Tell me about them if you'd be so kind.

What kind of tyre clearance do they have at the back?

With a XT/Hope Hoops/ Rev kinda build what sort of weight are you looking at?

How do they ride, both climbing and descending?

What are they like for reliability, bearings/bushes etc?

Do you like yours and are you looking at changing it?

Has the geo changed from the '08 frames to the newer ones?

What kind of tyre clearance do they have at the back? fine with a 2.1 but tight with a 2.3

With a XT/Hope Hoops/ Rev kinda build what sort of weight are you looking at? 27.5-28lb

How do they ride, both climbing and descending? climb well but descend nervously with 120mm forks, bit better with 140mm but not right

What are they like for reliability, bearings/bushes etc? didn't keep it long enough to find out

Do you like yours and are you looking at changing it? It was merely OK, Prophet and MmmBop are better. It was good at most things but not excellent at any imo

Has the geo changed from the '08 frames to the newer ones? The 08 was not 120mm at the back was it?

i like mine. doesn't bob, does the job can't see the point of changing.
a 2.2 rubber queen fits but it's very tight. not going to ride in the mud with that on.
don't know the weight but having dropped a kilo by fitting hope/stans/RQ's evryone who picks it up is surprised at how light it is.
fine. no foibles to worry about, you can't really tell when it bottoms out, for road climbs i'll put the propedal on but it's lowest setting is enough (rp3).
not changed mine yet, doesn't get ridden that often due to other commitments.
see above, no point in changing when it works so well.
they did get lighter i think in 08? mine is a black trance-x so one of the lighter ones, they didn't change until the new 11's?
fit longer forks, mines got 140's and it's fine. don't find it nervous. i get nervous but that's because of how much speed you pick up if you let it. 🙂
ridden a few other bikes orange 5, commie 5 but didn't see anything that made me want to change.

not bling but good VFM. the large is a gate though. i ride a medium and flipped my stem and fitted lo-rise bars to get a better position.

has a low BB. i like that as it corners well, get the odd pedal strike but i prefer it at that height.

What kind of tyre clearance do they have at the back? Had an early 06 model and ran it with 2.3" Specialized tyres – bags of room for them (well bags as in I could get a finger down either side of tyre and stay

With a XT/Hope Hoops/ Rev kinda build what sort of weight are you looking at? My Trance 1 weighed about 28lbs all in and had Mavic Crossmax SLs

How do they ride, both climbing and descending? Climbs very well and descended much quicker than my previous bike – I didn't find the RP23 did any difference on the maestro – it just seemed to work.

What are they like for reliability, bearings/bushes etc? Bearings were replaced every 18 months – I only had it for 3 years so only did them once…

Do you like yours and are you looking at changing it? Really liked it but got offered a new bike for a stupid price so couldn't say no…

Has the geo changed from the '08 frames to the newer ones? I think they have as in 08 they introduced the Trance X which I think is a 5" travel frame instead of just over 4"…small change but it did change the ride slightly.

Perhaps I should mention it's a 2008 Trance X not a Trance 😆

I've got an 07 that fits 2.3 tyres fine. Can't comment about newer 🙂

It's done me proud but am thinking of selling the frame soon for something new but honestly, that's the magpie in me rather than any need to upgrade.

What kind of tyre clearance do they have at the back?

You can get a 2.35 HR in there but it's not spacious because of the Y-shaped brace in the rear triangle. I generally run 2.1 Adv which is slightly smaller.

With a XT/Hope Hoops/ Rev kinda build what sort of weight are you looking at?

28lb

How do they ride, both climbing and descending?

Sit down climbing is immensely grippy and efficient- no pedal bob but the suspension is very active – they whizz uphill like a lighter bike. Standup climbing is less efficient unless you put the shock platform on.

Descending is interesting – on fast rough sections and fast cornering they are unbelievably fast and secure. But Maestro at the back outperforms the fork. On steep sections they are more nervous but OK – never really sure why, but it might be that low BB and relatively short TT.

They blow everyone one away on flat but rough sections, because you can sit into Maestro and cane the pedals.

What are they like for reliability, bearings/bushes etc?

Frame has worked flawlessly and I've been rough. I replaced the shock bushing after 12 months and the bearings and bushing after 2 years.

Do you like yours and are you looking at changing it?

I like it though I'm forever tinkering! No not changing it.

Maestro is truly excellent and works on several bikes. Please ask yourself these questions – do you want a more AM style bike, because a Reign might be what you want. Or do you want a more warp speed XC ride – in which case the Anthem X is probably one of the best performing bikes ever designed – I frequently hanker after an Anthem X!

