I agree, I go online for a laugh….and sometimes information.

If it’s not fun turn it off, which is why I don’t believe in ‘cyber bullying’…..face to face bullying is abhorrent, online stuff is tame and the lily livered need to grow up, not attach so much importance to forums and turn the computer off if necessary.

Very good….c@nts.

:lol:

Mine looked just like Revs, coil spring, great fork.

What’s wrong with 4 pot brakes?
I have saints on my 5 as I wanted extra stopping power as I’m 100kg kitted up.
XT just didn’t stop me as quick as I wanted.. So I’ve added 60 grams.

I found my Saints were no better than Deore and certainly not as good as the XTs currently on the bike.

Anyway, this has rambled on for 6 pages now, let’s change the subject and talk about how awesome my YT Tues is going to be when it arrives!?

Good man, you won’t regret it, FS’s offer a different ride, no better and no worse just different.

(That said I have just fitted 170mm coil spring forks to my HT, lol….can’t wait to get it at FoD on March 1st!)

how did it ride differently after that? Whats your verdict about how that has improved the quality of the ride/speed/enjoyment?

Bike rides smoother and with less pedal effort than my previous FS (Saracen Ariel)….it’s good but then the Maestro system is renowned for pedaling well.

Jonnboi, nope the bike was an exercise in budget but quality bike building, to that end I’ve succeeded. You may disagree.
I don’t know what you want to know re. how the back end now rides!?…it’s better than my single pivot Ariel, it still pedals efficiently but there’s just ‘more’ in reserve out back.
Giant sold this bike in dealerships as the SX model with 160mm fork, the 200×57 extended travel rear seems to be a logical extension of that….no doubt it voids the warranty but with framesets like the Codeine going for bugger all money at the moment I’ll take the risk and replace if necessary.

So how does the final geometry stack up against a Reign?

Asking for a friend…

HA is slightly steeper, I believe a Reign is 65 degrees, Giant list the 160mm forked Trance as 66 degrees.
Trance is shorter, maybe not as low but for out and out uplift duties I have a 26 inch rear that can go on and drops the BB, takes the HA out a smidge more etc….combined with a a 1 degree Angleset I’ll consider this bike complete and it’ll be my everyday workhorse for the natural Welsh mountains around here.

and for the weight weenie diet?

What about it?

How does the bike ride? you faster on it for all the mods? Feel more in control? More confidence? How much more are you enjoying the rides?

It’s a far better bike than when I initially built it up with stock 140mm rear end and 150mm forks.

I’ll leave it to you to work out why that is.

I’ll save you the trouble, test rode the Reign, didn’t like it….went for the Trance frameset instead.

dropper is in the house, I don’t use it much…your point caller?

What, a mediocre build, at a mediocre weight?

Yep, this forum is littered with 4k+ bikes that the forum collectively fawn over….i wanted to show what can be done with around 2k (probably less) and still have the travel, the light weight etc of many more expensive bikes but for more realistic money, I think that’s what upset people.

Would we be having this conversation if the bike was a Yeti, Cotic, Intense, Santa Cruz etc or any of the other forum favourites!?…..or would it be comments like ‘cool bike’….’well done for getting under 30lbs’ etc

None so fickle or snob like as the STW crowd.

Run of the mill because it’s run of the mill.

And that my friend is the point, just what can be done with a run of the mill mass produced Taiwanese frame.
The indignancy on here kind of bears that out.

Oh, and the fact we’re at 5 pages now demonstrates to me a wailing and gnashing of teeth that is satisfying to witness!

A very unbelievable 26lbs becomes a somewhat dubious 28lbs for a run of the mill bike.

Run of the mill?….because it’s a Giant?

Their expertise with light alloys is probably the best in the business as much as people hate to admit that.
I already addressed the 26lb thing, luggage scales were out by 2lbs…..i then used scales with me holding the bike and then subtracting my weight difference for a more accurate weight, 28lb.

scc999, the comment on switching to plastic pedals to save pounds was a figure of speech….we’re all adults, surely people don’t need this spelled out!?

Tomaso, with the air out of the shock and the bike compressed there’s around 5mm clearance….in reality on the trail, allowing for flex of seat tube, flex of rear triangle then I reckon we’d be talking mere milimetres…..i haven’t noticed any marks yet.

Warpcow…chip on my shoulder? nope.
Free and easy with my money, have a very trick diesel Golf that I love spending on, I change my motorbikes every few years and my shed now stands me at 4 bikes (one HT, one FS trail (as seen in this thread), a road bike and soon to be a DH bike….tight I am not.

Antagonistic?…..you may have a point though!

Cheers, was beginning to sweat over the loss of 2k.

I’m staggered that folk are still interested in this. 28lbs just isn’t very impressive

Well my thoughts exactly….but then as someone earlier in the thread said; people are buying boutique frames but then ruining them by building them up with Lyriks, 30-35mm wide rims, heavy droppers, heavy 11 speed (or even 12 speed now) drivetrains, blingy but massive and heavy Hope quad piston brakes with braided hoses etc….and then quoting weights of 32lb.

It seems to have put a few noses out of joint that my mass produced Giant with its ‘cheap’ X-fusion suspension, a few carbon adornments and a sensible wheelset has come in at 28lb.

It’s been fun guys but seriously life’s too short, I hope other owners go for the 200×57 rear mod and stick a 160mm fork on the front, it transforms it from trail bike to something much more capable…. I’m now eagerly awaiting delivery of the YT Tues I ordered yesterday!

(I’ll be sure to weigh it!)

Again, I’m in Wales, will be on the road for FoD 1st March, BPW 9th March and Cwmcarrn Enduro mid March…. I’m an approachable guy and the bike is fairly unique, any forum members feel free to look me up, have a chat and weigh it themselves, i maintain 28lb….happy to be proved otherwise.

