Giant Trance X4

Proutster

Hi All,

Another Noob here, been browsing the forum for the last few months but now feel that I’ve got something to contribute / would like your comments on.

Are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin….

Started back into mountain biking earlier this year by digging my 15+ years old (I know it’s at least that old because I bought it when I was married and that seems like a lifetime ago) Ridgeback out of the shed and fettling it up. I changed the cantilever brakes for V-brakes, changed the handlebars & pedals and even stuck on a pair of Decathlon’s £29.99 suspension forks (not that they cushion much….)



Since then I’ve ridden it off-road at least a couple of times a week, around Macclesfield Forest (anyone who knows Charity Lane – fancy going down it on the above?), around Ladybower (same question to anyone who’s been down the descent from Hope Cross towards the A57) and also around Hayfield (again, same question to anyone who’s done the descent from Ollersett down to the A624).

I’ve fallen off lots, pushed it up lots of hills (I think it’s made from cast iron) but have had an absolute blast!!

Someone told me to stop wasting money on it and to save up for a new bike….

And I’ve finally managed to persuade my company to join the Cycle 2 Work Scheme and bought this yesterday:





Bought it from The Cycle Store in Congleton, who did a great deal (£845 = £150 off) and helped set it up correctly for me.

Can’t wait for the Helicopter Tape to arrive tomorrow so that I can protect that huge downtube and then get it properly dirty!! Planning a quick blast around Macc Forest to see how it goes.

The question is – will I have as much fun and laughs on this or should I throw it away and go back to the boneshaker?

Anonymous

i would wager it'll take some getting used to but once you give it a fw miles you will fuckin love it. lovely looking bit of kit.

Proutster

Thanks, can't wait to get out on it - where's that boody postman?

Proutster

After some gear-shifting issues (cables full of Peak District grit I now find), I've just replaced the gear cables with a fully-sealed Gore Ride-On kit - in white.





I think that the white cables look so good that I'm already annoyed by the black brake cables - Oh no!! What have I done?? Pointless bling here I come

Not been out on it yet but (on the work-stand) the shifts are now so light & smooth, even when it was brand-spanking new I didn't know I could do multiple up-shifts! The change is now so light that it just carries on and I can shift up (easier) 3 gears in one push.

OK, so it would have been far cheaper to simply clean the cables or even replace with new ones of a similar type - but then the door to endless bling wouldn't have been opened.....

Drayk

That's a beauty mate, i'm really jealous!!
I bet you're dying to take it out.

WelshGiant

I have one of these as well and its amazing

Proutster

WelshGiant wrote:

I have one of these as well and its amazing

I presume that you mean the Trance and not the Gore kit? If it's just the Trance then I'd agree, they are great - I'd also highly recommend the Gore kit, as the shifter action is now so light it's like much more expensive kit has been fitted (although £40 for a set of cables is hardly inexpensive).

Proutster

Drayk wrote:

That's a beauty mate, i'm really jealous!!
I bet you're dying to take it out.

Cheers mate, was planning to take a quick spin out in the snow (& dark) as the missus was going out on her own tonight but that's been cancelled so she's taking me to the pub for early tea - it's a tough job, but someone's got to do it..

By the way, I had a look at the 2011 versions of the Trance X the other day and they are a bit too bling - too much colour-coding.

Wait, what have I just said when I'm thinking about changing the colour of the brake cables :?

WelshGiant

Yeh was on about the trance mate lol

Where did u get the gore kit from? Wouldn't mind one for my bike hehe

rockmonkeysc

Trance is an excellent bike, mine makes me grin like an idiot every time I ride it.
The bike is capable of far more than you would expect from a light weight 120mm travel bike, I regularly ride mine down the mendip DH tracks and have done a few black runs on it now. It seems to cover up all my mistakes, I seem to be able to keep up with anyone on most red graded trails.
Still haven't made many mods to mine, Bontrager XR4 tyres, Shimano XT bottom bracket and some extra wide FSA Gravity bars. No plans for any more mods, maybe better brakes & some adjustable travel 140mm forks one day.

