Giant releases updated Trance 29 alloy trail bike for 2022

Giant has updated the Trance 29 to bring it in line with the carbon Trance Advanced Pro trail bike, which was released late last year. The new Trance 29 brings many of the features used on Giant's best trail bike but offers them on a more affordable alloy frame option.

The new 2022 Trance 29 brings the now four-year-old Trance platform up to date with a host of improved frame features.

Following the carbon Pro model, the alloy Trance adds 5mm to Giant's established Maestro virtual pivot point system with travel now sitting at 130mm at the front and 120mm at the rear. It also gets a flip-chip which alters the head angle and seat angle by 0.7-degrees and the bottom bracket drop by 10mm.

In the low setting, the Trance has a head angle of 65.5-degrees and a seat angle of 76.30 for a size large. Reach has been lengthened to 472mm (large). The chainstays have been lengthened by 2mm so that a 2.5-inch tire can now be fitted.

Giant Trance 29 features and specifications

Giant continues to use its ALUXX SL-Grade Aluminum for the frameset which it claims to deliver just the right balance of responsiveness and control on technical singletrack. Visually the new Trance 29 shares a very similar aesthetic too, with a bowing top tube for better standover, kinked seat tube, and double bend downtube.

There are a few details that Giant has added though. The frame can take a 650ml water bottle in the main triangle, however, there is now an on-frame tool storage interface under the top tube to mount accessories.

The trail bike category is getting rowdier and rowdier so Giant has added integrated downtube and chainstay armor to protect the frame. Sleeker-looking cable ports have also been added which Giant says should eliminate any cable rattling or noise. 

There are two models in the range. Giant provides the same Giant finishing kit including dropper post which ranges from 125mm on a small up to 170mm on the XL. Giant also provides the same Giant AM 29 wheels which have a 30mm internal diameter on both bikes and which are set up tubeless from the factory with the same Maxxis Minion front and Aggressor rear 2.5-inch tires.

Where the specs differ is the drivetrain and suspension that they come equipped with. Shimano features on both with the Trance 29 2 running Deore 1x12 and the Trance 29 1 equipped with SLX drivetrain.

Both Trance models use a Fox Float DPS Performance shock, up from the premium model gets a Fox 34 Performance fork with a Grip Damper and the lower priced model has a Marzocchi Z2. All the suspension components have been custom-tuned for the Giant Trance 29.

Giant Trance 29 range overview

Image 1 of 2