Review: Giant Trance X Advanced E+ Elite 0

Four models, all donning the Advanced title, meaning that only carbon frames exist in the Trance X Ad. E+ line up which starts at $6,000 USD and climbs up to more than double that figure for the $14,000 USD, full-meal deal Fox Live Valve equipped Elite 0 model.


Contents

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Frame Details

There are a lot of features to take in with the Trance X Ad. E+ and most of them are high tech, like Fox’s electronically controlled Live Valve suspension. The power button and battery life display are molded into the top tube, with the 400Wh cell being securely bolted inside the downtube. That means there’s no screen to toggle through the motor options. Instead, the RideControl app syncs with your smartphone to adjust the assistance through each level and see the battery life numerically.

Out back, the one-piece rear triangle is dedicated to a 27.5” wheel even though there’s a dual-position flip-chip in the carbon rocker/seatstay pivot. An upright brace running parallel to the seat tube on the non-drive side and the lower, forward pivot doubles as the shock mount.

The tapered 1.125-1.5” fork runs on a full 56mm headtube to allow for the cables to flow into the top headset cup, or through ports along the side of the frame.

Motor & Battery Details

Sitting at 19.05kg, the 2023 Trance X E+ is substantially lighter than the previous model - 4kg less, in fact. Most of that weight savings come in the reduction from a 750Wh battery to the new EnergyPak 400 with the new 22700 cells. Panasonic worked directly with Giant to supply this exclusive technology that weighs 2.3kg.

For those looking to ride further, a new 200 Wh range extender is designed to work with the EnergyPak 400 for a total of 600Wh. The extender weighs 1.3kg and doubles as a powerbank with a USB C plug. This additional unit will be available separately in the USA by April at a cost of $499 USD, but you’ll need to purchase the $100 holster that bolts to the bottle mount as well.

Yamaha’s SyncDrive Pro motor developed for Giant comes in at 2.7kg and can be tuned with the RideControl app to put out anywhere between 20-85Nm through five assist levels via the RideControl Ergo 3 remote. The motor can deliver up to a 400% support ratio and runs on a Praxis spindle interface.

Geometry

Giant made it very clear that they set out to build a lightweight e-bike that handled very quickly and that’s where the geometry plays a huge role, in addition to the weight. A crucial part of that falls to the cornering speed and a short rear center is part of that equation. All sizes use a chainstay of 447mm, making room for only a 27.5” rear wheel. That could also be helpful in reducing the overall weight of the bike too.

To keep the steering quick at lower trail speeds, the minimum head tube angle is 65.8-degrees and can be set even steeper by half a degree. That, combined with the 447mm rear center, gives a wheelbase just shy of 1250mm on the large frame.

When it comes to fit, Giant has stuck to a fleet of four frame sizes, ranging from reach numbers of 438-505mm when in the slacker setting. Those numbers can grow by 10mm when you flip the seatstay pivot chip to yield steeper angles. Then there’s also a difference in crank and stem lengths as you move up the sizing chart.

Other numbers to note are the moderately tall 450mm seat tube length, which could make it a little harder for some riders to run longer travel droppoer posts, and 10mm BB drop. As for the seemingly minimal amount of BB drop, it’s not too worrisome since the center of gravity is lower on eMTBs due to the motor and battery weight, which will offset the slightly higher foot positioning. I’d also wager that going lower would cause concern for motor ground clearance.

Suspension Design

Giant’s Maestro short, dual-link suspension design is a virtual pivot design, differing from the Virtual Pivot Point patent where they rotate in opposite directions. The shock is a 185x52.5mm Trunnion size that provides 140mm of rear wheel travel.

Fox’s electronically controlled Live Valve suspension is the focal point of the bike, with the intention of providing a pedaling platform by opening and closing the damper compression circuits in three milliseconds. Thanks to inclinometer sensors at either end of the bike, the rear suspension rides higher in the travel, reducing the chance of pedal strikes and keeping the seat angle from tipping back. Inside the fork, the “threshold”, or force that it takes to overcome the compression damping, will be completely opened to lower the front end for a more effective climbing position on the bike.

