Trail Bike Recommendations - Giant Trance or something else ?

Discuss light weight issues concerning mountain bikes & parts.

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ajmit3
Posts: 205
Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2011 7:36 am

by ajmit3

Hi guys,

I am a keen road cyclist looking to try out mountain biking because I am moving to New Zealand. I know 'trail' bikes are known to be a compromise, in the middle say from a hardtail XC to a Downhill bike. I am not sure I want to get into racing, but maybe down the track... Not even sure how many different types of racing there are on MTB.

Anyway, whats a good bike to get ? People have been saying a Giant Trance they say you can race XC on it not too badly and still take it down a downhill run. ...

Also what should I look for when if I buy 2nd hand ? Sometimes you can get lucky and people haven't ridden the bike 10 times...

Cheers

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kevhogaz
Posts: 232
Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2011 5:18 am
Location: Arizona

by kevhogaz

I bought a Pivot Mach 429 Alloy. It's a true do everything bike for me. 120mm of travel up front, and 100mm out back. I race it XC, marathon type rides, and also take it to the mountains and let it rip on the downhill stuff. It is an amazing bike, that's for sure.

The new trail bikes, are in my opinion your best bet, if you're not looking for a dedicated XC machine. I don't think you can go wrong with any major brand, but I'd also do my research and find the bike that fits your needs best.

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OrPe
Posts: 255
Joined: Wed Oct 18, 2006 10:15 am

by OrPe

Tallboy 3, fuel ex 2017, ...
New school geometry + 120-130mm travel and 29 wheels should be your target .

Trance is 27.5...
Budget?


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ajmit3
Posts: 205
Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2011 7:36 am

by ajmit3

That Pivot looks good ....

OrPe Thanks ill check those bikes out ...I'm only 5'9 so I think 27.5 is my best bet. My budget is $3,500 USD .

KWalker
Posts: 5722
Joined: Mon Dec 28, 2009 8:30 pm
Location: Bay Area

by KWalker

I was in the same boat and was on an Epic WC and went with a Yeti ASR-C. Right now it is sitting at 22.3lbs with a dropper and heavier tires. With a new wheel build, a few more WW parts, lighter tires it should be close to 21 on the dot. 120 front, 102 rear.

Pivots are highly overrated IMO and the new Fuel EX is great, but I like the 2016 geo and travel more. The new Scott Spark with a 120 fork up front is an awesome bike. I would also strongly consider the Orbea Occam and Ibis Ripley, probably in the "OG" geo.

I would still go 29 in your height. For around that budget you can get a 2016 complete bike through Competitive Cyclist.
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bikewithnoname
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Joined: Tue Sep 22, 2009 1:29 pm
Location: Paris

by bikewithnoname

I would wait until you've seen what the terrain is like nearby in NZ if you can. If it's mostly steep then you probably want to edge towards a bit more travel and 650b wheels, if it's rolling then the XC 29er end of the range. Also you may find that coming from the road you actually prefer the XC style of riding as it's more about speed/endurance

I'm loving my Cannondale Habit SE for the lumpy stuff, but it is WAY slower than an FSi on the hardpack
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RedCoke
Posts: 35
Joined: Fri Oct 28, 2016 8:54 am

by RedCoke

Are you going to keep your road bike? If yes, I recomend Full suspension MTB. (Fron+Rear Suspension)
However, there is two type in bike-world. One likes Moutain Trail, the other doesn't.
So, please try used XC hardtail(Front Suspension Only) first, and then you will know your type.
Btw. Giant Trans is pretty cool bike.

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LeDuke
Posts: 2021
Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2012 2:39 am
Location: Front Range, CO

by LeDuke

KWalker wrote:I was in the same boat and was on an Epic WC and went with a Yeti ASR-C. Right now it is sitting at 22.3lbs with a dropper and heavier tires. With a new wheel build, a few more WW parts, lighter tires it should be close to 21 on the dot. 120 front, 102 rear.

Pivots are highly overrated IMO and the new Fuel EX is great, but I like the 2016 geo and travel more. The new Scott Spark with a 120 fork up front is an awesome bike. I would also strongly consider the Orbea Occam and Ibis Ripley, probably in the "OG" geo.

I would still go 29 in your height. For around that budget you can get a 2016 complete bike through Competitive Cyclist.


I'll echo KWalker.

Spark 900 (non-RC), Occam TR.

120/120 bikes that can take a 130mm fork.

Two do-it-all bikes that you can ride almost anywhere.

ajmit3
Posts: 205
Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2011 7:36 am

by ajmit3

Thanks guys a lot to consider. The mtb cycling is amazing in New Zealand in the South Island apparently...

I aam biased towards Giants because I have a new TCR Advanced SL and its incredible..

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g_doraz
Posts: 408
Joined: Tue Apr 14, 2009 3:05 am
Location: Perth, Australia

by g_doraz

The Giant Trance is a terrific bike, particularly the new one with the trunnion mount on the rear shock. They've reduced the leverage ratio so the initial stroke is a lot more supple and it's able to soak up more trail chatter (typically more associated with slow speed compression) ...However, I would echo the comments that suggest waiting until you get there to have a look at the trails and think about what you want to do. The trance is a good do-it-all kinda bike, however, if you find yourself bombing down big descents with large jumps / road gaps, you may want a stiffer fork e.g. Fox 36 / Rockshox Lyrik and a slacker front end. On the flip side, if you're doing more climbing and less technical descending then you may want more of an XC oriented bike, such as the Yeti ASR, or even a fully blown XC bike like the Spec Epic...
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