Thinking about adding a bike…

O

Oey12

Active Member
Good afternoon everyone,

Just looking for some general advice and opinions. I currently have an excellent 130/115 Giant Trance that is an absolute blast. I recently fully recovered from an ongoing unrelated bike injury. And have been riding a lot more and a lot faster. Additionally I have expanded to a lot more riding areas (Ringwood**near future**/Stewart/Graham).

I was thinking about purchasing a bike with more travel for the rougher trail systems. Not looking to sell the Trance.

Truthfully I don’t ride with any finesse, mostly just plow lines like a fool. The Trance does surprisingly well for what it is.

Will a slightly longer travel bike help me feel less beat up after a ride?

I don’t expect longer travel to pedal like the Trance but can it still be a fairly efficient climber?

And for example would a 10 to 20mm fork/shock increase have a drastic difference?

I don’t jump but I enjoy hitting rooted and rocky sections at a nice clip. I would would more comfort to do longer rides.

Again all opinions are welcome…

Thanks!
 
10-20mm difference in suspension travel is fairly minimal and not going to make a huge difference. But a bike with a more aggressive geometry will make a noticeable difference. Iv been there and have the set of bikes offset as such (140/130 and 160/150)
 
I am very happy with my Ripley AF, but don't have anything to compare it to. I would guess the Ripmo would be just as solid if I wanted more travel.
 
Oey12 said:
Will a slightly longer travel bike help me feel less beat up after a ride?
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Yes it will help, how well your set up your suspension will determine how much of a change it will bring.

Oey12 said:
I don’t expect longer travel to pedal like the Trance but can it still be a fairly efficient climber?
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Enduro/all mountain bikes are incredibly capable climbers these days. My DW Link 160/147 bike climbs better (at a slight weight penalty) than my 130/120 single pivot.

Oey12 said:
And for example would a 10 to 20mm fork/shock increase have a drastic difference?
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Drastic? Definitely not. I'd look for something closer to 160 front/150 rear. Ripmo AF, Pivot Switchblade, Stumpjumper Evo etc. That's the travel where you can start to plow down stuff without being super picky with your line choice.
 
A longer travel bike (with its more aggressive geometry) should give you more confidence in technical terrain and also be more composed on a faster downhill. Longer rides are a tougher call as typically a shorter travel bike will pedal a little better. I’d maybe try a demo ride on something like a trek remedy or giant reign to see what the difference feels like.
 
Oey12 said:
Will a slightly longer travel bike help me feel less beat up after a ride?
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This is a double edged sword . Sure it may plow a lil more comfortable but it will also roll slower in all conditions so at the end of a ride you may feel more tired . I don't care how well a bike pedals once you get past 65 degree head angles with longer travel you just can't get past the physics of it . The correct answer is always n+1 so get a bike you want and do your own experimenting
 
A big thanks to everyone who contributed…

If I am being honest, I really don’t think I would ever ride a Ripmo or Ripmo like bike to half of it’s potential…which brings me to the next reality.

Not sure it’s really worth (financially & performance wise) getting such a similar travel/targeted ride bike as a second one…. Glad I asked either way, it gives me a lot to think about.
 
Davis119 said:
I am very happy with my Ripley AF, but don't have anything to compare it to. I would guess the Ripmo would be just as solid if I wanted more travel.
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I've got my eye on this bike. I may look to grab a frame and build it up over the winter. What did you ride before?
 
rlb said:
I've got my eye on this bike. I may look to grab a frame and build it up over the winter. What did you ride before?
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A 2011 GF/Trek Mamba... Stopped riding in 2014ish and just started in Aug of last year, so this is my first 'real' bike... I have an itch for another, but the boss say no...
 
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Heres a different angle
You will search me out and thank me 😉
OrbeaRiseM10MAIN_1200x1200.jpg
 
I think we need more info about your bike in order to make a more meaningful recommendation. I have had two Giant Trance bikes and they were quite different. What year is it and what's the build? Is it a 26er or 29er? Is it a Trance or Trance X? You say you can use a bit more travel. Do you know if you're using the entire travel of your fork and rear shock or if you even have them properly set up for your weight and riding style? It could be that all you need is a proper tuning of your suspension system if that's the only thing you find deficient. Too much air can make the ride really rough and not use the entire travel available. Rebound settings (if available) can make a difference in the feel and performance also. Getting a new bike is fun but even a latest and greatest bike not set up properly for you won't help you much.
 
tonyride said:
I think we need more info about your bike in order to make a more meaningful recommendation. I have had two Giant Trance bikes and they were quite different. What year is it and what's the build? Is it a 26er or 29er? Is it a Trance or Trance X? You say you can use a bit more travel. Do you know if you're using the entire travel of your fork and rear shock or if you even have them properly set up for your weight and riding style? It could be that all you need is a proper tuning of your suspension system if that's the only thing you find deficient. Too much air can make the ride really rough and not use the entire travel available. Rebound settings (if available) can make a difference in the feel and performance also. Getting a new bike is fun but even a latest and greatest bike not set up properly for you won't help you much.
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Sounds like the prior gen Trance as the new version is 120mm travel now. OP said their travel was 115

