So need to decide on a new bike and I'm struggling......

Options are likely to be: (spec level to be confirmed)

2019 Anthem 29
2019 Trance
2019 Trance 29

I'm coming off an Anthem SX which is essentially a short travel trail bike on a XC frame.

The new Anthems are fully XC so can count that out.

So it's between the Trance's. The closest that matches is the Trance 29, but its also the first year and the only reviews seem to be from journalists so not so sure. I liked the short travel, suits what I ride better.

But it's a big decision and I can't decide, any ideas anyone?

My first question will sound strange, but how tall are you?
If you ride anything smaller than a large, I'd go straight to a 27.5 wheel size - I have a medium frame sized Santa Cruz 29er, and everythings so tightly packed together.

Yeah, looking at the Anthem, I'd want more than 110mm rear travel too, but I have 160mm on my Reign and it makes it a pig climbing hills LOL

I ride a large, so 29er is a consideration.

The Trance 29 is 115mm rear travel (130mm front) but reviews says it rides like its bigger.

The Trance is 150 x 140mm so has the travel, but will it climb?

I haven't ridden many different trails, but I find Rotorua in general is good on my Santa Cruz Superlight 29er with 100mm rear travel, probably could do with 20mm more, so a Trance 29 would suit me for Rotorua
For Woodhill however, my Superlight was getting hammered, it was just so rough at that stage, so I got my Reign 27.5, forgetting that the climbs are pretty demanding too - in hindsight, I would have been ok with the Trance of the same year, which was around 140mm rear Travel.



Where trails are you riding?

foremannz wrote:My first question will sound strange, but how tall are you?
If you ride anything smaller than a large, I'd go straight to a 27.5 wheel size - I have a medium frame sized Santa Cruz 29er, and everythings so tightly packed together.

Yeah, looking at the Anthem, I'd want more than 110mm rear travel too, but I have 160mm on my Reign and it makes it a pig climbing hills LOL

Agree. While people tell me I look silly on 26" wheels at 6'2", I don't look anywhere near as silly as someone 5'2" on 29" wheels...

I haven't looked at the specs, but surely the 29er has less travel than the 27.5?

29 trance is only 115mm rear/130mm front. Down from the 140/150 of the 27.5 bike.

I'd go for the 29 unless you're small, it looks sick.

I ended up pressing the button on the 29er last night. In the end I thought it looked like something special over the Trance and a lot more fun.

It has a few less shiney bits than the Trance (Guide Ts v Guide RS wtf?) and a performance v performance elite fork (I don’t know anything about Fox!) but everything else the same.

I do hope the rear triangle doesn’t shit itself, it’s one of the first full carbon Maestro rear ends so that’s a risk.

But end of the day, got to hand it to Giant, they’ve done really well by me.

Yep, I looked at a lot of bikes before the Reign, and the Reign had that little bit extra in the design that won me over, including things like the right chainstay being designed to be narrow at the tire edge to allow a wide tire without rubbing ...
If I ever replace the Reign, the new bike will likely need a cable lockout on the rear shock - its such a good thing, I don't know why I didn't prioritise it!

5-6 weeks till it arrives.

They were such GCs to sort that so painlessly.