First impression/out of the box
Appearance: attractive paintwork with matching decals on fork and shock
Workmanship: very high quality
Details: clever chainstay protector
Cable routing: internal and intelligently implemented

About the bike
The Giant Trance shines with solid and high-quality equipment, mostly from our own company and from the SRAM Group. The in-house dropper post is underpowered at 100 mm travel and no longer up to date. The already stretched riding position becomes even longer with the offset seat post and a 70 mm stem, the 730 mm handlebar fits, but could be wider depending on your preference. The Rock Shox suspension, XO1 drivetrain and Guide brakes are tried and tested components that you can rely on. We liked the Giant wheels, they are light, stiff and contribute a lot to the bike's directional stability.

First impression/out of the box
Appearance: attractive paintwork with matching decals on fork and shock
Workmanship: very high quality
Details: clever chainstay protector
Cable routing: internal and intelligently implemented

Ride report

First meters
The frame size M is large. As there is no short stem to hand at the moment, the saddle is simply pushed forward as far as possible. It will fit. Even on the parking lot lap, it's clear that the bike accelerates well and likes speed

.

Up the mountain
The Trance is all about climbing, the low weight, the adjustable shock and fork, the 27.5" tires with low rolling resistance and the stretched riding position let you pedal uphill like a mountain chamois. Even technical trails uphill can be ridden without much resistance.

Single trails
Thanks to the very sensitive suspension, the Warp-3 heats you up over hill and dale, immediately giving you that flow feeling. You also have very good feedback from the ground and quickly realize that the Trance is a thoroughbred trail bike
. The bike can be steered and maneuvered precisely. At 67 degrees, the steering angle is very contemporary, neither too steep nor too slack and harmonizes well with the long wheelbase.

Downhill
The bike also does a good job going downhill, unless you keep your hands off the brakes. Then the suspension can't keep up and the shock in particular has trouble absorbing the fast, hard hits. The comfort zone is then left behind and you thunder down the slope with less control, so good riding technique is an advantage. However, if you are not riding in race mode but simply at full speed, the Maestro suspension has no trouble at all! The Trance also feels good in the air, it doesn't shy away from jumps and can even cope with imprecise landings.

Riding behavior in a nutshell
Rear suspension: sensitive on bumps and forgiving on medium bumps, rather high end progression. Despite more than 30% SAG at the rear, not all of the suspension travel is released even with large compressions
.

Front suspension: No need to say anything about the Rock Shox Revelation, it does a great job
Steering: This is remarkably precise, whether at walking pace in technical passages or in full throttle mode downhill, the bike is very easy to steer
Drive neutrality: Thanks to the 3-way adjustable setting in the shock, the bike only bobs imperceptibly
Uphill: Goes uphill almost by itself
Downhill: Very good downhill characteristics, only insufficient in race mode
Ride feel in general: neutral, precise steering

Defects
The lever width can no longer be adjusted on one of the brake levers, the screw is jammed, a well-known problem with the Guide RS
Otherwise, there were no negative incidents during the two-month test period

Conclusion
Area of application: Singletrail tours
Strengths: Smooth ride, climbing characteristics, acceleration
Weaknesses: Shock struggles at high speed in rough terrain
Optimization potential: Telescopic dropper post with 125 or 150 mm travel
Recommendation: The ideal bike for the sporty trail rider