Giant Launches All-New Trance 29: A Mid-Travel Trail Smasher?

The Giant Trance 29 is pegged at the type of rider who wants to head out on an epic all day ride, one day, then hit an Enduro stage the next. It’s an all-rounder, and although it’s labelled as a “Trail” bike, Giant is keen to point out that the Trance is capable of a lot more.

Giant has spent the past 2 years developing the Trance 29 range with the help of brand ambassador Adam Craig, plus a host of other team riders. The fruits of their labour is a 115mm travel frame with the latest incarnation of Giant’s Maestro Suspension System and 29er-specific geometry.

The Trance 29er will be offered in either Giant’s ALUXX SL aluminium or as a carbon version using the brand’s Advanced Composite frame manufacturing process. Both versions of the frame come with the same geometry, short 435mm chainstays, and are built for 130mm travel forks.

In addition to an uphill friendly 74.5º seat tube angle, and slack 66.5º headtube angle, the Trance makes use of a shorter offset fork. We’ve seen Whyte, Transition and even Mondraker go for a shorter offset for hard riding 29ers, and the Trance 29 joins them with the same 44mm fork option.

All but the top of the range Trance Advance Pro 29 0 will come with Fox suspension front and rear, the flagship carbon bike get’s DVO suspension in the same blue finish as the Giant Factory team. Each bike in the range comes with a 12 speed Eagle SRAM drivetrain and a mix of SRAM and Giant’s own finishing kit.

Giant Trance Advanced Pro 29 0

The flagship Trance 29 gets a superlight carbon frame with a two-tone Metallic Carbon/Gloss Carbon finish and is the bike you want if you want to emulate the Giant Factory Team with its custom blue DVO Suspension front and rear.

A custom tuned Sapphire D1 boasts 130mm travel up front while an equally custom tuned DVO Topaz 2 T3 handles that 115mm of Maestro driven rear wheel movement.

Truvativ provides an 800mm Defendant carbon rider bar and matching 25mm stem, while stablemates, SRAM supply the 12 speed X01 Eagle drivetrain, complete with Dub GPX press-fit bottom bracket and SRAM Guide RSC brakes.

Giant’s own TRX 0 29 carbon WheelSystem is the wheelset of choice, and like all the Trance 29 range, the wheelset is ready to be set up as tubeless out of the box. The Trance Advanced Pro 29 0 is the only bike in the Trance 29 range to get a Rockshox component, a Reverb dropper post, and interestingly this version of the bike will only be available in sizes medium and large.

Giant Trance Advanced Pro 29 1

The Metallic Green / Carbon Trance Advanced Pro 29 1 uses the same Advanced-Grade Composite front and rear triangles as the top-of-the-range bike but is available in sizes small, medium, large and extra-large.

This version of the bike receives a Fox 34 Float Performance 130mm travel fork with GRIP2 damper with a Fox Float DPX2 Performance shock on the rear. Giant’s own branded Contact range provides the 780mm riser bar, 35mm stem and there’s also a Giant Contact Switch S dropper post included too.

The drivetrain is once again a mix of SRAM and Truvativ with the latter offering up a set of Descendent 6K Eagle cranks and the former a complete GX Eagle 12-speed drivetrain.

Carbon rims compliment the carbon frame, this time a set of Giant TRX 1 29 WheelSystem hookless carbon rims with 30mm internal width laced to Giant TRX 1 hubs.

Giant Trance Advanced Pro 29 2

The entry-level carbon Trance 29 runs a Fox 34 Rhythm 130mm fork with GRIP2 damper and Fox Float DPS Performance rear shock. It’s Giant’s own bar, stem and dropper post again, and there’s an SRAM Eagle 12 speed drivetrain, but an NX Eagle level system.

While some of the components do get a downgrade, it’s interesting to see that the wheelset remains the same carbon rimmed option that is offered on the Trance Advanced Pro 29 1. Oddly, the Pro 29 2 isn’t listed as available in a size small, only medium, large and extra-large options will be offered.

Giant Trance 29 1

If carbon isn’t your thing then you could choose the Giant Trance 29 1 with ALUXX SL-Grade aluminium frame, Fox 34 Float Performance Elite forks and Fox Float Performance Elite rear shock. While the frame is made of alloy the rims are the same carbon options as seen further up the range, while the drivetrain is a mix of SRAM GX Eagle and Truvativ.

Riders wanting a small alloy frame will need to opt for the Trance 29 2, as this ALUXX bike is only available in medium, large and XL.

Giant Trance 29 2

The entry-level Trance 29 features the same ALUXX SL-Grade frame and is also the only Giant Trance 29 to come with a conventional aluminium wheelset. SRAM NX Eagle 12-speed offers similar benefits to it’s more expensive Eagle cousins without the added cost while more Giant brand components help to keep pricing down.

Fox is also the choice of suspension manufacturer with an affordable Fox 34 Float Rhythm up front. and DPS shock on the rear.

We’re fans of short travel, but aggressive 29er full-suspension bikes here at Singletrack Towers, and we’re certainly interested to see how the all-new Trance 29 stacks up against the likes of the Orange Stage 4, Transition Smuggler etc. Rest assured that we’ll be asking for a test bike as soon as they are available.

Giant tells us that the alloy version of the Trance 29 will go on sale this month with carbon model availability starting in October. Pricing is still to be confirmed.

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