Advice: 2011 Giant Anthem x2, Giant Trance x2 or Scott Spark 50.

[crankee]

Just want to throw my 10 cents worth in. Giant always clear out their stock before a new model arrives. I have 2 mates who bought 2010 Trance X1's brand new for $2700 late last year. Thats alot of bike for not much more than the X2. If you are worried about weight, I built up my XO for endurance racing & it weighs 10.6kg. It could be even lighter if money was no object. I find the best characteristic of the Trance over the Anthem & other Cross Country orientated bikes is that it is so forgiving & compensating. When you get tired or sketchy, all you have to do is point & shoot. Make mistakes on other bikes & you will be punished. The Trance may not be as quick & responsive as others but it truly is a great all rounder.

 

[dk13]

thanks crankee,

Thats exactly what i'm looking on a bike, something that will forgive my little mistakes, and keep me going on the track, since i'm no super rider, and still on my beginning stages, a forgiving bike will give me more confidence to ride it and push my limits...

Do you know when do they normally release the newer models? As it might be worth waiting for it... For example i do kiteboarding too and i know normally new models arrive early september...

cheers,
dan

 

[crankee]

Not sure exactly, someone else may be able to clarify but I'm pretty sure Giant release their new models not long after the start of the financial year e.g:2012 bikes released around September of 2011. Once the new models come out all the previous models are heavily discounted. As an example, Bike Exchange has some shops selling 2010 Trance X Advanced SL O for $4999 reduced from $7999. Out of most peoples price range but you get the idea of the price reductions. Good Luck.

 

[dk13]

yeah thanks for that, but i don't think i'll wait that long, as the wind season is back on in september and i'll be kiteboarding a lot more that riding... i was trying to get the bike sooner than later so i can enjoy mtbiking during winter and get a bit better, than when it comes september i might change sports priorities hehehe...

Sucks we need more weekend days on the week to do everything we like hey hehehe....

But thanks for the tip, i had a look around and couldn't find any 2010 models they are all gone apparently.

cheers,
dan

 

[4dri4n]

thanks crankee,

Thats exactly what i'm looking on a bike, something that will forgive my little mistakes, and keep me going on the track, since i'm no super rider, and still on my beginning stages, a forgiving bike will give me more confidence to ride it and push my limits...

Do you know when do they normally release the newer models? As it might be worth waiting for it... For example i do kiteboarding too and i know normally new models arrive early september...

cheers,
dan

Last I heard its around the September mark, but it could be june and july which is when I wouldve though

 

[Anna85]

Hi there, just be mindful with the Scotts they do not have a lifetime warranty on the frames whereas Giant does... and i think Scott has been bought out anyway??? someone correct me if i'm wrong?

 

[4dri4n]

Hi there, just be mindful with the Scotts they do not have a lifetime warranty on the frames whereas Giant does... and i think Scott has been bought out anyway??? someone correct me if i'm wrong?

You are correct they have been brought out, and I think it was by avanti.

 

[dk13]

Correct me if i'm wrong, but i'm pretty sure Avanti frames are made by Giant... does that means scott will now also be made by giant?

cheers,

 

[jeffphoon]

I bought a 2011 Trance X2 just recently, about 2 months ago, when Ivanhoe cycles was having a ridiculous sale on. Cost me only $2,099 which was a real bargain. I have no complaints about the bike, being a noob on dual suspension bikes. What I will say is that it is incredible value for money.

It climbs very well and the Dynasys (3x10) gearing gives you more options for the trail.

The bike pedals incredibly well, and the Maestro does a very good job of reducing the pedal bob. I compared it against a friend's 2009 Specialized FSR and another mate's GT dually, the Trance pedalled much better than the GT. It is also much more planted, I think due to the 1.5" tapered headtube.

I got the Trance over the Anthem as I wanted the extra 1" of travel in case the trails got a bit more technical. It is also not as "stretched" as the Anthem. The only issue I had, being 173cm and slightly short-limbed, is that I was on the "far" side of the S-size model, and somewhere in the "left-of-center" for the M-size model. In the end I decided to go with the S-size after testing both the S and the M.

Good luck!

 

[dk13]

nice jeff,

thanks for the feedback, i'm the same here, right in the middle of M and L frames 180cm, but i think i'll go M my current bike is M too...

but 2099 it's pretty cheap, the cheapest i got was $2250, also got 2200 but it's a bit of a drive to north brisi... so i rather stay local and pay $50 extra, at least i know they will look after me when i need...

cheers,
dan

 

[scbullit]

i've been doing some homework in the mean time, and according to some reviews and sites seems that since 1990's most of the suspension designs have improved a lot on eliminating the bob effect... still couldn't find what is the best design for it, but everyone says the santa cruz design seems to be a good one, unfortunately those bikes are way over my price tag, maybe one day...

I have owned Santa Cruz (Blur, VP Free and Bullit) and now own Giants (Anthem, Trance and Glory) - they ride just as good if not better and much better value for money!

 

[dk13]

Thanks scbullit,

Sometimes makes me wonder why some people speak so baddly about giants, they seems to have the best value for money, when you go to any other brand to get the same specs you pay 2x the price...

When I asked the guy from specialized demo the other day how much was the epic comp he said $4.5k than I mentioned it was way over my budget, he justified saing that specialized gives you life time warranty on the frame (don't most of the bike brands do?), and than he went on and on about the technology they put on the frames... But even with this amazing technology, the anthem is one of the lightest full suspension aluminum bikes on the market, for half the price...