I had a Revelation fork serviced and tuned by TF, came back great and had a nice chat with the tech working on it about exactly what I wanted from it before it was sent back to me.
Highly recommended.

Will give the SRAMS a fair crack…. I’ve ordered large but I’m only 5′ 9″….will it be too big?
I like a long wheelbase DH bike, I feel I can take the mick a bit more on a long low DH bike, they all seem to have the same 40cm seat tube anyway so I’m not fussed about standover.

But the OP has already poo-pooed the notion that carbon is lighter than alloy….

Nope, read properly.
All I did was comment on how light Giant’s alloy frames are…..seat posts, bars and saddles from other manufacturers are a different kettle of fish and ripe for replacement with carbon.

Others are now pleasingly chipping in with 28lb Trances….are they lying too!?

Jonnyboi I started with a frame only, it’s rare for me to buy a complete bike.

There’s even a poster chiming in with a bog standard 31lb Trance….. Please explain if I replace a load of stuff with lighter carbon parts how it will somehow stay the same weight….that’s anti science!

Got to love STW.

Similar experience here, I won’t go anywhere else now.
Typical scenario is they’re finishing off your fork / shock service and you get a phone call from the actual tech working on it…..goes along the lines of what bike is it going on?, what riding do you do?, how much do you weigh? etc etc….they then custom tune the shock/fork as part of the service.
Brilliant.

Possibly, but it won’t make the OPs bike any lighter will it?

Why not?
If Giant themselves list the SX as 29.8lbs and I’ve ditched the dropper, fitted carbon bars, carbon saddle and fitted lighter wheels then it’s entirely possible I’ve dropped a few pounds off the standard SX weight.

This isn’t rocket science.

Sadly gone for long and large.

Cool, can’t wait and will be open minded with the SRAM brakes!
It’s listed as in stock, any idea on delivery times?

Anyway…I think the bike looks great. Got to love a quality polished alloy frame.

……ah a man of taste.

Too late, hit the button on a Tues in black….anyone want the shit SRAM brakes when it arrives in exchange for some XT, ZEE etc….?

Too salty I’m afraid, 2.5k is max.

2) why wouldn’t a giant frame weigh less? they are better at manufacturing, materials and have more money for RnD.

Bingo.

Haha, sadly those days are behind me!

Again, I’m at the Cwmcarrn Enduro next month, BPW on the 9th and FoD on the 1st March…..forum members are welcome to cast their eye over it and weigh it themselves.
Can’t say fairer than that.

HA is 66 degrees with a 160mm fork.

Can we put the 26lb thing to bed now, I cocked up….when I did my combined weight with bike on scales and then subtracted my bodyweight I got 28lb which is more realistic.

I reckon that covers it, I intentionally went with 34mm stanchion trail forks instead of Fox-36s, I’ve negated a dropper on all but by most XC type rides, alloy bars?….no thanks. Floating rotors and Hope four piston brakes are always going to outweigh a set of XTs….your point being you’ve built a heavy bike, well done you.

No takers?…..full of hot air and piss this forum.

:lol:

If it was a plastic bike I’d be skeptical too….but it’s metal with massive welds, it’ll be doing sterling service long after I’ve moved onto other bikes.

I’ll do an offer, I’m at the Cwmcarrn Enduro in March, if anyone wants to cast an eye over the bike and even use their own scales I’m open to that?

Shouldn’t be too difficult to spot me, there can’t be that many X-fusion suspended Trances around.

Test rode a Reign, didn’t like it…..may as well have bought a DH bike….which I may do later this year, the YT Tues still looks good.

I’m sure Giant built in enough tolerance for my 95kg+ weight! To think otherwise would be naive.

Giant are fine with the 160mm forks, it’s how the bike was sold in SX version.

My daily rider is a Dartmoor Hornet HT, the Trance is very much a Jack of all trades…..long enough travel for rough stuff, light enough for all day duties, just about slack enough for Enduro and DH….and I’ve had the pleasure of building it up from frame only.

Ok, a few answers….good thread it seems to have provoked some debate.

You all really need to feel a Trance frameset, they’re so light it makes you question the purpose of carbon.

Next, air suspension all round, the X-fusion Sweeps are I believe lighter than Pikes.

1×10…..nuff said.

Carbon bars.
Carbon post arrived this morning.

Sub 100gm carbon saddle.

Tactic/Telsa wheels, not the lightest but certainly not the heaviest.

Maxxis folding tyres, no dual ply, wire carcass behemoths here.

35mm stem.

As for the ride, Giant point out that putting 160mm forks on takes the HA out to 66 degrees….the 156mm the longer stroke shock gives doesn’t detract from the pedaling, if anything it means you can take liberties that you might have reservations about with the standard 140mm.

Next up is a Works Component angle set, I’m thinking just the single degree as I don’t want to drop the BB too much and I think 65 degrees is fine for a trail/occasional race bike.

Woodster….already admitted the 26lb was purely on luggage scales, got a more accurate reading this morning with the combination of my weight and the bike on scales.

2lb out it isn’t bad.

My other hobby is weightlifting, I’ve been over 100kg before.

You’re over complicating things, the bike weight is what it is despite what may or may not have been changed….ditto my weight.
The bike has been weighed as a whole now, it doesn’t matter that the original shock weighed when it was binned.

As much as some have had their noses put out of joint the fact remains it’s a 28lb trail/AM bike….

Truthfully I’m chuffed to bits with the bike and also slightly trolling those who parade their AM bikes on here at 32lbs and seem pleased.

Cocked that up…..

Combined weight of me and bike.

109.3 – 96.4 = 12.9kg or 28.4lbs