I had a chance to ride Giant's Trance X2 on the Backbone Trail in Southern California's Santa Monica Mountains for a day. The Trance is Giant's five-inch-travel cross-country trailbike, which is available in a number of builds. At around $3000, the Shimano Deore XT equipped Trance 2 is quite affordable, with components that I would expect to see on pricier bikes--like its Fox 32F RL fork with the 15QR though-axle option and a Race Face Deus crankset.
The five-inch-travel Trance X2 has that rare ability to flow down technical, fast-paced descents while feeling sharp and energetic under power and while climbing. The reason that I wrote it up here is that the relatively affordable Trance X2 outperforms or equals trailbikes that cost over twice its price.
A custom trailbike for $3000? Giant's Trance X2 delivers performance that rivals the best in class. RC photo
Much of the Giant Trance's extrordinary ride comes from its suspension. The dual-link Maestro configuration operates under power and braking, so trail riding becomes a seamless flow. While there is a very slight amount of rear suspension movement with each power stroke, this does not translate to any sort of mushiness though. In fact, after testing the Trance on climbs with its Fox RP2 shock's ProPedal lever in both the "open" and "platform" positions, I left the suspension fully active for the rest of the day, which pegged the fun factor because I never had to think about anything but what was 30 feet in front of my wheels. Climbing was especially sweet, because the Trance's rear end smoothed out the imbedded, cobblestones which punctuate most of the trail, especially the route's steepest ascents.
Giant hit pay dirt when it developed the Maestro dual-link rear suspension. Clearance is a little tight at the forward swingarm junction, but there is room for big, 2.35-inch knobbies. RC photo
Shimano Deore XT is at least as good as Shimano's heady (and pricey) XTR, with the added benefit that its silver color will not show wear and tear like the darker pro-level group's finish. The Shadow rear derailleur and trigger shifters ae lighter action than my favorite
SRAM triggers and X.0 changers, but in the case of the Trance; the absolute no-hassle smoothness with which this machine traverses wildly undulating earth is a perfect match for Shimano's light-touch shifting. The sense is that I am are flying low--or just skimming the trail most of the time--with occasional wake-up bumps in the form of drop-aways, rain ruts or boulder fields to remind me that mountain biking at such speeds has dire consquences should I fall asleep at the wheel.
Giant's geometry is moderately slack in the steering, with a crisp, cross-country feel in the seat angle and chainstay lenght. The sense is quick handling, but with a wide margin for error. Push the front tire and you can trust the it will return to normal with a quick correction. Overcook a corner and the wheels return to your chosen line after they scrub off a little speed. Jump it and the Trance X2 returns to the trail without a wiggle. The Trance watches your back.
Giant's choice to spend the extra cash for Fox's 15QR through-axle option puts the Trance X2 head and shoulders above its rivals. The Trance X2 handily won MBA's 5-bike shootout in the May, 2009 issue. RC photo
Giant has an extensive tube forming facility, so it is no surprise that the Trance X2 (and all the Trance models that share this frame) uses heavily manipulated pipes to squeeze massive amounts of strength from a minimal amount of heat-treated aluminum. The medium-sized test bike weighed a very enjoyable 28.2 pounds with my hefty chromoly shaft Crankbrothers pedals. The beautifully crafted chassis is partly left bare-anodized aluminum and partly painted, resulting in a subtle and attractive looking package that should resist scratching for a long time
Posing with the Giant Trance X2 at the trailhead with mbaction.com editor Ryan Cleek. Cleek was on the hunt for the best of five cross-country trailbikes--I was the lucky one who got to ride the Giant. Photo by a Bulgarian hiker (thanks!)
There is little to fault on the Giant Trance X2. Ryan pointed out that Giant's lock-on grips were uncomfortable at the ends, but at least Giant thought to put lock-on grips on the standard equipment list. You may WANT to upgrade to a ODI or Lizard Skinz lock-ons, but you won't HAVE to as you would if you purchased another mid-priced trailbike.
Speaking of components, I have not warmed up to any Hayes brakes in quite a while, but Giant's choice--Hayes' Stroker Trail Custom--turned out to be a winner. The feel was firm and braking was positive, both at slow singletrack speeds and while descending. The levers were comfortable, but not perfect for my two-finger braking technique.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Buy the Trance X2 and get elite-level handling and climbing for three grand. If somebody told me that before I rode this bike, I would have laughed. If you asked me today, I would tell you to find a Giant dealer and buy the Trance X2. It needs nothing (except pedals), just a trailhead and a rider, to deliver every wonderful experience that makes mountain biking the ultimate mechanized sport. The Trance X2 might be the least known of the world's best cross-country trailbikes.