2024 eMTB SHOOTOUT

GIANT TRANCE X ADVANCED E+ ELITE 1 REVIEW

LIGHT AND EFFICIENT FULL POWER TRAIL EMTB

Photos by Max Rhulen & Dusten Ryen
Video by Brian Niles / Treeline Cinematic

We were excited to include the Giant Trance X Adv. E+ Elite in our full-power eMTB Shootout this year, following our enjoyable time testing it as part of our 2023 SL eMTB Roundup. Giant’s approach to spec a full-power drive unit with a smaller 400Wh internal battery – which can then be expanded to 600Wh with the Range Extender – is somewhat unique, and we wanted to explore how well it could hang with larger battery-equipped competitors.

2024 EMTB SHOOTOUT SERIES – The Giant Trance X Advanced E+ Elite 1 was one of 14 eBikes that our staff thoroughly tested with absolute objectivity in mind. From different types of riders to terrain, our goal is to present the best and most honest information possible to help you make your best decision. Of course, we’d love to thank Fox Racing and Schwalbe Tires for being invaluable partners to this series and making it happen and to Howler Bike Park for hosting us for our testing.

QUICK HITS

• 140mm Maestro Suspension
• Mixed 29”F/27.5”R Wheels
• Syncdrive Pro2 Mg Motor
• 400Wh EnergyPak Battery

Price: $5,700 – $13,000

WE DIG

WE DON’T

ABOUT THE GIANT TRANCE X ADVANCED E+ ELITE 1

FRAME AND FEATURES | The Trance X Advanced E+ Elite uses Giant’s Advanced Carbon Fiber Composite frame, including an Advanced Forged carbon fiber shock link. The frame provides 140mm of travel with Giant’s Maestro suspension system, which is paired with a 150mm fork and Mixed (29”F/27.5”R) wheel setup.

The Trance X Advanced E+ Elite is packed with all of the premium features you may expect from a bike at the $10k price range. There’s full internal cable routing with contentious entry ports through the headset; room in the front triangle for a large water bottle or their EnergyPak Range Extender; well-sorted protection for the chainstays, and a geometry-adjusting flip chip to let you quickly tweak the character of the bike.

DRIVE UNIT AND ELECTRONICS | The Trance X Advanced E+ Elite range uses the Yamaha-powered Giant SyncDrive Pro2 Mg drive unit, delivering 85Nm of torque and 500W Peak Power to the rear wheel at a weight of 2.5kg – the lightest on test. This is powered by a smaller 400Wh EnergyPak battery, which weighs just 2.3kg and is fully integrated (non-removable) to reduce overall weight. The system has six “PedalPlus” sensors to detect rider input and tailor the level of assistance. Giant claims this gives the most responsive power delivery, and maximizes battery life.

Range can be boosted by 200Wh with the EnergyPak Plus range extender, bringing total capacity to a reasonable 600Wh and therefore earning this bike a spot in this Full-Power eMTB Shootout. Recharging the EnergyPak battery is done with the EnergyPak 4A charger, which provides a 60% charge in 105 minutes.

The RideControl system controls the Syncdrive Pro2 Mg drive unit, using the RideControl GO integrated top tube LED display and the RideControl Ergo3 grip-integrated remote. The display is very sleek but only displays battery life and the mode selected. If that’s not enough, the system will connect to a cycle computer via ANT+, displaying speed and other data. Connecting to the Giant RideControl app allows for the tuning of power assistance in each mode and software updates.

GEOMETRY | The Giant Trance X Advanced Elite E+ has fairly typical Trail geometry, with no real stand-out figures. The front end is the steepest on test, even in the slack setting, which led to some nervousness in the steering at times.

BUILD SPECS | For 2024 Giant is offering a range of builds from the E+ Elite 3 at $5,700 to the E+ Elite 0 at $13,000. We tested the E+ Elite 1, retailing for the top end of our overall price cap at $10,000, and featuring a decidedly premium build to match its luxurious raw carbon finish.

The Giant Trance X Advanced E+ Elite 1 features Factory level Fox suspension, notably without Live Valve for 2024. A 150mm travel E-optimized 36 Grip 2 is paired to a Float X EVOL rear shock, giving high levels of adjustability to get the setup dialed in.

The groupset is SRAM’s GX AXS T-Type, with a 165mm long carbon fiber Praxis crank driving the motor. Braking is handled by SRAM Code R brakes with a 220mm front and 200mm rear rotor for plentiful power.

Finishing kit includes a Giant Contact SLR Trail integrated one-piece carbon fiber bar and stem combo by Giant, which features unique replaceable wedges to allow for geometry adjustment including angle and length. A Trans-X Rad+ dropper post is topped by a Giant Romero saddle.

Rounding out the specs is a Giant E-TRX carbon fiber wheelset – the only carbon wheels on test. These are supplied with a pair of Maxxis tires with EXO casings and Maxx Terra rubber as standard. However, for our 2024 eMTB Shootout we equipped all bikes with a consistent Schwalbe tire pairing to obtain the best comparisons. Our tires of choice were the Schwalbe Magic Mary in 2.4” wide Super Gravity casings and with Addix Soft rubber. When all was said and done, the Giant weighed 45.9lbs as standard or 48.6lbs with the Range Extender.

