Giant Trance X E+ Elite Review: Lightweight and Full Power

The Giant Trance X E+ Elite is something special. It’s the first time we’ve seen a lightweight but full-power ebike. Up to this point, it’s been one or the other. Power has always been compromised to get the weight around that 40lb mark. The Trance X Elite employs some new technology to get a full-power 85Nm motor in a bike that only weighs 42lb and change. What’s the catch? Maybe there isn’t one. Stick around to find out.
0:00 Intro
0:26 Drivesystem
2:52 Geometry and Build
4:30 Ride Impressions - Climbing
8:55 Ride Impressions - Descending
12:14 Trance Elite vs Orbea Rise
14:24 Who is the Trance X Elite for?
Read the full review here - bebikes.com/the-hub/giant-tra...

[@krazyjey]

In 2023 I changed life and house. I bought a smaller home close to 5 little mountains and the oceans.. and bought a Giant trance Ebike, instead of a Levo Turbo . Middle Life crisis is not an issue anymore, I ride, climb, explore and shred those trails, like I am 17 years old. Thx Giant!

[@bikersedge]

So good.

[@luffyluck]

I'm in a bit of a similar situation. I just took a year off of work, bought a YT jeffsy and spent my time trail running, riding, and with my kids. Haven't felt as good in a long time. Now that it's time to find a new job I'm shopping around for an ebike. Only stress I had this year was from people telling me to find a job repeatedly (I am under no financial difficulty from 12 years working my ass off and saving but it seems people just can't deviate from social norms...).

[@IainKerr-ko7we]

I’m a 67 yr guy living in NE. We have fantastic rock climbs and tech trails - I might be getting on in yrs but I haveI not lost my enthusiasm- just some stamina 😂 I want a bike that will give me the capacity to dial up what I need when I need it. If only for a couple of hours. 16:03 Sounds like I better get down to giant store - thanks for the great review.

[@Chan1881]

Exciting new e-MTB! Thanks for the thorough review as well as the comparison with the Orbea Rise. I have a Fuel EXe (which can be mulleted), so these kinds of bikes are up my alley. This bike brings more innovation to the space!

[@bikersedge]

So stoked on what this bike accomplished. Full power, lightweight, awesome suspension design and solid geo. Ticks all the boxes.

[@William.N]

I like what you have done with the beginning of the video. Definitely more interesting to watch.

[@bikersedge]

Thanks for the feedback. Glad you liked it!

[@ems0001]

Hey! It's been a while. Your vids keep getting better. Well done. 👍

[@bikersedge]

Hey thanks! Winter makes it tough to get videos made. If it ever stops we’ll be back to making them regularly.

[@richardthibert3222]

Great review, I ride an Orbea rise h15 and very pleased. The battery range is double of my Canondale Moterra 2/Bosch. The rise software does the magic. The giant seem to have very similar possibility. Lighter ebike make huge difference in slow technical trails.

[@jimm244]

YES! E-bikes are coming around to something I want! I want to keep the pedal bike feel. I’m probably 2 years out from an e-bike purchase and love what you described in the GIANT.

[@dems_mtb]

A lot of great information, Thanks!

[@bikersedge]

Glad it was helpful!

[@gmanmtb]

Just subbed your channel bro. Im a rider from New Zealand looking to buy his first Ebike. And after listening to your review on this bike. Im sold. The reason is because I fall into the second category of riders that you mentioned. The playful, jibby lively freestyle type rider. Cheers mate!

[@bikersedge]

Welcome aboard!

[@chickenclips]

Great review well done

[@bikersedge]

Hey thanks!

[@santiagosalcedo7653]

Wow love this content. Thanks for the master class.

[@bikersedge]

Glad you liked it!

