Got a 2014 trance x1 29er and compared to my carrera banshee i found it climbs very well and descends like its a magic carpet however i just strugled more than usual to keep it in a straight line (only on a very rocky descent) to the point where i steered myself off a very narrow section at about 20 and severly bruised near my hip.

Im 5ft 8 with 32inch inseem and 70″ arm span and the giant is a medium. My banshee is a 26″ but a large frame.

I find the giant feels more locked in the faster it goes but i dont fancy taking it to a high speed again.

Does anybody have any setup advice to make it a bit easier to keep it in a straight line. The bars currently sweep back a little at the moment.

Please help
Thanks
Christian

Tbh the more i think about this i wonder if its possible that the steering is actually slower than my banshee and im just not used to it… maybe i need a shorter stem or maybe i just need more practice.

Im not steering enough in corners the suddenly thinking shit im going to hit something then steering too much.

Yes a 29 will be slower steering than 26. First ride, take your time to get use to the bike. Remember to look where you want to go not at the obstacles. I’d give it a lot more time in the saddle before you make a change. Trance is a great bike. More practice I think is required.

I was more looking at the 90mm stem (10mm longer than banshee), longer top tube (10mm longer than banshee) and wider bars (5cm wider)…

I hadn’t thought about the bigger wheels also… surely if it tot all these up the steering is going to be way slower.

Is there a way I can speed it up?

My current bike is about 20cm longer than my old bike and much slacker. It took a few long rides to really get use to it. Felt slower at first but now feels great. If i jump on my old bike now it just feels wrong.

Shorter stem will speed it up.

Is the 2014 Trance 29er and overdrive 2 head tube. If so you will need a special diameter stem as the steerer tube is slightly wider than normal.

I just happen to have a giant 70mm stem that would be suitable. Just come on my 2015 Trance.

+1 for shorter stem and wider bars. Preferably, you want flat and wide bars too, 29ers can be very tall up front.

29ers feel very, very different first time out. They can feel ponderous in the turns and it’s harder to pop and wheelie, but you do get used to it.

Yes its overdrive 2. Not sure I want to spend any money just yet but maybe after my next outing unless its cheap! I think 70mm is the stem length I will be wanting to try if I’m going to swap it.

£15 posted.

Email in profile.

Yes a 29 will be slower steering than 26.

Yawn. Load. Of. Historical. Crap. Some bikes are slower steering than others and set up makes a world of difference. That is as far as you can take it. Modern 29ers steer differently to 26″ bikes but once you get the hang of it they are as responsive as each other.

29ers do however generally require a slightly more aggressive approach to steering (in terms of leaning the bike and force on the bars) and have found that using a shorter stem and wider (flat) bars than I would have expected to use for a 26″ bike generally do the trick. With your dimensions I’d suggest maybe 760mm wide bars with a 70mm stem.

You do however say that it is twitchy in the title. If this is the case then shortening the stem (particularly if you don’t also widen the bars) may make this worse.

But as it is a new bike I’d be tempted to give yourself a chance to get used to the new experience and requirements before trying to “correct” things. It took me a few rides to make the 26 to 29 switch and feel comfortable.

e. Just come on my 2015 Trance.

Each to their own. I reserve that sort of emotion for my Mojo…..

Stem length? Change bar width too.

Muscle the bars round.
Positively push the front into the corner.
Lean it into bends more.

I crashed mine a fews times whent I first got it. Found I needed to work harder as I was (am) going faster and you gotta counteract the extra momentum from the speed to get it round.

Dont start blowing money on it.

Use your laser cock.

29’er?… Well at least its helping you feel the trail more

Falling of on a fast rocky descent !! Well thats just mtb’ing 😀 There’s nothing wrong with your Trance just get riding again, work on your skills, think about your riding and get your confidence back.

What would be the effect of angling the bars to sweep directly backwards rather than up and back?

The issue is that you’re going faster so you need to steer harder

Can anybody explain to me please what the numbers and lines mean on top of the handle bar (joining the stem)?

Having previously owned medium Giant FS’s (26 & 29), I’d say you’re on the right sized frame. Difficult to be 100% with set-up without seeing you on the bike. As general advice, I’d recommend something like a like a 70mm combined with 720 to 750ish wide bar, or 50/55mm stem and 750 to 780 bars – try and get your bars and saddle about the same height.

