Submitted by
adhiland
a Weekend Warrior
from Guanajuato México
Date Reviewed: October 15, 2011
Strengths: Climbing great. Nice color
Weaknesses: Heavy for all my friend (But I like that)
Bottom Line:
I had this bike for years and used it very few (I bought it second hand). I sell my main bike (Trek 8500 2008) because i have not to many time to ride seriously. I used part of the money to buy some new parts (Bontrager TLR rims, 10 speed drive train, Elixir 5 brakes).
I'm just coming back from my first ride and I can´t remove the smile in my face. Yeah; it's heavy; but climbing is like to ride an small tractor. And going down is much better than any hard tail I have ever Ride.
There is not question. My next bike must be a Trance X3 at least (or maybe a newest Trance Frame).
Similar Products Used: Scott Genius
Specialized FSR
Bike Setup: SRAM X7 10 speed
Marzocchi 33 TST2 2009
Hutchinson Piranha on Bontrager TLR
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
jesseruns
a Cross Country Rider
from Northeast TN
Date Reviewed: April 22, 2011
Strengths: awesome rear suspension design it hardly gives at all when I'm climbing
Weaknesses: A little heavy(31.5 pds), but this is the bottom of the line for this model
Bottom Line:
I love this bike. I switched from a bike with too many failing components to rehab and just love the trust I have gained in my bike. This thing rocks down hills and with the front shock locked out can really move up the hills. I am very impressed and while I look forward to upgrading the components I think this frame will last me a long time.
Submitted by
Conrosa
a Weekend Warrior
from Bakersfield Ca USA
Date Reviewed: March 6, 2011
Strengths: This is my first full suspension bike. I just purchased this bike on 3/3/11. I took it on my first ride on 3/5/11. I do not have much to compare it to. Even though I bought the botom model the frames on the 4-1 are all the same so I will be able to upgrade my components and get as good of a bike.
Weaknesses: None yet
Bottom Line:
This is my first full suspension bike and I love it. I noticed that I was taking more agressive lines while going down hill and it was easy climbing besause there was no suspension bob. As i ride i will add more post and keep every one updated.
Submitted by
Grave9
a Weekend Warrior
from Phoenix, AZ, USA
Date Reviewed: September 8, 2009
Strengths: A really good all-round bike for a beginner like myself. I didn't want to jump into a $1,000 plus bike without riding a trail first and now that I have ridden the Trance 4 as well as $1,000 plus bikes I'm beyond happy.
Weaknesses: This may just me me and i know it can be adjust with tires, but I feel my cranks sit lower than other bikes. Hopping up over things I tend to drag a little more than other people.
Bottom Line:
I've upgraded the whole stock drivetrain and this bike climbs and DH's Great. It has helped me get into the sport and really enjoy getting out there on the trail, even in 100 plus temperatures!
Strengths: Bike is great introductory bike for someone looking at getting a full suspension and the bike is a good platform for ubgrades. I've upgraded everything except the shifters and rear shock by this point. I like the feel of the Maestro suspension relative to the Trek and Specialized and Pivot suspension designs i've been on.
Weaknesses: Heavy. This generation of the Trance has the rear shock breaking through the downtube which means a lot of extra metal to reinforce the area. The frame in heavy relative to the rest of the field in the suspension range. And the stock manito Axel isn't worth its weight in scrap metal. Replace it immediately.
Bottom Line:
If you're pushing the limits of your hardtail and don't want to take a beating at the bank, this is for you.
If you expect your riding to progress quickly, i'd look for a better platform with which to work.
Bike Setup: Frame: 2006 Giant Trance 4 Large (20in)
Fork: Marzocchi All Mountain 3 (130mm 2005)
Rear Shock: Fox Float R
Rear Wheel: Mavic Crossride w/ mavic hub and mavic bladed spokes
Front Wheel: Mavic XM117 with deore hub
Cassette: LX 32-11T
Rear Tire: Maxxis Advantage 2.1
Front Tire: Maxxis Highroller 2.3
Brakes: Avid BB7s 160mm front and rear
Pedals: Shimano DX
Cranks/Bottom Braket: Truvativ Stylo 3.3 175mm integrated crank and BB
Rear Der: Shimano XT
Front Der: Shimano LX
Shifters: Shimano Rapidfire Deore
Handlebar: Bontranger Race Flat
Stem: Easton EA30 80mm
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Submitted by
zander4
a Cross Country Rider
from Atlanta, GA
Date Reviewed: March 3, 2009
Strengths: FRAME! Wow strong and well balanced.Handles very well and does'nt weigh a ton.The color gets alot of praise in the parking lots.
Weaknesses: Front end,brakes,bars and stem.The front end is good enough to hold the front wheel on,but its a Manitou so don't expect much if you ride aggresive.Comes with Easton EA 30 stem and bars.Ouch!Also comes from the factory with V brakes.Enuff said bot that.I know the factory did this to keep the cost at an entry level full suspension price.
