Giant Release new Trance X Advanced E+

Giant's new Trance X Advanced E+ is aimed at all day trail riding.

Australian Mountain Bike 24.11.2021

Words: Will Shaw

Photos: Giant Bicycles 


Hot on the heels of their new Reign E+ range, Giant have released the new Trance X Advanced E+ range. The new range consists of two models, both using the same carbon frame, which is the first carbon eMTB Giant have made. We covered the new Syncdrive Pro Motor, Ride Control Go Unit, and Ride Control Ergo 3 controller in detail in that article, and those same components are used on the Trance X Advanced E+ range (lets go with Trance E+ from now). 

The Giant Trance X Advanced E+ range is Giant’s first carbon eMTB.

If you didn’t see the Reign E+ article, the SyncDrive Pro Motor is both smaller and lighter than its predecessor, whilst also offering a competitive 85nm of torque and up to 400 percent assistance. The Ride Control Go Unit and Ride Control Ergo 3 Controller consist of a top tube mounted display similar to the Specialized Levo and minimalist controller that provides a displayless handlebar/stem area, and gives you all the essential information such as power mode and battery remaining. 

The SyncDrive Pro Motor is a significant improvement over its predecessor.

Similar to their acoustic cousins, the Trance E+ is more of a trail-oriented model than the Reign E+, with 150mm of front travel paired with 140mm of travel in the rear. Similar to their new Anthem cross-country range announced last week, the Trance E+ will come with two Live Valve equipped models, one with Factory suspension from Fox, and the other with Performance Line Elite models. Fox 36 forks and Float X shocks fit the bill for aggressive trail usage. Unlike the mullet equipped Reign E+, the Trance E+ range comes exclusively with 29” wheels.

Whilst the mullet wheel setup on the Reign E+ range allowed them to trim the chainstay length on that bike from a lengthy 470mm to 454mm-457mm depending on setup, the new Trance E+ range comes with reach-esque chainstays measuring 473mm in all sizes. There’s no doubt this will provide a stable ride in the larger sizes, but the reach to chainstay discrepancy in the smaller sizes is fairly large, for example the size small features a 439mm reach paired with a 473mm chainstay.

The long chainstays will offer stability, but pulling a manual will require some effort.

The Trance E+ range features a flip chip adjustment that offers .7 of a degree adjustment of the head and seat tube angles, which also impacts a whole host of other geometry metrics a marginal amount. I think adjustable geometry is a great feature for any bike, I just wish the adjustment on offer was greater, as these fractional changes are often barely perceptible on the trail.

The high geometry position is more pedal friendly.

Assuming most riders will opt for the low and slack geometry position, the reach ranges from 439mm in a size small, to 510mm in the XL. The head angle is 66.5 degrees in a size large, which is on the conservative side for a bike with this amount of travel heading into 2022. 

The Trance E+’s geometry is on the conservative side.

The Trance E+ range’s geometry and componentry mix points to it being more of an all-day machine than being aimed at ultra-aggressive riding. The bike comes as standard with a new 625wh EnergyPak Battery, however there’s the option to add a 250wh range extender, which would give you a total of 875wh to play with.

There will be two models of Trance X Advanced E+ coming into Australia, priced as follows:

Trance X Advanced E+0 – $12799

  • Fox Factory Live Valve suspension
  • 12 speed XT drivetrain and 4 piston brakes
  • Giant wheels and finishing kit

The Giant Trance X Advanced E+0 will retail for $12799.

Trance X Advanced E+1 – $10799

  • Performance Line Fox Live Valve suspension
  • 12 speed XT drivetrain and brakes with some minor changes from the 0 model 
  • Giant wheels and finishing kit 

The Giant Trance X Advanced E+1 will retail for $10799.

For more information on the new Trance X Advanced E+ range, head to the Giant Australia website

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