First Look: 2022 Giant Trance Advanced Pro 29

Nov 24, 2021 at 14:38
by Matt Beer  
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Giant has been on a roll releasing new 2022 bikes like the motor-assisted Trance X Advanced E+, Anthem Pro 29 XC-race rocket, the 27.5" wheeled Trance X , and now the Trance Advanced Pro 29. Filling the void between those two analog bikes to cover the light-duty trail bracket is the revamped Trance Pro 29 that rolls on 29" wheels, with the rear wheel travel bumped up to 120 mm and a 130 mm fork.

Unlike the Anthem Pro 29 that saw a migration to a flex-stay suspension design for weight savings, the Trance retains the dual link Maestro package. Giant worked tirelessly with ambassador Adam Craig to fine tune the kinematics and shock tunes to make this bike into more than just an over-forked XC or downcountry bike, but a purpose built short travel trail ripper.
Details

• Wheel size: 29"
• Travel: 120 mm rear, 130 mm fork
• Carbon frame
• Internal downtube storage compartment
• 65.5º / 66.2º head tube angle (low / high)
• 76.3º / 77.0º seat tube angle
• 439 / 437 mm chainstay
• Sizes: S-XL
• Price: $6,000 - $10,500 USD
www.giant-bicycles.com

Adjustable angles are on offer via a flip-chip at the seatstay for 0.7-degrees of adjustment - the low setting tips the head angle to 65.5-degree. The Trance's geometry and travel amounts position it perfectly to fit in the downcountry segment of our Fall Field Test, so keep your eyes peeled for that series to unfold.

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Frame Details


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One of the most exciting highlights for the Trance Advanced Pro 29 is an internal storage area in the downtube. Once you've toggled the latch and removed the door, you'll find a water-resistant bag to fit tools and snacks inside. Bolted to the door is the bottle cage to make repositioning the hatch a breeze. Standard practice for highness frames these days are ample chain damping on the stays and protection on the underside of the downtube and the Trance is no different. New cable ports are said to lock down the housings for a quieter ride and cleaner appearance.





Geometry

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Subtle changes to the 2022 Trance Pro 29's geometry make it more capable without hindering its singletrack manners. At the front end the head angle drops a degree to moderately slack 65.5º in the low setting and the seat tube angle rests at 76.3º. Those numbers can be pushed steeper by 0.7º with that seatstay flip-chip, which has shown up on all of Giant's new 2022 bikes except the race-specific Anthem Advanced Pro 29.

Reach numbers now span a larger range of rider heights despite continuing to offer four sizes, introduced in part by the longer, lower, slacker trend, but also due to the steeper seat angle. That means that the size small has shrunk a few millimeters to 422 mm and the extra large has grown substantially from 480 mm to 507 in the low setting. That flip-chip will also stretch the reach another 8 mm and shorten the fixed chainstays from 437 to 439 mm, which remain the same across the sizes. The BB drop is also worth noting on the Trance Advanced Pro 29 because it measures at 45 mm in the low setting and 35 mm in the high. Numbers aren't always what they seem on paper versus the trail, so you can be sure the geometry will be discussed further in the Field Test.




Models and Pricing


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Giant Trance Advanced 29 Pro 0 - $10,500 USD :Fox 34 Factory Grip2 fork, Fox Float X Factory 2-position shock, SRAM XX1 Eagle 12-speed drivetrain, Shimano XTR brakes, Zipp 3ZERO MOTO 29 carbon wheels, Maxxis Minion DHF 29 x 2.5" EXO / Maxxis Aggressor 29 x 2.5" EXO tires



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Giant Trance Advanced 29 Pro 1 - $7,000 USD :Fox 34 Live Valve fork and shock, Shimano XT 12-speed drivetrain, Shimano XT brakes, Giant TRX2 carbon wheels, Maxxis Minion DHF 29 x 2.5" EXO / Maxxis Aggressor 29 x 2.5" EXO tires



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Giant Trance Advanced 29 Pro 2 - $6,000 USD :Fox 34 Float Rhythm Grip fork, Fox Float DPS shock, Shimano Deore brakes and SLX drivetrain, Giant TRX2 carbon wheels, Maxxis Minion DHF 29 x 2.5" EXO / Maxxis Aggressor 29 x 2.5" EXO tires

Author Info:
mattbeer avatar

Member since Mar 16, 2001
356 articles

64 Comments
  • 61 4
 6k US$ for an SLX - ryhthm build !?! Lose the carbon wheels and put a Performance level fork on it!
  • 10 0
 Weird build... This has to be due to supply chain issues right?
  • 23 1
 Generic Giant carbon hoops laced most likely to their in-house 3-pawl hubs, pretty mediocre wheels. If that's their excuse for under XT parts on a 6k bike, they need to try a lot harder. Expected a lot more value-wise from Giant, disappointing stuff here.
  • 6 0
 @chaoscacca: on second look, this seems priced to push people to the Pro 1 model with Live Valve.
  • 6 0
 @Burningbird: Yea. Wow look at what you get for just 1k more!!! Feels kinda scummy here.