[@hypersailor]

Conner's videos are the best, not typical crank it out. The upside is the local Kaysville shop stands out for incredible service. Toss in he rides 'where we ride' in Utah and doesn't pull any punches if you listen carefully. Curious if the lowest build is 'too low' for total specs. Kudos to Giant for again thinking through a new bike idea to push the market ahead. I did 2500 miles on a 2021 Giant Trance E 29 2021 and yes at 55lbs it's a porker with a DH ride for life. Not sure how many riders will tweak around the settings as the trail to me dictates your need for torque, cadence and rider comfort. I'm guessing June before this bike shows up locally for sale.

[@bikersedge]

Hey thanks for the kind words! We have 2s and 3s in stock already with a bunch more on the way.

[@jeanmarc_in_Hudson]

Great review, thanks! Adjustable torque motor might be the right answer here… Looks like Giant have a winner. I want one… 😊

[@bikersedge]

I want one too!

[@pushlooop]

I have the 625Wh battery on the alu version and lasts for a couple sessions. The bike works great and is fun on the trails, this lightweight version looks spot on

[@bikersedge]

It’s dialed

[@fishinmtber]

I've watched several reviews on this bike and yours is by far the most encompassing and best one yet. This bike seems perfect for me but unfortunately, I fall in between sizes. Small seems too small and medium seems a bit long in reach. What are your thoughts on sizing? What's your height and what size did you ride?

[@bikersedge]

Hey thanks for the kind words! I'm 6'2" and generally ride an XL. I rode a L for this video and felt pretty comfortable. I want to throw a leg over an XL though. Most bikes these days offer quite a bit of freedom in sizing. You can choose based on preferred handling characteristics rather than seat tube height. The smaller size will be more agile and the bigger size more stable. "Reach" can feel very different depending on the seat tube angle, saddle height, rear center length, stack height.... It's not always the most reliable number to go off of.

[@Paulthenutter34]

Brilliant review, thanks. Still waiting to see the weight of the Elite 2... No Live Valve, shove a Fox X2 in the rear, 160mm air shaft up front. I had a '19 Trance E+3 with those mods and it was incredibly plush, specially for my bad knees...

[@stefanolaporta7649]

The 2 weight is 20.4 Kg. Giant website, select german language to look at models weights

[@Paulthenutter34]

@@stefanolaporta7649 Thank you!

[@adampalma7880]

@Paulthenutter34 I want to put a Fox Float X in the rear but I can't buy a trunnion mount Float X Performance aftermarket in Australia. Apparently Fox only sell the factory version of the Float X aftermarket in Australia. Is this the same in your country?

[@Paulthenutter34]

@@adampalma7880 I'm in New Zealand, we've seen a few on marketplace but not sure if they are commercially available.

[@stefanolaporta7649]

@@adampalma7880 look for the Factory some Pivot Shuttle SL owners are selling new or mimally used as they went for a swap to coil shock. It's a 185x55 average tune 0.7 volume spacer (guess 0.6 + 0.1). I could see a couple in Europe, so I'm guessing one should be available everywhere.

[@andrewchow523]

Your videos are great! Have you ridden the Trek Exe? if so, how does it compares to that?

[@bikersedge]

Hey thanks! I haven't ridden the Fuel Exe. It's not a brand we carry at the shop. I can say however the new Trance is pretty unique in that it's lightweight and full power. Something that other bikes aren't offering at the moment.

[@charlespalmerii4299]

Thank you for the Video, looks like there is more then one Elite was this a 3, 2 , 1 or ? thanks Charlie Are they all the same weight within the Elite line up?

[@bikersedge]

This was the 0. They are not all the same weight. If you flip through the comments you'll see where I answered a previous question about specific weights.

[@erichbachman7363]

This looks cool. I was really close to buying the Reign E+. The alu Rise comes with 540wh battery I think, so that vs this trance could be another option.

[@bikersedge]

You can also get the new carbon rose with the 540 battery too. It’s an upgrade option and doesn’t come stock though.

[@m3drivr]

@Conner As always, I love your bike reviews. How does it compare to the current Trace Advance E+ series, which is full fat? Would love your opinion as you have ridden both.

[@bikersedge]

Personally it’s tough for me to not take this new one. The lightweight and full power combo is pretty amazing. Giant knocked it out of the park.

