I purchased the Trance a few months back. When you purchase the bike, they go ahead and add the sealant for the tubeless set up free of charge. I would also have to say the brakes are amazing definitely not beginner, that's more the Shimano MT200. Took a few rides to get my PSI's just right but it worked out just fine. I couldn't be happier with the group set , I've owned many different types SRAM XX1, Shimano XT ect, this one is smooth and precise, not as crisp as the XT, but also not so hard on the thumbs. I'm only looking to upgrade the crankset to an XT and this this is perfect.
I think Giant made that "bland" irresdescent purple for me specifically! Earlier this year I had wrapped my car in "Glacier Gray" and when I picked up the 21' Trance 3 29er in XL, it was sight unseen in the box, I thought I was getting a black bike. But then it matched my car perfectly! My jaw dropped, I've been in love ever since! Paired it with some teal grips and teal RaceFace pedals, and covered the baby in RideWrap. She a good girl!
I just did my jump from my Giant Talon 1 hard tail to this entry high end full suspension, but the only difference that mine is the new TRANCE ADVANCED PRO 29 3 2021 composite, light weight and fast trail - riding geometry. I am happy up and down.
Thanks for reviewing this bike! Purchased mine back in June and it came in in November! Been pretty happy with it so far and your suggestions on first parts to upgrade really helps going forward.
I bought the 2020 Giant Trance 3 then it was stolen in June. I picked up a 2021 Giant Trance X 2. Even though the Trance 3 has less travel, i prefer it. The geometry and quality of travel worked great.
I wish all the bike company’s would get off these drab colors and get back to the brighter colors. Giant always had some of the best colors and schemes
Your video is what finalized my decision on this bike. Thanks for the great information. Learned a lot as a new rider. Interestingly enough the only shop to have an XL in stock was Blood Sweat and Gears. So I ordered it, it is ready, and I am looking forward to driving from GA to pick it up. Looks like I am going over to your house at BSG as you said. lol
You mentioned the cranks as a "chonky" part and replacements could reduce weight, but the Praxis cranks are only 50g heavier than an XT. Any other obvious upgrades for function/reduce weight? Are the wheels heavy? I haven't seen many non-carbon full suspension trail bikes under 30 lbs, so this already seems on the lighter side of things.
I agree on the weight of the crank. I have had no issues with the Praxis crank, at some point I will upgrade to XT but really not necessary. I have around 1,000 miles on mine.
@@vallejodroning9578 Thank you. I think Giant's website is wrong about the AM wheels on this Trance. This video, other pictures I have seen, and the Trance I just purchased, include the Giant XCT rims (25mm inner width) and Shimano MT410 hubs.
Again another great video!! I always look forward to your these, esp this one and the Trance X 29.... I am Stuck between the Trance X 29 3 and this, the Trance 29 3!!! Any thoughts, opinions or ideas??
I appreciate your support! I love the trance X and the usability of the flip chip. The biggest difference between the two really lies in the travel of the bikes which will make the trance x a heavier and slower steering bike than the standard Trance. But boy does it fly when the trail gets rough. With that being said I would make my decision on where you plan to ride and what is important to you when you are riding. I hope that helps!
hi, does anyone has a problem with the praxis chainring, everytime I get to the 12speed sprocket the chain gets out in the praxis chainring. I've tried everything from changing the derailleur into a XT, buying new chains, shortening the chains even getting the derailleur adjusted and fixed and it stills get out when I reach the 12speed. Any ideas or comments on my problem?
Have you tried a different offset chainring for the crank? I know praxis sent some of the cranks out with the incorrect offset for the trance and it was causing the chain to fall.
Hey mossie, I was just wondering, what's the difference between the giant trance 29 vs trance x 29?? And do you think it's worth the extra money. Thanks in advance 👍
Besically, the trance X is the bigger travel version of the trance. It also has a flip chip so you can change the geometry of the bike which is pretty cool. So it is more of a give and take between wether you want a bike that will climb a little better or descend a little better.
dunno if you guys cares but if you're stoned like me during the covid times then you can watch all the new series on instaflixxer. I've been streaming with my gf for the last days :)
I bought one of these back in September, great bike but I did have numerous chain drops after 2 different shops they installed a offset chainring which took care of the problem. I will wear out the drive train then upgrade to XT btw the brakes have been just fine. I think my large came in right at 30 Lbs.