Buzz thanks for the comments, do you reckon a tyre like a 2.25" nobby nic would fit?

What are they like for sizing? I'm 5'11" hardtail wise I a ride 17.5" handjob and iO.

I'd invariably be putting 130mm Revs on the front, good choice?

I don't want a balls out XC weapon or a long travel AM kinda bike, ideally a 5" to 5.5" trail bike that'll take most things in it's stride. Right for 90% of the time and a little underbiked for the rest won't bother me really.

My 2 cents – I'm 5'10" and recently built up a medium 2009 Trance X with a 65mm stem which feels right for me. Running Conti Vertical 2.35s without issues, Pike U-turns up front. I have 'downsized' from a Patriot but so far the Giant has been impressive; goes up well and flies down. Still haven't got to grips with the RP2 shock, but would say the platform setting does make a difference. As you say, I think this bike would be fine for 90% of the riding that most of us do.

I think everyone else has just about covered my thoughts. buzz-lightyear in particular seems to have a similar experience to me, he's right its definetly a sit and spin bike, up a rough climb and the maestro soaks it up and lets you pedal away without bobbing. With a 120mm fork they're definetly more about picking your line than ploughing through descents, I intend to try a 140mm as soon as I can justify the cash, everyone whos changed over raves about it, and Giant themselves fit a 140 to the X0.

For my riding currently, I don't feel the need to change it, it's a do it all bike for me, my hardtails been relagated to quick tow path rides and road rides, going out on a proper ride and I take my 09 X2. Lots of folk on the MTBR pics thread are on their second or third Trance, always a good sign that people keep coming back IMO. I'd only change mine if I grew some balls and wanted something a bit burlier.

Buzz thanks for the comments, do you reckon a tyre like a 2.25" nobby nic would fit?

Sorry I have not tried Schwalbes so can't really compare

What are they like for sizing? I'm 5'11" hardtail wise I a ride 17.5" handjob and iO.

I'm also 5'11" and have a Medium (18"). When I first got it I worried it might be small, but I tried a large and it was LARGE. I feel the TT is a little short which may be another reason why it does not respond well to standing climbing. I fitted an even shorter stem (65) but 690mm bars and lowered them quite a bit, virtually down to the headset.

I'd invariably be putting 130mm Revs on the front, good choice?

Yes I now have TORA coil U-turns on mine at 130mm – so that length is fine. I was not that keen on the F120-QR it came with – plush but rather weedy feeling so that's on my light HT now. I still wind the TORA fork down a bit as it climbs more comfortably then, then wind them out for big descents. The weight of the TORA has knocked some of the liveliness out though – A Rev or Sektor would be my choice now.

I don't want a balls out XC weapon or a long travel AM kinda bike, ideally a 5" to 5.5" trail bike that'll take most things in it's stride. Right for 90% of the time and a little underbiked for the rest won't bother me really.

You sound just like me! One tip – chop down your seatpost carefully. The full-length post prevent saddle droppage because of the shock mount placement on the seat tube. I chopped mine so that I could have full pedalling height still with 110mm in the tube, which gave me about 3" of droppage for DHs – pretty much perfect I reckon. You won't be able to slam the seat all the way down tho.

Any excuse for a pic – in an earlier guise, still with Fox fork and Kendas:

Trance X love-in time again, woohoo!

Here's mine (X0) in almost original guise:

And how it is now:

I'm 6'2" and it's an L

What kind of tyre clearance do they have at the back?

I run 2.3 nevegals at the moment, plenty of room

With a XT/Hope Hoops/ Rev kinda build what sort of weight are you looking at?

Exactly what I've got. No idea what it weighs, doesnt feel heavy to me.

How do they ride, both climbing and descending?

Don't really know what to say, I enjoy it going up and down, it's more than enough bike for me in both cases.

What are they like for reliability, bearings/bushes etc?

I bought it secondhand at about a year old. Dont think the previous owner rode it much as it was like new. I've had it about 18 months. 2-3 rides a week, year round. As far as I can tell the bearings are all still fine.

Do you like yours and are you looking at changing it?

Yep, love it. Not changing it for the foreseeable future, I've tried quite a lot of other bikes since getting the Trance X and havent found anything I liked more.

I agree with everything Buzz lightyear says about it pretty much. I’ve put 2.35 HR’s on mine and clearance seems fine. Best upgrade I’ve made was 140mm U turn Pikes which made the bike feel twice as capable especially on descents.

Sorry to hijack your post hear but I’d be very interested to hear any advice anyone has on rear shock choice. I’m still running the Giant own brand one and would like to upgrade to one that would work better and that I could fit an Enduro needle bearing too. Cheers.