Reece Wallace's Custom Painted Giant Trance Matches His Plane
Words: Giant Bicycles
Canadian free rider Reece Wallace has always been inspired by aviation. From his vintage Piper Cub Rampage Glory, to his Search & Rescue inspired Reign, Reece has found ways to combine his passions of riding and flying.
Reece's new Trance X 1 27.5 is no exception. His bike is painted to match his 1956 Cessna 170b.
 | I've always wanted to match a bike to my plane. I thought people may be over seeing my plane-themed bikes, but I don't care. Flying and riding is about fun for me and doing my own thing, so I leaned into this - Reece |
Though the Trance X 1 is 66 years newer than his Cessna, they're both built primarily of aluminum and share similar design and construction attributes. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. The 160x145mm bike is another fun tool in Reece's quiver and fits nicely in the back of Reece's 170 for adventures this year.
Charlie - Foxtrot Zulu Oscar Lima
Matching Industry Nine wheels
Matching 160mm Marzocchi Z1 air and Maxxis DHF 2.5 DD
Before Reece, the plane was owned for 30 years by a retired Kiwi pilot and Vancouver Island doctor who painted the plane to match Air New Zealand's fleet. Stephen, the previous owner, rebuilt the entire plane, including the new paint scheme in 1991. Since then, it's been flown all over North America and is now passed onto Reece.
| To me, there's something special about the rich history of these old aircraft. Every component, scratch, detail, or dent preserve a story dating back to a post WWII era. I obviously love flying, but the story and lineage are a huge part too. I've met up with Stephen on several occasions to learn some of the colourful history of FZOL. On our last visit, I took Stephen flying. Though he lost his medical certificate 10 years ago from a battle with cancer, he took the controls and didn't miss a step. He was teaching me the subtleties of the old bird - Reece |
"Love my aeroplane cuz she got style, she's a treetop flyer" - Stephen Stills
| This is actually the first large frame I've had. I've always ridden shorter bikes for free ride, but being 5'11", the longer reach is more suiting. Even though I went with a large, it's the most playful and jibby bike I've ridden. The flip chip is a great feature too—I'm running it in the low setting. All I can say is this bike is fun, and for me that's what it's all about - Reece |
Marzocchi CR in the rear, 450lb spring
Mike Aitken vibes on the limited edition Chromag saddle
| Some people choose Tacomas, I choose airplanes - Reece |
Windstorm in the 80s when a hangar collapsed on the tail of the plane in Duncan, BC
Rebuilt in all its glory in 1991
Safety tucked inside at the Nanaimo Flying Club on Vancouver Island, BC
Follow Reece on Instagram for more adventures
Photos: Liam Wallace
Paint: Fresh Paints Whistler
Giant Bicycles
#RideUnleashed
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Oh btw, sick paint job on that $10k+ bike dude got for free. Cant wait to see the matching EDC, Yeti kit and Mercedese Camper Van build to follow.
Ego stroking ftw!
Most places I fly to are less than an hour—Sunshine Coast, Pemberton, Squamish, Vancouver etc. Smiles per mile is unbeatable, and is cheaper than taking the ferry (5x faster too). That said, it seems for every 1 hour of flying, I'm wrenching on it for 5. Maintenance on anything 66 years old is going to be extensive, but I do a lot of it myself to save $.
MTB may be considered expensive compared to other things, but not compared to flying.
Here in NZ 95% of the time have all parts available. regardless of brands
I got a 29er trance x (2021) and wonder if would be good with Coil. There seems to be not much progression cause with the standard air shock i bottom out quite easily...
I'm asking for experience with coil on that bike.
You dont have to explain me the difference between coil and air spring.
www.jensonusa.com/Cane-Creek-Valt-Coil-Spring-Progressive-Rate-3?loc=usa&pt_source=googleads&pt_medium=cpc&pt_campaign=&pt_keyword=&gclid=Cj0KCQjw_4-SBhCgARIsAAlegrU9gm5tVK64RMd9w-PmejXGgzS9uKgeuPTyhTjuoZ-w89UdT3a6izgaAhw_EALw_wcB
- sick bike and plane