Thanks for this. I'm choosing between this and the anthem 29 2 2021. I only plan to do light XC trails so I'm leaning towards the anthem, but I'm still waiting for a review of that bike. Tried to look for Orbea Oiz H30 too but no luck here 😅 Cheers! 😊
The Oiz is a hard bike to find right now! The anthem is definitely closer to the oiz out of the two but I havent met anyone who was disappointed with either bike yet
@@MossieRidesBikes thank you! One thing that is worrying me is the 90mm rear travel for the anthem. I have a bad back so I'm worried that I may feel some of the bumps. This is actually why I'm considering the Trance as well (even though I will not do jumps and rough trail, for health reasons). This will be my first full sus bike and I'm relatively new to trail biking so I don't know alot about how they absorb bumps etc. 😅
Mossie, can you help me out? I made a mistake and bought this Trance 29, and the trails here in Ohio are mostly cross country. My local trail has alot of tight technical turns with a LOT of root gardens in the middle of the turns. My biggest problem is that I pedal strike ALL the time. I havent adjusted my sag yet , or cut the handle bars down which needs to be done, the bike is just too big and clunky for this tight track. It wants to go much faster but soon as you do its time to slow down. You mentioned in your video you ride an anthem, do you have the same pedal strike problem? I have almost no issues pedal striking with my old NRS3 with a 120" fork, 26" wheels and the bike is a LOT more fun to ride here- do you have any suggestion how I could replicate the ride with current technology? The trail is pretty rough for the old nrs but I do much better on it, I am wondering if I should go for a 27" rig and possibly a hardtail. My friend has a 27" Karate Monkey and the bike feels wonderful ez mode with the quazi fat tires
I'm torn between the (Trance 29 3) and the (Trance X 29 3). Budget is tight but I also don't want to regret not spending the extra 😰 HELP! PS: the suspension comparison video will also be great, looking forward to it!
6 months later with my Trance 29 3 and I’m dropping chains off the front ring all over the place. I called Praxis and they said Giant out the wrong chain ring on some bikes. The front chain line is 53mm from the factory with a 0mm offset ring. Praxis is sending me a 3mm offset ring which will put the chain line at 50mm. They claim this will fix my chain drops. We will see.
Isn’t the new Flex-Point suspension on the new Anthems the same as what they used on the Stance? Seems the stance suspension is not inferior after all. And in your review of the carbon Trance Advance X Pro 29 3, it weighed the same as this bike - 30lbs and pretty much the same specs but $1500 more. Looks like the end result is about the same. I’d get this, save my money for better upgrades than the carbon model.
I’d say it really depends on the application. Single pivot suspension designs are great for XC as they are light and have efficient pedaling. If you are on a bit longer travel and hitting some chunky mountain trails then something like the maestro works much better. Your point on the carbon vs aluminum though is hard to argue against!
I am thinking of buying Trance 3 because it is currently delliverable (December 2021). Watching the info in the Praxis web site, the Cadet actually doesn't look as a bad component. It is lite, it has tapered 30->28mm spindle which is actually bigger than Shimano and Sram spindles. Is there any difference in the actual generation/model used on the bike and the one currently listed on Praxis site? I think that the big hit will be when I need to replace the chainring. Original Praxis chainring costs as much as whole Shimano Deore M5100 crankset. The same applies to the Praxis BB -> 2x the price of shimano BB. Are there any cheaper chainrings for this crank as I would like to use 32t or 34t?
@@MtbRN2MD unfortunately not so much. It's more or less if your name is on the bike then you are guaranteed one near that date. From the sounds of it, some bikes are close to strictly being sold out.
That's a tough one. Without knowing the trails I would probably go with the oiz. Mainly because of how well the bike pedals and the 120 fork will get you through most everything. The trance leans more towards a true trail bike
@@MossieRidesBikes Thanks. Would love to see how you would also put the Trance (and other entry level bikes) on a budget friendly diet to make them faster machines for the non-racing set. Just matching the tires on the Trance with the Oiz would drop 500+ grams off the bike to make it roll faster and be less "chonky" (nice word BTW). Adding in KOMs by WTB and you are getting down to 28ish lbs I think. Guessing there are other ways to make a short travel trail bike lean towards XC without going full lycra. A video on "the diet" that could be applied to many bikes would be an interesting watch with a before and after on bike handling and performance.
Small frame, eh? Curious if you'd be willing to share how tall are you? I'm a tweener at 5'7" (so sometimes feel cramped on a small and sometimes feel stretched on a medium)
I like how you call it entry level high end because that sums it up. Its OK as is but I'd want to update parts after 1 season for sure. Given I'd want to upgrade I wish Giant released a higher spec bike that I did not need to upgrade (or not as much) but maybe due to Covid they didn't/couldn't. A pet peeve of mine is how the big bike brands seem to be getting lazy and cheaping out on the paint jobs to presumably to save a buck. Yeah I'm talking about you Giant and your lame Trance paint jobs that have zero personality, like cold bland oatmeal (yes Giant, you can go ahead and take that name and make it your next color). Unlike 4-5 years ago when most Giant bikes stood out on the trail now they are unremarkable and entirely forgettable. I think the only Bike I have seen that is a little interesting is the Fathom Blue to Black fade you reviewed earlier but otherwise... lame. I expect a new color for next year (that is if any bikes are produced) called 'Nutty Moose Poop', 'Tree Bark' or just 'mostly medium brown' that will be nearly unnoticeable on the trail and downright embarrassing to put on the back of my car. Heck, Giant pretty much makes a beige bikes which is just about as boring as it gets (I think they call is sand or concrete or something equally lame). I swear whoever at Giant who had any creativity with those older paint jobs must have left the company (maybe done to Orbeas since thier colors pop) and was never replaced and Giants new goal is to come up with the lamest paint possible. Congrats Giant from shifting your paint schemes from eye popping to rubbish (actually the perfect name for a Giant color) - well done. Anyway sorry for the rant - just frustrated new bikes are so hard to find maybe and thanks for the video.
