Giant Trance X Review | A Hugely Adaptable Trail Bike With Over 27 Different Configurations

[@nicks8026]

Best MTB reviews on this platform. Wil (edit: corrected spelling), you’re very good at what you do - always fair and balanced, covering the good and the not so good. Plus, the videography does a great job of showcasing your beautiful Oz trails. Greetings from Southern California!

[@FlowMountainBikeYouTube]

Thank you Nick, appreciate the kind words! Jim did a killer job shooting the photos and video for this review. It was a lot of fun to put together and I'm glad you enjoyed it! [Wil]

[@ThunderStruckMTB]

Always so thorough, balanced and honest. Those 'little' niggles always add up to pretty large frustrations especially when dropping the kind of cash that today's mid and top tier bikes command. That hatch door rattle would drive me insane! Thanks Wil!

[@johnnietillotson3465]

Thanks for your honest review. It's good to hear the negative points along with the positive ones.

[@FlowMountainBikeYouTube]

Thanks for the feedback mate, appreciate it! [Wil]

[@paulj8283]

Good review as always. I’d recommend a Trance X, such a great all rounder. My 2021 model has been amazing.

[@troymortimer3487]

Could you please start adding in kinematics section into your reviews. Unfortunately most reviews out there don’t include this. Most reviews are “feelings” and sighting geo numbers from the manufacturers. If Flow could have the shock showing it’s travel path, anti squat, anti rise and point out the progression ratio allows viewers actually compare against other model. This would indeed make many readers incredibly happy

[@FlowMountainBikeYouTube]

Hey there Troy, thanks for watching the review and for your feedback! I've added kinematic graphs into news stories and reviews in the past, but the feedback we've received is that it can be somewhat meaningless and often confusing for a lot of readers. It's no doubt useful for someone like yourself who has a good grasp of the physics behind suspension, but it seems there are quite a lot of folks who aren't that interested in the data and simply just want to know how the bike rides. A big barrier to publishing that data is the fact that not every brand is always keen to share their kinematics in the first place. There's also the lack of standardisation, which can make it difficult to compare different bikes and brands. For example, not every brand makes it clear as to what gear they're using when they're discussing anti-squat, which has a different value depending on the chainring size and selected gear. Also, the COM and frame size isn't always stipulated, which obviously has a significant impact on anti-squat and anti-rise figures. In fact, Giant did this with its press release on the Trance X, which lacked those specific parameters. This makes it somewhat superfluous when comparing one bike's percentage of anti-squat or anti-rise with another. The other problem I've noticed with kinematic values and how people interpret them is the temptation to assume that 'more is better'. We saw this around 5-6 years ago where there was a proliferation in marketing around rear suspension progression, with each brand touting how much more progressive their new design was compared to the previous version. While it may have sounded good it didn't necessarily lead to an improvement in ride quality. Indeed in recent years many brands are starting to walk back those progression values in search of a more consistent linear-progressive rate. I've noticed this in the press releases as well, with fewer brands publishing progressitivity values. Along with kinematics, a huge contributor to rear suspension performance is the shock itself, which can have a much bigger impact on things like progression and pedal efficiency. I'd argue that publishing kinematic graphs is really only useful if you're also including relevant data about the shock rate and damper tune. It isn't always easy to find the details of the factory tune for each shock, but where applicable we'll add that information into a review if it has a meaningful influence on the way the bike rides. All this is to say that ultimately how a bike feels on the trail is a combination of multiple factors including the kinematic, shock tune, chassis construction and geometry. We try and distil all of those and the overrarching ride quality into ways that are relevant and easy for readers to understand, so hopefully that comes across in our reviews. Apologies for the lengthy response, but I hope that gives you some background into the consideration of how we approach our bike reviews. Thank you again for watching the video and for the suggestion Troy - I'll definitely be considering that for future reviews! [Wil]

[@skinny8019]

I’m still in love with my custom 2021 giant trance x. I’ve made it really light over time. Feels great. New version improves the descending. I’m sure the door and protection will be sorted. Looks good. Anyone one thinking of getting a trance x should go for it.

[@paulj8283]

Me too, amazing all-rounder.

[@erich8258]

Thank you for saying "sharp rock" instead of "square-edged hit." It's funny how jargon sticks even when it doesn't quite make sense.

[@nicks8026]

@@erich8258 ride in the southwest USA and “square edged hits” will quickly transition from jargon to all-too-real.

[@sandycarmichael31]

Great review Wil 👏. As an owner of a 2021 Trance X 29 2, I have a soft spot for the model . I upgraded the wheelset to a pair of Hunt Trail wides and got the weight down to 14.5kg which is decent for an aggressive alloy trail bike. I agree its a real shame that the Sx mullet bike as stock isn't coming to Oz, if i was considering an upgrade that would be the model that I and I reckon a bunch of other Aussie riders would be interested in. Giant also didn't sell the Trance X1 top spec alloy model in Australia with the previous generation, quit leaving us out Giant! My Trance X doesn't get ridden as much as it should, I'm eyeing off a discounted '23 Merida One Sixty 6000 that Andy did a long term review on, how would the new Trance X reviewed here stack up against that bike?

