GIANT TRANCE ADVANCED E+ FIRST RIDE REVIEW

October 1, 2026

The Giant group is updating their full-power e-bike offering, with the new Trance Advanced E+, and the women’s-specific Liv Intrigue Advanced E+. Featuring Yamaha’s all-new Syncdrive Pro 4 drive unit, the Trance Advanced E+ has gained power and control, as well as travel and capabilities.

Emma and I were on the tail end of our honeymoon, and could not have thought of a better way to close it out, riding e-bikes in the Italian Alps! We spent two days riding the trails around Livigno, with some truly epic alpine backcountry riding and some dedicated single-track mixed in. Here’s how the Giant Trance Advanced E+ performed, and if you’re looking for Emma’s thoughts on the Liv, check it out here [LINK].

ABOUT THE GIANT TRANCE ADVANCED E+

DRIVE UNIT AND ELECTRONICS | The SyncDrive Pro 4 drive unit, co-developed by Giant and Yamaha, has seen a ground-up redesign. This development process allowed for Giant to lock in the pivot points of the Maestro Suspension platform first; then the SyncDrive Pro 4 drive unit shape and mounting points were defined to fit around them. This allowed Giant to have no sacrifices when it came to the ride feel of the new Trance Advanced E+ on the trail.

The system moves to a 48v setup, producing 120Nm of Maximum Torque and 850w of Peak Power. There is a maximum 1:5 assistance ratio, or 500% total assistance over your human power.

The drive unit weighs in at 2.4kg (5.29lbs,) giving the motor a 50Nm to KG Torque-to-weight ratio. The system features a torque-based zero cadence design. This means that from a 0-140RPM cadence range, you are getting sustained assistance from the motor. Peak torque is delivered within 0.28 seconds, with the Peak Power hitting a bit later once spinning, to help better control the bike on ascents.

The Energypak Smart 840 battery is 36% more dense, 23% smaller, and 700g lighter than the outgoing Smart 800 offering. With 840Wh of capacity, the battery weighs in at 3.7kg(8.16lbs). Internally, the battery sports a 375Wh/L energy density, with an IPX7 waterproof rating to keep it safe through the abuse. Additionally, there is a 280Wh range extender available, which weighs in at 1.5kg (3.31lbs). The system is designed to drain the extender first, guarding the full power of the internal battery. The battery has been tested up to 2,300 cycles, with 80% performance remaining after 800 cycles. The Liv Intrigue features a smaller 560Wh battery to help keep bike and rider weight balance in check.

At the heart of the SyncDrive Pro 4 system is Yamaha’s Smart Gateway. This controls and manages the entire e-system from a single “brain”. To monitor and adjust the power delivered, there are torque, cadence, speed, slope, power, and acceleration sensors. There are 6 different rider modes to choose from, as well as a custom mode riders can adapt to their personal preferences. Within the tuning, you can modify torque, flow, acceleration, responsiveness, and overrun. The RideControl Ergo 5 is a single-unit remote that controls the integrated electronic dropper post, power assistance levels, and menu navigation on the display. The remote can also be used as a wireless shifter for the TRP Electronic drivetrain, making for a very clean cockpit setup.

The SyncDrive Pro 4 e-system in conjunction with the Smart Gateway now offers riders traction control based on 4 ride parameters: Speed, Slope, Cadence, and Torque. This will automatically drop power output based on the sensor readouts, helping to keep traction on the tire and the rider moving forwards and up the trail. This feature is not an on-and-off riding aid; rather, it will incrementally adjust power based on the data going to the Smart Gateway.

FRAME AND FEATURES | The Giant Trance Advanced E+ sees a 300g weight reduction in the frame, while delivering 10mm more travel out back. The Trance now comes in at 2,773g for the size medium frame. There is a 3-position flip-chip to customize the bike to your riding style and terrain. This geometry adjustment is solely for ride characteristics; the bike is not compatible with a 29” wheel out back.

SUSPENSION | The Maestro suspension platform remains, but has been bumped up to 150mm of travel. The SyncDrive Pro 4 motor was built around the platform, allowing the engineers to develop the suspension platform exactly as they wished. The U-shaped Anti-Squat curve helps to lower chain tension deeper in the travel, keeping the rear tire more in contact with the ground. Anti-Rise has been reduced from the outgoing model to improve traction under braking, something we much appreciated on the trail.

GEOMETRY | The Giant Trance Advanced E+ has the same 443mm chainstay length across all sizes, which is 4mm shorter than before. The Head Tube angle in the middle setting of the flip chip (how it comes stock) lands at 64.5º. Across all sizes, the stack height has been increased; our size Large Trance sees a 649mm figure in the middle flip chip. The Trance is being offered in frame sizes from Small to XL.

BUILD SPECS | Both the Trance and Intriuge are offered in 4 different models. Both bikes we had for the duration of our test were the E+0 variants, the top-tier offering from both brands. At the moment, there is no confirmation of the pricing and availability in the USA, but equivalent models in Europe span price points from €5,999 to €9,999.

THE DIRT

It is worth noting that at this time, neither the Trance nor the Intrigue are available in the USA due to a US Customs and Border Protection Withhold Release Order.

SETUP | Outside of wanting to ditch the one-piece bar and stem combo on the Trance, it was pretty straightforward: set sag and it was off. Following initial testing, I ended up increasing the rear shock pressure to sit around 28% sag to get a bit more platform out of the bike. This helped to make the bike a bit more playful, but without a significant penalty to its small bump sensitivity. Overall, I was really impressed with the Maestro Suspension platform from the outset.

