Wheel Size: 29’’ front / 29’’ rear
Travel: 140 mm rear / 150 mm front
Geometry Highlights:
- Sizes Offered: S, M, L, XL
- Headtube Angle: 64.8° (Size Large, Mid position)
- Reach: 480 mm (Size Large, Mid position)
- Chainstay Length: 439 mm (Size Large, Mid position)
Frame Material: Aluminum and carbon fiber versions available
Price: Complete bikes $3,700 to $8,000 USD / $3,899 to $10,499 CAD (see below for details)
Wheel Size: 29’’ front / 27.5’’ rear
Travel: 145 mm rear / 160 mm front
Geometry Highlights:
- Sizes Offered: S, M, L, XL
- Headtube Angle: 63.6° (Size Large, Mid position)
- Reach: 467 mm (Size Large, Mid position)
- Chainstay Length: 439 mm (Size Large, Mid position)
Frame Material: Aluminum and carbon fiber versions available
Price: $5,600 USD / $3,999 to $6,499 CAD (see below for details)
Intro
The Giant Trance has long been a fixture in the brand’s lineup, and has evolved a lot over the years. For 2024, Giant has bumped up the travel on both the Trance X and more aggressive Trance X SX while adding a serious amount of adjustability. The result is an all-new generation of the Trance platform that should appeal to a wide range of riders. Let’s get into the details to find out why.
The Frame
We just covered the newly released Liv Intrigue X, and it’s no surprise to see that the Trance X shares a lot of the same features and points of adjustment from that women-specific bike from its sister brand, Liv. Starting with the Trance X, the all-new frame gets a 5 mm bump in suspension travel from the prior generation to 140 mm of rear travel matched to a 150 mm fork. The Trance X SX takes things up a notch with 145 mm rear travel via a 2.5 mm longer stroke shock, paired with a 160 mm fork for a bit more emphasis on descending.
That travel is delivered by the brand’s Maestro suspension system, which Giant has tweaked to offer a smoother linear progressive leverage curve and more bottom-out support. A trunnion mount shock allows for a longer stroke and consequently lower leverage rate compared to the prior generation bike, dropping from a rate of just over 3.0 to around 2.45 at bottom out. The Trance X has relatively low anti-rise and anti-squat values, with anti-rise sitting at just under 60% and anti-squat just under 90% at sag. That should make for a relatively active rear suspension under braking and pedaling forces.
The Trance X comes stock with full 29” wheels in every size but has mixed wheel capability as well, allowing buyers to opt for a smaller 27.5” wheel as an aftermarket swap. The Trance X SX, on the other hand, comes stock in a mixed wheel configuration and is not compatible with a 29” rear wheel. Both bikes rely on the same frame, and as a result the geometry shifts a decent amount in a given geometry setting when swapping wheel sizes — more on that in the Fit & Geometry section below.
Both the Trance X and Trance X SX are offered in aluminum options as well as the “Advanced” carbon fiber frame. Both bikes are now equipped with SRAM’s UDH, downtube storage, and a set of accessory mounts under the top tube.
Fit & Geometry
As first seen on the new Liv Intrigue X, Giant has brought its new Maestro 3 geometry adjustment system to the Trance X and Trance X SX as well. A flip chip in the carbon fiber upper rocker link allows for Low, Mid, and High positions that grant a 64.4, 64.8, or 65.1-degree head angle, corresponding 76.8, 77.2, or 77.5-degree seat tube angle, and 40, 35, or 30mm bottom bracket drop. The same adjustment on the Trance X SX results in a 63.2, 63.5, or 63.9-degree head angle, 75.6, 75.9, or 76.3-degree seat tube angle, and a 30, 26, or 21mm bottom bracket drop.
It’s worth noting that Giant does not include a dedicated adjustment for running mixed wheels, which means that while all three geometry settings are usable, Giant specifically recommends only two of them depending on the wheel configuration — Mid and Low with full 29” wheels, and Mid and High with a mixed wheel setup.
In addition to the Maestro 3 adjustments, both the Trance X and Trance X SX come with a reach adjust headset. Non-offset cups are installed from the factory, but +/– 5 mm cups are included to allow further tweaking of the fit and ride characteristics.
The Builds
Giant clearly envisions the Trance X and X SX as an appealing option for a lot of riders, and the wide range of builds reflects that. The Advanced carbon bikes get some higher-spec builds, whereas the aluminum versions hit some impressive price points on the more budget-minded end of things.
The Trance X and X SX both get some size-specific component selections, with the Small and Medium sizes getting 40 mm stems and Large and XL frames getting 50 mm ones. The Small gets 165 mm crank arms while the other larger sizes get 170 mm, and Giant again gets our applause for adjustable dropper posts on each frame size, with the Small adjustable between 110-140 mm, Medium 140-170 mm, and Large and XL 170-200 mm.
