Hello, Everyone.

I am considering building up a Trance for singletrack in Swinley and AM duties in the Alps. I have the componentry (except forks – I only have 100mm travel Rebas, which I suspect won’t do)and wondered a) which forks to go for and b) how much a good frame would be secondhand?

All thoughts much appreciated.

Many thanks,

Dom

130-140mm forks work well on a trance, lots of people do the swap.
dunno how much the frames are S/H but they can’t be that high as they aren’t expensive new.
not bling but very underrated frames.

sold my as new trancex frame for £450 last year

Depending on the frame size the trance x has a long head tube. Something to be aware of if you are looking at second hand forks

My 2008 TranceX came with F120 forks, but you can go a bit longer. I currently have 150mm air Sektors on mine (nice light, plush fork BTW. Am thinking about putting the two spacers in to knock them back to 130mm as I find it a bit slack for UK trail riding. If I was taking it somewhere with uplifts I’d leave it at 150mm.

No idea what frames cost second hand, but they are expensive new when compared with the off-the-shelf bike builds.

The point about the headtube length is spot on. Check-out steerer tube lengths carefully before committing to buying a used fork.

Thanks for the info and quick replies. Good news about forks as it gives me more options. Any idea on steerer tube length – 200mm plus?

Thanks again, Dom.

definitely, a bit more to be sure! It really is a big headtube.

Also if its an old frame check the state of the pivot bearings. They can be a bit of a pain to change especially the one between the linkage and seat tube. The frame also uses an non standard size rear shock

The frame also uses an non standard size rear shock

Yes that’s right. So if yours doesn’t come with a working rear shock, you’ll need to contact a Giant dealer to get the right one.

When Katie had hers we put 130mm revelations on it.

Double check your reba’s as some can be extended up to 120mm by removing a spacer inside, have a search as I think someone did a write up on how it’s done.

The original Fox forks on my Trance X had a 230mm steerer.

I put some 150mm coil uturn Sektors on it and really pleased with them.

A bit heavier than the originals but I’ve not really noticed it and you can wind them down to 110 for the climbs then wind them out to 150mmm for the downs. And got them for about £260 delivered from here:

http://www.bike-components.de/products/info/p25685_Sektor-RL-U-Turn-Federgabel-Modell-2011-.html

454 air u-turn pikes on mine…lovely 😀

Have you considered whether BB height / pedal clearance is Ok on a Trance if you’re considering Alpine descents?

Have you considered whether BB height / pedal clearance is Ok on a Trance if you’re considering Alpine descents

With the normal 120mm fork and standard sag settings, the BB is low. Which means it corners great but the point about the Alps seem valid. Of course, if you run a longer fork it kinda solves that though you lose some of that nice cornering feel.

To be honest, I will mostly use it at Swinley, which is a short ride from my house. I leave my trusty old VT2 in the Alps, which copes brilliantly, especially with 140 Revs. I have recently built up a lovely HT for UK duties, but found it a bit “bouncy” in places at Swinley. If I could pick up a good Trance frame and space out my 100 Rebas to 120, I could build something quite nice!

Many thanks for all your useful replies,

Dom.

Well, I have a medium trance x. Tall headtube, yes, but no taller than an 18″ orange 5 with a headset. I run mine with 150 revelations and a 3mm offset bush. Rides ok on dh tracks, but brilliantly on UK singletrack. Love the bike, only problems I see are the not so good rear tyre clearance (not at sides, but height) and the funny shock size (although there are now after market shocks avail in this size) .

XL regular trance here, 245mm steerer is a bare minimum (integrated headset, flatter top cap and low stack FSA stem).

It’s a 4″ trance with 4″ forks on too BTW.

Pauls Cycles are doing the 2010 trance frame new for £750!!!

(as long as you need a large that is….)

I’ve got a 2006 trance with a pike air on it. Great bike. I paid £200 SH but that was from a friend. They’re a bit heavy but brilliant fun. Never liked the look of the trance X though…

All sounding good. Now to find a SH frame at sensible money…

Thanks for the replies,

Dom.