Then, I’d strongly recommend getting a skills lesson from an instructor who is a regular 29er rider (being an instructor, I would say that though 😀 ) As someone has already mentioned, 29ers definitely benefit from more a more interactive rider, and they really need to be positively leant over to make them corner. It’s always worth getting someone experienced to look at you on your bike, as they can advise you set up, body position, footwork etc etc.

Thanks i might just do that. Can you help with the numbers and lines on top of the handlebar please? They are obviously there to help position the bar correctly but thats as much as i know

There is no ‘correctly’ you can have the bars rolled anywhere you want based on personal preference. The lines just help get the bars back where you want them if you’ve had to move them for any reason.

29ers do however generally require a slightly more aggressive approach to steering (in terms of leaning the bike and force on the bars)

To me that’s the very definition of a slow steering bike

This 70mm stem is still available !!

Does this look at about for the seat to bar height?

regarding the 70mm I don’t think I’m ready yet to purchase a stem cheers.

Does this look at about for the seat to bar height?

Try slamming the stem and seeing if that helps. Without riding it, it is hard to tell, but I imagine I would find it hard to weight the front wheel on that.

Your crash was on a downhill wasn’t it? So bar to seat height doesn’t matter, unless you were sitting…… in which case you’ve got a whole host of other things to sort!

I know I am gonna get chewed up for this.
But to me it looks like he has done the typical ex-roadie trick of having his saddle too high. As an ex MXr I find it a lot more controllable if I am sitting “into” the bike with the saddle about a couple of inches below the bar grips.

Yeah dropper post, yeah climbing etc etc …..I’ll get me coat

Your crash was on a downhill wasn’t it? So bar to seat height doesn’t matter, unless you were sitting…… in which case you’ve got a whole host of other things to sort!

Indeed!

The saddle angle and position is pretty weird though. Bars are rather high and forward because of the spacers and stem.

The bigger/heavier the wheels and/or the slacker/longer the bike, the more you have to turn it by leaning the bike rather than steering. There are two ways to lean a bike – either by shifting your bodyweight outwards so it pushes the bike inwards (best done from the hips) or by countersteering (where you push with the inside hand so the steering turns the wrong way for a moment, pulling the contact patches outwards so the bike then falls inwards).

If you’re struggling with controlling a bike at speed then I’d say the problem is you’re using the wrong technique to steer it and need to spend some time practising on easier stuff.

If you combine countersteering and a hip shift the bike will flick into the turn, you can push the turn from your feet and if the back end starts to drift the front will bring it back in.

I know i wasn’t sat on the saddle at the time but whats wrong with the position?

This is my first bike with a dropper so i think i positioned by myself a little lower than i normally would when descending… was this wrong?

That bike does look quite small.

Shorter stem will help you move your weight back and eliminate some of your issues.

But I’m going to say focus on how you ride. Look at good riders and their body positions. You will notice that arms and legs are also suspension and levers. I cant honestly see why you cant over come some twitchiness on that with improved technique

Most coaching advice seems to say that bars and saddle should be level, which would call for more spacers (or riser bars). Although that goes against some of the advice that you’ve received so far, so who knows 🙂 Good luck though.

Nothings wrong really, a new bike give it time. Swapping out bits after first ride isnt the solution. Slow down, ride more, learn then decide. Do circuits around your favourite loop. Try different speeds, get to learn how the bike feels. I think thats the general concensus of opinion, more riding, more skills. Get a lesson. Ive done a few throughout my years of riding and they are worth the investment.

The only thing I can see on your pictures is that the saddle needs to be leveled. Level with the ground. It looks a little nose high.

Saddle looks painful!

The only implications of the saddle is comfort right?

i tend to like it pointing up at the front although i struggle a bit with my inner thigh muscles rubbing on the side of the saddle which becomes painful but this happens on all my bikes

That saddle angle will tilt your hips backwards and also probably give you a numb cock.

Try levelling the saddle out and set the saddle height so that you leg has the slightest bend in it when the crank is at the bottom with your heel on the pedal.