This time around, the new Trance Advanced Pro 29 gets a fully revamped carbon frame, more aggressive, adjustable geometry, more rear-wheel travel and some in-demand internal frame storage.<\/p>\n
Giant says the focus of this new trail bike is speed and efficiency when tackling technical terrain.<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> Giant first introduced us to the Trance Advanced Pro 29 four years ago, placing it somewhere between its lightweight cross-country race whippets and burly, heavy-hitting trail bikes.<\/p>\n At that point, you could argue it was one of the earliest short-travel trail machines \u2013 commonly now referred to as downcountry bikes.<\/p>\n While the new bike may sound a touch more aggressive, with the hike in rear-wheel travel and changes to the geometry, its singletrack-slaying intentions are very much the same.<\/p>\n One of the headlines here has to be the new internal frame storage. Giant has included a hatch on the upper side of the down tube that allows you to squirrel away key tools should you need to carry out a trailside repair.<\/p>\n Giant claims there\u2019s enough room to stash a CO2 inflator, inner tube, multi-tool and even a snack, which can be wrapped up in the water-resistant bag that\u2019s included. The hatch cover has fittings for a bottle cage, too.<\/p>\n Well, yes, potentially. The 5mm bump in travel over the previous Trance Advanced Pro 29 takes rear-wheel travel up to 120mm, which should help to soak up a lot of the trail chatter but remain efficient and taut enough to feel sprightly when you put the power down.<\/p>\n The 120mm of travel is delivered via Giant\u2019s tried and trusted Maestro, twin-link suspension system. This includes the new Advanced forged composite upper-rocker link, which Giant claims to be not just lighter, but stronger and stiffer than the equivalent link made from aluminium.<\/p>\n Over the years, we\u2019ve always been impressed with the Maestro system, and any long-term test bikes we\u2019ve had have always stood up well to the elements, thanks in part to their double-sealed pivot bearings.<\/p>\n Alongside the bigger, more headline-grabbing changes to the Trance Advanced Pro 29, Giant has also tweaked this and that, here and there in a bid to make it one of the top contenders on the trail.<\/p>\n Giant claims its new integrated cable ports (which guide the gear and dropper hose, plus the rear brake hose) look cleaner and help to reduce any irritating cable rattle when tackling rougher trails.<\/p>\n There\u2019s enough room through the rear stays to fit a 2.5in tyre, while ISCG-05 tabs around the bottom bracket allow you to fit a chainguide and bash guard if you\u2019re looking to tackle terrain that\u2019s a little more extreme.<\/p>\n Neatly integrated frame protection helps to shield the frame from rock strikes and trail debris, while silencing any chain slap.<\/p>\n As has been the common theme with the other Trance models launched over this past year or so, the Trance Advanced Pro 29 also welcomes the ability to have its geometry adjusted.<\/p>\n Flip chips located in the seatstay\/rocker link pivot can be rotated to alter the Trance Advanced Pro 29 angles. There are two settings to choose from \u2013 high or low \u2013 which differ by 0.7 degrees at the head and seat angle, and alter the bottom-bracket height by 10mm.<\/p>\n In the high setting, the head angle is a claimed 66.2 degrees, while the seat angle sits at a steep 77 degrees (or 78 on the size small frame). This setting also provides 35mm of bottom-bracket drop.<\/p>\n Shift to the low setting, and Giant claims the head angle slackens out to 65.5 degrees, making it possibly the most relaxed in the downcountry bike category. The seat angle does slacken off slightly to 76.3 degrees, but should still feel steep enough for efficient pedalling when seated. The low setting delivers a hefty 45mm of bottom-bracket drop.<\/p>\n Giant has extended the Trance Advanced Pro 29\u2019s reach, too, with figures ranging from 430mm on the size small through to 515mm on the extra large when in the high setting. Reach measurements decrease by 8mm when you switch to the low setting.<\/p>\n In a bid to help create a well-centred, balanced ride, Giant has opted to use 437mm effective chainstays across all sizes. These grow to 439mm when the bike is in the low setting.<\/p>\n Will these two settings provide two different sets of ride characteristics? The proof, as they say, is always in the pudding, so as soon as we\u2019ve ridden the bike, we\u2019ll report back.<\/p>\n Giant says the high position should be good for riding slower, tighter technical terrain, while the low setting offers more stability and speed.<\/p>\n In our experience, we\u2019ve generally preferred the low setting and the confidence it provides, especially through the turns. That said, having 10mm of bottom-bracket adjustment is nothing to be sniffed at if you\u2019re planning on riding really chunky, rocky trails where you need a decent amount of pedal clearance.<\/p>\n The lightweight trail or downcountry market (or whatever you want to call it) has really gathered momentum these last couple of years.<\/p>\n While some brands use their cross-country offerings as a template before boosting rear-wheel travel and sticking a burlier fork in place, along with a tougher set of tyres (such as the Cannondale Scalpel SE LTD<\/a> or Specialized Epic EVO Expert<\/a> that we reviewed earlier this year), other brands such as Nukeproof trim the fat from their trail bikes to create something like the Reactor 290 Carbon ST<\/a>.<\/p>\n While the former approach tends to yield super-fast, efficient bikes that\u2019ll cover ground quickly, they can struggle on more demanding terrain. Conversely, Nukeproof\u2019s approach helps to create a bike that\u2019s more than at home on tough, technical terrain, but doesn\u2019t quite possess the same muscular zip as those derived from cross-country frames.<\/p>\nFive things you need to know about the new Giant Trance Advanced Pro 29 trail bike<\/h4>\n
Giant Trance Advanced Pro 29 frame and suspension details<\/h2>\n
Internal frame storage for all your essentials<\/h3>\n
![\""Giant\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2021\/12\/Frame-storage-c97c9c8-e1638357094742.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413"\" "\\"\"Giant\\"")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Will more travel make it faster?<\/h3>\n
![\""Giant\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2021\/12\/Maestro-suspension-3379166-e1638357319689.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413"\" "\\"\"Giant\\"")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>The devil\u2019s in the detail<\/h3>\n
![\""Giant\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2021\/12\/Cable-ports-e5447a9-e1638357471840.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413"\" "\\"\"Giant\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>![\""Giant\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2021\/12\/Frame-protection-4794a7f.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"Giant\\"")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Giant Trance Advanced Pro 29 geometry details<\/h2>\n
Two bikes in one?<\/h3>\n
![\""Giant\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2021\/12\/Flip-Chip-95bee17-e1638357568389.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413"\" "\\"\"Giant\\"")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>![\""Giant\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2021\/12\/Trance-Advanced-Pro-29-action-1-1193374.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"Giant\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Giant Trance Advanced Pro 29 closest competitors<\/h2>\n
![\""Pack\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2021\/05\/Cannondale-Scalpel-SE-LTD-01-9a80336.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"Cannondale\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
![\""Giant\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2021\/12\/Trance-Advanced-Pro-29-0-74dd8f4.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C343"\" "\\"\"Giant\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>![\""Giant\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2021\/12\/Trance-Advanced-Pro-29-1-c9ce069.jpg?quality=90&resize=551%2C413"\" "\\"\"Giant\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>![\""Giant\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2021\/12\/Trance-Advanced-Pro-29-2-62f5205.jpg?quality=90&resize=551%2C413"\" "\\"\"Trance\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>