My friend that rides with me is one of those, every time I mention giant he kind of twist his nose, and mention Santa Cruz and other brands... Yeah they look good, I agree and if I had the money I'd probably buy one, my friend keeps telling me to keep my hard tail for few more years and save more money for a better bike.

I'm going to make him bite his thongue... I'll get my trance and show him that cheap doesn't means bad.

 

[pharmaboy]

I have a cannondale rush sl and loved taking the piss out of giant owners - but as of last week i have a giant reign as a trail bike! So in the words of a fellow giant rider I have joined the Hyundai car club! ;D

Maybe this has some parallels with the car industry - if you look at pricing in Oz, Giants are the same price here as the US - check specialized and cannondale etc - and the price in the US is much cheaper than here. At least the cannondales have some justification for the frames that are made in the USA rather than Taiwan - and the specialized brain is no doubt a more expensive shock than an rp23 - a few hundred maybe, $1500 no way!

Not on your list, but I'll give you first impressions on a reign2 - maestro really does work, just flows over rough stuff (much better than on the 09 trance i road last week), but needs some weight reduction (slow accelerating - feels like heavy wheelset to me). It does have a nasty habit of dropping from the 28tooth to the 11 on rougher stuff, which I'll have to try and figure out - could be cheap x5 shifter perhaps?

AETOTD, I paid $1760 for a brand new bike that will need some upgrades along the way - so I havent risked too much. You cant argue the value, and you could go the way of the Hyundai world and debadge your ride! ;D

 

[dk13]

Hahaha ababa pharmaboy,

That was a classic analogy Hyundai.... But I the idea of debadging will only mean that I'm driving a Hyundai with a Subaru STI body kit on it... And thats even lamer... Hahahhahah if you are going Hyundai better wear the shirt.... May be one that says my other car is a Ferrari Hahhahhahahahah....

But I agree with you bike prices in AUS suck, my friend just got back from US with a brand new top of the line Santa Cruz and according to him he saved about $3.5k on it...

Anyway thanks for the laugh...

 

[stinkytodamax]

thanks mike for throwing another bike in my head.... all i needed heheheheh

just kiddin, the Reign never crossed my head as being a 6" suspension, feels it's more a downhill bike than the trance, and after riding the stump jumper from specialized it made me thing about it a bit more, as i mentioned before, i tested the epic and felt a lot more comfortable in it than the stump and the epic is a 4" bike, and the stump is 5"... so 6" on the reign will be a bit too much i think... but yes the frame does look nicer than the trance and the anthem... but unfortunately i can't take all of them to the trail to test them, not even one of them, being that i liked the epic i think i'm still going to stick with my gut feeling and keep looking at the trance or the anthem...

but thanks for your input... if i find the opportunity of riding the reign i'll definitely give it a go...

cheers,
dan

I had a 2009 Stumpjumper and 2010 Reign at the same time. The long and the short of it was that I sold the reign within a couple of months. The Stumpjumper as would a trance covers the middle ground so well.

Reign bottom bracket height always felt to high for trail riding and climbing, bike was deffinately heavier no doubt due to the increased travel and stiffness. Good points were it was very stable on the downs and the whole package was very good value for money.

I tested the trance X2 and Stumperjumper before I made up my mind to go with the Specialized merely for the fact that it felt slightly lower and longer and the shock had lockout (which I never use) and the price was lower than the trance so it was a good deal at the time. I am sure I wouldnt have been unhappy with the trance though it was a great bike. Dont be fooled a Gaint Trance X2 is no Hyundai its a WRX cheap thrills for those who dont want to pay for a C200 Kompressor.

But what am I saying I ride a steel hardtail with a 130mm fork and 2.1 tyres as often as possble now.

 

[morganb4]

I just picked up an anthem X1, shoes and spdf pedals for $3095.

Love it, really comfortable. It fit me and my problems straight out of the box with no tweaks.

Gears feel like shit atm but thats just an adjustment/wear thing. The Meastro feels great but I have come from hardtails so I don't have anything to compare it to.

B

 

[dk13]

Thanks stinky,

may I ask where did you find a stumpjumper cheaper than the trance x 2?

One more question since you tested Both of them, Ive tested the stumpy a couple a weeks ago, and it was the top of the line s-works model... Worth about 9k... And to be honest with you I didn't like it, it felt quite big and heavy, with soggy suspension. it might have been at the bike was setup to my friends weight who is 8kg lighter than me... But the epic comp felt a lot more nimble and quicker... I know they are 2 different bikes altogether, the epic will be more towards the anthem and the stumpy like the trance.

Can you tell me in terms of riding, how would you compare the stumpy and the trance?

Does your stumpy have the brain?

Cheers dan

 

[nickdos]

I just picked up a Trance X2 for a bargain ($1999). I was also looking at the new Avanti Torrent 1 but I just couldn't go past the price I was offered for the Trance. I'm now just hoping I won't be wishing I had the slightly longer travel of the Torrent (140mm front & 135mm rear). But as this is my first dually I think it will keep me happy for a while.

 

[dk13]

$1999!!!! Where did you find that???

 

[nickdos]

$1999!!!! Where did you find that???

Tuggeranong in the ACT (used to be called Onya Bikes). They've decided to no longer carry Giant (there were 9 dealers in Canberra!). So they were getting rid of 2011 stock. I got the last Trance X and they only had one Anthem X3 for $1499 left, plus a few carbon/composite models). I was told it was cost price (probably close to it).

Glad I called around as the best price I'd had was $1899 for the Trance X3. Just got lucky I think. Also helped being short (173cm) as they only had a small.