Giant Trance X 29er 2
Discussion
Looking at a Giant Trance X 29er 2 as an insurance replacement for my stolen 2010 Kona One20. Seems to stack up pretty well; bit more travel and I've wanted to try a 29er for the rough stuff for a while since I'm no racer. Any opinions on said machine? Is the fork (RockShox Recon) air or coil sprung? Anybody know how much the bike weighs (it would be the 2014 X 2 version).
I'd love to go try this out at my LBS but since I know I won't be purchasing from them that would be taking the mickey a little. Do Giant bikes come up big or small? My One20 was an L and I am 6'0" but I always felt it was a bit on the large side although when I tried the M initially it felt much too small. I'd be tempted to go for an M this time around especially if it comes up a tad larger than the Kona.
My insurance's preferred supplier has limited options but are there any other similar models you could recommend?
Thanks a lot!
I'd love to go try this out at my LBS but since I know I won't be purchasing from them that would be taking the mickey a little. Do Giant bikes come up big or small? My One20 was an L and I am 6'0" but I always felt it was a bit on the large side although when I tried the M initially it felt much too small. I'd be tempted to go for an M this time around especially if it comes up a tad larger than the Kona.
My insurance's preferred supplier has limited options but are there any other similar models you could recommend?
Thanks a lot!
6'0 in my shoes & I've a Large 26" AnthemX with a shorter 80mm stem and std low riser bars, fits perfect. Trance is a bit slacker, a bit heavier, not as agile climber but better for rougher/downhill stuff. 29er will be a bit heavier still. But the fork is not up to rough stuff in my personal opinion.
Recon is Air, Silver has I believe heavier steel stanchions wheras Gold has Alu. Both are below Reba or Fox 32, reasonable for light XC use. Which is not what this bike is for. Upgrading or selling this fork would be tricky as it's Giant's own Overdrive2 steerer.
I'd really want a Reba/Fox personally.
Recon is Air, Silver has I believe heavier steel stanchions wheras Gold has Alu. Both are below Reba or Fox 32, reasonable for light XC use. Which is not what this bike is for. Upgrading or selling this fork would be tricky as it's Giant's own Overdrive2 steerer.
I'd really want a Reba/Fox personally.
richardxjr said:
Recon is Air, Silver has I believe heavier steel stanchions wheras Gold has Alu. Both are below Reba or Fox 32, reasonable for light XC use. Which is not what this bike is for. Upgrading or selling this fork would be tricky as it's Giant's own Overdrive2 steerer.
I'd really want a Reba/Fox personally.
Interesting information about the steerer, I will bear this in mind. If the fork's not up to much I would be looking to upgrade. In any case though the Recon is bound to be better than the Dart 2 coil shock which was on my One20; it weighed a ton! I'd really want a Reba/Fox personally.
If you've fitted a shorter stem then maybe the reach is a little far. The slacker head angle on the Trance may address this though. The head tubes on the Trance are a little shorter than the Anthem too for the equivalent size. Due to less material I'd hope the M is a little lighter. On their sizing chart, for both Anthem and Trance M goes up to 6'1" and L is 6'0" and up so they cross over there. I always meant to change the stem on my One20 but I feared the steering may suffer due to the reduced moment arm.
TBH I tried the shorter stem as it was free and looks better! 40-50mm is 'in' at the moment together with mahoosive wide bars.
I'm equally at home on my std Giant M hardtail tbh, also 26er. I seem to recall the height crossover on Giant's 26ers was 5'11. Perhaps a 29er would feel altogether larger so you'd probably better suit an M.
You won't go far wrong with either size really.
Anyway, the fork, I might have been overly critical but yes it will be loads better than your old Dart. And the Maestro suspension is very efficient.
The std wheelset is alright too, tubeless ready using Bontrager rim strips apparently, Shimano BR-395s are trouble free, Deore groupset is acceptable and the shadow plus clutch rear mech is 1x10 ready.
I'm equally at home on my std Giant M hardtail tbh, also 26er. I seem to recall the height crossover on Giant's 26ers was 5'11. Perhaps a 29er would feel altogether larger so you'd probably better suit an M.
