Review Giant Trance 27.5 1 vs Comparing to 26" Cannondale Jekyll Mountain Bike

by Mountain Machine 2 Replies latest summer biking

  • Mountain Machine
    Mountain Machine

    I LOVE Mountain Biking almost as much as I love powder skiing!

    I DISLIKE watching my friends make it up climbs that I can't ride up!

    I used to ride a Cannondale Jekyll Mountain bike with a Rock Shox Totem Solo Air. This setup looks great because of the nice raked out look. Riding descents was good but climbing was tough. Any time the trail became too steep the front tire began to hop up because of the rake of the geometry. Very fun but I knew it could be better.

    Recently I upgraded to a 2015 Giant Trance 27.5 1 and wow what a difference. Before purchasing I went to my local Giant Dealer at Ridley Cycle in the Kensington area of Calgary and tried out a 2016 Trance 27.5 Advanced after watching many youtube videos and reading many reviews about the Maestro suspension and the benefits of a 27.5" / 650B wheel size.

    Why Maestro suspension is the best

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R22aYVKaWnk

    Top 5 reason you'll be riding a 650b / 27.5" Mountain Bike Wheel

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fygjf2siUnc

    27.5" / 650b Wheels are the size to rule them all

    • Rollover diameter is noticeably better than a 26" on everything from gravel to rock gardens to flats....SMOOTHER
    • LIGHTER than 29"
    • SMOOTHER+LIGHTER=FASTER!!!

    To feel the most improvement on ride quality and speed on the new Giant Trance 27.5 1 the shocks settings do play a big part.

    FORK

    Revelation RL Dual Position Air, 15mm Thru­Axle, OverDrive Steerer, 120-­140mm

    SHOCK

    RockShox Monarch RT3

    Next Steps:

    • Ride Bike
    • Check shock pressures for a 25% sag
    • Ride Bike
    • Giggle
    • Adjust handlebar cockpit so brakes are in better position and handle bars are potentially cut down.
    • Ride up hills faster than the last time...
    • Read some feedback on what others are doing to set up their Giant Maestro suspensions...
  • Mountain Machine
    Mountain Machine

    Who wants to go Mountain Biking

    Giant new 27.5" line up is SIIIICCKK!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uI6LmGkuyKY

  • CaptainCodeman
    CaptainCodeman

    I've never done Mountain Biking but used to road-bike a lot and cycle round Buxton and Derbyshire in the UK. I also did 25 miles / 40 km a day to work and back.

    Watching the Tour de France this year it seemed like small electric motors were the new "doping" that they were on the lookout for. Apparently they make cycling on your own as 'easy' as cycling in the main Peloton, which is normally much less effort, so even a small hidden motor is more of a benefit than drugs.

    But for recreational use, they must be good, right? (I mean the motors, not the drugs).

    Are they a 'thing' yet? I'm not talking about a full electric bike (I'd rather go the whole hog and get a proper engine) but for someone who is maybe thinking about coming back to cycling, is older or just isn't confident in their ability to complete a long day anymore and might need a hand they seem like a great option to just provide a little extra push.

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