[@m3drivr]

@@bikersedge Thanks! Agreed, the only advantages I can see is 1) bigger battery 2) probably better stability due to the longer chain stays and weight. I checked the website; these new ones are pricey (which is not what I usually say about Giant bikes!).

[@bikersedge]

Yeah. The battery life win goes the the big one for sure. The price of the $6000 elite is per reasonable considering the quality.

[@tomordr]

Excellent review! Thanks. I live in the midwest where elevation might be 500-1,000' in a 20 mile ride. So basically assist levels 1-2. Do you see any problems getting 27 miles out of it without range extender. What about 1,500' in 20 miles with occasional assist level 3 for the punchy short climbs. At 66 years old, this bike interests me. Thanks again

[@sdtrailrider8070]

Should be doable. With my weight at 170 lbs I can get 20 miles keeping it mainly in levels 1&2. Be sure to tune it down in the app.

[@puhgeh]

Thank you so much for this review. Would you be able to help me - which one would you pick if you have to choose one: This trance x elite or the Specialized Turbo Kenevo Expert? I would really appreciate an input from someone like you.

[@bikersedge]

We don’t carry specialized so I’m not too familiar with the Lenevo. Unfortunately I won’t be much help.

[@sjaan7370]

I'd love to see a Giant Reign E+ Elite with a ~500 watt battery coming in at sub 45lbs 🤞

[@bikersedge]

Same!

[@madness6915]

Wow Dream ebike 🤩

[@bikersedge]

Very much so.

[@stefanolaporta7649]

Great review! I bought a 2 , size M, in Italy and I'm waiting for it to be delivered. Had you the chance to measure the bb height?

[@bikersedge]

Rad. You'll love it. I didn't measure BB height. BB drop is 10mm though.

[@stefanolaporta7649]

@@bikersedge it's 343 mm in low and 353 in high, on stock tyres

[@lee.j7077]

Was considering the trek fuel exe as it’s geometry is just like a standard bike including short chainstays,so your saying the longer chainstays on this bike don’t make it harder on tighter turns?

[@bikersedge]

As a tall guy I prefer chainstays in the 440-450 range as they better match the front half of my bike. Shorter riders might disagree. The Trek looks a little slacker and it’s a full 29er. It puts the overall wheelbases pretty close to each other. I don’t think either one will feel significantly worse in the corners. I’m not too familiar with the Trek but it’s not going to hold a candle to the Trance in terms of power.

[@keithbradford8896]

love your videos I am 64 years old and ride a 2015 stump jumper with 27.5 tire I am in good shape I can't ride as long as I could I would like your opinion would switching to a 29er like the Trace x 29 1 give me that extra I need to climb and do longer rides or is it time to switch to the trance x e+ . thanks

[@bikersedge]

I don't think the wheel size thing is going to add much to your ride timer/distance. That said a modern MTB will pedal and climb better than your old Stumpy but not necessarily because its a 29er. It will be from better geo and better suspension design. eBikes are great too for extending your ride distance in the same amount of time.

[@Table_Topper_Tony]

How's the motor noise? I've been looking into the giant trance x e as well as the transition relay. The specialized sl ebike models has always been super loud and it bugged me, my buddies, as well as other people on the trail.

[@bikersedge]

The SyncDrive stuff has always been one of the quietest and least intrusive drives in my opinion. I talk a lot about it in our Original Trance X video from a while back.

[@stefanolaporta7649]

I can confirm as owner of a 2 the noise is mild. Great feature you can adjust the torque, support % and launch control to your needs , for each of the 5 levels. I believe this is a plus for pedal feeling and range optimization. I'm a light rider, 60 Kg and I had my typical ride with just 31% of the total battery capacity by using only the tuned first 3 levels (50 Nm Max, stock support %, lighter launch control; default torque is 85 Nm for all), fast all the time, meaning I could have a much longer ride or a low frequency of battery charge, then helping the battery life. Very happy about this bike, knowing I'll have full power on tap if needed by level 4 set at 70 Nm and 5 at 85 Nm

[@matthewbenedict8359]

What’s your experience been with battery life on different E-bikes and batteries? Have you noticed a drop off in range after a season of lots of riding and charging? Are there any batteries/brands that you feel do better than others?

