On Board | Testing Giant’s Speed-Hungry Trance 29er

Loaded into the Singetrack Grinder for a longterm review is this 2019 Giant Trance Advanced Pro 29er 1. Yeah I know, catchy name right? Because I can never quite remember what order all of those words are meant to be in, I’ve been calling it the Acid-Trance instead. ‘Turbo-Shrek’ and ‘The Electric Booger’ are also interchangeable.

Giant Bicycles officially launched the 29in version of the Trance late last year, and it joins the Maestro full suspension family where it sits alongside its older sibling, the Trance 27.5. Although the Trance 29 has bigger wheels (obvs), it actually has a bit less travel with 130mm up front and 115mm out back.

Perhaps what’s more surprising though is the geometry, which is rather spicy for a big conservative brand like Giant. How spicy? Try a 66.5° head angle paired to a reduced offset fork, which creates a rather large amount of trail. That has an interesting effect on the handling, as you’ll see in this video;

The specific model I’ve been testing for Singletrack is the second-from-the-top Advanced Pro 29er 1. The ‘Advanced Pro’ part of the name refers to the full carbon frame. As in, carbon mainframe AND carbon swingarm. In between the two triangles is a welded alloy lower linkage, and a composite one-piece rocker link. Sealed cartridge bearings and a trunnion mount round out the Maestro suspension platform.

As for the dampers, both come from Fox in the form of the excellent 34 Float Rhythm fork up front, and the wonderfully dynamic Float DPX2 shock out back. Yes – a piggyback shock on a 115mm travel trail bike. Throw in a 40mm stem, 780mm bars, and Maxxis Minion 3C tyres, and you’ve got a pretty interesting recipe for this little green jalapeño.

Giant Trance Advanced 29er Features

• Lightweight full suspension 29er trail bike
• Full composite mainframe, swingarm & rocker link
• Maestro suspension design w/115mm travel
• 130mm travel fork w/44mm offset
• 66.5° head angle
• 74.5° seat angle
• 435mm chainstay length
• Reach: 426mm (S), 442mm (M), 462mm (L), 480mm (XL)
• PF92 bottom bracket shell w/ISCG 05 chainguide tabs
• Boost 148x12mm thru-axle
• Maximum rear tyre clearance: 2.5in
• Claimed frame weight: 2.58kg / 5.67lb (large size w/shock, axle, hardware and headset cups)

I’ve still got a few more weeks of testing aboard the Acid-Trance before I’ll be ready to wrap-up the longterm review. In that time I’m going to try out some lighter wheels and faster-rolling rubber, and I reckon I’ll give it a crack at some local XC racing to see whether it can dabble in such a scene.

Now if you’d like more information on this bike, including geometry, confirmed weights, frame specs and more, then check out the detailed first look story that has everything you need to know about the Trance 29.

And if you’ve got any questions for me about this bike, pop them into the comments section below and I’ll get them answered for you ASAP!

2019 Giant Trance Advanced Pro 29er 1 Specs

• Frame // Advanced Composite Mainframe & Swingarm, 115mm Travel
• Fork // Fox 34 Float, Performance, 44mm Offset, 130mm Travel
• Shock // Fox Float DPX2, Performance Elite, Trunnion Mount, 165×42.5mm
• Hubs // Giant TRX 1, 110x15mm Front & 148x12mm Rear
• Rims // Giant TRX 1 Carbon, 28h Front & Rear, 27mm Internal Rim Width
• Tyres // Maxxis 3C EXO Minion DHR II 2.4 WT Front & Minion DHF 2.3in Rear
• Tyre Insert // Vittoria Air-Liner, Medium, Rear
• Chainset // SRAM Descendent Eagle, DUB, 30t Chainring
• Chain Guide // K-Edge 1x Mountain Chain Guide
• Rear Mech // SRAM GX Eagle, 12-Speed
• Shifter // SRAM GX Eagle, 12-Speed
• Cassette // SRAM GX Eagle, 10-50t, 12-Speed
• Brakes // SRAM Guide T, 180mm Rotors Front & Rear
• Bar // Syncros Hixon iC Rise 1.0, 20mm Rise, 800mm Wide
• Stem // Syncros Hixon iC Rise 1.0, 40mm Long
• Grips // Renthal Traction Lock-On UltraTacky
• Seatpost // Giant Contact Switch S, 30.9mm, 150mm Travel
• Saddle // Giant Contact SL, Neutral
• Size Tested // Medium
• Sizes available // Small, Medium, Large & Extra Large
• RRP // $6,299 AUD / £4,399 GBP

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