05/11/2008

Giant Bicycles introduced its Maestro floating pivot point suspension system in the 2005 model year, and since then the design has been applied to the company's complete line of full-suspension bikes. It's available on everything from the 3.5" Anthem XC race bike to 4.2" Trance, the 6" Reign, the 6.7" Reign X, the 8" Glory, and the 9" Glory DH downhill race bike.

Giant felt there was a hole in the line, though, at the 5" level - the emerging trail bike category - and they decided to do something about that for the 2008 model year. They also decided to do something about one of the most common comments from riders about bikes using the Maestro platform: they were too heavy.

Those two goals led to a flurry of changes to the Giant full suspension line, and I was fortunate to be there when the new bikes were unveiled at Northstar Resort in Tahoe, CA earlier this past summer.

The Product
The most significant changes to the line were wrapped up in one new package - the Trance X, a 5" trail bike that fills the gap between the 4.2" Trance and 6" Reign. The Trance X is intended for riders who want to go faster and further and push themselves more than they could with a 4" bike, but don't need the travel or weight of a 6" bike.

The all-new Giant Trance X, catching a few rays on the Flume Trail above Lake Tahoe

Although the bike itself was new, the real story was the new frame design. Giant did away with the pierced downtube mounting for the air shock, drastically reshaped the front triangle of the frame, and moved the suspension rocker arms higher up the seattube.

The new shock / frame design on the Trance X - note the water bottle mounts on the front triangle

There were several reasons for the changes. First, the new shock mount gave the frame an aesthetically cleaner appearance. Second, it allowed Giant to drop a considerable amount of weight for the frame, giving riders almost a whole extra inch of travel while still dropping more than a half a pound of weight in some frames and a pound in others.

The old pierced downtube mounting position and rocker design...

In order to facilitate those changes, Giant redesigned the front triangle. They use hydroformed tubing that is box-shaped at the ends, increasing weld surface on the head tube to accommodate a longer-travel fork and creating a swooping bottom bracket interface for mounting the rear shock.

Also changed was the toptube / seattube junction. Previous versions of the Trance used a single tube for the toptube and a second, smaller tube (above the toptube on the original version of the frame, and then below on later versions) to provide support between the top- and seattubes. The second tube has been abandoned in favour of a larger tube profile at the seattube interface to increase weld surface and drop weight.

The rear triangle for the Trance remains basically the same, but what does change along with the new shock mount is the mounting position for the pivots.

In order to work in conjunction with the higher mounting position of the shock itself, the pivots move further up the seattube. The main pivot also goes right thru the seattube, rather than a piece welded in front of it, to decrease weight. To ensure that the Maestro platform works as it was originally designed, Giant recast the two lower linkage arms and upper rocker so they dropped the appropriate amount to compensate for the higher pivots and shock mount. That also resulted in new cable routing that moves to the bottom of the seatstays instead of the top, where it ran in earlier versions.

The new rocker is a different shape, but is still cast as two pieces and bolted together

The net result of these changes is a frame that is 244g lighter than the 2007 Trance. Parts spec on the top-of-the-line X0 model included a Fox 32 F120RL fork, Fox Float RP23 rear shock, Race Face Deus bar, stem, seatpost, and crankset, Avid Juicy 7 brakes with a 180mm front rotor, Shimano XT drivetrain, Mavic CrossMax ST wheels and Kenda Nevegal 2.1" tires. MSRP on the Trance X0 is US$3,500 with weight for a size medium bike under 27lbs.

Trance X wasn't the only surprise unveiled in Tahoe. Giant also carried over the new frame design and shock position from the Trance and Trance X to the Reign 6" bikes. Reign is Giant's all-mountain bike, designed to be ridden up, down, and out into the backcountry. The bike is spec'd with a standard quick release fork and a parts build that leans towards the lighter end of the spectrum, but it still capable of taking abuse. Like the Trance, the Reign frame is also considerably lighter this year - 738g less than the '07 version.