Proutster

WelshGiant wrote:

Yeh was on about the trance mate lol

Where did u get the gore kit from? Wouldn't mind one for my bike hehe

I got the Gore kit from Chain Reaction Cycles, the best price @ £39.99 with free postage, and it arrived within 2 days.

I also bought a Park Tools Cable Cutter because I'd read about how tough to cut the Gore Cables & Outers were. Again got a bargain off Ebay - Derekscyclesonline - £26.95 with free P&P - all of the other places they were £30 plus (and up to £40 in some).

I'd recommend a good set of cutters because you don't want to spend all of that money on the cables and then mess up the coating on the inside of the outer and the cable covering by tring to hack through it with a butter knife

Took the bike out in the snow yesterday:

and the shifts were really smooth & light, not affected by the (deep, as you can see) snow at all.

Proutster

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Trance is an excellent bike, mine makes me grin like an idiot every time I ride it.
The bike is capable of far more than you would expect from a light weight 120mm travel bike, I regularly ride mine down the mendip DH tracks and have done a few black runs on it now. It seems to cover up all my mistakes, I seem to be able to keep up with anyone on most red graded trails.
Still haven't made many mods to mine, Bontrager XR4 tyres, Shimano XT bottom bracket and some extra wide FSA Gravity bars. No plans for any more mods, maybe better brakes & some adjustable travel 140mm forks one day.

Couldn't agree more, great bike for me.

Yes, I'd been thinking about a fork upgrade but the really long steerer (almost 230mm when I measured it - on the bike, so maybe not 100% accurate) is really limiting my choice of 2nd-hand forks (can't quite justify £300-£500 on new forks). Very few are anywhere near that long, but will have to keep looking

By the way, where are you in Cider Country? I'm originally from Sherborne in NW Dorset - although I've lived away from there for longer than I lived there!!

rockmonkeysc

I am in Frome, Somerset. Are there any good trails around Sherborne? I haven't been down that way yet. Loads of good trails around Frome, Longleat, mendips etc.
You may not need a steerer that long, the Trance comes with about 30mm of spacers under the stem, I have removed nearly all of them on mine to drop the bars and improve the riding position. Try experimenting wth spacers before working out what length steerer you actually need, you may find that you only need 200mm. I would recomend Fox F120 forks, they work really well on my trance though a Rockshox Reba would probably be just as good & cheaper. You can go up to a 140mm fork, I have been thinking about fitting a set of Fox Floats or Rockshox Revelations to mine.

Proutster

RockmonkeySC wrote:

I am in Frome, Somerset. Are there any good trails around Sherborne? I haven't been down that way yet. Loads of good trails around Frome, Longleat, mendips etc.
You may not need a steerer that long, the Trance comes with about 30mm of spacers under the stem, I have removed nearly all of them on mine to drop the bars and improve the riding position. Try experimenting wth spacers before working out what length steerer you actually need, you may find that you only need 200mm. I would recomend Fox F120 forks, they work really well on my trance though a Rockshox Reba would probably be just as good & cheaper. You can go up to a 140mm fork, I have been thinking about fitting a set of Fox Floats or Rockshox Revelations to mine.

No idea about trails around Sherborne as I've been up North for 9 years and only got into MTBing in the last year or two. Am back down next weekend to see the folks for Xmas but there won't be any time to ride the bike.

Thanks for the tip on the spacers, I noticed those but haven't done any fiddling with them - in what ways did lowering the bars help the riding position? Is it as simple as being closer to the action?

And did you trim the stem or just put the spacers on top of the bars - i.e. simply shuffling things around?

At the moment I'm leaning towards some Fox Talas forks in the 140mm version, as these can be adjusted from 100mm to 120mm to 140mm (like U-Turns?). Just got to find some.