Interesting, too, that live valve is not on the top end model. Not confident in its appeal? Pretty good value on the top model, ironically (if that's indeed an AXS from the picture).
  • 5 0
 @Burningbird: I think it's just giant being giant. They're alway specced their carbon rims (which, based on what I've read, are nothing special both in terms of weight and feel) on their mid-low spec models and ran up the cost... but that cost is usually lower than 6k. Surprised by this.
  • 3 0
 @bridgermurray: Agree. Can we have some decent alloy wheels and a better fork spec? That being said... id be interested in the weight of this as its the one in my budget.
  • 9 2
 For 6K you can buy a GG Gnarvana with their top spec! Zeb, I9, frame made in house etc.. This spec is more like 3K bike.
  • 3 0
 @bridgermurray: Yes, this makes a Stumpy expert look like a good deal.
  • 5 2
 Rhythm and Performance are pretty much the same thing, aren't they?
  • 2 3
 @samimerilohi: Yes. That GRIP fork is awesome. That's a solid build. The price sucks, but ...inflation.
  • 3 0
 @Adamrideshisbike: Solid build... 100% agree. Solid pricing? meh.
  • 8 1
 @samimerilohi: the chassis are different between Rhythm and Performance, the stanchions are made out of lower grade aluminum on the rhythm, and though the GRIP damper is functionally the same, the footnut is different between the two forks, so you can't upgrade the rhythm damper should you want to go GRIP2.
  • 2 1
 @BrambleLee: Incorrect. I have a 2021 Rhythm that is upgraded to the GRIP2 damper.
  • 4 0
 @BrambleLee: Yes, it's a shame that Fox does not make a Grip2 damper for the Rhythm.
  • 2 0
 @whitebirdfeathers: Please tell us more. I will have a 2022 Rhythm on my next bike and I may consider upgrading it to a grip 2.
  • 1 1
 @notai: I'm not too sure if there's more to tell. My friend's shop that I bought the bike at installed it. The GRIP2 is fantastic. Really happy with the upgrade.
  • 4 0
 @whitebirdfeathers: I should have been more specific—you cannot upgrade to a GRIP2 on the 34, which is what I thought we were talking about in this context. You probably did the upgrade on a 36, right?
  • 2 1
 @BrambleLee: yes sir. I wasn’t aware they even made a Rhythm 34.
  • 2 0
 The cost difference between the Pro1 & 0 models seems out of line. For $3500US more you get Sram XX1 (not AXS) and XTR brakes over XT drivetrain/brakes, better carbon rims and would there be that much of a price difference between Fox factory series over Peformance w/Livevalve - especially at Giants cost?
  • 4 0
 @h82crash: You can see the AXS battery from the picture, number of cables also suggests AXS. Giant's parts descriptions is notoriously inadequate. The Zipp moto wheels are quite a huge step up from giant's. Seems like live-valve production has been stuck in the dpx2 shock, while the world's moved on with the float X, which is what's on the Pro 0.

