2017 Giant Trance 3 review | MBR

With a fantastic frame, updated suspension and real pedigree handling on the trails, the £1,749 Giant Trance 3 is a wider bar and a shorter stem away from perfection.
With the new Trance, Giant has certainly addressed our main criticism of the old design, and then some. The suspension response is now super stable, but it’s not lost any of its sensitivity. All of the subtle nips and tucks to the geometry and sizing are on the money too. You’re going to need to spend more of your hard-earned to get the most out of Giant Trance 3 though. The long stem and narrow bar are from a bygone era and negatively impact the ride quality of the bike. Get the front end dialled however, and the Giant Trance 3 is instantly transformed into a weapon.
Read more at www.mbr.co.uk/r...

[@joshmarks3954]

Got this bike almost 6 months ago and I have to say it's great. I think it looks better in real life. The rear suspension is brilliant feels subtle yet bottomless. I actually like the 2 bye setup. The trails I ride go from steep decent to steep climbs and being able to click once and have the right ratio is great. Each to their own. The quality and finish is excellent, backed by a lifetime warranty on the frame and LBS support sealed the deal for me. I did consider buying bikes online. Bike snobs piss me off, just ride and have a great time doing it. Happy trails!

[@benjy288]

The mountain bike industry sometimes reminds me of the fashion industry, where something will be designated "outdated" just because some people somewhere said so, I mean why in the world would a bar and stem of a certain length be outdated? bars and stems are a personal preference thing, my trail bike came with a 60mm stem and 750mm bars, but I changed it to a 80mm stem and 700mm bars, now its much better for me.

[@MBRmagazine]

True, but the way we see it, you can always cut a bar down, but you can't make it wider. ;-)

[@totschopper]

MBR magazine they definitely look narrow

[@M1978-p8j]

Exactly, I love the looks I get sometimes on 2008 Kona. Makes me laugh as I blow by these yuppies on climbs with their $7,000 carbon frames.

[@dhmtb9024]

I love how MBR tests a lot of affordable bikes too

[@m00nchildblues]

Almost got this bike. Decided on the 17 trance 2 and definitely worth the extra money. For 600 more you get the dropper,fox suspension and SLX components, booyah! I added Renthals 50mm Apex over stock 70mm and 740mm carbon fatbars over stock 730= perfect! Uh there aren't many that spec better than the trance 2 under 2700. Trust me I searched for months in the NW,USA..

[@respectablebogan3276]

And how much did the stem and Carbon bars cost?

[@m00nchildblues]

BobaFett MTB both from ebay, 147 for bars, 87 for apex, free shipping to WA,US. Awesome deals. Gonna invest in a mtb rain jacket now it rains so much here! lol

[@respectablebogan3276]

What currency is that? I did find a Funn bar for about nz$60 on sale so if u buy at the right time...

[@m00nchildblues]

BobaFett MTB sorry, it's us dollars. If I was to start over I'd get the carbon lite bar and apex stem in 35mm for more peace of mind on strength. it's only 10 grams in weight dif.

[@respectablebogan3276]

Carbon is so expensive it's a joke lol :)

[@respectablebogan3276]

I have this bike (b'day prezzie) and it is absolutely sick! So fast, so quite, brilliant looks. Yes the stem is too long, but a replacement is NOT cheap at all! We're talking NZ$60-100 for shorter stem. And the bars are fine for me because I ride in narrow woods a lot, so anything wider would have me off.

[@respectablebogan3276]

Actually guys stems cost way more than what I previously said. And bars are even more $$$!

[@jackschreuder5657]

BobaFett MTB where do you ride I've raced dh all over the country and wide bars are never a issue

[@respectablebogan3276]

Jack Schreuder I don't live in England so I don't know what uk trails are like, but where I live (NZ) a lot of the trails are quite narrow so the trances bars quite suit me. Also the trance is a trail bike not a DH rig so you wouldn't want really wide bars anyways. The stem is way too long though. Found a 45mm stem on sale for $56 so still pricey :(

[@jackschreuder5657]

i also live in new zealand i ride around dome valley rotorua and the huna ranges and woodhill forest for fitness training

[@respectablebogan3276]

+Jack Schreuder Oh nice bro :)) I mostly ride Woodhill and Whakarewarewa. I've entered for the Giant 2W Gravity Enduro in May and i can't wait! :D What rig do you have?

[@tungol00]

Just bought one and it's great! Light and quick, just eats up all the roots and bumps. I see comments here that it looks ugly, it does in a video but in person it does look great, added a giant dropper and it's ready to go.

