Giant Trance 27.5 1 Techy Performance Review #techyreview Thanks to Michael Delano, I was able to take a Giant Trance 1 through some techy paces today. Since I am in the market for a new bike, I wanted something that could be a good Swiss Army bike...slay the techy as well as pedal well. Since I had never thrown a leg over a Trance, I was happy Michael gave me the opportunity. I wont go into all the technical babble that you see in most reviews, and instead just talk about how it performed for me. The last bike I demod (and really enjoyed) was a Pivot Mach 6, so the Trance had a high standard to compare to. I decided to take a loop around JRPS and put the Trance through all my favorite techy features to see how it would behave. First up, was the armored climb on Lower Buttermilk. First try...butta. Those that were at the last Techy Session Ride witnessed just how hit or miss that section can be, as it usually involves a max speed approach with a perfectly timed drop in gears and proper tire friction management. Ya, well it just made it easier. Rolled right up, no problems. Mind you, it is still a bit damp out there, which would normally decrease my odds of clearing that section, but it was almost easy to just get right up and roll on. Next up was my favorite line in the whole park, what I have recently come to refer to as the Stone Age line that drops down from the 22nd street stairs. I usually dont have any trouble clearing this line, but have a good feel for it. The Trance was not escared at all. Dang thing just rolled me down the top stairs no problem...then took me over the big root ball without breaking a sweat...and down the Z stairs on point. At that point, I was wishing I could have hooked up with a riding buddy to capture some of this on video. As anyone who rides down the spiral staircase will tell you, the tight figure 8 approach at the top is an interesting slow-speed techy feat. While the Trance with 27.5 hoops didnt beat out my 26er in this department, I also have to factor in that I was on a medium frame vs. the small frame of my current bike (Titus FTM). When all said and done, I did make it without issue, but it did feel a bit tighter than usual. But this was the only tight turn in the whole park that I had noticed a difference, but it was most likely the tightest. So then I thought I would really test this puppy out on the Lost Garden, of which I am about 50% good on with my Titus. First try...butta. I mean damn. All the way through, no issue at all. So then I decided to see how the Trance would descend over near the root drop on the far end of Belle. The SLX breaks did a great job modulating me down, and there was no issue there. Just like I am used to. While I did feel like the Trance was better at holding a line than my current bike, I couldnt prove it by knocking out the skinny quickly in the skills area. I gave it 2 tries and moved on. It also didnt ease me through the tougher rock garden there, and I think I know why. The bikes front and rear ends felt a little heavier than I was used to. It reminded me a little of when I went from a hardtail to full suspension for the first time. I imagine I would eventually adapt to that, but I would need those skills honed on the tougher rock garden, and just didnt have the feel for it yet. To test the ability to hold a line, I brought it over to where all the granite rocks are lined up on Belle, and the Trance handled it no problem, and was later verified by riding the curb near Tredegar (coming off the pedestrian bridge) which also requires a rear wheel correction. Definitely a bit more stable in that arena. Coming up to the North Back rock garden climb, I had yielded to two joggers, and the female jogger decided to stop and let me know she wanted to watch me climb them. I tried my disclaimer to her that I knew I could do it, but this was my first ride on a demo bike, but she wasnt taking any excuses that day. Fortunately, the Trance didnt let me down and right up I went. We both yelled in celebration and went on our way. Ok, sure it was giving me a good ride so far, but how would it hop up on stuff? I decided to use the bench at the Texas Beach parking lot to see. The Trance took both sides no problem, and set down easy on two wheels both times. Butta. Let me fast forward a little. Nickel bridge armor climb = butta. Buttermilk Heights creek crossings = butta. Nothing could phase this bike going through Heights, whether it was up or down. Now here is something special. Coming out of the last creek crossing (headed east), you need to climb up the cliff side and make your way over 3 step ups. I have ridden that section for years, and even had sessions there, but had never found a way to clear that 3rd stepup. Well, guess what happened on my first attempt. Yup, butta. So, at that point I was convinced. Those of you riding bigger wheels are cheating. Dont try to defend yourselves, it is cheating plain and simple. That said, I look forward to cheating right along with you. I think I may have found my next bike.
Posted on: Sat, 20 Dec 2014 21:29:37 +0000
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