bottom bracket. And a dropper seatpost with handlebar remote lets you adjust saddle height on the fly for confident positioning on changing terrain.The Fathom is built around Giant’s own ALUXX SL aluminium tubing.
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Grippy, high-volume tires boost traction on rugged terrain. Giant Crest 34 suspension fork with 130mm of travel absorbs roots, rocks and ruts.
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Lightweight ALUXX SL aluminum hardtail frame offers agile acceleration and maneuverability to help riders climb, corner and hammer the flats with efficiency and speed. ALUXX SL aluminum frameset is hand-built in-house by the world leader in aluminum engineering. The frame is designed with trail-friendly geometry that includes a more relaxed head angle and a 130mm suspension fork.īalanced geometry with a 75-degree seattube angle puts the rider in a powerful pedaling position on the climbs, while a slacker 66-degree head angle boosts confidence and control on technical descents. It blends the efficient ride quality of a classic hardtail with the confident ride quality of larger tires that absorb bumps and give you more traction-so you can tackle rougher trails with total control. With its updated ALUXX SL aluminum frame, quick-handling 27.5 wheels and high-volume tires, Fathom is a great choice for technical terrain and singletrack shredding.
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The combination of a lightweight hardtail frame, 130mm suspension fork and 27.5 wheels with wide rims and high-volume tires delivers loads of traction, speed and fun on the trail. Get your dose of singletrack on a fun hardtail that puts you in control.