When you spend more than a few thousand dollars on a bicycle you are making a serious lifestyle choice, or you should be.  At the top of the bicycle food chain, you have two basic choices to make, fat or skinny.  Mountain Bikes have fat tires, which allow you to ride easily over rough terrain.  Road bikes have skinny tires that allow you fly on asphalt, but you do not want to come across any rough stuff.  The Giant Anthem Advanced is a moderately priced competition bike; it will get you to work, or take you off-road with equal ease.  If you are serious about giving up your car, a high-end mountain bike might be a good idea.

The more you pay for your bike, the better the components and the lighter the frame.  For mountain biking, Shimano XTR components are of a standard by which others are judged.  All of the non-suspension components on the Anthem Advanced are Shimano XTR.  From XTR components, you can expect effortless shifting and braking, even in the most extreme conditions.  The transmission system allows for the most efficient pedaling and power transfer from foot, to pedal to chain to wheel.  Shimano XTR components are expensive without exception, but superbly engineered.

The front suspension, provided via a Fox 32 F80RLC Fork, offers a generous 80mm of travel and retails for around $650.  The rear shock is a Fox Float RP23 it is adjustable and comes in on its own for $332.99. The T800 carbon fiber frame is lightweight and responsive.  With any sort of bicycle, weight is the speed thief.  At 2.0 kg, it is a very light bike.  In the speed and performance department, that pays dividends.  Whether you are shredding the trails or riding to work, you are going to be doing it at a very respectable speed.

When you consider the price, consider also the price of the competition.  $6,600 is a lot of money, but it is several thousand dollars cheaper than some other high-end cross-country bikes using the same components.

Price: $6,600 (pedals not included)