Great suspension, plush and ramps up at just the right point. Absolutely dialled geometry, superb at descending steep, technical terrain, whilst being an efficient pedaller and good on the climbs. Fun, pops off jumps and easy to get the front wheel up. Has allowed me to nail descents aht I've struggled with on bigger, slacker bikes.

None really. Can't speak for longevity/reliability

Thought I'd chuck my two penn'orth in here. Firstly want to point out that some comments here are from 2+ years ago. That means they equate to the previous version of the Trance, NOT the 2017 which is very different.

So I bought the Trance 2 in the sales last week. I've previously owned, and ridden extensively, a Turner Flux (2010), a Turner 5.Spot (2009), a Norco Sight (2013), a Vitus Sommet (2015) and a clutch of hardtails incl the 2Souls Quarterhorse which was one of the first 140mm hardcore hardtails.

I live in the NW of England and my regular riding incorporates everything from trail centre reds and blacks to very steep , rocky and rooty (not to mention damp) natural trails in the hills of Derbyshire and the Pennines. Also the occasional trip to the mountains of the Lake District and Snowdonia.

Took the new Trance on one of my local(ish) loops in the Pennines at the weekend. Three hours of properly steep, damp, rocky and rooty (with a fair dollop of mud thrown in) descents and over 800m of climbing. Have to say that the bike was superb. Cleaned stuff easily that I struggled with on the 160mm Sommet, suspension front and back was plush and responsive and didn't bottom out once (I'm 6'4" and weigh in excess of 17 stone/220 pounds) and never felt that the long stem/short bar was an issue. In fact felt just right on the bike, to the extent that my initial plan to swap out bar/stem straight away is now being reconsidered.

The bike climbed very well and pumped superbly. Unless you're hard core racing Enduros and the like , or hucking huge drops to flat on a regular basis, I can't see why you would want/need something bigger. The geometry is nailed, the suspension is superb (reminds me of the Turners, hardly surprising given that the Giant system is allegedly a copy of the DW-Link used by Turner and Ibis amongst others) and the ride is confidence inspiring. The stock Nobby Nics also handled very varied and challenging and slippery conditions without missing a heartbeat.

I picked the 2 up for £1,550 in the sales. Which is just crazy, silly value. I'd suggest that even at £2,399 RRP it represents great value for money. If you get the chance ride it and if you have the money, buy it!

A superb all-round, all-mountain machine that has made me realise what I've been missing all these years..

Similar Products Used:

Turner 5.Spot (2009), Turner Flux (2010), Norco Sight (2013), Vitus Sommet (2015), 2 SoulsQuarterhorse (2013)

Effecient pedaling if you're pedaling is controlled and smooth. Stable and plush while descending.

The Sektor Silver TK fork leaves a lot to be desired in the damper, stock bar was NARROW,
Not tubeless at purchase.

This bike is a good value, effecient pedaling, stable handling, and well spec'd, but a few part swaps were needed to better match the rocky, narrow, technical riding I prefer.

Similar Products Used:

Specialized FSR XC comp, Stumpjumper FSR pro before that

Great for value at the price point!

long chainstays and a low bottom bracket but you get a stable bike!

A great value bike in stock that doesn't make me the best climber or descender but I do enjoy the range from single track trails to downhill fun! Jack of all trades indeed!

2014 Trance Advanced SX - Climbs great once you change out the cockpit, decends even better. SRAM 1x11 drivetrain works great! Suspension feels good.

Dropper post is terrible, 100mm of drop is a joke. Brakes are noisy and shudder a ton. A 150mm dropper and at least Shimano XT brakes would have been a much better fit, Avid Trail 9 brakes make so much noise. These 2 parts should have never been spec'd on this bike in the first place. The saddle is extremely uncomfortable. Handlebars not wide enough, weird shape too. Spec a 800mm and let people cut them to size.

Bike is very light, pedals very efficiently and descends great too. I'm on a Size XL and feel like Giant did a one-size-fits-all component spec based on a Size Small on this bike. For a bike in this price range, I shouldn't have to change so many parts to make it fit and ride well. Other than all the extra costs to dial it in, it's a great bike. Maybe they should have waited till they made a better dropper post before releasing it... Maybe they can still do a recall on their lame posts? This bike is for those who want a bike that can climb and descend equally well.