These two sensors send signals to the brain of the system at a rate of one thousand times per second to adjust to the terrain and absorb impacts so there’s no need for a climb switch on the shock. A rebound knob is found on both front and rear dampers, but only a low-speed compression adjustment is featured on the Fit4 fork damper.

In order to adjust the threshold of the Live Valve controls, you’ll have to pair the brain, located under the top tube, to the app. Only a small flashing light and a few clicks from the servos will let you know that the Live Valve is ready to go and the battery runs off of the motor’s energy source. From there, five basic levels each have five threshold, or bump sensitivity, levels - the more forgiving the setting, the longer the valving will stay open.

Specifications

All of the Trance X E+ models come with the Giant SyncDrive Pro2 8Nm motor, EnergyPak 400Wh battery, and a 4-amp charger that will give you 60% of the cell’s potential in one hour and forty-five minutes. These new Elite-level bikes however, are not compatible with the previous range extender.

At the top of the price list, there’s the $14,000 USD Trance X Advanced E+ Elite 0. That’s a mouth full of a title but there’s no shortage of features and components to talk about on this build.

One of the first areas that your eyes are immediately drawn to, after the bowling ball paint job, bronze components, and Fox Live Valve, has to be the one-piece Contact SLR Trail Integrated bar and stem. Weighing just 255g, Giant states that the system saves 214g over the original Contact SL carbon bar and alloy stem. Another claim says that the vertical compliance has been increased by 42% of the original Contact SL carbon bar.

The Contact SLR Trail Integrated system relies on two titanium bolts to clamp onto a traditional 1.125” steer tube where an internal wedge and angled spacers allow for bar roll and stem length adjustment.

At 800mm wide, the bars can be aligned to 7, 8, or 9 degrees of backsweep independently of the stem length which can vary from 40, 45, or 50mm using offset shims. There are even mounts for a GoPro, GPS, or a headlight included.

Electronic components don’t end at the motor or suspension either. SRAM’s TyreWiz tire pressure monitors are also included, along with an XX1 AXS, shifter and derailleur. Those blinking sensors are mounted to ZIPP 3Moto carbon wheels wrapped in Maxxis DoubleDown and EXO+ casing tires. Giant has also spec’d appropriate brakes with SRAM’s popular Code RSC which run on 220 and 200mm rotors.

Dropping down to an even $10,000 USD, the Elite 1 model keeps the Contact SLR bar/stem and Fox Live Valve suspension in the Performance level with black stanchions. The wheels come from Giant in the TRX 2 carbon variety, where SRAM’s Code R brakes and GX drivetrain perform the stopping and going.

Further down the pricing ladder, the Elite 2 and 3 still use a carbon front triangle, but we start to see alloy frame members and wheels. The $7,200 USD Elite 2 still uses the Advanced composite front and rear triangle, but a forged aluminum rocker link and wheels. You’ll find Fox Performance series suspension, Giant AM alloy rims, and Shimano SLX drivetrain and brakes.

At the entry point pricing for the Trance X Advanced E+, the ELite 3 model uses a carbon front and aluminum rear triangle with a RockShox Gold RL fork and Deluxe Select R shock. The drivetrain and brakes move to a Shimano Deore level for $6,000 USD.

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Test Bike Setup


I also needed to move to shorter grips in order to reach the RideErgo 3 remote with my stubby thumbs. With that said, the tapered Giant Tactal Pro-E grips mesh with the remote neatly and come in two sizes; 135mm in length and 28-30mm in diameter, or 142 x 29-32. Lastly, I dropped the stem by 5mm.