I'm pretty sure that it'll save a big chunk of weight over the standard Rock Shox Toras that are on mine, plus I guess they'll be smoother etc.

rockmonkeysc

I found that it gives a better feel for what the bike is doing under me & also seems to be just easier to throw the bike around, the wider bars also help with this. I also had a problem with the front wheel lifting on steep climbs so having the bars lower helps with this as well. I just moved the spacers above the stem, always got the option of putting them back if I ever change my mind.
I rode a Trek Remedy on Fox Talas forks & really didn't like them, not as nice as the standard Floats. The Rockshox Revelations felt much better, Sektors would also be a good budget choice..

Proutster

RockmonkeySC wrote:

I found that it gives a better feel for what the bike is doing under me & also seems to be just easier to throw the bike around, the wider bars also help with this. I also had a problem with the front wheel lifting on steep climbs so having the bars lower helps with this as well. I just moved the spacers above the stem, always got the option of putting them back if I ever change my mind.
I rode a Trek Remedy on Fox Talas forks & really didn't like them, not as nice as the standard Floats. The Rockshox Revelations felt much better, Sektors would also be a good budget choice..

Thanks, I'll try putting the spacers above the stem as I get the same lifting on steep climbs + I'll also look at those forks - there seem to be a lot more Rockshoxs about as well, so might be luckier.

Will look out for some U-Turns with 140mm travel so that I can always turn it back to 120mm if it doesn't feel right with the extra 20mm - I'll let you know how I get on. Let's hope that Santa's in a good mood

Proutster

Just thought I'd update with all of the changes that I've done to the Trance over the last few months.

Really getting the hang of it now and am still impressed with everything that it can handle. My fitness still needs some work for the climbs :oops: but on the descents I can keep up with most people..

Changes are:
SLX Shifters, Front & Rear Derailleurs, Cassette, Double & Bash
Blackspire Stinger (can't recommend this highly enough, not dropped a chain since its been fitted)
Alex FR30 rims with Superstar EVO hubs & double-butted spokes
Rockshox Sektor RL Coil U-Turn 110-150mm with 15mm maxle
Superstar Floating rotors (203mm front & 180mm rear)
Superstar 10mm Rear QR
Superstar Integrated Headset
Gusset Staff 50mm stem
Answer Protaper DH 780mm Bars
Superstar grips

By the look of the above, I think I need to try to buy shares in Superstar!!

Have been running the front tyre ghetto tubeless for ther last few months and that's a huge leap forward, being able to run at 25psi with no fear of snake bites - loads of front-end grip. Only had a couple of burping incidents - even with a crash that was big enough to right-off the old front wheel it still held up fine.

Here's the forks in 120mm mode:

and here in 150mm mode:





Only fitted the new forks, bars, grips & stem last night so haven't had a chance to ride it yet but that's planned for Thursday evening - can't wait

bamba

Snap, almost

http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/forums/vie ... ght=trance

what made you change the stem ? is it shorter than standard

Cferg

Really like the look of that . How does the fork feel at either ends of its travel ? Also whats the weight like for going up hill ? I'm sure at stock its about 30lbs ?

Proutster

bamba wrote:

Snap, almost

http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/forums/vie ... ght=trance

what made you change the stem ? is it shorter than standard

Spooky that - we've both had almost the same ideas!!

I didn't like the stock stem, it felt too long and was too much of a stretch for me (it made my poor, old, lower back ache ).

Firstly changed it for a 70mm Truvativ AKA stem and the Gusset's even shorter at 50mm.

Felt great last night on the first ride. Seemed to fit me really well - but, by God, those bars are wide (780mm). Think I might, after a few more rides, cut them down to 750mm ish.

Proutster

Cferg wrote:

Really like the look of that . How does the fork feel at either ends of its travel ? Also whats the weight like for going up hill ? I'm sure at stock its about 30lbs ?

Thanks mate - I quite like it too

On the first ride out last night I really noticed the difference with the forks - climbing up fire roads with them set at 110mm and locked out was much easier and then with the lock-out off on rocky technical climbs was, again, much better.

Downhill it felt a bit different at first because I was higher up when stood-up (I didn't really think that I'd notice 30mm but I did) but the forks are sooooo much smoother and can soak up the bigger hits whilst still smoothing out the little ones very well. What scared me was I used up all but 1/2" of the travel last night - I think I was able to go faster and not have to worry as much about bumps?

