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Giant Trance X Advanced -  Custom

Posted: Feb 08 2011 in We Ride

As you may have noticed, Giant is the latest addition to the Different Bikes lineup. This came as a blessing and a curse for me. I knew that Giant was going to be an excellent brand and value for our customers, but I also knew that I was going to want to grab at least one of the bikes to ride. What I did not expect was to be pedalling around on an all carbon, all-mountain machine.

 

Let us start with a bit of background and personal riding bias to give you some insight into my decisions. I rode for a few years in my  early teens, yeilding to other entertainment through my early 20’s, and reintroducing myself to riding by purchasing a 20 year old Cinelli road bike. From there my love of riding was rekindled and I purchased myself a Santa Cruz Nomad and rode it in every possible situation. I am 6’ 2”, 150lbs (soaking wet) and do not take excessive risks while riding.

Up until last year I tended to point my bike downhill. In my mind cross-country riding was the equivalent of getting a cavity filled. Would I do pedally rides? Yes. As long as it was not labelled XC, I was game, especially if there was large portions of the day pointed down a hill. This started to change last year when I picked up the fantastic Rocky Mountain Altitude. A whole new type of riding opened up for me. New locations, new trails, new challenges. The Altitude could take me places that appeared out of reach on my Nomad. My riding skills improved, my fitness improved, and my love for riding became stronger.

Needless to say, I’m hooked on these “All-mountain/XC/LightFreeride/Trail” rides. Running on Pedal Power the whole day is a very fulfilling experience. The Altitude opened up this style of riding for me, and I would not hesitate to own another.

My motivation for owning a Giant is mostly self-serving in that I love to ride new bikes. I wanted to ride a Giant for a season, so I could provide my friends, and my customers, feedback on how they ride. I love to be able to share experiences with people, and I love bikes. Giant seemed to have a bike that might love me back.

I was flipping through the 2011 catalogue trying to figure out which bike to buy. I was going through the struggles of which bike offered the best value, and the right coverage in my quiver to replace the Altitude. I would be lieing if I said it was an easy choice. The Giant line-up is very strong, offering exceptional value from the top to the bottom.

Here were the goals I had for the bike:
sub-27lb’s
5 and 5
Light enough for all day rides
Strong enough for most of Fromme
Squamish ripper
Sunshine Coast ripper
Burnaby ripper

Unfortunately the only bike that really met all of those criteria was the Giant Trance X SL Advanced. I say unfortunately because I didn’t have the money to purchase one of those out right. The bike is gorgeous, weighs in and around 25lbs and and should rip on the trails.

I decided to take a cruise through the clearout frames and discovered a 2010 Trance X Advanced frame. The gears in my head started grinding away. Could it be possible? Could I make it work? Can I squeeze it into my budget? If I sell one of my bikes, it might just be possible...

I pulled the trigger the next day. I had to have the bike. On paper it ticks of every one of my needs, as long as I build it right.

I started planning my build at the front of the bike. I chose a 2011 Fox Talas RLC 150mm. I love the fact that the fork is adjustable, allowing for steepening and slackening of the head and seat tube angles. I was less concerned about the actual travel adjustments, rather the ability to have a steeper seattube for climbing and a slacker headangle for the descents.

My next decision was the wheels. I wanted to have some lightweight yet sturdy wheels, and of course I wanted to keep the cost down. I found my solution in Stans. You may be familiar with the Stans NoTubes set ups, but they offer a full line up of rims and hubs. Hubs are lightweight, reliable and efficient, while the rims are sturdy and reasonably light. I opted to take a bit of a weight penalty and build up with the Flow rims, as I want the bike to hold up to the rigours of the North Shore.

I’m always a bit befuddled when it comes to drive trains. Sram and Shimano both make exceptional products. This time Shimano won out. I could not ignore the value offered by the XT lineup. The weight is reasonable, the performance is fantastic and the price is not prohibitive.

Stay tuned for some more info about this bike, including my opinions on the ride.

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