eMTB Options For 2024

Stefan Mikes said:
Drop the seat and report the outcome :D
Click to expand...
I would if I owned one. ;) There is an optional extender that brings the rack further out from the post.
EXTENDER_01_HI-RES.jpg
 
Just joined yesterday, this is my first post. I landed on this thread by searching for Giant Trance. I dont know what others experience was with this thread, but I read through every post (83 pages) like I was bingeing a season of a hot new show. I am guestimating it took me 3+ hours over the past two days to get through all of the posts.
This thread is a real treasure. Its got up and downs, character development, beautiful scenery, and more. I feel like with this post I am now part of something :)

I bought a Talon 2 in October to test the waters of MTB. After only a month I was officially hooked (added dropper post, virbacore bars, pedals). I have a local trail close to my house the is a few miles of trail and hills that leads to a MTB loop with small jumps, berms, and drops. The problem is getting up the hill to ride the features is getting old and leads to only one time down as I dont have the energy to go up again.
This started leading me down the path of a Sur Ron X, but the more practical side of me realized a better solution is a full suspension eMTB. This would get me an upgraded bike that can ride on most trails and assist with the climbs.

A local store had a 2020 Reign E+1 Pro in stock. I gave it a quick spin behind the shop and realized that it was too aggressive a bike for me.
Searching through Giant's eMTB models, I came to the conclusion that the 2021 Trance X E+3 Pro would be a good fit. Headtube angle not too aggressive and yet competent enough bike that I could grow into it.
Thoughts on this bike?
Also, the bike is in stock, 8 hrs from my location. Are there any concerns with buying a bike from a non LBS when it comes to LBS warranty repairs?
 
mattman said:
Thoughts on this bike?
Click to expand...
Go on. Excellent e-MTB.
If you buy a Giant e-bike not from your Giant LBS, the warranty will be honoured and the bike will be serviced by the nearest Giant dealer. You will be, however, expected to pay the labour ("breakables" are always paid for by the customer as long as it is not a warrantied part such as a frame or the motor).
 
First off, good choice on the Trance.

Secondly, get a deposit on the one 8 hours away or it won't be there long.

Thirdly, see if DBS (d=distant) will ship the purchased bike to the LBS for assembly and quality control. The LBS will charge you a nominal fee, but now they have "skin in the game".

#3 is a theory only, although @Prairie Dog did something similiar with a Trance a few werks ago.

Personally, i purchased my bike from a shop about 45 minutes away as my usual LBS had nothing in my size. I would not hesitate to use either for warranty work as I know that it wouldn't be a problem. Thankfully, so far, there's been no need to test this out.
 
RandallS said:
Thirdly, see if DBS (d=distant) will ship the purchased bike to the LBS for assembly and quality control. The LBS will charge you a nominal fee, but now they have "skin in the game".
Click to expand...
Calll DBS and see if I could purchase is from them and have them ship it to LBS for assembly and pickup? I wonder is Prairie Dog had to pay for shipping as well?
 
He did and the fee was cheaper than the cost of the trip to go get it. Fuel, food etc...and his situation was about 8 hours as well.
 
mattman said:
Calll DBS and see if I could purchase is from them and have them ship it to LBS for assembly and pickup? I wonder is Prairie Dog had to pay for shipping as well?
Click to expand...
My purchase process was relatively benign despite the LBS being over 700 km away. As Randall pointed out, there were a couple of issues that I had to deal with before taking delivery of my Trance. The main one being Giant's mandated policy of bike delivery. Due to potential liability issues during transport, Giant Canada maintains that all bikes must be picked up at the LBS regardless of distance. To get around this, I simply had a courier do this for me and ship the bike to my doorstep at a cost of $100 Cdn. With respect to taxes, I was only required to pay for the 5% GST (Goods & Service Tax) without incurring BC's prov tax (7%) as I personally made the arrangements of having the bike shipped to Alberta. The LBS in BC even lovingly packed the Trance up in a LIV box for me. I was also advised that a reputable bike shop should reassemble the bike once it arrived at its destination in the event of any potential warranty claims. Any Giant dealer would honor warranty work on their bikes. In my case, it would likely be the same shop where Randall purchased his Fathom from.