One thing I did notice was that everything felt stiffer - new wheels, forks (with 15mm maxle), bars, stem, 10mm rear QR. I could be imagining it (placebo effect?) but I even checked my front tyre pressure whilst I was out because it felt as if it was too high, but it was spot on at 25psi (ghetto tubeless). So I think I might be able to get away with dropping it down to 20-22psi to get even more front-end grip.

Yes, weight's pretty stock at 31 pounds - it weighs a tiny bit less now than before the changes, which I'm pleased with because each change has been to replace something with stronger parts. So it's stronger but (slightly) lighter.

xixang

how are you finding the shorter stem?

I've got a 2009 trance-x thats been built up with "stuff lying around" by the look of things - rp23 boost valve rear shock, 115mm rebas up front which I'm considering u/g to 140mm rev rlt's (a) for more travel and (b) coz one stantion is (slightly) gouged and both air valves has slightly stripped threads - I can get a track pump on but not my shock pump, lx gruppo with raceface bars/stem/seatpin.

I've just ordered a 70mm stem to swap out the 100mm thats fitted as I find the steering slow atm. the stem is 590mm - is this quite narrow? It "feels" about right but then I'm from a road riding background and haven;'t ridden mtbs for around 12 years - back then I had hard tail with straight bars and bar ends and they were quite a bit narrower that 590mm, but then I was xc racing, not trails etc

Briggo

150mm forks on a 120mm bike? Bet that isn't warranted to do that, also more travel isn't neccessarily better.

Just out of interest you're clearly turning this into a bit of a DH beast, why buy the trance in the first place if you're going very heavy and burly DH orientated.

bamba

The trance x frame is very capable , classed as an all mountain,depending on where you ride the standard 120mm toras may not suit , the chosen forks are lighter and in my opinion suit the bike better, next up from the trance would be a reign, heavier still and probably less versatile than a trance

rockmonkeysc

Trance X frame is bomb proof. Not sure about the geometry with the forks at 150mm, front end could be light when climbing but it will be awesome downhill.

Proutster

Briggo wrote:

150mm forks on a 120mm bike? Bet that isn't warranted to do that, also more travel isn't neccessarily better.

Just out of interest you're clearly turning this into a bit of a DH beast, why buy the trance in the first place if you're going very heavy and burly DH orientated.

TBH, not really bothered about if it's warrenteed for the forks - if it breaks I'll just swap the Toras back on and see what happens with a claim

All of the changes are because I enjoy going downhill much more than uphill!! The concession to the ups is the U-Turn forks - at 110mm it does make climbing easier. As above, it's not heavier than when I bought it, it's about 1lb lighter. I guess if I was interested in weight-loss I'd have been able to make changes that would've reduced the weight but that hasn't been the aim.

The real DH stuff is what the Exalt is for - already thinking about swapping those bits onto a FS frame to cushion my backside a bit more!!

Loving all of the changes, just back from a 2 week beach holiday and can't wait to get out on it this afternoon!

Proutster

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Trance X frame is bomb proof. Not sure about the geometry with the forks at 150mm, front end could be light when climbing but it will be awesome downhill.

+1 to the above, it does feel awesome downhill and the U-turns at 110mm mean that it climbs better than when it was standard

chemicalviking

really impressed with what you have done to the bike and i think you have just made my mind up about getting one. i will be looking at the 2011 model and i will be putting my nukeproof warhead stem and bars on as the 100mm oem stem will be too big a reach and my bars are 710mm so should fit nice.

will post pics of mine when i get it.thanks for the info on this bike and cant wait for some more bling

Proutster

chemicalviking wrote:

will post pics of mine when i get it.thanks for the info on this bike and cant wait for some more bling

Thanks mate - I think it looks the dog's proverbials, and it rides like it as well

Trying to resist spending more at the moment - although a dropper seatpost is tempting me......

concorde

Does the trance x4 have the same frame as the x1 etc?

Wheely-King

Yes, all the Trance X frames are the same apart from colours/graphics.