My dad said the Trance feels like a truck compared to his Pivot...which he said feels like an updated version of his Santa Cruz. I think it somewhat comes down to riding style. You can fucking HAMMER on the Trance and it just begs for more, and that's my riding style. There's a section so of super twisty technical stuff on the trail I ride, and last night I just blasted through it. It's like when you hit a certain speed, the bike sets in a groove and just GOES. I set a PR on that section...despite riding it a bunch last year when I was in way better shape. I think it pedals fantastically well, but don't really have any other fancy bike frame of reference other than it being vastly superior to my 26er Trance.Johnny_P wrote: ↑Wed Aug 16, 2017 8:32 amImpossibru.
1) Nobody stocks bikes, especially a long travel AM/Enduro rig like the Trance. If they stock anything it'll be an Anthem.
2) No chance I'll get a trail ride unless there's a demo bike, see problem 1.
3) No demo days come around this area, they're all on the west coast / Colorado / Utah.
I rode a Santa Cruz 5010 on a trail once. Holy God that thing wasfun. 27.5 wheels, 130 mm travel, super playful and jumpy, rode like a couch, pedaled decently well. That thing just wanted to be airborne.
My 29er felt like a jackhammer after that ride.
I could just get one of thoseBut the Trance gives you better parts and whatnot? Probably pretty similar, honestly, aside from the Santa Cruz maybe pedaling a tad better.
test ride, full blast on a trail. That's really where it shines, IMO.
I also expect that the Trance is far better bang for the buck because Giant is a huge company with infinite resources. They do have a number of house brand components on it (the CF rims, handlebars, stem, etc are Giant, for example), but man...if you can get over the branding, it's really a fantastic ride. Still has Rockshox fork (which adjustable travel which is super cool), Shimano brakes, Sram drivetrain, etc...it's really a fantastic combo.
go 
up with Fled. Get that rack done before you actually have to haul the bike somewhere. Because you ain't gonna wanna put a muddy horse in your $40k egg.
if anyone other than you or I can handle the climbing in Wiss. 100 feet per mile. 
They re-did that super awful downhill thing through the sideways tree last year on the west side of the park by Gorgas. It's vvv flowy now and fun af. Could hit Belmont too 
is best MTB hauler ever invented. I saw a fuckload of 