Just the base model as I got one for a silly price! Going for a size large as I managed to get a day on one!

In 2008 I suffered a inner ear infection which ballsed my balance somewhat, let’s say this bike makes me feel like I can ride like I could when I was 17. I haven’t had such a massive shit eating grin on my face whilst riding since I first swung my leg over an Ancilloti DH bike. Utterly blew what I remember about my 2010 Nukeproof Mega out the water.

It’s long, real long – however I think I am faster through everything except walking pace trails on it. You can counter steer hard into corners without feeling like the front wheel is going to tuck under, the 46mm fork offset also really seems to help low speed handling without compromising the high speed handling. At high speed the handling seems to kind of stiffen up, requiring more input through the bars. This is actually great as you just pick the line you want and rarely overcompensate or make an incorrect input and end up on the wrong line. Its basically a downhill bike that weighs around 30lb and pedals pretty well. Unlike my Mega I found myself just thinking about the racing line as opposed to obstacles in the track. If you make a mistake with your line then it will just plough over everything.

The best way I can describe the bike is that it’s neutrally composed at all times, even when I was running the rebound on the fast side. In jumps it feels neutral, in corners it feels neutral, in rock gardens it feels neutral….the best kind of praise for something is that you don’t know when it’s working well right? Well in this case, you don’t notice the bike working.

My brand new, still boxed Nukeproof Scout frame is going up for sale. 😆

Time to start hitting big **** off drops again and some gaps!

Seen some rave reviews of that bike… from Giant’s website it looks like the carbon version can only be had in snot green and yellow over here though.

Meh, just going to get the Alu one….the carbon frame one is 200g lighter….

Whoooo!

For the price I got this, I can deck the bike out in carbon everything, have it weigh less and have more centralized mass for the price of the carbon one. Also…it’s not OD Green…which is great! 😆

Anyway, I clicked with the bike…I’m sure others won’t as it’s slacker than a Mondraker whilst almost being as long as one….but I do. 🙂

They look like great bikes – and Giant have made the alloy frame incredibly light for a big bike.

It didn’t feel lightly made either, it’s not got that coke can feeling older Treks and Giants have….the frame feels really really solid. I’m not sure how they did it.

I was left scratching my head after riding the bike TBH, I thought it was going to ride like a pig but it just seemed to do everything well…and it was fun/lively to boot with the rebound cranked up a little.

Yep, same with my Trance, it weighs nothing but looks burly and has massive welds all over it! Don’t know how Giant do it, enjoy!

Where did you get your deal?

Yep, same with my Trance, it weighs nothing but looks burly

Not just looks burly. A friends Trance fell off the back of my car on the motorway and bounced down the road at over 70mph with barely a scratch 😯

Not just looks burly. A friends Trance fell off the back of my car on the motorway and bounced down the road at over 70mph with barely a scratch

Our mate’s trance fell of a chairlift in the alps last year! Must have fallen 40-50 foot. After an hour of scrambling to retrieve it there was a small scratch on the shifter.

“massive shit eating grin on my face”

Is that supposed to be a good thing?

Glad you like your new bike though 🙂

Seen some rave reviews of that bike… from Giant’s website it looks like the carbon version can only be had in snot green and yellow over here though.

You can get the Team Advanced over here, but you kind of need to be very friendly with a really good Giant store that Giant UK may want to do a favour for. Oh, and be prepared to wait 6 months for it to show up.

I had the choice, but went for the wheeliebin green carbon one. It’s not my favourite colour, but it does look a lot better in the flesh.

As for the bike – love it still, even if it is a Giant 🙂

Wold like to demo one of those reigns- they look good.

dont suppose your interested in an invisiframe frame protection kit – as I cancelled my reign order and have one in a tube unopened

It’s not my favourite colour, but it does look a lot better in the flesh.

It doesn’t but you can’t see it when you’re riding it appropriately fast! 😉

Is this rhubarb and custard or licorice allsorts colour-scheme?

(clearly the most important question 😆 )

Licorice all sorts! It will get nitromorsed and clear coated at some point! Once I can afford to void the lifetime warranty!

That might be a while 😯 The paintjob isn’t my priority, it’s going to get some lighter wheels, an Ohlins TTX 22m (cuz it’s yellow 😆 also I can send it to a local motorbike fettler), a 30mm stem, some v4s and a fork cartridge I can fettle with for my own amusement/ocd/mildly autistic tendencies (I have a penchant for trying things, trying to understand what I’m doing, observing how my actions effect a system and recording the results….working in labs did it to me etc etc). 🙂

Too many things to learn, so little on this damn planet.