Great spec, dropper post and price!

Nobby Nic tires -- they are not good.

I have had my Trance 27.5 for 4 months now and I love it more and more. This is the third incarnation of the Trance I have owed. I had a 2005 Trance, a 2008 Trance X and now this one. Of all of them, this one is the best ride.

I was lucky and got a 2014 Trance 1 demo bike for a great price ($1100 off!). The bike will do anything I ask it to do and more. It is a joy to ride and handles the technical north Jersey trails with ease.

Similar Products Used:

2005 Trance, 2008 Trance X, 2012 Santa Cruz Blur

Outstanding components - Shimano SLX and XT blend, Carbon Tubeless-Ready Wheels, Rock Shox Revelation 120-140 Fork, Rock Shox Monarch RT3 (5.5" Maestro) rear suspension, very light aluminum frame, dropper seat post.

None, other than some very good components (ie, Rock Shox Revelation Forks, handlebars, stem, saddle, Nobby Nics tires) could be upgraded to great components (150 Pike Forks?, carbon bars, shorter stem 40/50mm, etc.)

This review is for a 2015 Giant Trance 27.5 1 from a longtime road biker new to mountain biking. I looked at a several bikes before I settled on the Trance. As another reviewer mentioned, this is a great all around trail bike that is a very good climber and can also handle descents very well. The bike is very light for an aluminum frame. (My bike, which is a medium size, weighs 29 lbs w/ Shimano pedals).
This is not the fastest climber, nor the best downhill bike, but for someone new to the sport that wants high quality components, this is (in my researched opinion) one of the best FS mountain bikes you can buy for your money. A similar build from some other brands (Specialized, Trek, or Santa Cruz) would cost at least $1000~ more. As I am new to mountain biking (but not to biking) I really wanted a FS bike that was borderline XC and full Trail, and this bike fit those requirements really well.
I have only been riding this bike for about 2 1/2 months now on various trails near me, both fire roads, as well as more technical trails and I do like the 120-140 dual position Revelation Forks, as I do use the 120 travel when commuting from my home to the local trails (2 miles), as well as the steeper initial climbs (once you move to 140 travel and are cooking down descents and come-up a steep climb, there's point in going back to 120). I think more experienced (and in better shape) riders might not need the dual position and would either just keep it in 140 the whole time or chose to upgrade to a Pike 140 or 150 solo or similar set of forks. I also looked the Trance 27.5 SX, but chose the Trance 27.5 1 over the SX because I liked the carbon tubeless rims (I had my LBS setup tubeless when I was fitted to the bike), as well as the 2x chain ring (not quite ready for 1x ;)), Shimano XT/SLX components and Giant Contact dropper seat post (This dropper post works really well and I have not seen the need for more travel (yet)). I also did not want the longer 140-160 travel in the forks that SX has, as I wanted a better climbing bike. I view the Trance 27.5 SX as another excellent bike for a more experienced rider who is more interested in having an all mountain descender, rather than a more versatile trail/XC bike, like the 27.5 1. I also looked at Kona Process 134 models, which are also great biked with similar builds, but the ultimately settled on the Giant Trance for the various strengths listed in this review.
The Giant Contact handlebars are 730mm wide, but had a pretty long stem at purchase. I added a shorter 50mm Truativ Holzfeller stem which made the bike feel much more dialed-in. The only other upgrade I am considering is to replace the handlebars with carbon risers (I will likely keep the same approx width - 710-740). I do not have any issues with the Nobby Nic tires which I am running tubeless...sure there are some better, lighter tires but I will will upgrade, once these wear -out.
I summary, if you want a bike w/ excellent all around components, with the ability to do long XC rides or even technical descents, this is an awesome bike!

Similar Products Used:

Giant Trance 27.5 SX, Giant Trance 27.5 2, Giant Anthem(s) 27.5, Kona Process 134A DL, Kona Process 134 DL(MS), Santa Cruz Bronson Aluminum