Behind The Scenes Developing The Trance X E+
Revolution MTB|Issue 60
A conversation with Joost Bakker, Giant’s global category manager for e-bikes, about how he and the team brought the Trance X E+ to life.
Behind The Scenes Developing The Trance X E+

First up, this bike makes the debut of Giant’s signature ‘X’ series being introduced into the e-MTB line-up. ‘X’ models from Giant tend to be reserved for the longer travel, burlier geometry, and generally more trail hungry bikes… Tell us a bit about the DNA of the new bike?

We felt we could build a bike with greater versatility than we have ever done before. Our flip-chip design and the way Maestro is built has allowed us a greater difference between the high and low setting than most and allowed us to build a bike with 2 different personalities. Basically, the Trance X E+ is our do-it-all trail or one-quiver bike, but the ‘X’ in the naming indeed suggest the added capability that is especially present when you set the bike in the low mode, where BB is dropped further than before and head angle slackens out if you really want to get rough on the bike. This combination makes for incredible versatility. In particular on e-bikes, perhaps more than on analog bikes, we found people use the bike for just one task or one style of riding. One day you may take your e-bike to be doing a leisurely family ride on easy fire roads, the next day you find yourself self-shuttling the local bike park.

Whilst the Reign E+ is perfectly suited to riders that want to tackle the biggest gnarliest trails imaginable (pretty much a DH bike with a motor), what type of rider did you have in mind when you guys developed the Trance X E+?

This story is from the Issue 60 edition of Revolution MTB.

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This story is from the Issue 60 edition of Revolution MTB.

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