My New Giant Trance 27.5 2

Rambo_123

Picked up my new trance today. This is my first full sus and rides really well!

Here she is! (Phone pics - Deal with it!)





Frame: ALUXX SL-Grade Aluminum, 140mm Maestro Suspension
Fork: Fox 32 Float CTD Evolution , 15QR Axle, 140mm Travel
Shock: Fox CTD Evolution

Handlebar: Giant Connect SL, Low Riser 725mm
Stem: Giant Connect
Seatpost: Giant Connect
Saddle: Giant Contact Upright

Shifters: Shimano Deore 20 speed
Front Derailleur: Shimano SLX
Rear Derailleur: Shimano SLX Shadow +
Brakes: Shimano M446, hydraulic disc, 180mm/160mm
Brake Levers: Shimano M505
Cassette: Shimano HG62 11-36
Chain: KMC X10
Crankset: Shimano SLX 24/38
Bottom Bracket: Shimano Press Fit

Rims: Giant S-XC2
Hubs : Giant S-XC [F] 15mm [R] 135mm QR
Tyres Schwalbe Nobby Nic, 27.5x2.25" Performance Folding

From my short test ride I think I might upgrade the brakes because even though these are good I would like more power and I was thinking Deore M615. I also fancy a Reverb Stealth. Both of these upgrades won't be bought for a while because this demon cleaned me out!

burek66

Nice bike.
I purchased Trance 1 27.5 recently.
IMHO Upgrade brakes at least to SLX M675.

Rambo_123

Thanks!
Nice, I am very pleased with my trance!
Is there really much difference between SLX M675 and Deore M615?

Antm81

Love it, best looking of the new alu trance's and ripe for my passion of upgrading parts

mike hunts alpine

She's a beaut

Rambo_123

Antm81 wrote:

Love it

Cheers mate!

Anyway, here are some (slightly) dirty pics!






And clean again Featuring my Bantu - now used for my paper round mostly.

97th choice

Nice, looks stealthy. Please ditch the white bottle holder though, it just doesn't match!!!

Rambo_123

97th choice wrote:

Nice, looks stealthy. Please ditch the white bottle holder though, it just doesn't match!!!

Yeah i will probably stick it back in my bantu and get a hydration pack because there isn't enough room for a bottle that can carry enough water on the trance.

Angus Young

Rambo_123 wrote:

used for my paper round mostly.

I think I need a paper round!

burek66

Rambo_123 wrote:

97th choice wrote:

Nice, looks stealthy. Please ditch the white bottle holder though, it just doesn't match!!!

Yeah i will probably stick it back in my bantu and get a hydration pack because there isn't enough room for a bottle that can carry enough water on the trance.

On my Trance I use Elite Ciussi Side bottle cage.
Giant engineers failed with bottle cage position on Trance frames.

TheGava

Nice bike dude, I picked mine up the other week! Agree the brakes are shocking, before I even got the bike I asked the shop to upgrade the brakes!

You won't go wrong with the deore brakes, good deals to be had if you shop around!!

Enjoy it!!

BigStu2

Love the look of these bikes. SLX brakes are great, equal stopping power to my XTR's, they just dont look as flash.

Rambo_123

I am tempted to go for slx's, i will see what deals there are! However i wouldn't be upgrading for at least a month because first i need to pay my dad back for the £100 loan he gave me so i had enough to buy this, then I need to save for spending money for my holiday and only after that i will have my money to myself to spend on bike stuff

bartimaeus

That's a very tidy looking bike.

Rambo_123

bartimaeus wrote:

That's a very tidy looking bike.

Thanks!

Right so here is my situation, i don't know if i want to upgrade the brakes or tyres first. The tyres aren't confidence inspiring and i want to change them, what to? I do not know. I was going to go for maxxis high roller 2's but as far as I am aware there are not any tubeless compatible versions which would be useful for future upgrades. i have also decided i will save up for slx m615 brakes.

So should i upgrade the brakes or tyres first?
And does anyone know any good alternatives to the high roller 2 that are tubeless compatible?