Bottom Line:
I bought this bike knowing I was going to upgrade the front end and a few little things.It already had the dealer upgrades such as brakes,derailurs,cranks etc.This is a great bike for the little money I have in it.The bottom line is this bike has lots of potential for upgrades and mine performs as well as the newer, more expensive Trance X series for half the money.I love it!
Bike Setup: Race Face Carbon Cranks.FSA OS Carbon Stem.Avid BB7 disc.Shimano XT Derailur and shifter.Marzocchi 120mm xc front end.
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Submitted by
jpar4
a Weekend Warrior
from Gastonia, NC
Date Reviewed: December 2, 2008
Strengths: Stock components are adequate for mild to hard riding. This bike can take a beating with little maintenance.
Weaknesses: Bike is a little heavy. Stock rear tire-Kenda Komodo- not good in mud or slick trails. Front fork seems clunky but is holding up OK.
Bottom Line:
Good solid full-susp bike that could be much better with a few upgrades but is fine stock. If you like to ride and not work on your bike, this unit will do. If you like to do your own upgrades to improve your bike, this is a good starting point.
Bike Setup: WTB Velociraptor rear tire is a good upgrade, the front Komodo is not a problem. Switched to an XTR chain when I broke the stock unit because of abusive shifting.
Strengths: Price, equipement (frame Rigid and maestro system/fox rear shock with propedal, shimano/truvativ groups), reliable, upgradable
Weaknesses: front shock (i knew went I bought it, that's why i did it), wheels (a bit flex), brakes, stem. A bit heavy in front of most recent and similar bikes
Bottom Line:
Very good bike for my budget. In order to have a better bike, you MUST change these awfull manitou axel comp fork witch is loud and stiffless. The stock weels appears to be quite too flex, so you can change for better stuff if you like (my new Vanilla R made me forget the manitou after the first ride). And I'm pleased to have more travel (130 against 100 mm). But I've had to put more pression into the float r shock to compensate).
V-Brakes are good ones (Avid SD5) but not compatible with every wheels, and you can prefer disk brakes.
Cut or change the handlebar, change stem to have a shorter one if you like enduro/freeride stuff.
This bike is the best operation you can make to have a well built (frame), polyvalent and evolutive bike at the best price.
Then, you can put componements you like, when you'll have money to. I do not regret avfter 6 years.
Similar Products Used: Commençal meta 5.3, Rockrider 9.1, Lapierre X-control evo 2
Bike Setup: Trance 4 V. 2006 upgrated with a Fox vanilla R fork (2005-130 mm), Mavic EN 321 wheels, hayes nine HD brakes and 80 mm stem (against the 110 mm Easton)
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Tiva
a Cross Country Rider
from Lubbock, TX, USA
Date Reviewed: November 9, 2007
Strengths: Appears to have been built very solidly as I have had many crashes and it is still intact (except one of the knobs on the chainstay broke off one day NOT after a crash). Other than that I can not say as it is my 1st Mountain bike.
Bike Setup: Upgraded to Rock Shox Reba SL, Thompson seat post, WTB velociraptors, Truativ Firex crank, Avid BB5 brakes (soon: FSA K-Force carbon riser bar, FSA OS-170 stem, 2007 SRAM X-7 rear derailler, and 2007 Avid BB-7 rear brake)
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Submitted by
mark smith
a Racer
from morristown,tenn.usa
Date Reviewed: October 24, 2007
Strengths: reliable and durable,used and abused straight off the showroom floor and hasnt flinched yet.I ride hard ,jumps,humps,roots and rocks.Fully upgradeable if you want to.
Weaknesses: handlebars too wide, front fork stiff(worked better after I put 3 in 1 oil on outside of fork upper tube).Rear shock lower end exposed to rocks and dirt(made my own plastic guard for it).
Bottom Line:
Burns up the trail without me having to worry about breakdown(I ride pedal to the metal)! Get one if you can find it since Giant no longer makes the trance 4. I would recommend this bike for anyone from beginner to expert.
Similar Products Used: Specialized Stumpjumper FSR
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Submitted by
Andrew
a Weekend Warrior
from Kennesaw
Date Reviewed: May 9, 2007
Strengths: Frame, rear shock, upgradability.
Weaknesses: Fork, V-brakes, tires
Bottom Line:
This is a great bike for the money. It seems as thought it was made specificaly for upgrading. With the new fork and brakes this bike absolutely rocks. I plan on changing the tires soon and the components as the break.
Bike Setup: RockShox Revelation 426, Avid Juicy 7 brakes
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Paul Dulac
a Weekend Warrior
from Wirral, England
Date Reviewed: April 17, 2007
Strengths: Sweet rear suspension for price. Plenty of upgrade potential. Fantastic fun "do-it-all" trail bike - more comfortable and robust than all out XC bikes and lighter and better at climbing than most "All Mountain" bikes.