[@chm1701]

Really like this bike. I could imagine that the paint scheme might look a tad dated in a few years, but I'm a big fan of their designs. It's a shame that they don't come with a lifetime bearing warranty, but a the lifetime frame warranty is superb. I still hate pressfit BB's though! I use 650 wide Easton bars and find them very comfy... it's horses for courses.

[@magnumllama400]

Why you hate them?

[@americanidiotz]

750 isn't narrow???? that's spot on..

[@armandojuan64]

Mountain biking in England has to be one of the most frustrating things endured by humans .

[@oz190990]

Agreed it's a great bike minus the bars I got the trance 2 2017. Came with 730mm bars and 60mm stem not bad but not great. Swapped it for 760mm and 50mm and feels much more relaxed not so xc. Descending feels noticeably more stable with the extra leverage and slight more rearward position. Annoying it just didn't come with this spec as most of the other brands have already been doing it for a couple years now.

[@iainthavinthat]

I think a 150mm fork is contradictory with the stem and top tube lenght. They are going to be a serious drawback if you are riding in a way that you need that much suspension travel.

[@NinjasStoleMyTV]

theres nothing wrong with a reach of 435mm (M)

[@edwardjenkins1909]

any suggestions for a shorter stem and wider bars?

[@PmatWolf]

I have the 2017 trance 4 with the suntour aion fork, and suntour unair shock 2x9 setup with the FSA Comet cranks, and nobby nic tyres, it feels heavy and sluggish, so far i have changed out the bars and stem, im about to put rock shox gold 35 160mm RL on it and change out the 2x9 to a 1x9 conversion with a comet 32t chain ring, is there anything else i can do (reasonably cheap) to save weight and get this rig feeling a bit more aggressive? cheers guys

[@raulmontt]

Beauty machine

[@jamessteal121]

any of you guys know much about the marin attack trail 7?? i have a £2000 limit. i was considering this giant trance 3 but the colour just isnt vibing with me!

[@calvindwwww]

Can you do a Merida one forty review? Never seen any Merida reviews 😂

[@lockonstrauss7714]

What is the total weight of the bike? Thanks

[@fernandosalvatici7561]

Hello everyone, I would like to know how much weighs the giant trance 3 2017?

[@newcastle911ify]

If only you could do a review on the reign 2 :O

[@dylanfawcett2821]

so you can't lock out the rear suspension fully? but you can nearly lock it out?

[@domn4904]

Dylan Fawcett yes but u dont need lockout on maestro suspension i didnt believed it at first i have bike now i never locked rear suspension

[@its.charlie.1]

does it have carbon rims??

[@pusheenlol4214]

Hi! :D could anyone recommend a better stem and bars? cheers

[@sammyers5133]

The bars aren't that narrow and the stem is fine in my opinion

[@stewartsummerside2971]

I love my 2016 trance advanced 1 super light and very fast

[@duane617]

Is it Assembled

[@pats569]

What trousers does the driver wear ???

[@MBRmagazine]

Pat S they're made by Mavic. The H2O pant.

[@SubaruWRC1996]

im thinking about getting the trance 4 and upgrading the components. only because i prefer the color's on the 4

[@domn4904]

Subaru Rally componets on 4... come on sauntor fork?

[@armandojuan64]

Mountain biking in England has to be frustrating .

[@ziurovas]

My 2016 Giant Trance 3 looks really better. I upgraded it heavily, but even without upgrades it's frame lines and graphics are much more cutting edge than 2017 year rounded tubes and tasteless graphic design.

[@domn4904]

ziurovas yes but at the back it has shit suspenion. at new on its delixe rt

[@christopheryoung8374]

**Biker casually ruins trail in the rainy mud**

[@vinceking7878]

I personally don't see what is narrow about those bars. Probably just me

[@성아-n3r]

(i can't speak english very well😅) My freiends almost ride xc or road, but i want to buy trance3 or xtc slr2 plsease help me. I am seriously troubled.

[@MBRmagazine]

Your english is good! XTC would be better if you are riding road and XC.

[@성아-n3r]

MBR magazine Thanks bro😀

[@Mrgnothing1]

how has this got 9 considering it doesn't even have a dropper post even though it cost £1700. who would buy that considering things like a YT jeffsy and canyon spectral exist with better kit at a cheaper price

[@respectablebogan3276]

I would never use a dropper post bc I hate high saddles :)

[@Mrgnothing1]

BobaFett MTB yeah but when your climbing you'll have to put the seat up

[@respectablebogan3276]

I just pedal harder in a low gear or stand up. Easy :) dropper posts cost like $400 so way outside my wallet (if I wanted one which I don't)

[@Mrgnothing1]

BobaFett MTB that's why you buy a bike with it on already so its not as expensive

[@respectablebogan3276]

Elias M yeah but isn't the cost of the post added to the bikes 'original' price?

