Giant Trance X E+ 1: 85Nm, 750Wh, £5699

The new Giant Trance X E+ is 140mm travel alloy e-bike with 85Nm motor from Yamaha, neatly integrated grip- and top tube-control and a big ol’ battery on the top end model.

The £5699 Trance X E+ 1 model features a Fox Float X Performance rear shock, Fox 36 Float Performance 150mm fork, and Shimano Deore XT drivetrain components

Giant unveiled the carbon version the electric Trance X a couple of months ago – the Giant Trance X Advanced E+. This is the Aluxx SL 6011 aluminium version. It takes pretty much everything the Advanced carbon one did, lowers the price and ups the battery capacity.

The £5199 Trance X E+ 2 model features a Fox 36 Float Rhythm rear shock, a Fox 38 Float Factory 150mm fork, and Shimano drivetrain components

It has the new 85Nm SyncDrive Pro motor, the new RideControl Ergo 3 bar remote, the new RideControl Go top-tube button, the 140mm rear Maestro suspension, the 150mm fork up front and the flipchip geo adjust.

RideControl Ergo 3 handlebar remote can be mounted on the left or right side of the handlebar

RideControl Go multipurpose control is integrated into the top tube and features coloured LEDs. It allows you to switch power modes while riding, and it also displays battery level

The top alloy model – the £5699 Trance X E+ 1 – has a down tube-integrated battery with 750Wh capacity, which ups the range by 20%. The £5199 E+ 2 and £4699 E+ 1 models come with 625Wh batteries.

The £4699 Trance X E+ 3 model features a RockShox Deluxe R rear shock, RockShox 35 Gold RL 150mm fork, and Shimano drivetrain components

The SyncDrive Pro was co-developed by Yamaha. At 2.7kg, it’s a bit more compact and lighter than the previous motor. It also claims to be quieter than the previous motor. The SyncDrive’s quick engagement and Q-factor remain unchanged.

Power-wise, the latest SyncDrive Pro motor offers 85Nm of torque, or approximately 400% assist, if you prefer to think of it in those terms.

In terms of control and adjustability, the rider can manually choose between five modes (Power, Sport, Active, Basic Eco) or, more likely, bung it in SmartAssist mode and get on with their ride. SmartAssist, as it name suggests, automatically changes the motor’s behaviour depending on what its six sensors are telling its algorithms.

The aim of the game being to give the bike a more natural feel with none of the jarring and jerking that can come with inappropriately selected manual modes. It should also help with range efficiency. And fundamentally, it’s just nice to not have to be constantly thinking about what power mode you’re in. Just ride.

Having said that, if you’re a control freak or a restless fiddler, you can fire up the smartphone app and tweak the mode/assist settings to your heart’s content.

140mm of Maestro suspension

Regarding the non-assist aspects of the new Trance X E+, the rear travel is 140mm and delivered by Giant’s venerable Maestro twin-link system. The rocker has a flip-chip in it which is nice to be able to chat about on the shop-floor or on the trail but in reality will never leave its Low setting.