Giant Trance 2: Virtually Unknown--Unbelievably Good Trailbike
(4/7/2009)
By: R. Cunningham
I had a chance to ride Giant's Trance X2 on the Backbone Trail in Southern California's Santa Monica Mountains for a day. The Trance is Giant's five-inch-travel cross-country trailbike, which is available in a number of builds. At around $3000, the Shimano Deore XT equipped Trance 2 is quite affordable, with components that I would expect to see on pricier bikes--like its Fox 32F RL fork with the 15QR though-axle option and a Race Face Deus crankset. The five-inch-travel Trance X2 has that rare ability to flow down technical, fast-paced descents while feeling sharp and energetic under power and while climbing. The reason that I wrote it up here is that the relatively affordable Trance X2 outperforms or equals trailbikes that cost over twice its price.
A custom trailbike for $3000? Giant's Trance X2 delivers performance that rivals the best in class. RC photo
Much of the Giant Trance's extrordinary ride comes from its suspension. The dual-link Maestro configuration operates under power and braking, so trail riding becomes a seamless flow. While there is a very slight amount of rear suspension movement with each power stroke, this does not translate to any sort of mushiness though. In fact, after testing the Trance on climbs with its Fox RP2 shock's ProPedal lever in both the "open" and "platform" positions, I left the suspension fully active for the rest of the day, which pegged the fun factor because I never had to think about anything but what was 30 feet in front of my wheels. Climbing was especially sweet, because the Trance's rear end smoothed out the imbedded, cobblestones which punctuate most of the trail, especially the route's steepest ascents.
Giant hit pay dirt when it developed the Maestro dual-link rear suspension. Clearance is a little tight at the forward swingarm junction, but there is room for big, 2.35-inch knobbies. RC photo
Shimano Deore XT is at least as good as Shimano's heady (and pricey) XTR, with the added benefit that its silver color will not show wear and tear like the darker pro-level group's finish. The Shadow rear derailleur and trigger shifters ae lighter action than my favorite SRAM triggers and X.0 changers, but in the case of the Trance; the absolute no-hassle smoothness with which this machine traverses wildly undulating earth is a perfect match for Shimano's light-touch shifting. The sense is that I am are flying low--or just skimming the trail most of the time--with occasional wake-up bumps in the form of drop-aways, rain ruts or boulder fields to remind me that mountain biking at such speeds has dire consquences should I fall asleep at the wheel.
Giant's geometry is moderately slack in the steering, with a crisp, cross-country feel in the seat angle and chainstay lenght. The sense is quick handling, but with a wide margin for error. Push the front tire and you can trust the it will return to normal with a quick correction. Overcook a corner and the wheels return to your chosen line after they scrub off a little speed. Jump it and the Trance X2 returns to the trail without a wiggle. The Trance watches your back.
Giant's choice to spend the extra cash for Fox's 15QR through-axle option puts the Trance X2 head and shoulders above its rivals. The Trance X2 handily won MBA's 5-bike shootout in the May, 2009 issue. RC photo
Giant has an extensive tube forming facility, so it is no surprise that the Trance X2 (and all the Trance models that share this frame) uses heavily manipulated pipes to squeeze massive amounts of strength from a minimal amount of heat-treated aluminum. The medium-sized test bike weighed a very enjoyable 28.2 pounds with my hefty chromoly shaft Crankbrothers pedals. The beautifully crafted chassis is partly left bare-anodized aluminum and partly painted, resulting in a subtle and attractive looking package that should resist scratching for a long time
Posing with the Giant Trance X2 at the trailhead with mbaction.com editor Ryan Cleek. Cleek was on the hunt for the best of five cross-country trailbikes--I was the lucky one who got to ride the Giant. Photo by a Bulgarian hiker (thanks!)
There is little to fault on the Giant Trance X2. Ryan pointed out that Giant's lock-on grips were uncomfortable at the ends, but at least Giant thought to put lock-on grips on the standard equipment list. You may WANT to upgrade to a ODI or Lizard Skinz lock-ons, but you won't HAVE to as you would if you purchased another mid-priced trailbike.
Speaking of components, I have not warmed up to any Hayes brakes in quite a while, but Giant's choice--Hayes' Stroker Trail Custom--turned out to be a winner. The feel was firm and braking was positive, both at slow singletrack speeds and while descending. The levers were comfortable, but not perfect for my two-finger braking technique.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Buy the Trance X2 and get elite-level handling and climbing for three grand. If somebody told me that before I rode this bike, I would have laughed. If you asked me today, I would tell you to find a Giant dealer and buy the Trance X2. It needs nothing (except pedals), just a trailhead and a rider, to deliver every wonderful experience that makes mountain biking the ultimate mechanized sport. The Trance X2 might be the least known of the world's best cross-country trailbikes.
Saturday, September 19, 2009 6:59:42 AM by E. McCain
As an update, I brought my Trance X2 home not long ago. After setting the shock and fork up, I took it out to Sycamore Canyon in the coastal Santa Monica Mountains for a test run up the fire road to the Guadalasca singletrack, up Overlook and down Woods Canyon/Backbone singletrack. The ride quality was great: suspension was smooth, balanced and soaked up the rocky terrain with ease. Hayes Stroker Trails fulfilled the "one finger braking" with aplomb. The Trance climbed like a goat, in fact, each pedal stroke on the climbs made the front want to lift, with no flex or mush in the rear. After the ride, I made these adjustments: Dropped the stem down to one thin spacer - it was way too high for me (5'-8"). Took the Giant brand lock-on grips off and replaced with ODI lock-ons. The plastic collar on the ends of the Giant grips dug into my palms badly, though the grip portion was tacky, and felt good. The very next day I took the bike up Gridley trail in Ojai, a six mile climb of rocky, switch-back singletrack - the lower stem height made it much easier and the grip change was perfect. Other than those two mods...the bike is exactly what I had hoped it would be: a capable climber and a fast, fun descender.