Thanks

ej2320

I think High Rollers are tubeless ready

Personally I'd get the Schwalbe Hans Dampfs
Trailstar front, Pacestar rear

Very grippy in the wet or dry
£60 from Germany compared to about £90 here

The problem with your tyres is that they're the 'Performance' compound, which I will agree are decent but not very confidence inspiring

The Evo or Evolution versions are much much better and the compound is a lot more grippy

ej2320

As for the brakes, I have SLX and they're the best I've used
They're going for about £95 at the moment, Deore are also very good and basically the same as SLX

97th choice

change the tyres, brakes are fine.

Rambo_123

I agree the hans dampfs are good because i have one up front on my hardtail which is the trailstar compound, i would swap it over but it' a 26" one. Think i'll save up a bit and go for the hans dampfs from bikediscount.de

Rambo_123

So i decided to tackle this today...


It wasn't that tough of a climb, but I had to push the bike for a bit because it was just too steep for about 20 metres. I then had problems with traction on the wet, peaty mud but it just made getting to the top more of an achievement.



I can see my house from here...


Pit-Stop:


I got a bad puncture just after i set of from the cairn, I could feel the air blow out through the tyre on my leg. I changed the tube and then did a makeshift repair on the sidewall by wrapping electrical tape round it heaps of times hah. Thankfully it was only the top section that was rocky otherwise i don't think i'd have been so lucky with it holding up the 7 miles I had to go.

On the bright side it means I now have an excuse to get a new tyre!

Giantmatt75

Very nice , ridden a couple and really like the feel of the suspension

Rambo_123

Yeah, i don't notice any pedal bob when in trail mode it's great!

Rambo_123

Quick update on my trance...

I have gone tubeless after getting two punctures on two consecutive stages at the Scottish Enduro Series at Laggan.

I also recently blinged it with some nice gold bits including pedals, seat clamp, grip clamp and bar end, rotor bolts and dust caps.

Here are some (phone) pictures:




I got the flat pedals as it is coming up to winter and its easier to put a foot out to save myself if the tyres decide to let go and wash out. However I don't have a pair of proper flat shoes. I have thought about 5.10 freerider vxi elements, teva links or Shimano am41's. Does anyone have any opinions on these shoes or know of a decent pair of shoes that are suitable for the conditions that come with winter (i.e water resistant and/or quick drying)? looking for a shoe under £80 ideally.

Links:

Shimano AM41 - http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/shim ... lsrc=aw.ds

5.10 Freerider vxi elements - http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/five ... prod121641

Teva links - http://www.wiggle.co.uk/teva-the-links/ ... 1&curr=GBP

Angus Young

There's a shoe chat going on here at the moment...

viewtopic.php?f=20005&t=12999745

Antm81

Looks good, other than the dropper post and ditching the fox forks, going tubeless is probably the best change I've made to mine.

Next up for me a set of SLX brakes and going 1x10.

Rambo_123

...

Rambo_123

Thanks for pointing that chat out to me, very helpful!

I forgot to say i upgraded my brakes to deore m615's they have a much better feel than my previous brakes and i like the smaller lever.

A dropper post is next on the cards for me i think, especially if i plan on racing enduro next season but the £250 price tag will require a good amount of time of saving and the idea of new forks is out of the window!

Antm81

I'm running the Giant dropper, had the original one on my old bike and got the latest one free with my trance, the stealth routing means I no longer get dirt in the mechanism as its inside the seat tube, it works well on the trail too. It has stuck once but 2 minutes removing the gas cartridge and giving it a good tap to free it and all has been good since. Think they retail around £160 these days so could be a slightly cheaper option.

Rambo_123

Just a little update. I was lucky enough to get a RS Reverb Stealth for Christmas - still not fitted. It was looking like i was going to need to clear up some space on the handlebar so as of yesterday I have gone 1x10. The bike now looks a lot tidier and all it needs now is for the dropper to be fitted.
Here is a pic of how it looked:


And one of how it looks now:

Rambo_123

So my bike is now pretty much going to stay the way it is now that i have a reverb stealth fitted. Here is an up to date picture:



I think the BB is now needing replaced as it is feeling rough but im going to wait until winter is definitely over before I do anything about it.

I also had my first ride testing out the single ring and dropper post and i am pleased with both. I did struggle on a climb with the 32 tooth chainring but I'm putting that down to not getting out much over the holidays.

RockmonkeySC

Nice. I have always liked Giants. A cassette range expander will make the climbs easier.