I’ve just got hold of a Trance 3 – prime for upgrades already !! Anyone want to show me theirs to give me some ideas ??

This was mine (sold to Atlaz on here a couple of days ago)

Spec was:
Pikes
Bulbs on 819’s
Deus Cranks
XT/XTR throughout
Thomson stem
Juicy 7s

Lovely bike, only sold it cos I replaced it with a carbon fsr.

nice – very infact – pikes were what I was thinking as one of the first upgrades.I got the Trance 3 for the frame mainly,it was too cheap not too buy !!!

mines disassembled, but i upgraded to

juicy 5’s
fox vanilla r 130
raceface deus xc stem (90mm) (red)
719’s on hope hubs (red)
sdg bel air ti saddle (red)
shimano dx pedals (red)
hope saddle qr (red)

i also have a propedal rear shock waiting to be installed – thanks for the reminder 😉 – Its pretty sweet but i dont use it much in SE england !

I’m in the middle of building a new one. 08 frame with 09 Rebas and the stuff off my old trance. piccies to be posted when it’s done.

whats everyones opinion on how they ride ?

Mines got Reba SL u turns, Mavic 717 xt hubs, XTR-F XT-R, thompson seat post, Spec Phenom saddle, spec stem and hbars, sram cassette and chain, ext b,bracket xt, xt spuds – still awake ?
Avid Flak Jackets, xt shifters, deore brakes ( why upgrade to xt ?) spec storm tyres for winter – yawn

great for wales etc, bomb proof, but a bit shit going against gravity

rides very well (once i upgraded the POS 85mm front forks that came with it) – bottom bracket is a bit high and its not quite as agile as my hardtail (naturaly) – but for wales and spain its magic. i found the factory fit stem to be way too long, so think about upgrading it. It climbs amazingly well too, I didnt find it too tiring (ok the frame is a little heavy but everything else can be made the same weight as a HT so although mine probly weighs 31 lbs it doesnt feel heavy).

bottom bracket is a bit high

seriously ?

I catch my pedals on the ground loads with my trance

I think Giant bottom brackets are v low as a rule – i rode a friends XTC1 at Cannock over Xmas & caught the pedals 5 or 6 times in a short blast around Follow the dog,something i never did on my GT.
I will probably change the stem as I had a 50mm on my hardtail which was a large frame,which was just about right.This one is mahoosive.Depends on if someone replies to my add on the classifieds ! Will also think about some recons or maybe pikes to upgrade the tora airs that are on it right now.That said,had toras on my old bike & although not exactly bling they always performed very well for the money.How do you think the Trance pedals with the fox shock ?

actually yeah you’re right – shows how long it is since i rode it, im confusing it with the marin i had before !!

i found the standard rear shock (float r) fine, but i got offered the tuned propedal version very cheaply (havent tried it yet though)

I’m in the same boat as you Shinsplints. Picked up a secondhand 2008 Trance 3 for a song off ebay (£450).

Rode really well as stock, but making the following changes…

RS Revelation U-Turn 100-130mm.
Mavic 717 rear, 719 front rims with XT hubs.
Sram X0 shifters, X9 rear mech XT front mech.
XT brakes
Race Face Deus crankset.
RF Next SL carbon seatpost + WTB Silverado ti rail saddle.
Truvativ team carbon bars.
90mm Truvativ stem.

Here’s a shot with a few changes…

Rides really, really nicely. Very well balanced, perky and confident.

Back end feels like more than 4.2in and front seems to work best at 115 or 120mm – though wind the fork down to 100mm and it climbs almost as well as the Anthem it’s replacing.

Was perfect for the Dales and pretty good at Dalby too. The sort of bike that puts a smile on your face. I’m a big fan already.

Bottom bracket definitely low on mine, btw.

I bought a 2006 frame on ebay which was great until it fell off the car!

Straight onto Pauls cycles to buy a replacement 2007 one.

Really comfy to ride but abviously not as quick as a hardtail.

Cheers chapaking – £450 must be the magic number ,thats what i paid for mine !!!! First things to go will be the stem,saddle (wtb’s dont love my bum so old sdg will be going on) & then the forks after that.I will get some u turns for adjustability – recons probably would do for cheapness.
So you find the rear shock (i assume its the stock one) ok ????? doesnt bob too much when pedalling ??

**** hell H ! I have seen that photo on the old forum but its still a shocker ! everyones worst nightmare that.Riding buddies SC Superlight made a bid for freedom on the way back from Coed y Brenin a few weeks back,held on by the tyre strap on the back wheel !!! suffered a smashed brake lever & buckled rear wheel but was lucky ,nice replacement though mate,thats the main thing eh !

I’ve found the rear shock fine so far, yeah.

Bobs a bit when climbing out of the saddle, but pretty solid the rest of the time. Give it a go and see what you reckon.

Be good to know what you think of it when you’ve set it up.

I’ll let you know,hopefully when its sorted I will be taking it to Llandegla Sunday,just to try it.Ridden there loads on my hardtail so really interested to see the difference.We all love boutique bikes but the way things are at the minute you cant sniff at a bike like this for £450 I dont think !