Full Power Super Light Giant Trance X E+ Elite 3 Owner Review and Test ride

[@kayakutah]

Last year I got the Elite 3. I'm 71 years old now and I went back and looked at a recorded ride. This was in Park City Utah. I'm 5'9" tall and 162 pounds. This ride was 29.24 miles with 3,700 feet of climbing. It started at about 7000 feet and hit a maximum of about 9400 feet. I started with 100% battery and ended with 2%. After swapping out handlebars and saddle, with pedals, it weighs in at 46 pounds. I had levers/masters for the XT 2 pot brakes that I put on with the less expensive M420 (stock) brakes front and rear and that made a HUGE difference. I did a lower leg service and can for the shock and removed spacers from both - also an improvement for my riding and extended the fork to 160 while I had it broken down. That is a waste of time, though. I swapped out to the M6100 shifter and upgraded the derailleur so I could get multiple shifts. I prefer it in the lower flip chip setting, but both are fine. Big bang for small bucks! This bike is money well spent. I have put on a Big Betty 2.6 (actual 2.5) on the back and am waiting for the 2.6 Magic Mary for up front - both trail soft, so that'll add 2 pounds. When I ride with my wife, I run it with motor assist off and other than being 18 pounds heavier than my mountain bike, there's no motor resistance to speak of.

[@frankiesemtb]

Awesome! I would suggest Dvo fork or a Dvo shock for your next upgrade! It’s much more budget friendly than fox or rockshox but the adjustments and ride quality is on par

[@ShaneKasham]

I just ordered this bike today,My very first E-Bike.

[@chickenclips]

Nice to see more reviews of this bike. It's a unicorn currently. Got mine and snapped my MCL, ACL and meniscus same day lol. Nice job.

[@frankiesemtb]

Hope you have a speedy recovery!

[@DUIA77]

This is a great e-bike. I just bought one a week ago, identical to it, same colors, but I replaced the suspension and went with the all-DVO suspension, and what a huge change in the ride. Any trail and time. Great video Frankie like your channel

[@frankiesemtb]

Thank you! I’ve fallen in love with how DVO feels. Probably would be my suggestion to all looking for a budget friendly option

[@bigchungus2536]

Hey I have the same bike. Just waiting for warmer weather to ride real trails here in MN. I'm completely new to the hobby. Love my initial rides, the bike is a dream for a newbie like me. What does it entail to upgrade the suspension like you're saying? Do I bring it to a shop and ask for that or do it myself? I am seriously lacking in all the bike know-how. I'm happy with the stock build but if it can be even better why not. What does it cost to upgrade to that as well? Sorry for all the questions haha. Any response would be appreciated. Thanks.

[@frankiesemtb]

@bigchungus2536 I would hold on new suspension upgrades as a brand new rider. It so so important to Learn the basics of riding ie “body position” Once you start riding features that requires more from your suspension than go for those upgrades. It is way more satisfying when you finally understand why the upgrade is needed. Plus I would keep some cash on hand as a new rider just because the more you ride the more you’ll find yourself needing tools, accessories, and most importantly the wear and tear items such as protective gear, pedals, chain, brake pads, basic maintenance and the list goes on! If you have more questions just send me a dm! Love helping newer riders!

[@bigchungus2536]

@@frankiesemtb Great advice. I figured I was fine with my stock build. Just needed to hear it from someone who isn't trying to sell me stuff. Thanks frankIe

[@frankiesemtb]

No problem!

[@MILTONATOR]

That’s a good looking bike. And the video is very informative and of great quality. Great job man. Keep em coming

[@frankiesemtb]

Thank you Milton that means a lot!

[@Si1ent1]

I've got the Giant Trance X E+1 Pro with the 750wh battery and it's much nicer granted it does weight more but its an amazing bike. comes with deore xt groupset , fox 36 float performance and fox float x. overall really happy with my purchase as I got $2k+ (£1900 here in the uk) off for black friday so I'm living the dream. cannot wait for the longer days where i can ride without a coat or hoodie. :D

[@frankiesemtb]

Congrats! That’s a great deal! I’ve yet test rode the Trance X E+ pro. But I’ve heard all great things! Can’t wait to test ride it soon!

[@SamsBikes]

lets go frankiee almost at 3k

[@frankiesemtb]

Let’s go 3k!

[@yofoo138]

Dont sleep on Giant bikes 💪🏼

[@frankiesemtb]

Agreed! Great bikes and thank you for coming out

[@jasper_of_puppets]

_"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant..."_ - Yamamoto

[@wvjeepguy8178]

From what I've seen, Giant is not taken seriously as a brand compared to even Trek or Specialized. Maybe bikes like this can turn their reputation around.

[@marklouieadame]

Really crazy like people judge you by their bike brand when in fact its the geometry and components makes the difference

[@frankiesemtb]

Being born in the same country and culture. Taiwanese love to put profits back into manufacturing and production while ignoring marketing. I think they are doinng way better and I’m excited to see more from them!