As with any suspension setup, the baseline for the Fox Live Valve started with sag measurements of 15% in the front and 30% at the rear shock, but I quickly bumped that up to 11% and 28%. The stock 0.6cc volume spacer was close, but a couple hard slaps to the rear shock enticed me to install a 0.8 spacer and added a fourth one to the fork.

In terms of electronic gubbins, I played with the Live Valve controls quite a bit. For the slower, technical trails around Squamish, I preferred the Comfort mode in the second lightest level. Whereas on the fast and smooth desert trails, where I first tested the bike, you could get away with a firmer threshold since the tires seemed to come into play earlier than on the softer, coastal dirt.

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Climbing

In Mike Kazimer's What Kind of Mountain Bike Should You Buy In 2023 informative article from January, 2023, the categories of mountain bikes are well defined by focusing on the intended ratio of climbing to descending. The 140mm-travel Trance X Advanced E+ slots perfectly into the “trail bike” category that places a 60% emphasis on descending and 40% of your time climbing.

With that said, I’m sure the first question you want answered is, "Does Live Valve make a difference?" Fox intended for this product to make full-suspension bikes more efficient at climbing and coasting through smoother sections of trail, which is where these “trail bikes” really shine.

One-hundred percent - it does what it says on the tin. From the very first pedal stroke, climbing up very technical trails with giant rocks steps was a breeze. The shock opened up to absorb the initial impact from the wheel, but then held up under my pedal inputs, helping to keep the cranks from touching down. These types of climbs can be detrimental to bikes with low anti-squat or ground hugging BB heights.

The Live Valve crucially controls the low-speed inputs from the rider as well, so lunging up and over obstacles didn’t sap speed. At the same time, it doesn’t feel like the climb switch was accidentally left in the “on” position. The threshold, unsurprisingly, holds you up when you need it, and is gone in the blink of an eye - actually, one-hundred times faster than that.

Giant’s Trance X Ad. E+ already has geometry that make it one of the most proficient climbing bikes I’ve ridden. I would pay close attention to the seated position though. At 178cm, I needed to slide the seat all the way forward in the rails, not because the seat tube angle is too relaxed, but the combination of the 76-degree STA and 480mm reach meant my upper body was nearing its limit on comfortably seated. It worked, but just. On hairpin switchbacks when I needed to weight the front wheel, I could feel myself sliding off the nose of the saddle.

At no other time did I feel like the size large was too big, but the top tube length is something for riders with T-rex arms to pay attention to.

Whether or not the cost and complexities of Live Valve are worth it on the Trance X Ad. E+ remain at the discretion of the customer, both in terms of their demands and the size of their wallet. What I can objectively say is that when the motor is turned off, or the battery dies while still climbing (ask me how I know), there is significantly more pedal bob. This makes me wonder what shock specifications Giant has introduced for the two lower end models that don’t feature Live Valve.

One way to alleviate how much battery you’re consuming, besides shuffling through the five output levels, is to tone down the support, torque, and “launch” inputs in the RideControl app. There are very suitable preset motor output styles to choose from, or tweak to your own liking. I toned down the torque in the lower settings to restart on tricky climbs and increased the support in the first support mode because it felt like I was barely matching the motor resistance. After tuning the motor to my liking, I can’t say I had any complaints with the engagement or power delivery.

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Descending

Rewinding back to what a trail bike is designed for, the Trance X Ad. E+ isn’t afraid to charge. Every time I rode this bike, I expected the 66-degree head tube angle to bite back at me. While it could be slacker to add a little confidence by putting more front wheel ahead of you, I find that the Maestro suspension is easy for the rider to interpret.

Whether you’re on the brakes down rutted chutes or pushing into the bike to maneuver it over an obstacle, the suspension never surprises you. There’s traction and compliance where you need it, but holy moly, this is not a stiff ride.

