eMTB Options For 2024

Stefan Mikes said:
PD (I'd prefer using your real name btw): How comes I can ride with a 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 learn you a lesson! :D
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I guess I'm really accustomed to riding with shorter bars than most. The flat bars on my Trek rigid are 660 mm and the Trance's are huge in comparison. BTW, feel free to use my real name. :)
 
Art: My brother has been used to even shorter bars on his 20-yo Giant MTB. On some ride with the Trance, he was negotiating a very narrow bike path on a side of a Warsaw bridge, involving evading pedestrians (who shouldn't be there at all). He exclaimed: "Bro! How this thing rides! Now, I'm able to understand why such wide bars have been used..." :)
 
mattman said:
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?
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Velkommen to the asylum. :cool:
And to PrairieDog too. 👍


We have a great group here.
 
In normal times it was common for a dealer to be able to trade or buy from another that is a distance for their customer. It is more difficult in these difficult times, especially with the shortages of inventory.
I wanted a Stance for the wife and the Giant site said a dealer 2 hours away had one, so I asked my dealer to inquire. No dice. I didn't feel like driving up there, so we passed on it.
All popular models are really hard to come by right now.
 
@McCorby - Done. Thanks for the heads up! 👍

@Browneye – Thanks for the warm welcome. :) I’ve enjoyed reading your posts over the past several weeks and they along with contributing advice from both Stefan and Randall helped in my decision to go with the Trance. You’re right about things being so different now. I never had any problems in dealing with another out-of- province dealer when I purchased my Creo last year. In fact, along with a discounted price, they even paid to have the bike shipped to me.

@reed scott - We think along the same lines. I moved everything inboard about 40 mm on each side and it already feels like it's made a difference in my stance. Even at the reduced width, I'm still able to place sufficient weight forward on the bike. I’ll ride with the controls in these temporary spots on the bar for now but I'm feeling more convinced that it's a done deal. 🪚
 
The water bottle cage bosses on my small frame Trance are practically useless and won’t even accommodate a 21oz bottle. Does anyone use their cages for anything other than for hydration? I usually carry a dromedary bag in my pack so I’m going to lose any sleep over it.

I came across this Topeak kit pouch and thought that it might be good fit.

https://www.topeak.com/global/en/products/199-Bottle-Cage-Bag/796-CAGEPACK
 
Be careful with narrowing bars too much. When you're bouncing off rocks on a narrow cliff trail, that extra leverage may be the difference between safe traversing and going off the cliff. BTDT, got the t-shirt. 😇


Prairie Dog said:
The water bottle cage bosses on my small frame Trance are practically useless and won’t even accommodate a 21oz bottle. Does anyone use their cages for anything other than for hydration? I usually carry a dromedary bag in my pack so I’m going to lose any sleep over it.

I came across this Topeak kit pouch and thought that it might be good fit.

https://www.topeak.com/global/en/products/199-Bottle-Cage-Bag/796-CAGEPACK
Click to expand...
I put a tube in one of those, wear a camelbak. 👍
There's a knock-off on ebay for about $12. Works great. 'Gear' something or other.
 
Taylor57 said:
I'm curious as to how hard it would be to mount a topeak rack and bag on a bike with an existing rack... wonder if this would work?

www.topeak.com

OMNI QUICKTRACK® ADAPTER

<p>Omni QuickTrack® Adapter attaches to a standard rear rack or Racktime® system platform allowing the use of popular Topeak TrunkBags and rear baskets.</p>
www.topeak.com www.topeak.com
Click to expand...
bump. just bought the bag and adapter. anyone else install the plastic quicktrack adapter?
 
Prairie Dog said:
Yep, even with that it was a struggle inserting and removing the smaller bottle.
Click to expand...
Yeah, looking at the picture online, there's not a lot of room there. Looking at the picture of mine at the same site, it looks like there's a lot more room.
But I know different...there isn't!
 
My side-pull cage allows only a small water-bottle to be carried. Since I prefer 0.7 litre disposable isotonic drink bottles, I rather carry them in the backpack or pannier.
 
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
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Congratulations on your new ride... trimming the bars was a big improvement on mine. 😉
 
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Stefan Mikes said:
My side-pull cage allows only a small water-bottle to be carried. Since I prefer 0.7 litre disposable isotonic drink bottles, I rather carry them in the backpack or pannier.
Click to expand...
I highly recommend these Fidlock side-load magnetic bottles for tight spaces. 😉

1613873326816.png
 
Prairie Dog said:
Thanks. I rode today with the controls and grips moved inboard 40mm and it made a huge difference.
The stock width of 780mm created a great deal of torque in my wrists when reaching for the brake levers or shifter.
Click to expand...
Completely agree with you, as my bars are @680mm ... I am willing to trade off a bit of handling for improved ergonomics and comfort.
 
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