At the top step of the range, the Trance X Advanced 0 gets Giant’s new Contact SLR Trail Integrated handlebar, which integrates the bar and stem for maximum weight savings while allowing Giant to more closely control the flex characteristics.
There does appear to be some varied availability based on geography, and we’ve noted those exceptions in the build specs and pricing as follows:
- Drivetrain: Shimano Deore M6100
- Brakes: Shimano BR-MT420 (203 mm front rotor / 180 mm rear rotor)
- Fork: Fox 36 Rhythm (150 mm)
- Shock: Fox Float Performance
- Wheels: Giant TRA 2 WheelSystem Aluminum
- Dropper Post: Giant Contact Switch AT adjustable (S: 110-140 mm; M: 140–170 mm, L–XL: 170–200 mm)
- Drivetrain: Shimano SLX M7100
- Brakes: Shimano BR-MT520 (203 mm front rotor / 180 mm rear rotor)
- Fork: Fox 36 Performance (150 mm)
- Shock: Fox Float Performance
- Wheels: Giant TRA WheelSystem Aluminum
- Dropper Post: Giant Contact Switch AT adjustable (S: 110-140 mm; M: 140–170 mm, L–XL: 170–200 mm)
- Drivetrain: Shimano SLX M7100
- Brakes: Shimano SLX M7100 (203 mm front rotor / 180 mm rear rotor)
- Fork: Fox 36 Rhythm (150 mm)
- Shock: Fox Float Performance
- Wheels: Giant TRX WheelSystem Carbon
- Dropper Post: Giant Contact Switch AT adjustable (S: 110-140 mm; M: 140–170 mm, L–XL: 170–200 mm)
- Drivetrain: SRAM GX Transmission
- Brakes: Shimano XT M8100 (203 mm front rotor / 180 mm rear rotor)
- Fork: Fox 36 Performance Elite (150 mm)
- Shock: Fox Float X Performance Elite
- Wheels: Giant TRX WheelSystem Carbon
- Dropper Post: Giant Contact Switch AT adjustable (S: 110-140 mm; M: 140–170 mm, L–XL: 170–200 mm)
- Drivetrain: SRAM XO Transmission
- Brakes: Shimano XT M8100 (203 mm front rotor / 180 mm rear rotor)
- Fork: Fox 36 Performance (150 mm)
- Shock: Fox Float Performance
- Wheels: Giant TRX WheelSystem Carbon
- Dropper Post: Giant Contact Switch AT adjustable (S: 110-140 mm; M: 140–170 mm, L–XL: 170–200 mm)
In addition to the complete builds, Giant offers a frame-only option for the Trance X Advanced. The frame comes with a Fox Float X Factory at a price of $4,299 CAD, with no availability indicated for the US at this time. By our assessment, swapping in 55 mm stroke shock and 27.5” rear wheel would be the only changes needed to turn it into a Trance SX.
- Drivetrain: Shimano Deore M6100
- Brakes: Shimano BR-MT420 (203 mm front rotor / 180 mm rear rotor)
- Fork: Fox 36 Rhythm (160 mm)
- Shock: Marzocchi Bomber Air
- Wheels: Giant TRA 2 WheelSystem Aluminum
- Dropper Post: Giant Contact Switch AT adjustable (S: 110-140 mm; M: 140–170 mm, L–XL: 170–200 mm)
- Drivetrain: Shimano SLX M7100
- Brakes: Shimano Deore M6120 (203 mm front rotor / 180 mm rear rotor)
- Fork: Fox 36 Performance Elite (150 mm)
- Shock: Fox Float X Performance Elite
- Wheels: Giant TRX WheelSystem Carbon
- Dropper Post: Giant Contact Switch AT adjustable (S: 110-140 mm; M: 140–170 mm, L–XL: 170–200 mm)
Some Questions / Things We’re Curious About
(1) The Trance X gets lower and slacker than before but sits at a middle-of-the-road 140 mm of rear travel. Where will the Trance X fall in how it balances pedaling efficiency and all-out descending capability?
(2) The Trance X and Trance X SX share the same frame, but the longer travel Trance X SX gets some more aggressive angles thanks to the longer fork and smaller 27.5” rear wheel. How different will the two feel on the trail?
(3) How usable are the three geometry settings of the Maestro 3 setup, and given Giant’s recommendation to use two of the three depending on rear wheel size, does that mean any one of them might be too extreme in any given wheel size configuration?
Bottom Line (For Now)
Giant has made some very compelling changes with the updated Trance X range, offering riders a lot of opportunity to tweak the geometry and fit of the Trance X to their preference. The more aggressive Trance X SX pushes some of the geometry figures to the extreme end of the spectrum for a 145 mm travel bike, which should make it an interesting option for the right kind of buyer. All in all, the Trance X seems like a compelling take on the modern Trail bike, and we are keen to get some saddle time on one.