2021 Giant

Trance X E+, Pro 29 1

A capable bike on the descents and the Live Valve system helps to boost efficiency, even if it does add cost and complication

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Giant Trance Advanced Pro 29 1 is reviewed by Benji in The Big Short bike grouptest in issue 142 of Singletrack World.

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Fox Live Valve equipped bikes have always demanded a premium. And while that’s unlikely to change any time soon, the recent introduction of the new Giant Trance Advanced Pro 29 1 sporting Fox Performance Elite level suspension makes it the most affordable Live Valve bike to date. Does the addition of this clever suspension kit give it the edge over the best full-suspension mountain bikes? But make no mistake, this isn’t a dumbed down version of Fox’s electronic suspension system designed to hit a price point. With the addition of Bluetooth connectivity, Live Valve 1.5 opens up a raft of fine tuning options with the dedicated Live Valve app. Other key updates include a reduction in the decline angle at which the suspension becomes active, increased timer duration so the suspension can stay open for longer, and a reduction in the threshold needed to activate the suspension. All positive changes then. Possibly the biggest difference with Live Valve 1.5 though, is that the closed setting is no longer a full lockout, where Fox now refers to it as firm mode. But enough about the electronics. Built around 29in wheels, the full Advanced composite frame of the new Trance delivers 120mm of rear wheel travel. And unlike most bikes we measure, Giant’s precision construction techniques give you every last millimetre from its longstanding Maestro twin-link suspension system. Designed around a 130mm travel fork, the latest Trance has geometry fitting of a short-travel shredder. With the flip-chip in the upper rocker link set to the low position, the Trance has a 65.5º head angle, low slung 330mm BB height and a pretty standard 440mm chainstay length. Reach on the size L is 471mm, so the bike is long-ish without being overly stretched. It’s available in four frame sizes, and if the idea of having a microprocessor adjusting your suspension on-the-fly seems like a dystopian nightmare, Giant offers options below and above the Trance Advanced Pro 29 1 with conventional suspension components. One final addition to the latest Trance Advanced frame is integrated down tube storage. A small switch on the hatch makes it a cinch to use, but the reinforced cutaway in the down tube is pretty narrow, so there’s an increased risk of stuffing something into your frame and not being able to get it out. In that respect it’s much closer in design to Trek’s Bits system than Specialized’s SWAT design, which is the original glove box and the still the best system we’ve used. Suspension Sensors on the back of the brake arch on the Fox 34 fork and at the rear dropout relay information in real time to the Controller, the little box under the top tube of the Trance. The controller contains the microprocessor, firmware and a 3-axis accelerometer for pitch detection. It’s also where the battery that powers the system attaches. Based on feedback from all of the sensors, Live Valve toggles the damping in the fork and shock independently between two settings: open and firm. …Continue reading »

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