The redesigned Reign 1, with 6" of rear travel, a beefier build, and plenty of room for a water bottle cage

Spec on the Reign 0 includes a Fox 32 Talas RL fork with 100-140mm of travel, a Fox DHX 4.0 rear shock, SRAM X-9 shifters and an X.0 rear derailleur, Hayes Stroker Trail disc brakes with a 7" front rotor, Race Face Deus handlebar, stem, and seatpost, WTB LaserDisc Trail / SL hub wheelset, and Kenda Nevegal 2.35" tires. MSRP on the Reign 0 is US$3,300. I'll be throwing a leg over a new Reign in the months ahead and seeing just how much of the mountain this all-mountain bike can tackle. Stay tuned for that.

In addition to the frame changes, both bikes also get the new lightweight Co-Pivot design that minimizes weight by using one shaft to secure the lower linkage and bottom of the shock, improved downtube cable routing for less frame rub and leg interference, and improved water bottle clearance on smaller frame sizes.

All of those changes were well and good and it shows Giant's commitment to the Maestro platform, but they left me with one question: will the new frame design, and specifically the reshaped downtube, be applied to the Reign X, Glory, and Glory DH frames as well? No one from Giant who I posed that question to would deny it, which is a pretty good indication that something is in the works. Don't be surprised to see revamped frame designs for those three platforms in the 2009 model year. Those of you attending the races next year should keep an eye open in the pits - that'll be the first place you'll see new frames popping up.

Once the new-product presentations were over, the assembled crew of international journos, pro riders Jared Rando and Emil Cavalier, Giant staffers, and a few Northstar reps saddled up and made for the trails on the mountain to test out the new Trance X bikes.

Giant Bicycles media guru Andrew Juskaitis praying to all that is holy that no one takes a digger on his watch.

Day One - Northstar Resort
For those of you who don't know, Northstar at Tahoe resort is located in northern California, 65km from the Reno - Tahoe airport and right near the California / Nevada border. It's another example of the growing trend in year-round resorts, offering skiing and boarding in the winter and mountain biking in the summer. The resort also boasts the complete range of accommodations and a full-service village to keep non-riding spouses or significant others entertained while you're on the trails.

The main square of the Northstar village - there was a micro-brewery festival under the tent on our final day there. 

Northstar offers both lift-accessed riding and an extensive network of XC trails on the mountain that adds up to more than 160km of terrain for mountain bikers. We were there to ride trail bikes, so we hit the XC trails on the backside of the mountain. Fortunately, though, we were able to catch a ride up the chairlift most of the way to the top. That was a definite bonus for those of us coming from sea level, considering that the village is located at 6,300' and the XC trails we rode started at about 8,000'. Once we arrived at midstation on the mountain, we were outfitted with our own personalized Trance X0s.

The author's ride, complete with a fresh coating of N* dust and slightly beat set of wheels.

It was opening day at Northstar, so the mountain was working a few kinks out of the system and the lines moved fairly slowly. But nobody was too upset - it was a sunny day, and we were riding bikes. During the 15-minute ride to the top of the hill, we got a chance to talk to the other people on the lift and check out the amazing scenery.

Looking back down the Zephyr lift at the runs below and the scenery of the NorCal hills

One of the things that I noticed was that Northstar is serious about building a good bike park, complete with both natural obstacles, long runs, and man-made obstacles. That's no mean feat, considering the fact that the soil on the hill is far from idea for ... well, pretty much anything.

The trail crew at Northstar has made good use of what they have to work with and have built
a number of stunts on the hill.

Which brings up my second point about the hill. The place is dry and dusty. Seriously dusty. Get stuck at the back of a long line of riders and you'd almost need a dust mask. Northstar was looking at different solutions to deal with the problem, including running hoses along some of the popular trails to keep them wet and moderate the dust flying around. Riding conditions on the hill were interesting because of the dust, but also because many of the trails had received a liberal covering of wood chips. Enjoying the new ride took a back seat to fighting for traction at times, but it was all part of the experience.

