I'm working on a detailed video, but here's the upshot. It's a bit tough comparing the Trance X E+ Elite to the Reign E because they are different in travel and also different in battery capacity. That being said, I think the Trance X E+ Elite will be fun on 80-90% of what most people ride. And the Reign E+ is fun on what 20-30% of what most people ride. If you ride really gnarly stuff 80% of the time, the Reign E+ is a better bet. But if what you ride is a mix of flow, jumps, some gnar, and occasionally really gnarly stuff, the Trance X E+ Elite is a good call. For me, the only consideration is how I carry water. Because I often ride with people who have 600-700Wh batteries, I use the range extender (EneryPak). It uses the waterbottle cage for that. And I do not like to wear a fannypack or backpack and prefer to carry water on the bike. So I use a Fidlock strap-on thing to attach a waterbottle to the top tube. Ain't pretty but it works. If you normally wear something on your body that can carry water though, you're set!
Glad you’re ok from the crash. Full speed into those rocks is gnarly. You definitively were flying thru the upper section of TMB better on the Trance-e than in the last Reign-e video. The quality of jumps at Greer varies dramatically. It’s like they were built aspirationally rather than by someone that can actually do them.
Yeah, I noticed that too. I think the smaller, lighter bike let me float over more stuff and flow better…as well as let myself go faster because it was easier to slow down or change direction. And indeed, those jumps at the bottom of TMB DH are…questionable. Maybe if I could swap out for a DJ once I got to them, it’d make sense. 😆
Nice to see someone reviewing this model no have the 2023 E3 and love it. Swapped the weak RockShox suspension for a fox factory setup with a 160 fork. Love it. Much better riding platform now. Next is drivetrain. I had 2 front wheel washouts with that DHF. put an Assegai on it. Big difference
Heck yeah! Those sound like solid upgrades! FWIW, I have gotten used to the DHF, but I'll probs switch to an Assegai when the DHF wears out. Stoked for ya! 🤘🏾
@@mtb_alan I felt like there was a dead zone at certain turning angles where it starts to drift. I rode east coast trails. Still have loose leaves on the ground and wet soil. I’m sure it’s a good tire for your terrain. 🤘 keep shredding
@@VDUBZ08 Ha! Well, the DHF was actually designed in and for SoCal. But I do like the Assegai better. But for sure, there's definitely a dead zone in the DHF where the Assegai has the intermediate knobs.
Hey we’re bike twins now 😄 I’ve been loving mine, really fun on single track blasting. Only thing I’d like to do is up to 160 on front. Had some real great rides on this wee beasty (though crashed on my last one…but landing onto damp clay is never great). It keeps surprising me at how comfy it can feel in some hits!
Ha! Nice! Yeah...I've been really surprised how much it can handle with the 150 and 140 with that Maestro. I've heard of people upping the fork to 160. You can also overstroke the shock a bit too, but I'm not a bike tech, so I don't know the particulars on that. Either way, it's a rad bike!
I am working on a detailed video. But here's the upshot on the bike. I haven't taken the time to tune the LiveValve system and have been running it in the "open" setting. So I don't have feedback on that yet. Regarding the bike overall, I didn't expect to like this bike as much as I do. It's unlike any other eMTB out there. Light-weight, full-power, and easily adaptable. I think it's the right bike for most rides. Unlike other light-weight eMTBs, this bike pairs a smaller battery (400Wh) with a full-power motor (85Nm). Running it at power level 4 of 5, I regularly get about 3K feet of climbing and about 15 miles distance. When I ride with buddies who have full-fat eMTBs and need more range, I just attach the range extender (+200Wh). And because the motor delivers 85Nm of torque, I can match the pace and distance...and the bike is still a lot lighter than my buddies bike. The range extender weighs about as much as a full water bottle. With the range extender attached, I get more like 4500-4700 feet of climbing and about 22-24 miles of distance. Again, that's keeping the power setting at about 4 of 5. Results of course vary based on power setting, how you pedal, how much you weigh, etc. But overall, with the range extender, you get the equivalent of a full-fat eMTB in a bike that is about 10 pounds lighter. One thing I really love is that if I'm at a trail system where I can make a stop by the trailhead at some point during the ride, I leave the range extender in the truck and only attach it if I need it..
Thanks so much for the reply. I bought the bike eventually, but.... 😅 The day after I bought it I went out on my other rig and snapped off my MCL and ACL. Now it's sitting in the garage, brand new and unused for the next few months whilst I recover from knee reconstruction. I'm so bummed. Thanks for all your content mate. PLUR ✌️
I ordered a 2024 the elite 2. Really excited about it. I do like to jump and drop a lot, what do you think about the suspension? How high was the highest drop you have done with the elite? Cool content 👍🏼
Thanks for the kind words! Stoked for you! I think the biggest drop I've done on the Elite is maybe 6 or 8 feet. It wasn't a hack to flat though. I dig the suspension. It handled the gnarly trails in this video. One possible upgrade would be to update the damper in the fork to the Grip2 (I believe yours has the Grip).
Hey Alan, Happy New Year! My friends and I want to get out to Greer this month but I have a some questions that a seasoned pro like you can answer. 1. We will be coming from the 15 so which exit is best? Clinton Keith or Scott? 2. Trailforks doesn't show parking coming so where do we park to access the trails? 3. It appears there are designated mtb and ebike trails. Does that mean we have to stick to the ebike trails only or is there some leniency? Thank you, Bob
Yo! I'm not sure who the seasoned pro is here. I do like seasoning though. 😆 1. Scott road 2. You can park next to the freeway on Scenic View Dr which is off Keller. Or you can park over on Mapleton which crosses Keller and is by the Kaiser Permanente. 3. There are no eBike or naughty bike specific trails, but all the trails are directional. It's pretty obvious which is which. But go up Main Access Road to Ascension, and you should be good. If you come down Overdrive or anything on that side, you'll climb up Feedback to get back to Ascension climb. Hope that helps. Have a rad day out there!
@@mtb_alan I knew you were a pro. I just wasn't sure if you were seasoned or unseasoned. I agree seasoning is good. Thanks so much Alan for respond so quickly. You rock! Btw, I'm having a rad day at my desk today. 🙂
Digging your Trance E+ vids! I met a guy there who was running a 160mm fork up front on his. Would you consider going that route? A lot of the newer small gap jumps at Greer seem to assume you are are able to keep full speed all of the time, which is pretty tough, especially if you only get up there once in a while.
Thanks! I'm stoked on the Trance E+ Elite. Was that guy named Auk? I might consider bumping the fork to 160. And yeah...those tight little jumps at the bottom of TMB DH are...interesting. I feel like they are built for a dirt jumper. 😆
Great bike for that trial! Go up the main access road (the dirt access road from next to the freeway) and then up Ascension. Ascension crosses Distortion on the way up. A little bit after you cross Distortion, the trail splits. Most people go left to get to Overdrive and Distortion. Instead, go right. After a bit of a pedal, you'll come to another split. Go right again and that will take you to the top of Insidious and TMB DH. Here is the link to Ascension. The route to Insidious isn't shown on Trailforks, but this should help get you there. www.trailforks.com/trails/ascension-105589/
