Which size Trance?

Hey Lee,
Thanks for all the support & efort you put in to the sport. I am looking at the new Giant Trance x1, and fall between the medium and large frame size (I’m 6′ tall with a 32″ inseam). What are the pros and cons of going either way. I ride xc, but enjoy the tech and down more than the up.
Thanks again, Daniel

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Hey Daniel,

You can go either way on this one. But you know I like to analyze things …

At 6 feet tall with a 32-inch inseam, you have relatively short legs and a relatively long torso. Because modern bikes have plenty of standover height, we don’t need to worry about the length of your seat tube. I suggest fitting your bike to your upper body.

Assuming you can strandle it without endangering your manhood, I say run the large. The top tube is about 3/4″ longer than the medium. This will give you a nice, neutral position with a short stem. Given the same top tube + stem length, short stems handle better than long stems. For trail riding, give me a really long top tube and a 50mm stem.

Rock,

— Lee

5 replies
  1. Alex says:

    I’m running the stock Raceface Evolve XC stem. I believe it’s around 70-80mm (It’s not marked). The stem seemed perfect (for me, at least) for a balance of comfortable ascending and very aggressive descending. From what I remember, the large size had an even longer stem in addition to having a significantly longer top tube. Similar to the Glory (and a large portion of the Giant lineup), there is a big jump in size between medium and large. Not sure if that was helpful, but let me know if you have anymore questions.

    -Alex

  2. patrik says:

    Unless it blatantly becomes too big, i have always liked running the larger frame size with a short stem. Main reason is the feeling of being “in the bike” instead of “on the bike” with too small of a frame i feel like i am either getting thrown over the front or off the back way too easily. i have run larges on prophets, and giant acs and vts all with short stems and loved it. personally i would go that way. but make sure to try the bike, and see if the shop will switch out stems for you to try around the parking lot.

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