[@FlowMountainBikeYouTube]

Thanks Sandy! Those Merida One-Sixty 6000s look great, and I know Andy has loved his. My only concern is the headset and dropper post, as we had issues with our One-Sixty and One-Forty test bikes, and both Andy and Em had issues with theirs too. The Trance X is a little more practical in terms of cable routing, you have a fair bit more adjustability when it comes to geometry, and I reckon the spec across the model lineup is pretty solid. As for ride quality it's hard for me to say as I haven't spent a tonne of time on those Meridas, but I'd suggest that the Trance X would be closer to the One-Forty. The One-Sixty has a good bit more travel and quite a bit burlier components that pushes it closer to enduro territory, where it's likely more comparable with the Reign. You've got a good reference point with your 2021 Trance X, as the new version isn't drastically different and is really designed for similar terrain. I think if you were looking for a more capable bike for riding/racing enduro-type trails, then it'd make sense to look towards something bigger like the One-Sixty or Reign. Hope that helps mate! [Wil]

[@sandycarmichael31]

@FlowMountainBikeKZbin Thanks Wil, yeah the issues with the headset and dropper posts on the one sixty certainly do give me pause for concern. Maybe I'll stick with my Trance X a little while longer, although for shuttle days it would be great to have a bigger bike with more travel but I only do that a couple of times a year, if that.

[@yengsabio5315]

In other words, a good trail mountainbike!

[@the510wagon]

Great review. My first proper mtn bike was a Trance. What trails were featured in this review?

[@FlowMountainBikeYouTube]

Thanks mate, appreciate the kind words! Most of the footage in this video was shot at the La Larr Ba Gauwa MTB Park in Harcourt. Great spot! [Wil]

[@johnmccool6875]

Would the trance x be a worthy upgrade from the trance 29? I’m riding chunkier trails now that I’ve moved to Colorado so started looking at longer travel bikes with great deals on end of year models. The x I’m looking at has no internal storage so that’s not a factor. Thanks!

[@johnmccool6875]

Side note, I’m liking the Santa Cruz Hightower a lot as well. It’s a little more money than the X Advanced Pro 3 but not a lot.

[@mwinner101]

Great review but too many negatives to buy this one. Sticking to Yeti.

[@trailblazeratv6306]

it's $3999 USD at my local ship down for $7000

[@LaurentiusTriarius]

What you need is a coil shock with a progressive coil or a sprindex. Trust me...

[@marksandoval5361]

I can't think of any reason why you would buy the bike with the 150mm fork when you could get the same or similar bike with a 160mm fork. You might as well get the extra travel because the two bikes are going to ride the same and weigh the same.

[@FlowMountainBikeYouTube]

In some regards I agree with you Mark - given the current 36 and Lyrik can be run at 160mm, it does seem odd why these bikes wouldn't just run the max travel given there's hardly any weight difference. On the other hand, I suspect there are good reasons why Giant, Trek, Specialized and Canyon have built all their latest trail bikes around a 150/140mm travel platform. Perhaps 160mm represents a psychological barrier for some consumers? Or maybe there's a new generation of forks around the corner that will be optimised around 150mm? In the case of the Trance X, it's also worth considering its position in the Giant full suspension lineup. You already have the Trance (130/120mm) and the Reign (170/160mm), so the Trance X slots pretty neatly in between. And the fact that you can just remove the 2.5mm shock spacer and fit a 160mm air spring in the fork means it's pretty straightforward for riders to increase the travel if they wanted. [Wil]

[@marksandoval5361]

@@FlowMountainBikeKZbin I ride a 150/160 Stumpy Evo and I have not once thought this bike has too much travel even though I ride green, blue, and black trails. Maybe a decade ago, longer travel bikes with 160 forks were heavy, climbed poorly, and pedaled poorly. But that time has long passed and now modern bikes are so good you just don't give up anything to go with a 160mm fork. Any bike that has 135-150mm rear travel should just come with a 160mm fork. Once you're into a Fox 36 or Lyrik, why not? In my opinion, bike companies should have a 120/120 Downcountry/XC bike, skip the mid-travel trail bikes, and go straight to an All-Mountain bike with a 160 fork and 140-150 rear travel. That's why I would choose the new 150/160 Ripmo as the best Trailbike of 2024.

[@Pienimusta]

Takes 5 minutes and 30-50 €/$ to change the travel with the lower leg service.

[@harrie205]

More travel is not better It’s about balance

[@TeddyParker]

If I subscribe will you bring back the G'DAY intro?

[@FlowMountainBikeYouTube]

I’ll see what we can do 😉

[@willcampbell3238]

I believe as an Australian you are legally required to say "dollarydoos."

[@FlowMountainBikeYouTube]

If it helps to prevent Americans confusing the prices for US currency, I’ll do it! [Wil]

[@cunning-stunt]

Trunion mount shock, it will eat shock seals prematurely.

[@KlintonSilvey]

I've had nothing but trunnion mounted shocks since late 2018 and this has never been a problem. It all depends on the bike itself and how much side load you're getting.