[@hawkeye7862]

I love mine

[@finnmccole5771]

No dropper, no 1x, bad quality suspension and other components, the extra money for the trance two would be very much worth it

[@jordankeeler7297]

Finn Mc for 1749 this is a good build kit

[@gomezrene16]

hell yeah XD

[@dylanfawcett2821]

my one arrived yesterday and it actually looks sick in person, the videos and pictures just make it look ugly

[@rogerneilson815]

Narrow bars? Good god why is 740mm considered narrow these days? Cause it's narrower than DH bars? IT'S NOT A DH BIKE!! Stupid spec sheet consumers these days...

[@jackschreuder5657]

Roger Neilson I'm 15 but hare relatively broad shoulders so I ride 800 mm on all my bikes from dh rig to trail bike

[@rogerneilson815]

Jack Schreuder. That's odd cause i have wide shoulders also but run 750 on trail bike, 680 on hard tail, and 42 (yes that's just 42mm) on road bike.

[@respectablebogan3276]

42????!!! Wow I didn't know they were that narrow! Lol

[@respectablebogan3276]

I'm 18 and I'm a swimmer and I still run 740mm

[@hawkeye7862]

Roger Neilson I run renthal full length like 780mm much better

[@dylanfawcett2821]

what size is the stem on it?

[@MBRmagazine]

On our size large test bike it's a 70mm.

[@dylanfawcett2821]

do you know if the medium is the same?

[@martincantwell2557]

canyon spectral 6.0 is much better spec for similar money.

[@CalvinCai_Frisbee]

Too expensive

[@camshaft1840]

Price point matches the kit though. It's the cheap ass version.

[@hollycow123445]

God Giant makes some ugly fucking bikes

[@iainthavinthat]

I think it's manly the size that makes it look like a gate.

[@americanidiotz]

SchmeddyBallz the size in this vid doesn't help but I agree this paint scheme looks cheesy

[@acedogboy8421]

Why would u like a giant! poor quality and missing of little things just so they can make more money and sell more bikes when the most important thing is the little things and quality!

[@Hawlkeye-e9p]

Its a pos. Flexes all over the place, high leverage suspension is a pita to tune and lower shock mount has no bushing and is a nightmare to service the shock. You have to remove the crank and lower suspension bolts to service it. Its a nightmare bike design. And the internal routing sucks and the top tube is too high. Its shit.

[@steveburt1824]

I wouldn't buy it. you get better spec and geometry etc on bikes that are 700 less ie calibre bossnut, Boardman fs, voodoo zobop, norco fluid and canyon neuron. plus the colour scheme is awful. giant are really flopping for me at the moment their latest anthem 3 has gone down in spec(again) and up in price.

[@NinjasStoleMyTV]

what is better geometry? what is better in geometry about any of those bikes over the trance? and too bad spec kits dont make the bike. confident that with the new deluxe shock and newly designed suspension it would feel better than the older designs of the bikes you listed. the anthem 3 in australia is the same price and hasnt downgraded in spec at all.

[@moelarthur1412]

2by's should be dead by now!!! giant seam like they're stuck In the musium, bringing out bikes with such old spec! although the bike might be an improvement from previous I highly doubt you'll be seeing this bike around much especially with what else is out there and pretty much everything else looks so much nicer, I would advise saving your pennies and get something better like a whyte t130 rs!!!!

[@respectablebogan3276]

I quite like 2 by they give me a greater range of gears for transition rides in enduro

[@moelarthur1412]

BobaFett MTB that's fair enough, I would have imagined that pretty much all manufactures would be selling only with 1 by's due to the popularity and the direction by now

[@respectablebogan3276]

Maybe there's still enough demand for 2 bys

[@ThunderStruckMTB]

Man, I don't know why, but that is one ugly bike.... Color and the overall frame design.

[@respectablebogan3276]

WHAAAAT??? Come on man I love it!

[@xort4505]

just beacuse its nicer than you're bike you dont need to say that this one is ugly man common its looking very nice

[@thatguythatdoesstuff7448]

The frame itself is nice looking, but this blue and yellow color scheme is puke worthy. Take a look at the 2018 Trance 3. The charcoal and orange are much more complimentary colors, even though it still looks like they handed the mouse to a blind man to CAD the accents of orange and black. None of it flows and it looks just slapped on. But that's what you get from a company like Giant.

[@Hawlkeye-e9p]

The top tube looks like its from the 90s

[@NattyNation1]

It looks a bit bland and overpriced.

[@cortarelva]

UUUUGLY!

[@lockonstrauss7714]

Mountain biking in England has to be frustrating