[@bikersedge]

The only ebike I’ve had for long enough was an orbea rise that I put a thousand a half miles on in a year or so. I had no noticeable fall off in battery health. I’m probably not the best guy to ask. That said, most of the warranties on these drivesystems are around the two to three year mark. You’ll probably see some battery health issues by then but I know most of these companies do quite a bit of work on their batteries and chargers to keep them lasting as long as possible.

[@Bigtuna00]

Is the range extender *really* 200Wh? I keep seeing conflicting numbers and Giant's website has no info. 600Wh is a bit small for a full power bike. I have some regular rides that put my 625Wh battery on the ropes. Most of the guys I ride with run 700's, so I really don't want to go smaller...granted the bike is a bit lighter but not enough to make that kind of difference.

[@bikersedge]

Yes it’s 200. Being lighter will help but I think what will help the most is the more efficient use of the battery with the tuneable max torque output per assist level.

[@cliffsangelsphotography]

Now I'm curious on your opinion on which bike feels more 'natural' pedal bike: Giant Trance e or Trek Fuel EXe

[@bikersedge]

I haven't ridden the Trek so I cant say, but I do know it doesn't hold a candle to this on power.

[@sambroome7739]

Need more Herschel content

[@bikersedge]

Herschel needs to learn how to ride a bike.

[@mtb_3930]

Hi mate do you know if we will see the reign in this format? 66 degree head angle is not very slack these days would be super interested in this in a 64 degree 160 travel version!

[@bikersedge]

Fingers crossed they can make that happen! I practically begged the eBike category manager to make me that exact bike. Ha. That said, I think a lot of the reason this bike is so lively and good on the climbs, tech and corners is due to that HTA not being overly slack.

[@mtb_3930]

Have just heard from a friend of a friend at giant that there is no plan to make an enduro version of this unfortunately. So transition relay it is....

[@mtb_3930]

How do you think it would ride with fox 38 160mm forks on it. Which would slacken the head angle to about 65 degrees. Do you think that would work well?

[@bikersedge]

@@mtb_3930 I get the draw to making it slacker. That said, it has the HTA that it has for a reason. It's not an oversight on Giant's part. They wanted to prioritize quick and responsive handling as this is a trail bike, not an enduro bike. Sure you can run a longer fork, but at some point you're just trying to turn the bike into something its not.

[@tomtraynor5384]

VS: Trek Fuel EXe top spec 9.9? Ready to pull the trigger on one--unless talked out of it.

[@bikersedge]

We don’t carry trek. I’m not too familiar but I do know that no other ebike at the moment matches this on weight vs power. It’s the first full power/lightweight (half of a traditional battery size) ebike at the moment.

[@tomtraynor5384]

@@bikersedge Are these in stock at all yet? Thanks.

[@bikersedge]

Yes we have some in stock. Only 2s and 3s at the moment with some 1s on the way.

[@BeniKenesei]

The discharge rate of a battery does depend on the capacity of the battery. But those small older(18650) cells should be fine. A 400Wh battery made from 18650 cells should easily handle 2C peak discharge which is 800 Watts. The peak power of the Brose 2.2 is 565 Watts, EP8 is 500 Watts, so there is absolutely no reason why we didn't see light full power ebikes before these new cells. Anyway, top notch video!😁

[@bikersedge]

🙃

[@bigchungus2536]

​​@@bikersedge😂 Gotta love the "ummm actually" comments.

[@Liisjak]

I used to have a Stance E +0 Pro with a 500 Wh battery and in ECO I used to do 100++ kms...so I see no isue with a 400Wh battery and reduced weight.

[@bikersedge]

I don’t think the range on this is a dealbreaker by any means. But compared to other new e-bikes on the market right now, it has less range. I’ll happily take that trade off though for how nice the ride quality is.