Oh and yea seems like you need to pay giant to take out the live-valve, now that's smart marketing.
  • 1 0
 @chaoscacca: Ah right, good catch on the battery and number of cables. Looks like they may have mocked it up quick for pics as there's not an AXS dropper but the dropper pictured has no cable.
  • 3 0
 The price is weird. I just checked the giant Canada site and the same build is $5600CAD which converts to like $4400US...
  • 2 0
 The Trance Adv Pro 2 here for $6k is not a U.S. bike(it should not have a U.S. price on it). The U.S. bike is a $6k Live valve model with Performance Elite suspension
  • 2 0
 @OzarkBike: I noticed the same. It seems as though the bike has not made it to the US website yet. Odd.
  • 19 0
 I plan on running the left flip chip in low and the right one in high so I can corner more better
  • 8 0
 Ricky Bobby, is that you?
  • 15 0
 Gotta hand it to em, the commenters on the Field Test article called it.
  • 1 0
 plenty of peeps said it was the Anthem that was already released... ir a trek when there was already a trek in the test. Smile
  • 8 0
 Just get a Reign with 160 mm fork and air shock. Pedals like a Billy goat but you get a slightly more stable wheelbase and same Reach/HTA numbers. Still fun AF on "trail" riding.
  • 3 0
 The Reign is a fantastic bike, but unfortunately the sizing is kind of odd. Really big gap in between a medium and a large and with 490mm of reach the large is going to be too big for a lot of people.
  • 3 0
 @BenTheSwabian: ahh yea. I'm a medium guy
  • 9 0
 The value for $6k isn't as strong as Giant usually provides. Too bad.
  • 2 0
 The Trance Adv Pro 2 here for $6k is not a U.S. bike(it should not have a U.S. price on it). The U.S. bike is a $6k Live valve model with Performance Elite suspension
  • 10 2
 Looks like a Kona Process
  • 5 0
 Wow now I can't unsee it. Love Trance's but I'm not seeing the value here.
  • 1 0
 Wow! That was my thought, and then i was like nah, I'm just being a Kona fanboy, heh. Glad someone else noticed it too.
  • 3 0
 It's one high-pivot away from having all the doo dads that are de rigueur in 2021. Those doo dads are nice, but they're like pumpkin ale to me: I'll take a sip, but I wouldn't buy a case. This drunk prefers simple.
  • 6 0
 There's a typo in Giant's Geo Chart? Look at the Wheelbase for an L...
  • 2 0
 I'd guess that should be 1224 instead of 1124 for the Larges.
  • 3 0
 Overpriced with an average I'd expect to see on a 4 k bike. Giant has been in and out of the loop with the pricing and build options over the years. Not really surprised though.
  • 2 0
 The Trance Adv Pro 2 here for $6k is not a U.S. bike(it should not have a U.S. price on it). The U.S. bike is a $6k Live valve model with Performance Elite suspension
  • 2 0
 The cheapest bike here is $6000??? What happened to the world? I can't see how a decent full suspension is $1500 compared to these...Are these bikes really 4 to 6 times better or most importantly, will they bring you that much more enjoyment?
  • 2 0
 These are serious let downs, but what ever happened to that Giant Trance X Alloy in 27.5 that was reviewed here a while back? I still have not seen it on their website. That bike is a deal.
  • 2 1
 So any chance of publishing the 'actual' seat angle or calling out that the number in the geo table is 'effective' and measured, possibly, at stack height, maybe? I can tell from the picture and the CS length that the 'actual' number is nothing close to 76/77 degrees)?
  • 2 1
 As the founding member of the ISLLMBDPASA (International Society for Long Legged Mountain Bikers Demanding Publication of Actual Seat Angles) I approve of this message
  • 1 0
 @ak-77: strong support. Maybe if enough of us join, PB will start publishing actual ST numbers! Complaining about this is like, 50% of my post history…
  • 4 1
 Looks like an ebike. And also a session.
  • 2 0
 WTF- no weights listed here or on the website for any build or size. Brutal!
  • 3 0
 6K for a shit build what a joke
  • 1 0
 The Trance Adv Pro 2 here for $6k is not a U.S. bike(it should not have a U.S. price on it). The U.S. bike is a $6k Live valve model with Performance Elite suspension
  • 2 0
 Had been expecting a refresh for this bike. Hoping there are some AL models.
  • 1 0
 Frown I was waiting for this bike, but at these prices, I guess it'll be a Top Fuel or SC Blur.
  • 2 0
 Those pictures look like they were taken in Maine, hmm...
  • 1 0
 They were, in Camden, as was the promo vid. It’s linked on Adam’s insta profile.
  • 1 0
 Carbon frame and wheels but a fox rythm fork... What do product managers smoke these days?
  • 1 0
 The Trance Adv Pro 2 here for $6k is not a U.S. bike(it should not have a U.S. price on it). The U.S. bike is a $6k Live valve model with Performance Elite suspension
  • 1 2
 So based on last years reviews the Pro2 will be complete shite because the frame/kinematics has been designed for live valve but the cheap(er) bikes don't get it.
  • 3 0
 Seems unlikely (you'd hope), given the Pro 0 doesn't feature Live Valve... which also seemed unlikely!
  • 2 0
 weirdest specs ever
  • 1 0
 GWAT Box
  • 1 0
 GIANT SHMIANT...Smile
  • 3 4
 for those prices ya may as well buy an Ebike.
  • 1 3
 Bored







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