[@dtolios]

Fun part is that Giant built bikes for both Trek and Spec in the past...I think they still build the majority of Trek bikes but regardless, they are the largest "serious" bike manufacturer in the World and definitely have the know-how on how to build bikes on-par or better than most mass producers + the capital to pay for decent designs.

[@wvjeepguy8178]

@@dtolios Manufacturing capability and design are two totally different concepts. They may do a good job of building bikes to someone else's designs, yet they can't design their own bikes that are on the same level.

[@chethompson2186]

Another great vid my brother 👍

[@frankiesemtb]

Thank you brother always great to hear from you

[@bearjewmtb4827]

I just bought a used one and got a E+1 with the fox suspension and live valves and it is INCREDIBLE. Giant definitely hit the nail on the head, this bike is under rated and not talked about enough. Only thing I dislike is the headset cable routing and the combo stem/bars mine came with. Can you find out his spacer setup? He’s got the same headset as me looks like but regular spacers? Was there any adapters there? Cuz my headset top cap is not flat so regular spacers won’t work.

[@frankiesemtb]

Great bike! I’ll ask the owner regarding his set up

[@yofoo138]

What’s up brotha so your one piece bar/stem combo should have came with like little shims to adjust that thing

[@bearjewmtb4827]

@@yofoo138so I bought it used and the guy couldn’t find all those so I only have what was already installed on it.

[@yofoo138]

If your local hit up Menifee bikes they can order those shims for you since they are a Giant dealer 👍🏼

[@rainerwahnsinn9672]

Great Build !

[@intertube1000]

Full power - lightweight, that's awesome. I can hear the rattle noise when you ride donwhill, I'm guessing it's not from the motor like shimano.

[@frankiesemtb]

The bike rides good! That rattle came from the shimano brakes that Nate just installed. There’s a bit of play on the cooling fins.

[@nobrks]

No Rattle from the Giant motor, I cant stand the rattle from Shimano and Bosch

[@yofoo138]

That annoying sound is the cooling fins from the brake pads

[@paulhusky580bts]

That Giant if here in UK only do 15.5mph that why lot riders Derestrict the Bikes but only ride legal on Private Land

[@frankiesemtb]

it does suck with the speed limit at 15.5mph. Here in the US we have to deal with no ebikes allowed

[@frankiesemtb]

@@sjaan7370 great places to ride as well!

[@paulhusky580bts]

I got 2 Yamaha Powered Ebikes by Haibike Full Suspension & Hardtail both Motors Basically the Same one not got Turbo Pw X3 & pw S2 the X3 is 85Nm & other 75Nm same Torque as X3 in eco+ eco Standard Hi both got same 720Wh Battery so if go out on one I got Spare Battery combined 1440Wh got Evoc Backpack that got Battery compartment for spare Battery

[@sjaan7370]

@@frankiesemtb Canada and New Zealand have the best of both worlds with class 1 emtbs being allowed almost everywhere and 32km/h speed cutoff being the norm 😉 I don't understand the 25km/h cutoff pushed in certain countries. Considering one can only take advantage of that speed on flats or going downhill it shouldn't be a big deal being that you can pedal that fast in those conditions on a normal bike too.

[@MudmanDH]

I love Giant bikes and e-bikes, I don't like 140mm bikes and also that battery extender 🤙🏼✌🏻🤟🏻

[@frankiesemtb]

140mm is a bit tiny! Definitely felt it on chunky sections

[@jasper_of_puppets]

@@frankiesemtb I got a longer stroke coil shock on mine to bump it up to 147mm of rear travel. That - along with upping the front to 160mm -helps turn this bike into a more aggressive all-mountain machine ⚡⚡⚡

[@frankiesemtb]

@@jasper_of_puppets that is awesome! Getting it closer to 150mm will make this bike shine! I love it!

[@badbattleaxe5832]

I want an E-MTB, but I’m gonna wait a couple of years for the technology to Mature. They are so heavy right now. I think in the future, the weight will go down as well as the price.

[@gbrox17]

Honest question- by “fins loose” do you mean fins on the brake pads? How can they be loose if they’re set in the calipers with the retaining pin? Thanks.

[@frankiesemtb]

It’s strange there was a bit of play on the cooling fins that comes out of the pads on the calipers. The owner just had them installed the day before so there could have been some issues with the settings.

[@yofoo138]

There are multiple videos out that will show you the play in these Shimano brakes that have cooling fins my next pads for sure will be Galfer pads without fins

[@dtolios]

@@frankiesemtb quite a few complain about rattling with finned (4-pot I think) Shimano pads...I had quite a few bikes with them, with no issues, but one can find fin-less pads from both Shimano and aftermarket. I think Doddy @ GMBN was using mastic tape (something like 3M 2228) to muffle them quiet.