[@Liisjak]

@@bikersedge I'm looking into e-bikes again and I'm watching your video again haha Gonna try a +2 Elite tomorrow and decide between it and a Fuel Exe 9.7....though the Giant is 5k euro while the Fuel is 7k and I don't know if it's worth the 2k difference. Any thoughts, did you happen to try a Fuel mybe?

[@bikersedge]

@Liisjak we don’t carry trek so I haven’t ridden one. Couldn’t really say.

[@kayakutah]

I'm currently on a Trance Advanced 29. With a measly 115mm of rear travel, Moab is no problem at all. The suspension is magical, so 140mm of Maestro on this bike must be great.

[@bikersedge]

Maestro is one of the best in my opinion. Love how it rides.

[@pauldavies1678]

Did you find the personal torque settings changed back to standard settings after charging battery ?

[@bikersedge]

Interesting. Nope that's not something we've had problems with at the shop.

[@pauldavies1678]

@@bikersedge I ask because I’ve watched other reviews that say when battery is removed the settings revert back and you have to adjust them each time

[@bikersedge]

@@pauldavies1678 Interesting. I typically charge with the battery installed. Could be why we haven't seen the issue.

[@sdtrailrider8070]

@@pauldavies1678 That was fixed with a firmware update.

[@LastAphelion]

Hey am I imagining things or didn't you have an e-bike dedicated channel that disappeared off all of my lists?

[@bikersedge]

It still exists. eBikers Edge. We have been dealing with the snowiest winter on record here so as things start drying out we will be posting more for both here and over there.

[@LastAphelion]

Oh that's weird it must be on youtube's end! I recalled having watched all the videos and not a single one was in my likes or history anymore. You should link it under your associated channels, cheers

[@bikersedge]

@@LastAphelion thanks for the tip. Will do.

[@gustifer0311]

Ignoring price, would you prefer this bike over the Rise or would you take the Rise?

[@bikersedge]

Go check out our lightweight ebike showdown to see how I think they compare.

[@gustifer0311]

@@bikersedge I think my biggest concern with the terrain that I ride is the amount of pedal strikes. That’s all my giant rain does. I’m hesitant to get the transaction because I’m worried it will have the same amount of pedal strikes since it’s a MX set up. Did you notice a significant drop in pedal strikes when you use the or Orbea rise?

[@bikersedge]

@@gustifer0311 I don’t have too much of an issue with pedal strikes on either bike. The reign sits lower than these with a lower BB and I did notice more of them on that bike. Generally though it’s not something I have an issue with even in technical desert terrain.

[@gustifer0311]

@@bikersedge here in east TN mountains all we have are roots and rocks and ruts. I appreciate your replies and I thoroughly enjoy watching your videos. Thank you for the great content.

[@425flex]

This bike jumps better than the Santa Cruz heckler?

[@bikersedge]

Much better.

[@lawrencelin272]

weight of extender? and price?

[@bikersedge]

Please hold. I don’t think it’s commercially available yet. I’ll do some digging.

[@lawrencelin272]

@@bikersedge Orbea claims the rise has a +50% factor due to lightweight meaning the optional 540 is comparable to a 800wh, hopefully with panasonic's new tech brings a comparable range! all eyes on the upcoming Levo SL! hopefully 55Nm motor and 500wh+ integrated battery *fingers crossed*

[@kayakutah]

BTW, weighed a $6000 Elite 3 last week in a medium. 20.7 KG!

[@bikersedge]

Yeah we weighed one that came into the shop. 45.5lb.

[@YLDCRD]

Wonder what u could upgrade to get to the 18kg mark.

[@forzer456]

Your Garge is massive

[@bikersedge]

We don't mess around at my house.

[@robertthane8638]

That geometry breakdown looks alot like my V1 pivot shuttle from 2018

[@bikersedge]

Apart from the HTA it is pretty drastically different.

[@ColemanEdwardsPublicRelations]

Mo Powa baby.

