In a world of MTB bikes that keep getting crazier – there is a bike that still suits the silent majority.
The silent majority – I don’t mean those voters that the Labour Party forgot about a month or so ago, and I don’t mean the people in the rust belt of the good ol’ US of A…
I mean the very large number of MTB riders out there who simply get on their bike at any chance they get and take on their local trails and like to hook into the corners, maybe get a bit of air off a few drops and are pretty excited if they beat their mates on the flow sections of track. These same people are happy to get a ride in after work and if they get ankle high off the ground, so be it, but that won’t stop them from riding as many trails as they can next weekend when they decide to go with their mates to some of the more technical trails in say, central Victoria.
This silent majority often tells me in store they want to get better at all aspects of MTB riding and attack trails with better skills, but any improvements in their ability is often measured and conservative.
In a world of increasingly more aggressive trail bikes, that have marketing and action shots attached to them that scream “I am going hard, and my bike needs to follow me” its easy to assume that is how every body rides now… but what about the silent majority – TRADITIONAL TRAIL RIDERS…
Well if you think this is a fairly close description of yourself, or your not sure where you really fit in the big world of trail bikes, then the Giant Trance 29er range of bikes should be close to the top of your purchase list.
Giant have 4 models of Trance 29er available here in Australia at present, all spec’d with suspension numbers that read something like this:
130mm front suspension / 115mm rear suspension / 66.5 degree head angle / 435mm chain stays / 35mm BB drop…
So what’s in those numbers?
Well the biggest thing to note is 115mm rear suspension with 130mm front – it almost looks like a mismatch – 115mm more in the zone of XC bikes for podium hunters and 130mm more in the typical zone for a 29er trail bike. But these numbers are the basis for the perfect bike for normal trail riders. Have you heard the terminology lately: “lower, slacker, longer” ?
Lower bottom bracket heights, slacker head angles and longer travel? All categories of bike are going this way, and for good reason as most trail networks are getting more aggressive with lots of variation from big climbs to very step, techy descents and more flowing jumps to clear. The new Trance 29er bikes certainly have moved in this direction also, but they haven’t gone too far. They have the right mix of slack angles, a fun playful feel and brilliant hassle free pedaling ability that requires very little mucking around to get right.
This bike is far more capable of being aggressive than the numbers suggest, which is great testament to the R & D Giant have done. Originally I was thinking when I first saw the new Trance 29er in a sneak peek viewing July 2018, that it would be a bike with 130mm suspension front and rear – that’s what most trail bikes should have for the silent majority. So why 115mm? Well I can say from experience, it feels a lot more like 130mm traditional trails bikes, but the 115mm was simply the happy medium to balance pedaling efficiency, aggressive ability and fun. I was stoked to see a bike design that doesn’t follow marketing hype and design, resulting in a bike that is perfect for the intended purpose.
This bike is for you – our normal trail riders out there who want a bike they can do all of their normal riding with plus some “what if”…what if I go to some tracks that are more aggressive than I normally do, what if I follow my mates on their big momma trail bike, what if I want to attack a few more drops and jumps beyond my normal.
We keep the range of Trance 29er in store for you to see and also demo. This bike platform is already our most popular trail bike for 2019 – and I look forward to being able to discuss and sell this product to more lucky customers for the next few years at least.
Keep an eye out on our store social media for an up coming video edit I recently made aboard my Trance 29er at Canberra’s Mt. Stromlo.
Thanks for your time,
Billy