How capable are they? Coming from a 140mm bike how much difference would I notice? Quite fancy one but worried its a little too XC

very steep imo but fast as ****

Not steep and even faster than **** 😀

Oh yeah, they look good alright!

Seen a good deal on a Trance X0 full XT kit, very tempted but maybe more tempted by the deal than the bike if it was a Reign I think the hand would have ben snapped off by now.

I’m not pretending I’m ‘free ride light’ or such crap, but wonder how the 125mm would work in the Lakes?

This £1800

Wallet twitching!

dibs on current frame

FFS you could ride rigid in the lakes with your skills [ lack of fear may be a better description] so I am sure it will suffice.

Very john boy:)

HOw daft is it the only thing putting me off is the lack of 13mm of travel?

Yosh…I think it,s the way the maestro works as it soaks up more than you think it would.
140 up front is a must as it really brings these frames alive…

Hummed and haad this very point
Even did a back to back demo on a stumpjumper 140

Tbh there’s very little in it
Trances are killer value even at rrp
Ride well, stiff rear end even with qr

I had a 2011 x2 on loan for a month and really loved it
Would agree re 140 forks
The 2012 x0 is spec’d with them

Only others I’d consider are the transition bandit
And sj 140
But credit crunch / sensible head says giant every time
Bloody good all rounders and not wallowy dh biased

Happy hunting 😉

rob and dab – thanks for that – now made it tough for me not to get it.

I sold my 5 spot a few weeks ago and regretted it instantly – been looking for another or something smiler but credit crunch means I’ve been looking at this sort of thing too

It does look pretty perfect!

yoshimi where did you see the xo for 1800 quid 😯

skeet’s pedalon.com

Slack headset to kick the front out a bit more might help the HA. Suppose a 140 fork would help to that end also.

still only can see it at £2999 !that is the 2012 model though

been looking at getting the trance x3, i got a bit excited when i saw that at 1800

£1800

cheers yoshimi. i was looking at the x0 not x1

still only a 200 quid more than the x3. hmmmmmm

cheers pal

oops x1 not x0

arrgghhh – do i, don’t I!?

still a good price. its the 2011 model, the 2012 model is 400 quid more. i no i will end up with something different even though ive made my mind up on a trance 😆

http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/products/giant-trance-x2-12

just to put another spanner in the works. this price is for the weekend only. very tempting 2012 model to

Bump for the morning crowd – thoughts on the Trance X much appreciated

go riding anywhere near an independant giant dealer and you will see them EVERYWHERE… so they must be pretty good.

They are fine riding reliable trail bikes – I’ve always liked my anodised 2008 edition. They just have the glamour of Ford Mondeos. Because they are so widely available, you always see last-year bargains about. Giant are good to deal with according to the dealers I know.

The main thing people notice when riding is how active the rear suspension is without being sloppy under pedalling. The hydroformed tubes tends to split opinion – AFAIK, the shapes are not just artistic licence. The equipment on them is usually very good spec for the ££.

Here’s my 2008 X2 with 140mm Pikes (I never use the U-turn). I bought the frame a few months ago and recently got the pressures dialled; it’s so lively to ride! It seems more happy with grounded riding, but handles 3′ drops to flat ok. I’m not sure how much more I could throw at it without bottoming out or needing to add air to the suspension as it is currently set as the maestro works hard to let you get on with job.

At my ability it’s spot on, the rear end is supportive but can be as involved as you like with a nice amount of twang off of a kicker.

I do find the BB a bit low, don’t know if this has been remedied since 2008. It feels solid with this but does skim close to logs, humps and other things when rolling over them.

I think the XT equipped Trance looks great, can you try one out?

Is they’re a big difference between the 2009 and 2011 ones other than a slight weight difference and the tapered head tube?

@kuco

I’m pretty sure they slackened the head angle by 0.5 degree.

Just had a look , maybe they didn’t, not sure were I got that from.

I bought a 2011 plastic trance-x frame on a closeout (I “need” a light bike for air travel 😉 )

haven’t ridden it that much yet but what I have done was great – looking forward to dry rides and putting the ss away for summer a few weeks

Had an older model trance before that – even that (100mm travel) was bloody capable on fairly rough ground IMO, esp with a longish fork on

I do find the BB a bit low, don’t know if this has been remedied since 2008

remedy your riding, the lower bb means the trance corners well, i wouldn’t swap that for not having the odd pedal strike.

I have to say I’m in love with mine. I’ve done a hell of a lot of modding to get it how I want it though. It’s far better with bigger forks and a 20mm axle. I went for 150mm black box team u turns. This really makes it a do it all bike for me. Down to 120mm for climbs, 135-140mm for flats and trail centres. 150mm for snowdon where it really slackens the front end for confidence and fun.

The back end is superb, feels like it soaks up far more than the 127mm it is and has practically no pedal bob.

Tubeless and wider rims adds confidence. The lower pressure it allows you to run the tyres at adds real confidence and makes everything much smoother.

The latest xt brakes with ice tec rotors just make braking so much fun.

Wide bars made a big difference too, running 745mm sublime v1’s.

Reverb makes a world of difference!

All the other upgrades just reduce weight rather than a massive performance improvement. Sat at around 26-27lb all in

A pic after today’s ride

Buy one, you will love it!!

I love my 2010 X2. It is comfy enough for MTB marathons and can rip it up in the Peaks with the bigger boys. Only things I’ve changed for personal preference are the bars, grips and saddle. Buy one!