What is the Giant Fathom?
The Giant Fathom has come a long way. The era it was made into was all about bikes being agile, narrow bars, long stems, zero dropper posts…
Thank goodness, those days are gone.
The Fathom mountain bikes you see now have progressed so much that they’re almost the opposite - in a good way.
Giant has given the current Fathom new structure and form; the Fathom is now more a trail bike; stable, confident and perfect for new mountain bike riders.
Because it will encourage you to grow fundamental skills (like cornering, body position, braking, jumps...) with confidence and safety.
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BEST VALUE43% offAlloy | microSHIFT 10-speed | Hydraulic Disc Brakes
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What makes the Giant Fathom a trail bike?
Suspension travel has increased from 100mm to 130mm.
This makes the steering angle slacker (66-degrees vs. 69-degrees for the previous gen).
This gives the rider more room for “error”.
If you ride the wrong line or your body position is off over a jump
or drop, the extra suspension has a “correcting” mechanism (to an extent
- it can’t correct stupidity).
A short stem, wide bars and steep-seat tube angle (75-degrees)
thoroughly modernise the Fathom’s geometry; delivering excellent
off-road handling and it’ll put you in a better climbing position.
Then Giant added a dropper post.
A dropper gets the saddle out of the way on downhill sections and lets you raise the seat back up when you start climbing.
The Fathom Models
Riders have the choice of 2 model options.
- Fathom 29 1 (better)
- Fathom 29 2
And the difference between them?
- Gears
- Suspension
- Brakes
PS: the frame is exactly the same between all Fathom models. Using the lighter ALUXX-SL grade.
Giant Fathom 29 2
The real is that the Fathom 29 2 is excellent value.
It ticks the following boxes:
- Tektro 2-piston hydraulic disc brakes.
- New Shimano CUES 10-speed gears deliver a 430% gear range.
- Giant Crest 34 air-spring fork gives riders rebound and 3-position compression adjustments.
As you starting pushing the limits of speed.
Or start riding seriously steep and technical terrain, you may need to upgrade your brakes.
Everything else on this build is very solid.
Giant Fathom 29 1
At RRP, if you can afford the extra $400.00 then this gets you:
- More powerful Shimano 4-piston hydraulic disc brakes.
- SRAM SX 12-speed gears deliver a 450% gear range.
- Giant Crest 34 SL air-spring fork has revised arch, better DU bushing support and plusher air spring.
This is kinda a set and forget build.
If you reckon you're going to progress to riding steep technical terrain, then the upgrades are worth it.