Conditions on the hill were super dry and dusty - a problem that park operators are trying
to address with hoses along some trails

After a couple of shorter runs on the front side of the hill, we headed to the back of the mountain for some serious XC action and a long run down to Lake Tahoe for dinner. It was a nice change from the front side of the hill, and the dust was much more manageable.

There were miles and miles of ripping singletrack that snaked around the back side of the mountain

The terrain was a combination of fast, winding singletrack, open meadows, and short technical sections, mixed in with a few sandtraps for good measure. The trails were a good test for the new Trance X, which was able to handle just about everything that was thrown at it.

Stuart getting out of the saddle and hammering on the Trance X between the trees

Once I got comfortable on the Trance X, I was able to open it up and really push the bike. It's very difficult to get a real feel for a bike in a couple of hours, especially when it comes to fine-tuning suspension settings, but the combination of the Fox fork and rear shock with the Maestro platform was nicely balanced and the parts spec was just right for the bike - with one exception: the wheelset.

Heading down some of the roads at Northstar proved to be a dusty proposition. Being in the middle of the pack sucked.

I'd managed to put several good wows in the CrossMax ST wheelset within about two hours of climbing on the bike. The tires were also a bit small, considering how much I was pushing the bike. Larger riders will want to swap out the current set-up for something like the Mavic CrossMax SL and possibly a set of 2.3" tires.

Climbing on the Trance X was a treat, especially in light of the fact that I spend most of my time on bikes that weigh between 35 and 40lbs. At approximately 28lbs. for an XL bike, the Trance was able to carry me up with a lot less effort. The suspension did its job as well, soaking up bumps and keeping the rear wheel planted on the ground while remaining largely unaffected by rider input. Where the bike really became fun was on the way down. There were several long descents on the way down from the top of Northstar to Lake Tahoe, and a group of riders got a chance to see what the Trance X could do. I had the good fortune to be able to ride with Giant downhiller Jared Rando, a few other journalists, and Giant staffers, and we ripped to the bottom as fast as you can on unknown trails and a bike that you're not familiar with. The bike felt predictable, wasn't twitchy, and was able to handle the extended high-speed descent without any difficulties. Trail obstacles - logs, roots, rocks, water bars - were a non-issue and I always felt like I was in control. Even when I was surfing wood chips.

Jared Rando has fun cruising down the hill on his Trance X

By the time we got to the bottom of the hill, everyone was filthy. A couple of runs on a very dusty mountain in the middle of summer and then a long ride down the back side of the mountain left everyone sweaty, dirty, and in some cases, a little bloody. So what did we do? Had a parking lot shower - just outside the restaurant where we were having dinner.

The residents of Mountain Highway would complain a lot less if they saw what they COULD be faced with

Dinner was an entertaining affair, where we regaled each other with tales of trips gone by, product launches that were horribly bad (unlike this one), mocked the wounded and were generally obnoxious.

Noted French general Napoleon Bonaparte (a.k.a. Guy Kestevan of What Mountain Bike mag) somehow ended up at our table. And this was before the serious drinking began.

Once the dining was over, we all loaded up onto a 65' yacht for a sunset cruise around the lake. The boat had been decorated during the 1970s, and nothing had changed since then. Slightly trampled shag carpets, brown leather sofas, and art were all from a bygone era. But they gave the old girl character.

Now, you may think that a sunset cruise with a bunch of male mountain bike journalists and Giant staffers (plus the two or three women who somehow managed to sneak aboard the ship) would be boring. Well, it might be - if you didn't have Richard 'RC' Cunningham of Mountain Bike Action fame along to keep you entertained. RC has been around nearly as long as the bicycle wheel itself, and he's seen a lot in his time. He founded a company called Mantis Bicycles waaaay back in the day. He knows a lot of the pioneers of the sport. He's ridden a whole back of bikes. And he's worked with a lot of the current crop of U.S.-based mountain bike journalists. So he's got some good stories.

