Giant Trance X4 upgrades to beef it up a bit?

Grovsie29

Hi everyone, just signed up, mainly to get some advice on what to do with my bike.

It's a 2011 Giant Trance X4, and iam very happy with it. All ive done is change the grips. Now I mainly do XC riding as that's what I got the bike for lol, do Cannock Chase lots, and ive done Llandegla and going again soon, and I plan on going FOD and Brenin, etc in the summer.

Ive also started to go Stile cop a lot, and I really enjoy it. Doing a few of the bigger drops like 3-6 feet on the bike, and im a bit worried the bike isn't up to it lol. Im not suddenely going to get into huge DH courses, but I thought I could beef the bike up a bit, though iam aware it's not a DH machine.

Ive read getting a shorter stem is a good idea, and wider bars? I quite like the stock handlebars so would a shorter stem be a start? it does feel a bit odd sometimes at the front.

Also what to do on the suspension side? Im well aware the front forks are budget end, is it worth getting some 140mm one's, and or changing the rear sock? Seems to perform ok, but it's a really pain having to pump the shock up when I wanna do more gnarly stuff then letting it out for the XC stuff. Do these fancy one's have different settings?

Wheels/tyres? Basically want the best upgrades, for least amount of cash, as always haha.

Cheers.

rockmonkeysc

Shorter stem and wider bars are a good start. 140mm forks work nicely on the Trance, I had a set of Rockshox Pikes with U-turn which were adjustable between 115mm & 140mm (I'm selling them). the longer fork adds some stability and improves the steering. The standard forks are a bit crap, I had the Trance X3 with Fox F120's and they were a bit crap.
For wheels I would suggest something like Mavic XM719's or Stans Arch on Superstar hubs for around £200.
A fox RP23 shock would be nice but for me that would be the last upgrade.
Someone will suggest fitting Schwalbe Hans Dampf tyres but you cant fit them in the rear of a Trance. 2.25" is the absolute max on a Trance.

felix.london

Re. Wheels - The Superstar Stan's deal is on either the Crest's or the Flow's so I'd recommend the Flow's for the riding you describe - I've also got a brand new set sitting here that I'm thinking about selling. But I'd basically want my money back so you might as well buy direct from SS and get the correct adapters, crappy rim-tape and possibility of Haribo

rockmonkeysc

Flows are a bit overkill for that sort of riding. I would go for Mavic XM719's. They are a bit lighter and I cant seem to break mine, even though I was 17 stone when I first got them.

Grovsie29

Thanks for replies, what stem and bars would you guys recommend? Wider bars is a bit of a worry, as there are some tights spots in the trees on the chase. Think ill do that first, and see how it feels. If I brake something ill then have to fix it! lol.

I can't seem to find those rims/tyres? This is all new to me.

Would wheels/tyres be next thing to do, or front fork?

I wish id got a Reign now. Haha.

Im from UK by the way. Im also not to heavy at 11stone.

To be fair ive not done big drops yet, I can't muster the minerals to do the 2nd to last jump on the black section at stile cop near me, dunno if anyone knows what I mean, do all the red fine, and northshore jump halfway down red, just that one in the black looks huge, must be 5 feet easy.

rockmonkeysc

There are loads of good options for bars & stems.
These wheels are good, the hubs use push fit adaptors which you can change to fit different forks. I have got three sets of these and they are all solid and still dead true - http://superstar.tibolts.co.uk/product_ ... cts_id=501

rapid_donkey

I have a 2011 Giant Trance X3. I have made a few mods to mine and it now feels like a do anything / go anywhere bike, so I will list what I have done/changed:

Easton Haven 711mm handlebar

Token lock-on grips

Mavic XM719 rims on Superstar Switch Evo hubs with Kenda Nevegal stick-e/dtc tyres in summer, panaracer fire xc pro in winter

Bionicon c-guide V.02

Hope floating brake rotors (the avid brakes were squealing like a bitch and these stopped it)

The X3 has 125mm Fox front/rear suspension and I havent had any problems with it or felt it lacking in anyway. Keep your eye on the bay and you might be able to get a Trance Fox Float R rear shock, and Ive heard 140mm forks are a common upgrade on the Trance too.

rockmonkeysc

That all sounds pretty good apart from the Nevagal tyres!

Grovsie29

Cheers guys. I think my first upgrade will be Superstar Zenith AM stem and some Vector 700mm bars. See how I get on with the feel of it, ive measured the stock giant stem and bars and there 130mm and the bars are 670mm. Think ill go for a 80mm stem.

rockmonkeysc

The original stem isn't 130mm. Measure from the centre of the steerer to the centre of the bars. It's probably 100mm.

Grovsie29

Hehe ok. 65mm ill try first. Am I better off getting an Easton Haven 711mm bar? That little bit wider, it's 25quid more than the Vector.

rockmonkeysc

711 is still pretty narrow for harder riding. I would go for something around 760 or 780. You can always cut some off but you cant add it on

rapid_donkey

The kenda nevegal are very draggy and slow compared to the panaracers, so i might just leave them in the garage this summer.