I got this bike 6 months ago in a large 29er & love it. I lover this color. Can you help me find a downtube protector for it please? Can you upgrade the bike to have big travel?
Giant actually makes a downtube protector for the trance that is pretty nice. I'm not sure if its on their website but I know any Giant dealer can order one for ya. You can put a bigger fork on the bike but there is typically a range that the frame can handle. If you go outside of that range you run the risk of stressing the frame in a way it wasn't intended. It is an awesome bike!!
You can get the air cartridge up to 150mm for $60. (Don't know what Giant would recommend though as a max.) Add in your oil, grease etc. to about $80-$90 doing the job yourself.
I'm a bit worried about it only having 115 mm travel on the back, will it have enough travel for north shore type trails? Some reviews say that this bike struggles in more technical terrain compared to other bikes in this price range.
Orbea is definitely my favorite out of the lot simply because their aluminum looks so good. After focus got bought a few years ago they had so many warranties that it scared me away from them and I honestly have not known anyone with a cube to give a good opinion on them.
Did you make a decision? I was looking at the Occam H30 and likely to spring for the H20 but prices shot up significantly. This Trance is quite similar overall (ish) with the H30 but much less.
Wait, 30lbs for this and you say it's chunky...but the Orbea Occam 2022 is 32lbs??? I really was expecting the Orbea to be lighter? I just bought the Trance 2 (2022 UK so Fox 34 Rhythm and Fox DPS shock) and it does feel chunky but doesn't translate on the climbs TFFT. But I am surprised at the Occam being heavier.
So - If you are my nerdy friend, and I am looking to buy a bike- but the Giant trance is something of a rare spawn where only 2 people want to see it......What should I buy? I resuited an old NRS(2/3)? from childhood, and yeah it is fast , but my friends riding this new stuff make it look easy if I am not passing them. Currently I am seriously considering the anthem 29, with a 120 fork, mainly because I am in Ohio and 80% of what I ride is tame and technical, however when those downhill sections come I get too aggressive, and my NRS with a 120 bottoms, flies, and I might wreck :))
I think you are headed in the right direction. The anthem is essentially the newest iteration of the NRS. The newer suspension, thru axles, bigger wheel size, all that will make the anthem feel like a beefy bike compared to the NRS (which I love by the way😅) my local trails are much more conducive to the anthem and I would only want something slacker if I went to the mountains where the descents are muuuuuuch longer.
Advice anyone, I'm looking at the current trance 29 2021 model to use in the UK for natural trail/xc riding, would this be a good bike or wait for the 2022 model which has a longer wheelbase slacker head angle and longer reach? Which would be better for that type of riding, not looking at riding trail centres or bike parks, thanks..
I prefer a 29er myself but there is definitely a place for both wheel sizes. The 29 rolls better but the 27.5 is easier to handle. I've always felt the bigger wheel size has gotten me out of trouble a few times😂
Yes! I have a friend that purchased a trance that was 127kg and the bike did just fine. He was just a little more careful on drops just to be certain the wheels stayed true but he never had a problem.
I think my biggest complaint is, how the heck do I actually buy this bike? I’m in Minnesota and when I call the two stores that sells Giant bikes in the Greater Metro area they say, “order online from Giant and pick it up from here” and when I contact Giant, they say I have to buy it at the store. I get there’s an inventory shortage and I expect to wait some time before I am able to pick it up, but i’m honestly feeling a bit helpless and kinda confused about how to even buy a Giant bike. Can anyone provide some clarification on how to actually purchase a bike from Giant? Anyone running into a similar issue? Thanks in advance for any insight!
Curious to see if they update the frame this summer for the '22 model year. I think the 27.5'' is basically dead, but I could see them giving this some small updates.
IT WAS A GOOD REVIEW UNTIL YOU KILLED AT THE END! How could you say the Stance 1 as better spec then the TRANCE 3?? The STANCE COMES WITH A GIANT BRANDED CREST FORK WHICH EVERYONE SAYS SUCK AND A BASIC ROCKSHOX SHOCK, it also is a QUICK RELEASE WERE THE TRANCE IS A THRU AXLE! LETS NOT MENTION THE SUCKY SRAM SX DRIVETRAIN! I MEAN WOWW, I WOULD GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT BEFORE MAKING A VIDEO NEXT TIME, OTHERWISE GOOD REVIEW.