Weaknesses: Manitou Axle fork stinks, Easton kit is a con.
Bottom Line:
I got the Trance 4 with upgraded brakes (Hayes HFX9) at a really good price so I could upgrade the components bit by bit over time. On my first ride I knew the bike was a dream, the Hutchinson Bulldog tyres were a nightmare and the bars were far too wide. Axle fork was usable on a temporary basis but is heavy and has limited adjustability - now use Reba with lockout which is a LB lighter and transforms the ride of the bike. Was initially concerned that better Trances come with Fox Float RP3 which is as Float R but with lockout - I now feel that the Maestro suspension system works so well with Fox's Propedal shock that between them they virtually eliminate almost all pedal bob so the lockout of the RP3 is not really needed on a Maestro equipped frame. You should note that the Easton parts (bars, seatpost, stem, etc) are not their usual off-the-shelf models - the cheapest of which is the EA30 which I think can be found on older Trance 3s. The 2005/2006 Trance 4 has dodgy "no model" Easton parts that really let a good company down. I took the bar off to cut it down (as most people do as it is far too wide) and found it to be really heavy and VERY thick in cross-section so instead of cutting it down I threw it away and got something else! This experience has made me wonder about the quality of the other Easton parts that come OEM on a Trance 4 and have no model name. Overall, I love my now "Custom" Trance which has only really been affordable by initially buying a Trance 4. Except for the Bulldog tyres and the wide bars the Trance 4 is a fantastic all-round trail bike for the price and is highly recomended if you want to upgrade as you go.
Similar Products Used: Marin FSR DH, Specialised Hardrock Pro.
Bike Setup: Rockshox Reba fork with remote lockout, Hayes HFX9 disc brakes, Truvativ FireX crankset, Crank bros Candy SL pedals, XT/LX mechs, Carbon low-rise bar, Panaracer Cinder 2.1 Tyres, Mavic Crossride Wheels.
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Submitted by
Mark
a Cross Country Rider
from Washington D.C. USA
Date Reviewed: March 30, 2007
Strengths: 1. This bike was very reasonably priced and the maestro suspension is very nicely designed. Even with the Stock Fox Float R shock (properly adjusted) there is virtually no "pedal bob" in the rear.
2. All Deore or better components... perfect for the level of bike and the use. As components break down or get damaged on the trail I may upgrade, but it is not necessary out of the box.
Weaknesses: 1. As strong as the rear suspension with Fox shock is, the front suspension is at the completely opposite end of the spectrum. My Trance 4 came with the Manitou Axel Elite 100mm shock. It is horrible (I weigh over 200#) and I replaced it with a Fox Float RL 100mm air shock. It completely changed the bike for the better.
2. I also left the store with upgraded tires... I ditched the stock one without even trying based on reports here.
Bottom Line:
You can't beat the Maestro design. With any good Fox pedalpower shock it works superbly, smooth over rough terrain and almost no power loss on hill climbs. I bought this bike after reading the reviews here and knew I would be changing a few things... the basic platform and components (aside from the fork) are great and with a few tweaks this bike can be truly killer for XC.
This bike flat out does not suck. The Maestro suspension provides enough travel without pedal bob. It's perfect for attacking uphills. I live in a hilly region of west Georgia and was worried about attacking these climbs with a full suspension; I barely noticed any difference. I got up the hills with ease and went down the descents with much stability. The 4 inches of travel is just enough for trails saturated with rocks and tree roots, so if you ride fairly rough XC terrain this bike is a perfect choice, but I wouldn't recommend this for anything beyond cross country, for that you may want to try the Reign (it has more travel). The Manitou Fork is decent for me because I'm 6'2" tall and weigh 160 pounds. If you weigh much more than that, you may want to upgrade it to something that better fits you. Eventually, I'll make the upgrade myself, but for now, the stock Manitou fork does the job. The Deore components are okay, but they could eventually require a change, luckily the bike is easily upgraded. The handlebars are also a tad wide. I tend to grab a couple of trees occasionally, so those will be trimmed down soon enough.
All in all...the Trance 4 is a solid bike and the ability to uprade make the weaknesses seem nonexistent. I do, however, deduct a chili for the brakes and the wide handle bars. I still recommend this bike to anyone in the market for a solid XC ride with a sweet suspension.
Looking to rid the 2.2 rubber queen (non UST) on the rear as it keeps leaking. Conti still don't do the 2.2. UST in Chilli so next best is Nobby Nic 2.4.
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I know that my Reba SL fork can hold 2.4 tyres max :)
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Giant has lower end components but 5" of travel and is brand new. Can be had for between $1200-1400
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i just changed out the rock show tora for a fox float 32, now the fork seems to shake i can see movement in the head set when i press on the front break and push and pull front to Read More »