@Oey12 I have 120mm and 135mm travel bikes which I use up in the areas you mentioned. Both are 29rs and have their pros and cons. Running the 135 as a mullet and really like the benefits. The 135 is a bit more compliant but not drastically but it's also about 6-7 pounds heavier. If I had to chose, the 135ish travel is a perfect one bike option for tri state riding. Also have 160 and 200mm options but imo not a good choice as a single or even two bike option.
 
qclabrat said:
Sounds like the prior gen Trance as the new version is 120mm travel now. OP said their travel was 115

@Oey12 I have 120mm and 135mm travel bikes which I use up in the areas you mentioned. Both are 29rs and have their pros and cons. Running the 135 as a mullet and really like the benefits. The 135 is a bit more compliant but not drastically but it's also about 6-7 pounds heavier. If I had to chose, the 135ish travel is a perfect one bike option for tri state riding. Also have 160 and 200mm options but imo not a good choice as a single or even two bike option.
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I would like to preface this by saying I love my Trance and NOT looking to replace. As you put…I am contemplating a two bike option.

Yes, I have the previous generation Trance (2021 Trance 29). I believe I have it setup perfectly for me however I am far from a suspension expert. I have noticed though that it takes a very high shock PSI (70 to 80 PSI higher than Fox and DVO setup chart) to achieve proper sag (25% according to Giant). The high PSI was necessary with the current DVO Topaz and the previous Fox DPS. Interesting enough the small bump compliance and composure/comfort is much better at 25% sag vs 30%, even though the shock “feels” much stiffer. I contacted DVO and the said very high PSI’s are common with the Trance’s.

I would happily ride and enjoy the Trance for years to come. Reading on the internet makes one believe a longer travel bike is the end all be all and I was looking honest feedback from riders in my area. In theory two bikes sound cool to change a ride up…you got me thinking about a fatback @Patrick
 
Oey12 said:
Good afternoon everyone,

Just looking for some general advice and opinions. I currently have an excellent 130/115 Giant Trance that is an absolute blast. I recently fully recovered from an ongoing unrelated bike injury. And have been riding a lot more and a lot faster. Additionally I have expanded to a lot more riding areas (Ringwood**near future**/Stewart/Graham).

I was thinking about purchasing a bike with more travel for the rougher trail systems. Not looking to sell the Trance.
Click to expand...
Difficult to say based on your description. What trail systems were you riding before that Ringwood is more "Rough"? It will help with what the recs will be. I have found more difference in bike frame geo than with somewhat small bike travel changes as some others have already stated. Not sure youre going to get enough of a significant change with 10-20 mm increase to justify a new bike for this alone. Also sounds like you have played with the shock enough. With a sag of 25% and higher pressures I would have suggested trying for a more "Plush" setup with your existing hardware before making the switch. Another option you can consider that I just did is to rebuild the front fork adding 10mm of travel. it slackens out the front HT a hair and makes a touch more plush depending on PSI and rebound. It does raise BB a touch which can help in the rocks, but may slacken the ST angle which could hurt the climbing characteristics a hair. just my 2 cents.

Having said that, n+1 is always the proper answer.
 
Oey12 said:
I would like to preface this by saying I love my Trance and NOT looking to replace. As you put…I am contemplating a two bike option.

Yes, I have the previous generation Trance (2021 Trance 29). I believe I have it setup perfectly for me however I am far from a suspension expert. I have noticed though that it takes a very high shock PSI (70 to 80 PSI higher than Fox and DVO setup chart) to achieve proper sag (25% according to Giant). The high PSI was necessary with the current DVO Topaz and the previous Fox DPS. Interesting enough the small bump compliance and composure/comfort is much better at 25% sag vs 30%, even though the shock “feels” much stiffer. I contacted DVO and the said very high PSI’s are common with the Trance’s.

I would happily ride and enjoy the Trance for years to come. Reading on the internet makes one believe a longer travel bike is the end all be all and I was looking honest feedback from riders in my area. In theory two bikes sound cool to change a ride up…you got me thinking about a fatback @Patrick
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I demo'd this same bike and just almost bought the "X" version. Perfectly capable platform but the Maestro system is a bit dated. IMHO the biggest difference you'd see in a bigger bike is the geometry. It's getting slightly ridiculous the things I can point my Ragley down (63-ish degree HA) and it still refuses to kill me. :p There are of course all kinds of other factors but if you're looking to advance to more aggressive terrain a bigger travel bike will have the chops to do it. If its longer rides, maybe something lighter or more efficient pedaling. You're kinda squarely in the middle right now so you'd have to go further to one end or another to see big changes. Take all this with a grain of salt!
 
I tend to agree with Ryan. I ride my Ryve 115 (w/ 120 fork) for pretty much everything, including some fairly rowdy trails down in MD or in PA. I prefer the lighter weight over the greater capabilities of my Megatower (V1; 160/160). While the MT is a good trail bike, it's a bit of a beast (built up that way intentionally for park riding). I do plan to ride it more in the coming months as I train/prepare for the Sheduro race in Aug. It'll be interesting to see how I do with it on some of the technical and often tight trails up here in NH.
 
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