Roger - Undercutting other brands is one way of looking at it - another way is to ask why some of the other "big brands" (that are still made in Taiwan) sell for more, with inferior groupsets and specs. I ain't paying a premium for a big red "S" on the front of my headset :-)
nothing wrong with Giant, its just that every man and his dog in Oz has got one (ie they undercut every other brand in terms of price, so for an off the shelf jobbie there is no alternative within a coee of that price range).
----------------------------- ...woah that's a bit too canadian free-ride for mine
I just picked up my new 2009 Trance X2 yesterday. I bought it based upon the recommendations of MBA, and the reviews on the web. I was also able to pick it up for $2,160 US dollars, several hundred below recommended retail - very happy.
"Our" Australian spec Trance X2 is a little different to the US spec version - the main difference is a full Shimano SLX groupset and brakes, Mavic rims, Maxxis Crossmark tyres, Fizik saddle and Shimano pedals - http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-AU/bikes/mountain/2334/32058
I honestly can't wait to get in the saddle this weekend and head out on my first ride with it !
Hey Big Scott, The Fox Float R is the same exact shock minus the user adjustable Pro-Pedal of the RP2 and RP23...Fox factory sets the pedaling platform, I guess making it even more "set and forget" than the other models. You could upgrade at a later time, but the RP23 is pricey. Seems like most people who have ridden the Trance X Maestro suspension agree that the Pro-Pedal feature is really only useful on long, smooth asphalt or hard-pack dirt roads, so you may find the Float R to be just fine on the X3!
I recently tryed a X4 since that Blur LT is a more then a bit out of my price range... First Full Suspension bike I'd ever ridden and loved the way even the M size handled (still a bit short in the front end for me, but at least I had a base line to start with) and didnt really like all the pedal bob I got from the bomber forks (I've been riding rigid BMX frame/forks for way to long)... so in a few weeks I'll have the scratch to plunk down on a X3 L... one question though? I've read how FOx Shox's RP23 is one of those "set it and forget (for the most part) items... Later on, I can upgrade the frame with this cant I?
----------------------------- As long as your on two wheels and smiling, it's all good...
I couldn't agree with Hodgie more..live in Australia too, and work in a bike store that sells Giant..getting my Trance X2 in two days, and most of the flack that gets thrown in Giants' direction comes from Specialized retailers, and then Trek!! but Maestro is getting better with every generation, and Giant has always been better value, even with 2 price rises in six months....
You couldn't of described it better in your article, last year I had to take my Santa Cruz Blur LT to the bike shop for repair, while there the owner allowed me to take his Gaint Trance X0 for the weekend while my bike was being fixed. That weekend had to be the best weekend of mountain biking that I have ever experienced on a bike, WOW!! That Gaint fit me like a glove and the ride was fabulous, I didn't want to give it back, but I did. I couldn't get that bike out of my head, I couldn't believe that this Gaint was better than my Santa Cruz, which I thought was my dream bike. Well, a year later I brought my Santa Cruz to the bike shop and asked the owner if he could sell it for me, while it was up for sale I read your article regarding the Gaint Trance X2 and how affordable it was for under $3000.00. Not long after that my bike sold and I was in the market to buy a Gaint, I almost bought the Gaint Trance X0 but I thought after reading the article that the Trance X2 would do the job as well but for less dollars, so I bought the Trance X2 with some up grades, I ended buying the Elixir carbon fiber brakes and the Race Face Next carbon fiber handle bars, I also converted my rims to tubeless tires which makes the ride unreal! I have to say that Gaint has made mountain biking much more fun, at age 50 and still going. Thank you Gaint!!
When I finally wore out my Giant NRS last year (after literally thousands of miles of great riding), going with a new Giant was a no-brainer. Oh yes, the high-end Santa Cruz, Turner, Pivot and such were tempting, but just out of my financial "justification" abilities. Once again, Giant has built a bike that simply has all the features, performance and parts that I wanted, hung on a frame that uses cutting edge design and manufacturing...all at a price that, while still not "cheap," I can justify in a reality filled with a mortgage, kids, insurance, etc. Giant does not cut corners on the Trance X2! The frame is elegant, strong and light. For a "mid-range" price point, Giant includes some serious high-end performance parts, i.e. the Fox 15QR fork, the Raceface Dues crankset, XT shifters and rear derailleur and Kenda Nevegals. Thanks Giant!! And thanks to RC for taking a spin on this bike and writing about it...my personal Trance X2 is two-thirds paid for and waiting for me at Newbury Park Bikes...though I never had any doubts, this article simply confirms I am spending my hard-earned money on the right bike! By the way...the May 2009 issue of MBA was one of the best over-all issues "ever!"
It's good to see a glowing review of what is an AWESOME bike! I"ve been riding a 08 Trance XO since september last year,and here in Australia alot people rubbish Giant bikes as being massed produced rubbish,well before buying my gleaming steed i rode several other brands,and in the end the Trance won! My last bike,which i still own,is a Giant MCM980,the Trance was the best upgrade i could have made,i'm glade i made that choice....
