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The current ride: My 2005 Giant Trance
Sorry for the crappy bike pic! I’ll update with a nicer shot when I get a chance.
I do a lot of product reviews for this site and I run a lot of different gear over the course of the season. Even so, I have my own preferences and I think that showing you my primary mountain bike — a 2005 Giant Trance setup for aggressive trail riding — in its current setup says a lot about the gear that I really like.
And for components that I have been using for a long time, maybe read this post as a long term update for the item, and an endorsement of sorts.
Frame: 2005 Giant Trance (18″). I’ve been running an upgraded 2005 Giant Trance 4 frame for the past three months or so. I like pretty much everything about the frame, although I was surprised to find a small chunk missing from the tubing around the shock mount.
The Trance frame came stock with a Fox Float R rear shock and an FSA internal-cup headset, and I’ve been using those without major complaint since I built up the bike.
Fork: Fox 36 TALAS RC2. Some people might think the Fox 36 TALAS is overkill for the Trance but I wholeheartedly disagree. It might be too much fork for a full-on xc racing rig, but I ride for enjoyment more than I do to fuel my competitive side, and I feel that this fork is the bees knees when it comes to a plush, stable ride. And, yes, I just wrote ‘bees knees’.
Other people might be firmly ensconced within the ‘simplicity is best‘ camp, and I appreciate that, but I’ve put in my time and would rather enjoy the benefits of technology. The Fox 36 TALAS RC2, dialled down to 130mm, matches my riding style perfectly.
Wheels. For my brand of trail riding, I run a 20mm Shimano XT hub up front and a 135mm Hadley Racing hub in the rear. I love the positive engagement, the high-end feel, and the quality of workmanship with the Hadley, and the XT front hub hasn’t given me any issues for over two years. Both hubs are laced to Mavic 829s and are set up for tubeless tires.
If and when I run a cross country setup on the Trance, I’ll be using some CrossMax XLs. Some people prefer sealant-based systems like Stan’s or Flat Attack, but I’ve been more than happy with my straight-up UST systems.
Tires. Michelins run tubeless, all the way. I run the Comp16 backwards on the front and the Comp24 in the recommended direction for the rear.
For cross-country use, I’ll be running a Kenda Blue Groove / Nevegal combination or some of the Maxxis CrossMarks, depending on the availability of each.
Brakes. I’m still using the Avid Juicy 5s that I reviewed last year but it’s kind of out of necessity. The front brake stops me just fine, as does the rear, although the lever on the rear brake feels mushy, something I discussed a couple of months ago. Also, I had the stock rotors replaced on warranty with the newer ones that aren’t supposed to stutter. On both wheels I’m running 160mm (6″) rotors, although a 180mm (7″) rotor up front might be more up my alley.
Update (August 2006). I’m now using some Hayes El Caminos — check back for a review by the end of the month.
Crankset / pedals. I’m still running the Shimano XT crankset I reviewed last year. It’s running strong although the first set of bottom bracket bearings is almost toast. I replaced the 22t and 32t rings at the start of this season.
The Crank Brothers Candy SLs that I started using almost two years are going strong although I’ve had to rebuild them a couple of times, a task that takes about 10 minutes per pedal.
Drivetrain. I run a SRAM 991 chain and a SRAM 980 11-32 cassette. It was a toss-up between the 980 cassette and the Shimano XT cogset; I ended up with the 980 because there were no XTs in stock at the local distributor.
Shifters / derailleurs. I run SRAM X.0 twist shifters and a SRAM X.0 medium cage rear derailleur. Up front, I’m running a Shimano LX derailleur, although I’ll swap that out once it starts to show its age.
The X0 derailleur has been running strong for a full year. During that time, I’ve had to replace the cables a couple of times but, other than that, the thing’s been trouble free.
Cockpit. I run the Easton seat post and the WTB Speed series saddle that came stock on the Trance, although I really like the Titec Ithys saddle too. Near the front, I’m using an Easton Vice stem (Thomson for xc) and a Race Face Deus XC bar. I use ODI Ruffian lock-on grips and swear by them.
Hitting the trail
So there you have it, my main test bike. It weighs a hair over 33lbs. when I’ve got it set up for heavier duty trail riding and sheds about 4lbs. when I throw on light wheels and tires.
I’m not going out to train for any cross country racing, although I could probably shed some weight on the bike by making some apt choices. For me though, I wanted a bike that could go fast (relatively speaking) on the way up and rip on the way down. The Trance is close to that bike, although I’ll always keep the door open for a better, faster ride to zip inside my garage.
1. Posted by Ashwin | 4:02 am, 24 May 2006
What rings are on your crankset? I’m running a 22-32-42 with a 11-32 in the rear and just put an XO mid cage rear derailleur on.
The capacity of the XO mid cage has a total capacity of 37T while the long cage has a capacity for 45t. In my setup I’m, slightly over the spec ((42-22) + (11-32)=41), but it seems to be working fine.
Also how far out/in do you have your B tension screw?
thanks