You won't go far wrong with either size really.
Anyway, the fork, I might have been overly critical but yes it will be loads better than your old Dart. And the Maestro suspension is very efficient.
The std wheelset is alright too, tubeless ready using Bontrager rim strips apparently, Shimano BR-395s are trouble free, Deore groupset is acceptable and the shadow plus clutch rear mech is 1x10 ready.
Great, starting to sound like a good option then.
Any other recommendations at this price point for a <140mm travel bike.
The direct replacements in the Kona range for my One20 seem to be a 2013 Tanuki (130mm travel) or 2014 Precept with new Swinger rear suspension. They do a Hei Hei 29er but that's only 100mm travel and I'd want more I think.
I'm sure my insurance supplier will have a fairly limited choice so I need to make the best choice from a potentially bad bunch.
Any other recommendations at this price point for a <140mm travel bike.
The direct replacements in the Kona range for my One20 seem to be a 2013 Tanuki (130mm travel) or 2014 Precept with new Swinger rear suspension. They do a Hei Hei 29er but that's only 100mm travel and I'd want more I think.
I'm sure my insurance supplier will have a fairly limited choice so I need to make the best choice from a potentially bad bunch.
Got the anthem x 29er and love it, climbs like a goat, and descends well enough (better than me). The fork isn't bad it just isn't the lightest thing out there, but it's a controlled action with adjustable damping.
I'm riding a large, with the seat out a fair way, and i'm just shy of 6' but leggy.
I'm riding a large, with the seat out a fair way, and i'm just shy of 6' but leggy.
I also have a giant anthem X 29er. Very good bike and the best spec I could find for the money so would hopefully expect the Trance to be similar. As said the oversteer2 can be a bit of a pain when looking for stems as there is a very limited market.
The only other manufacturer I thought came close was Whyte.
The only other manufacturer I thought came close was Whyte.
Well I've ordered it and arrives Monday. Got an M so we'll see how that goes.
I've heard good things about the Stumpjumper and my ex had two Specialized hard tails in a row which were both great bikes. Unfortunately Specialized weren't an option at my chosen supplier else I may have considered it.
Thanks for all your help! Now to get back into my riding; it's been a long time but it's the right time of year to get started again!
I've heard good things about the Stumpjumper and my ex had two Specialized hard tails in a row which were both great bikes. Unfortunately Specialized weren't an option at my chosen supplier else I may have considered it.
Thanks for all your help! Now to get back into my riding; it's been a long time but it's the right time of year to get started again!
Well she's arrived, what a beaut:
Size M feels really good after I got the seat to the correct height. I also need to adjust the angle of the seat as it's pointing upwards a little and isn't comfortable. Only slight disappointment is that I didn't realise the RockShox Monarch R didn't have a lockout so the rear is always sprung. I used to lock out my rear shock quite often when climbing and on flatter path so I'll see if I can get used to not doing so and upgrade if I can't.
This time around my insurance company, their valuation company and supplier were excellent so no complaints there. Now I need to make sure the b
ds don't steal this one. It's staying in the house until I can get a decent ground anchor and some very solid locks sorted out. Does a decent tracker exist which isn't trivial to disable or remove? Are the stickers or RFID tags you can buy on BikeRegister or Immobilise worth it?
Size M feels really good after I got the seat to the correct height. I also need to adjust the angle of the seat as it's pointing upwards a little and isn't comfortable. Only slight disappointment is that I didn't realise the RockShox Monarch R didn't have a lockout so the rear is always sprung. I used to lock out my rear shock quite often when climbing and on flatter path so I'll see if I can get used to not doing so and upgrade if I can't.
This time around my insurance company, their valuation company and supplier were excellent so no complaints there. Now I need to make sure the b
ds don't steal this one. It's staying in the house until I can get a decent ground anchor and some very solid locks sorted out. Does a decent tracker exist which isn't trivial to disable or remove? Are the stickers or RFID tags you can buy on BikeRegister or Immobilise worth it? 
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