I went straight from the standard Giant bar to the Haven 711mm bar and find it perfect. I dont really do d/h and ride alot through forests and my local trail centre is quite overgrown, so 711mm is plenty.
As said previously though, if you go for a wider bar and dont like it, you can always trim it down.

Cheapest I can find Easton Haven: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/easton-haven-ri ... 2012-Black

hainman

i went from the stock 690 bars on my Reign to 740's and they are perfect,i found the stock bars far to narrow and cramped..
http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/m ... r-bar.html
i bought these and very comfy

97th choice

So far on my X3 the tyres have been changed and I've fitted a clutch rear mech.

When I can afford it/as things break, my upgrades are going to be.

new bar/stem combo
2 x 10
140mm front fork
dropper post
upgrade rear shock.

Grovsie29

hainman wrote:

i went from the stock 690 bars on my Reign to 740's and they are perfect,i found the stock bars far to narrow and cramped..
http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/m ... r-bar.html
i bought these and very comfy

Are those bars nice and stiff? Don't want any flex. Think ill get them in 740mm with a 65mm stem from superstar.

What are you guys thoughts on the RockShox Monarch Plus RC3? Will it fit my trance?

97th choice

Is it 7.25 x 1.75?

Grovsie29

Don't know what the stock giant shock size is, ive read it's 7.25 x 1.75 all aftermarket shocks seem to be 7.5x2 does that mean I cannot upgrade the shock?

Been looking at the RP23 and the monarch.

Grovsie29

All these aftermarket rear shocks are 7.5 x2.0 so there bigger than the stock Trance shock. Have I gotta buy a 7.25x 1.75 or will it fit?

This seems a pain in the ass.

97th choice

Give mojo a shout or speak to an lbs that sells fox shocks.

Alternatively a few on eBay and plenty from international sellers, including RS models

Grovsie29

Mojo? is he a member on here? Does he sell shocks?

Do any stores sell them in my size? I found http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk should I send an email.

I don't really want to buy second hand.

Also want a quality 140mm front fork lol.

felix.london

http://www.mojo.co.uk/

Re. fork - what's your budget?

Grovsie29

Good question, the good one's look really expensive. It seems like id be spending a lot of money, turning an XC bike into something that it's not, am I wasting my time?

Forks are gonna be 300-500, shock 200, and rims/tyres 200. Seems pointless.............

Ive thought about selling the Trance and getting a giant reign it looks awesome, but I can't find the X0, or the beefier 6.7inches one for sale, and there not very common 2nd hand.

cooldad

It does seem like a lot of money to spend on beef.

felix.london

I've spent over a grand on my old Rockhopper but very happy with it now and you'd be pushed to find even a used hardtail with the spec I now have for the money I've spent on it...if you know what I mean :?

Grovsie29

Meh edit:

How lovely are the Canyon Strive AL bikes? Really caught my eye for 2k. Could sell the Trance and fund one, though I can't find much info on them, reviews, etc.

Looks like more of a freeride/all mountain to me.

Grovsie29

Right, ignore that above post, the upgrades are gonna be on, for the Trance. Like the feel of the bike with the shorter stem, longer bars are next, and some superstar ultra mag pedals.

The Rockshox Pike 454 Coil looks like a good fork me, tough, reliable, and fairly cheap.

Just a bit stuck on the rims/tyres. Or should I leave em till they go bang? Im sure I could save some decent weight by switching them. The tyres are grippy but have awful rolling resistance I feel.

Leanign towards to the crest one's as I think the flows will be overkill? in that deal on the superstar site, but I don't know what the options I need are, regarding the 2 adapter drop down menu options?

felix.london

The Crest's are an XC rim. If you want a Stan's rim but don't want the Flow's then the Arch EX are probably the ones for you - tough but light AM rim. But they're gonna cost you about £300 at least for a custom set from Superstar.

If £200 is your budget then take the Rockmonkey's suggestion of the Mavic XM719

As for adapters you'll need the correct adapters to fit your frame (rear wheel) and your new fork (front wheel)

Grovsie29

Think the flows are good shout then. 300g doesn't seem that heavy, and id like the piece of mine, if im making it stronger to handle bigger stuff, might as well do it properly..........unless the Mavic XM719 are stronger/lighter?

No idea what size ill need, infact I don't even know if a 456pike fork will fit my bike lol. What a noob.

Thank you felix.

felix.london

The Flows are big hitting a DH rim and are probably overkill for what you want

Grovsie29

That's the rims sorted then, what are a good tyre to have on em?

Want a nice 140mm fork, and the pike seems a good bet, might be wayyyy off the mark though. It's 100g heavier than my current crappy RockShox Tora TK coil. If theres a lighter current fork with similar travel for same money im all ears lol.