Between the ZIPP wheels, middleweight tires, and the single-sided upright brace on the rear triangle, there is a lot of lateral movement. There’s a noticeable “kick” when you upshift, even when you back off the power, and reverberations can be felt through the frame that will have you second guessing that the axle is tight. Adding heavier casing tires brought on a more supportive feel underfoot. If you can get along with the flex, it will offer enhanced grip on off-camber sections and won't feel like you’re riding a wooden board down the trail.

Further time in Squamish did mean that I would need to add a volume spacer to avoid clapping out the rear shock and would have gladly swapped the fork damper for Fox’s Grip2 counterpart. That would mean ditching the Live Valve altogether, though, because the rear shock relies on the inclinometer inputs from the fork. Only the Fit4 damper is compatible with Live Valve and for my liking, it lacked the initial support that Grip2 offers.

Yamaha’s SyncDrive Pro2 remained reasonably quiet on downhill segments and I’d place it between the Shimano EP and Bosch CX for reference. In terms of engagement, the TQ HPR50 and Bosch CX slightly outperforms the Yamaha, which has a tiny bit more of a kick from the clutch. To put that in terms of other bike parts, that feels and sounds like the quick and solid engagement of a Hope Pro 4 versus a DT Swiss 36-tooth Star Ratchet. Once in a while the usual whipping sound of the chain hitting the frame would be louder than expected, which could be due to the SRAM AXS derailleur, as we’ve mentioned in the past.

Talking about security, the sight of a chainguide is welcomed - can we get these on all bikes? However, the motor lacks any skid plate, besides the outer casing of the motor. There were a few times that I high-centered on an up and over feature. One other area that I’d like to see some insurance on is the Live Valve wiring connection with the fork damper. There’s enough clearance under the downtube and the connection does articulate, but I worried about ripping this out while loading/unloading the bike or bashing through the less-traveled trails.

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Technical Report

Zipp 3Zero Moto wheels: These wheels were designed to be ultra-compliant, so Giant’s choice to spec them on an eMTB that is subjected to larger forces does make for a squiggly ride. My past experience with the Zipp hubs has me worried about the reliability of the system under the loads of a motor. A few pops and bangs were noticed, however, the hub is still going strong.

Fox Live Valve: Live Valve has its place at the rear shock and I can appreciate the open mode that the fork resorts to while climbing. If Fox could package this technology into a Grip2 damper, it would open up the descending capabilities of longer travel bikes that have the most to gain from Live Valve.


How Does It Compare?

The balance that Giant has struck here is that you have a bike that weighs less than 20kg and still puts down 85Nm - bolt on the range extender and crank the output to keep up with full-powered E-bikes or tone it down to 50Nm and opt for a water bottle so you can ride with more SL eMTBs. That’s something that the Trek Fuel EX-e or Specialized Levo SL don’t have the versatility of competing against.

These two bikes are some of the most expensive to come into the hands of Pinkbike editors, so we expected a lot from each bike and the build. Where the Fuel EX-e does outperform the Giant in terms of packaging. In comparison to Live Valve competitors, RockShox has managed to build this into a wireless package - the Flight Attendant. There are no wires running to the suspension dampers and although they don't attempt to achieve the same capabilities, the Fuel EX-e's suspension did leave us in awe of its buttery action and support.

The cleanliness and functionality of the Trek continues with the top notch TQ integrated top-tube display and more favorable haptics of their remote. On the Trance X Ad. E+, I’d often tap the assist buttons but never see any change. There’s no double-tap execution going down with the ErgoRide 3 remote.

Trek’s Fuel EX-e is a full degree slacker and also has the possibility to swap between 27.5 and 29” rear wheels. Plus the chainstay is much shorter at 440mm which balances closer to the average found on SM, MD, and LG trail bikes. I never found that the slacker head tube angle slowed down the Trek in tighter trails or while climbing, however, it was a mighty descender for its size.

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Pinkbike's Take

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Posted In:
eMTB Reviews and Tech Reviews Trail Bikes Giant Giant Trance X