ELECTRONICS & INTEGRATION | With both bikes having the one-piece bar and stem combo and the wireless remotes, the bar configuration was super clean. The Ergo 5 controller was hit and miss for me, albeit this is new to me, and if it were my bike then I would eventually get used to the setup. There were a few instances on climbs where I was going for the dropper paddle but also hit the mode selector, reducing power when I did not want to. This was pretty frustrating, but as with all new things, there was a learning curve. Overall, I like the idea of the one-piece remote.

The display screen was bright and easy to read, even in the midday sun. However, the single button at the base of the display was misleading in what it could do. Much of the operation of the settings happens on the remote. Any customization must be done via the app. While this is something we would love to see integrated into the bike so a phone is not necessary, it was not a dealbreaker.

The tire pressure monitoring valve stems seemed to be faulty for many of us: some were showing no pressure, while others displayed a very low figure for what was actually in the tire. I absolutely love the idea of these pressure monitoring valves, and hope accuracy can be improved or solved.

CLIMBING | I found the Trance to offer loads of traction when pedaling. The combination of traction control on the eBike system and the Maestro suspension platform was confidence-inspiring on awkward and steep sections of climb. We did not have a ton of technical climbing on the route, but the tech that we did have was cleaned on the first try. The butt dyno feel for me was among the best out there, with only the Ari Timp Peak beating it out – a bike with 20mm more travel. The Giant Trance Advanced E+ was ultra comfortable in the saddle for back-to-back days.

I felt upright and comfortable when seated and pedaling, even in the low flip-chip position. I did not feel too stretched out, nor too cramped. Having slightly longer chainstays with the 27.5” rear wheel would really help keep the front end down on steep pitches, but it was manageable even so.

Something that stood out in comparison to other drive units on the market was the sound of the SyncDrive Pro 4. The motor had very little gear rattle, but produced a loud whine when under load. We did not have any sort of measuring device on us to put a decibel reading to this observation, but it was noticeably louder than the latest Bosch and Avinox drive units. The noise of the SyncDrive Pro 4 increased as the cadence picked up, with around 90-100rpm being the peak.

Nearly all my time was spent in the Tour and Active power modes, as I found Sport, Power, and Boost too much for the terrain we had on tap. At the time of the press camp, we did not have access to the application on our phone to configure the power modes further. I would opt to turn down sensitivity, allowing for more usable power in the higher modes.

Speaking of sensitivity, when stationary on the bike with some weight on the pedal, the bike wanted to lurch forward. This caught me off guard the first time it happened, with the system being very sensitive to input. That is great for dynamic moves, but it took some getting used to in other scenarios. The Yamaha system is one I have not spent significant time on, so learning the ins and outs of what it likes and doesn’t like will take more seat time.

DESCENDING | My biggest takeaway from riding the Giant Trance Advanced E+ was how smooth the rear end is over both big hits and high-speed chatter. I was very impressed with how well the 150mm handled everything I threw at it. I typically increase sag to get the ride feel I seek after, but this was one of the very few bikes I decreased that figure. The Trance falls on the more ground-hugging, plow-friendly end of the spectrum, rather than the poppy and playful side. Getting the bike airborne on smaller hits took a fair amount of rider input, but towards the end of the rides I became used to it. On the other hand, the bike dished out endless traction and held its line well.

When cornering the Giant Trance Advanced E+, it took me a bit longer than expected to get comfortable. This was partly due to the oddly shaped integrated bars, which were messing with my head. The bike came set up with the maximum number of stem spacers installed, and at lunch on the second day I opted to drop down 5mm to see if that would improve the confidence in the front end. It is worth noting the type of corners we were encountering were completely flat with shale rock, so confidence was already pretty low. But this reduction in bar height did make a significant difference in front-end feel. If it were my bike, I would ditch the bars entirely, opting for a conventional pairing with more familiar ergonomics.

COMPONENT REPORT

Handlebar | While they were comfortable in their flex characteristics, and present a clean look and reasonable weight, this is the only thing I would change about the entire bike. I don’t quite understand the need to save weight here when it really limits how riders can set their bike up.

Dropper Post | The electronic dropper worked well with little noise; the engagement was slightly delayed but manageable. It was notably slower than both the offering from Fox and RockShox, but within a usable zone.

Chain | Giant worked with KMC to develop an E-Specific chain for the Trance and Intrigue Advanced E+ eMTBs. It is built to handle up to 300Nm of combined motor and rider input. It has 21% greater tension strength and 35% greater pin strength than the leading benchmark chain. This is something we can all benefit from, as snapped chains are increasingly more common as motor power increases. Long-term durability is also notably increased, with a claimed 0.157% amount of wear at 2,000km of high-torque testing.

Wheels/Hub | The wheels were also updated to withstand the added abuse from the more powerful drive unit. The internal ratchet is made from titanium, delivering a 20% strength increase from the previous iteration. They have also refined the design of the Wide Guard technology for the rim, now featuring a 5mm rim sidewall and curved rim profile, hoping to better protect against ground contact.

The Wolf’s Last Word

The Giant Trance Advanced E+ brings to market Yamaha’s most powerful E-System to date under the name of the SyncDrive Pro 4. Paired with the impressively sensitive Maestro suspension platform, this is a bike that is ready to tackle some serious mileage on rough terrain.

Pricing:
Trance Advanced Et 0 – €9,999
Trance Advanced E+ 1 – €7,999
Trance Advanced E+ SE – €6,699
Trance Advanced Et 2 – €5,999

Website: Giant-bicycles.com