I don't think this was supposed to be an obscene gesture, but it sure looks like it

All kidding aside, the cruise was pretty damn cool. Especially since we got to check out a sunset like this. The bus ride back to the resort, however, was another matter. It consisted of some snoring, really bad music, and dudes wrestling. It was a good thing we weren't getting up really early the next day for a punishing ride in the blazing sun. Oh, wait. We were...

There are few things I like more than being out on the water, especially when it's like this.

Day Two - The Flume Trail

Day two of the trip was going to be an adventure - we were going to ride the Flume Trail. The Flume Trail is a high-altitude, undulating, sandy trail that skirts the hills above Lake Tahoe, and our goal for the day was to ride some (or all) of the trail. The day started out with about 1,000' of climbing that took us from about 6,500' to about 7,500', and then through a series of shorter up and down sections overlooking the lake.

Thankfully, the guides had the trail route down pat because there were options right off the bat

Climbing in sand, at altitude, can be an interesting experience. It can also be a hell of a lot of work. Once again, I was thankful that the Trance was both light-weight and a good climbing bike. Terrain changed quickly, going from sandy climbs to rocky downhill stretches in a matter of minutes, and I left the Fox rear shock in the fully open position to take advantage of as much traction and cushion as possible. Virtually the entire distance we covered was sand of varying hardness, ranging from a full-on beach to sand over hardpack, with the odd rocky section thrown in to make sure you were paying attention.

Stuart spinning upward on this semi-hard section of trail, enjoying the fact that he's not on a freeride bike.

Once we got to the top, there were a number of amazing viewpoints to take in the lake almost 2,000' feet below us. The best part of the view was knowing that, for the second straight day in a row, we had a long rip down to the lake ahead of us. It also gave me a chance to take a few more shots of the Trance X0 with the lake as a backdrop.

The Giant takes a break on the beach, at about 8,000'. The bike is an XL (22") and I was just about maxing out the seatpost.

After about 15 minutes of descending, the group of about 25 riders reassembled at the mid-way point of the ride. Everyone was given the option of continuing on climbing and adding about another two hours onto their ride - at race pace - or continuing down to the lake for a swim and food. A few masochists headed out for the death march, but the majority of us headed down to the lake. I was all up for more riding, but the words 'race pace' weren't quite what I was interested in hearing. Especially on a scorching hot day, at altitude. Maybe next time... The rip down was fun, but a bit sketchy at times as it was mostly fire road with a couple of inches of sand over hardpack.

You had to stay on your toes, because it was easy to get caught in a sandtrap

Drifting the bike into corners was possible some of the time, particularly at the top of the trail, but when hikers started popping up unexpectedly on the lower slopes, we had to chill a bit. It was still a hell of a way to end the day.

Waiting for the guys who weren't so comfortable ripping down unknown trails at mach speed

When we got to the bottom, there was a beautiful sight waiting for us - a beautiful lake, a nice big tent, cold water, and BBQ lunch. The riders who came down partook in the hospitality, had a very refreshing (and somewhat nipply) dip in the lake, and enjoyed the scenery on the beach while we waited for the rest of the crew to arrive. About two hours later, they showed up - covered in dust and looking slightly shell shocked. Chilling on the beach was definitely the right choice.

So where was the Giant group supposed to go? It was hard to tell...

So there you have it - a new bike from Giant for 2008, a new frame design for an existing bike, and a test of that bike in the works on nsmb.

I'd like to extend my thanks to everyone at Giant who made this trip enjoyable, entertaining, and educational - the marketing and PR people, the product managers and design people, the mechanics and tech support people, and the people from head office.

I also want to thank the crew from Northstar for their hospitality during our time at the resort. If you live in NorCal, you probably know about N* already. If you don't and you're heading through the area, it's worth checking out. The skiing's also supposed to be pretty good...

- Stuart Kernaghan

Want to talk about the new Trance X or other products in Giant's line? You know where to take it.