[@enriquee.k3329]

Great video and explanation, I ride trek rail 9 since a year, it’s a beast bike, but looking to trade it with lighter bike due to back muscles pain from lifting the bike, my question if you can help me, if I choose mode trail and switch power to 60n instead of 85n, will the battery give more than 50k ? Off-road and paved trails? Thanks

[@frankiesemtb]

Thank you! Im not sure on the total range it will give, but based on my experience riding in lower assist will give you more range.

[@50whatnomadtravelnursemtb5]

I ride a 2022 trance x e+2 and I also have a hardtail..so i don't get why it's an issue to ride "short" 140 travel bike on any trail, if you can do it on the hardtail then the 140 will be plush on the same trail...it's really about rider skills...you don't need 170mm of travel

[@frankiesemtb]

I was surprised by the 140mm travel on this bike, it felt really good!

[@50whatnomadtravelnursemtb5]

@@frankiesemtb the Maestro suspension really does feel great, it’s like butter most of the time!

[@jcanderton]

Just got one of these and in the process of fitting a Lyrik. Having issues getting the top headset back together, particularly where the cables come through the plastic compression nut. Any tips?

[@herbertmichaels2841]

How much more noticeable is a 85 n.m. yamaha vs 75 n.m. stance E ? is the power difference alot ?

[@rickywoods3101]

I put a rockshox ultimate coil with hydraulic bottom out and im bot going back to air again. If you dont have hydraulic bottom and ride really hard i would stay with air becuase the suspension is alittle to linear

[@stefanolaporta7649]

Hi, do you know if a RS Super deluxe ultimate 2023 185x55 fits a medium frame? Thanks!

[@Emtbtoday]

Just a cube stereo it's an amazing bike took cubes genius alloy rear and carbon front triangle stop it flexing so much it's a perfect set up cube put the 170 160 fox on there's bit same bike really and the trek same loving this alloy rear end though has to be said

[@Tintmonkeyllc]

So quick question. Do you no the weight and height of your friend. And you said that the bike feels to big for you being 5 foot 8.. I'm 5 foot 10 weight 190, inseam 32. Would you recommend Medium for me. Reasons are I have that same bike and I have it in Medium However not sure if Large would of been a better choise. My medium fits great. Also I did not change any components yet. I forgot to tell you that i just gotton the bike from giant and the handle bars came in with bad scratches. They are replacing the handle bars however It could be a good time to exchange the bike however not sure if that would be wise. Hopfully you can help. Thanks fo much Frankie. Steve

[@frankiesemtb]

Nate is around 6’ to 6’1”. You are right in between sizes where you can go both ways. I would say it depends on the type of riding or trails around your neighborhood. If more steep technical terrain I would probably go for large. If you want to maintain the maneuverability and easy of control i would stick with medium.

[@Tintmonkeyllc]

Thanks for getting back. Light trails and just riding on the street.. No step terain for now. So what do you think stick with the medium or large. 9 out of ten people always says medium on the internet. Also do you have a idea on the charging. Kind of confusing. When you plug in the charger to bike I get a flashing green and then it truns to solid red. Is Solid red fully charged. Its really kind of funny with all these youtube videos not 1 person has explain how the charging indicators on how the charger works. That's crazy. Even the directions from giant does not tell you or the directions are so twisted that you can not understand. Does anyone out there no and can they explain. Like for examble , is red fully charged or green . Thanks again Frankie. @@frankiesemtb

[@frankiesemtb]

@@Tintmonkeyllc I think medium sounds perfect for what you want to do. I have not charged this bike before so I am not 100% sure what colors are fully charged. But based on my experience with shimano and brose motors, red indicates charging and green is fully charged. If in doubt I’d give it a 3 to 6 hr charge to make sure the battery is fully charged than at that point check all the lights and colors on the charger and on the display

[@WoooVegas]

Hi, I am a new writer and I’m trying to decide between this bike or a Orbea rise one of my concerns is if the rise will have enough power because I’m gonna need it with not being able to climb very well. Any feedback would be awesome. Thanks.

[@frankiesemtb]

@@WoooVegas have you test rode the Orbea rise before? 60nm is not too bad in terms of torque power.. if your doing very technical stuff than it maybe lacking. i live in SoCal and we have some longer boring fire road climbs which drains battery but definitely enough torque to get around at 60nm. if you fear you won't have enough than i say go for Giant, you can always tune it to max torque if needed.

[@scottwilson4079]

I’m pretty much one of those couch potato guys lol. I wanted to get into mountain biking a few years back before breaking my ankle. My question is, would this ebike really assist with the incline part of the trails? Like almost effortlessly?

[@frankiesemtb]

I would't say effortless, these bikes are still class 1 pedal assist bikes so there is no throttle to get you up. the pedal assist does make things alot easier.. but it does come with a price.. you'll get yourself into more dangerous places because of the ease.

[@scottwilson4079]

@@frankiesemtb ❤️

[@wenbo2611]

How tall is Nathan?

[@frankiesemtb]

Nathan is roughly 6 to 6’1”.

[@johns9974]

What a load of nonsense, he bought the wrong bike it is a trail bike

[@yofoo138]

What do you mean I bought the wrong bike?