With that being said, I took delivery of my new Trance XE +Pro 29 today from my LBS and once I got it home, began installing a set of F/R Mudhuggers on it for the remainder of the winter season in addition to the onset of the spring melt. The rear fender is solidly planted on the seat stays and six zip ties hold it securely in place.
IMG_20210219_0839311.jpg

To help keep grime off the lower pivot points/drivetrain, I cut out and shaped an inner fender liner from an old plastic school binder, formed it with a heat gun and also zip tied it to the pivot arms/bridge. The bike is also equipped with 45Nrth Gravdal Wrathchilds which were the only studded tires that I could find for the 29er. I hope to get out in the snow over the weekend to sample the merits of these latest add-ons.

The cheap plastic stock pedals will be replaced with a set of CB Stamp 1s as well as the stock bar grips. Thinking of going with Ergon GA2s in Nightride Blue. The bars are a bit to wide for my liking so I’ll also be trimming them down to better suit my range of motion.
IMG_20210219_0841105.jpgIMG_20210219_0850400.jpg
 
Prairie Dog said:
My purchase process was relatively benign despite the LBS being over 700 km away. As Randall pointed out, there were a couple of issues that I had to deal with before taking delivery of my Trance. The main one being Giant's mandated policy of bike delivery. Due to potential liability issues during transport, Giant Canada maintains that all bikes must be picked up at the LBS regardless of distance. To get around this, I simply had a courier do this for me and ship the bike to my doorstep at a cost of $100 Cdn. With respect to taxes, I was only required to pay for the 5% GST (Goods & Service Tax) without incurring BC's prov tax (7%) as I personally made the arrangements of having the bike shipped to Alberta. The LBS in BC even lovingly packed the Trance up in a LIV box for me. I was also advised that a reputable bike shop should reassemble the bike once it arrived at its destination in the event of any potential warranty claims. Any Giant dealer would honor warranty work on their bikes. In my case, it would likely be the same shop where Randall purchased his Fathom from.

With that being said, I took delivery of my new Trance XE +Pro 29 today from my LBS and once I got it home, began installing a set of F/R Mudhuggers on it for the remainder of the winter season in addition to the onset of the spring melt. The rear fender is solidly planted on the seat stays and six zip ties hold it securely in place.
View attachment 79464
To help keep grime off the lower pivot points/drivetrain, I cut out and shaped an inner fender liner from an old plastic school binder, formed it with a heat gun and also zip tied it to the pivot arms/bridge. The bike is also equipped with 45Nrth Gravdal Wrathchilds which were the only studded tires that I could find for the 29er. I hope to get out in the snow over the weekend to sample the merits of these latest add-ons.

The cheap plastic stock pedals will be replaced with a set of CB Stamp 1s as well as the stock bar grips. Thinking of going with Ergon GA2s in Nightride Blue. The bars are a bit to wide for my liking so I’ll also be trimming them down to better suit my range of motion.
View attachment 79465View attachment 79468
Click to expand...
Love the Mudhuggers!
I saw them on EMBN and thought that if I ever get a FS bike, that's the way to go. With a HT, I don't see the point other than cleanliness of my biking attire, but so far I haven't had much of an issue.
I suspect that as it warms up (like today - yippee!) I may need to wash teh outerwear more often.
 
Prairie Dog said:
I'll move the controls and stock grips inboard and will take the bike out on a few rides before making any clear cut (pardon the pun ;)) decisions. Thanks Stefan!
Click to expand...
PD (I'd prefer using your real name btw): How comes I can ride with 780 mm bars and don't complain? :) Bear in mind, my Vado bars are 680 mm. I should be complaining on Trance's ones. However, the first steep uphill ride and the first gnarly descent should teach you a lesson! :D
 
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