[@bikersedge]

#allthepowa

[@lobyapatty]

This or the orbea rise?

[@bikersedge]

Our showdown will be coming out very soon. Stay tuned.

[@boulderghost4457]

What’s the catch? $14,000 for the spec that ACTUALLY weighs 42lbs. The $10,000 spec is more like 46lbs much like other full-power bikes like the Orbea wild (with a bigger battery) So once again the game changing evolution is a smaller battery and mo money. Lol

[@bikersedge]

I won’t argue that the 0 build is ridiculously expensive. That said the Trance Elite 2 ($7200) is 44.5lb and the 3 ($6000) is 45.5lb. Still quite a bit lighter than a comparable priced Wild. To get a 46.5lb Wild you’re spending $12000 and you’re getting a smaller 625Wh battery.

[@boulderghost4457]

@@bikersedge that’s good! Very light but what is the battery size for those more affordable models? From their website the Trance is using a much smaller battery than the heavier and longer range battery from Orbea (625Wr). So not really an advantage for the Trance? I guess if Orbea was to offer a much smaller 400Wh battery that offered much less range at 85Nm (full time) then the Orbea would be even lighter than the more expensive Giant. In addition you could lower the Orbeas weight by swapping its 38mm fork with a 36mm fork like the Giants. Lots of other tricks that could light the Orbea like the Giant but at the loss of performance (lowering the suspension from 160mm to 140mm). I could go on but it should be obvious the game the Giants playing with the specs. So unless I’m missing something, Giant is only innovative in that it offers the ability to offer less for more. Ok, I’m sure most buyers of $6000-$14000 mountain bikes won’t notice. Lol

[@bikersedge]

The battery is 400wh across all the Trance Elite models regardless of the price.

[@stefanolaporta7649]

I went for a 2 I bought for 5200 € with 20% discount and spent about 1000 €, for XT cassette, AM carbon handlebar, lightweight Sqlab ergowave Ti rails saddle, CNC stem, sub 2 kg E-Enduro wheels DT hybrid 240 30T/Newmen E.G 30, tubeless setup, lighter and thicker 203 mm 6 holes brake rotors, Xpedo Spry pedals with grabbier pins. Final weight is 19.65 kg with pedals for a total cost of about 6200 € and I'm getting back some of the budget by selling the original new parts. I might be missing a piggy back shock alike the 0 or 1, that would add 200 g, but the ride feeling suggests the rear end is plush, very active and supportive enough. I'm tempted by Manitou Mara in line as it seems it's not much sensitive to temperature increase, it's slightly bigger than the DPS, runs at lower pressure than the DPS and it will be adding just few grams more. Impressed by a YT review by a guy that swapped a Fox Float X for the inline Mara on Pivot DW link bike and got a better ride performance

[@_Jake.From.Statefarm_]

My 2019 levo is 90nm on a 500w battery.. so it should be just fine lol.

[@bikersedge]

Yeah but it’s definitely not lightweight….

[@_Jake.From.Statefarm_]

@@bikersedge yeah mine should get worse range cause of the weight and extra torque

[@bikersedge]

Ahhhh gotcha. I see what you’re saying now. Yes the range on this should be ok. Compared to other e-bikes on the market at the moment it isn’t the longest lasting, though.

[@_Jake.From.Statefarm_]

@@bikersedge very true, we've come a long way!

[@Tony_P]

Giant didn't develop 21700 cells , they have been around for years. They aren't the first ebike company to utilize them either.

[@e_mtb]

In this case, they are using 22700 cells

[@bikersedge]

Correct. This is a new 22700 cell Giant developed with Panasonic.

[@Tony_P]

@@bikersedge Apologies , I stand corrected. I read an article about this bike that mentioned both 21700 and 22700 cells. I'd never heard of 22700 , even googling didn't give results so I assumed it was a typo.

[@bikersedge]

@@Tony_P All good! I went to the actual Giant presentation and couldn't keep track of the numbers myself. Ha. Either way-it's a rad bike.

[@AdrianLetty-ef5em]

M