THE DIRT – RIDING THE GIANT TRANCE X ADVANCED E+ ELITE 1

SETUP | Giant equips this model with an integrated carbon fiber bar-stem combo, but with a difference. By using adjustable wedges, the user can tweak the bar roll and effective stem length of the system. This helps to address our typical complaints with integrated cockpits, however we did not have the different wedges available to tweak the setup for this group test. As such, we removed the integrated unit and replaced it with a setup that would allow us to obtain a more comfortable cockpit geometry.

Other than this cockpit setup, which may not be for everyone, the Giant proved to be a relatively easy bike to set up. We appreciated Giant’s decision not to spec this model with Live Valve technology and instead fit a more adjustable suspension package, which let us dial in the compression and rebound settings to our liking.

The geometry on the Trance X Adv. E+ Elite was fairly well rounded for a Trail eMTB, with no particularly extreme numbers. Even so, we would have loved to see a slacker head tube angle on this bike in order to bolster steering stability and confidence when pushing harder.

ELECTRONICS AND INTEGRATION | This Giant was the only bike to be equipped with the Syncdrive Pro 2 system, powered by Yamaha. This system is unique both in terms of its power delivery and feel, as well as the integration. The integrated top tube display is solid, and quite comparable to the Bosch equivalent. The bar-mounted controller wasn’t the most ergonomic on test, with the different buttons occasionally being hard to find and the walk mode a little fatiguing to keep engaged.

The Syncdrive Pro 2 drive unit is a solid performer, with good support throughout the cadence range, but doesn’t feel quite as refined in its power delivery as Shimano or Bosch. Alongside the Rocky Mountain, it’s a drive unit that tends to “lurch” at rest, which can be frustrating. We’d love to see Giant and Yamaha work to remove this character from the system. The Syncdrive Pro 2 drive unit produces a different noise to the other drive systems on test, with a lower tone. It’s not an ultra-silent system, but it was acoustically tolerable.

The RideControl app is not our favorite, with a few quirks and slow load speeds at times, but does the job. Once connected to the bike, it allowed us to maximize the power output of the “Power” mode easily and intuitively.

The range with the 400Wh battery alone felt to be quite impressive, and once the EnergyPak Range Extender was added we were able to amount comparable laps to other 600-635Wh bikes. This modular solution makes a lot of sense to us: maximize the agility and playfulness for a quick ride with only the 400Wh battery, or add the Range Extender for bigger rides. In theory you could purchase two or more range extenders, and stow them in your pack or in your vehicle to swap out and extend your ride even further.

Disappointingly, the mounting system for this range extender proved to be quite frustrating, allowing for lots of movement and rattle. We’d like to see improvements made to mount the range extender more securely to the bike.

CLIMBING | Smoother and tighter sections of climb were dispatched with impressive speed. Combining the Giant’s low 45.5lbs (or 48.1lbs with the Range Extender fitted) weight with comfortable climbing geometry and an efficient pedaling platform, it’s easy to see why. It’s not the plushest or most traction-rich bike, preferring to pick lines carefully and instead approach the terrain in a more efficient manner.

On the steepest extended sections, the drive unit wasn’t quite able to match the power of the Shimano EP801 or Bosch drive units, and especially the Rocky Mountain Dyname 4.0. Elsewhere, the Trance X Adv. E+ Elite 1 felt to be a rocket ship, and encouraged some of the quickest climbs on more technical climb sections.

DESCENDING | Mellower descents on the Giant Trance X Adv. E+ Elite were an absolute blast. The low weight; stiff frame and wheel package and supportive suspension platform combined to allow rolling terrain to be worked for every bit of speed. In trail center situations, such as on the flowy green and blue runs of Howler Bike Park and some of the flow trails in Bentonville, the Giant was an inspirational machine. However, all of our testers struggled with discomfort in the handling through bermed corners, with a hesitance to fully tip-in and rip a turn like we’d have liked.

Rougher sections of trail can highlight the stiffness and trail-focused geometry, with some nervousness creeping in. The Maestro suspension system offered reasonable comfort and traction on the way down the hill, but the burly carbon wheels and steeper head tube angle limited comfort and confidence when charging hard. As a trail-focused bike, this won’t matter to all riders, but it’s worth evaluating how hard you are looking to push and how gnarly your terrain is, to ensure the Giant will be up to the task.

FINISH AND VALUE | The finish quality of the Giant frame was exceptional, with a stunning paint job and a sleek overall look. The one item that failed to match this high standard of quality is the EnergyPak Range Extender, which was not held securely and would rattle both up and down the hill. You could likely improve this with some homemade solution, but Giant’s solution was unsatisfactory.

All things considered, the Giant offers solid value. The build spec is very well selected and performed well. Interestingly, this was the only build in this year’s group test to be spec’d with a carbon fiber wheelset. This burly Giant E-TRX rim undoubtedly aided the stiffness and snappiness of the Trance X Adv. E+ Elite 1, but came at the detriment of a little comfort and compliance.

The Wolf’s Last Word

The Giant Trance X Adv. E+ Elite 1 is an energetic trail eMTB that provided a lot of fun on mellower trails. With high quality throughout and a unique approach to powering the system, it’s undoubtedly a solid bike for the right rider.

WHO’S IT FOR?

Riders looking to cover good ground with a light and agile bike, and go fast on mellower terrain are sure to enjoy this Giant eMTB.

Price: $10,000
Weight: 45.9lbs (48.6lbs with Range Extender)
Website: Giant-bicycles.com

SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR 2024 eMTB SHOOTOUT SPONSORS

Without their support, we would not be able to make this series possible.

FOX RACING

SCHWALBE TIRES

HOWLER BIKE PARK