Quantcast

My new Trance XC bike...

James

James

Carbon Porn Star
Sep 11, 2001
3,559
0
Danbury, CT
Just got her done last night, SUPER stoked to try it out next week.
Frame is an '05 Giant Trance 3 (just the frame, not the complete bike) in a 20", here are the full specs:
Fork: RS Reba Race U-Turn
Stem: FSA OS115
Bar: Titec C3 1" riser (my FAVORITE bar ever!)
Post: Easton EC90 full carbon (even the clamp, and head!)
Saddle: WTB Laser-V
Cranks: TruVativ Stylo SL GXP external BB
Front Der: Shimano XT
Rear Der: SRAM X.O
Cassette: Shimano XT 11-34
Shift Cables: Avid Flak Jackets
Shifters: SRAM X.O twisties
Brakes: Hayes HFX-Mag+, with carbon levers, all Ti hardware
Wheels: CrossMax SL Disc
Tires: Tioga Blue Dragons
Pedals: EggBeater Tis

With the exception of the brakes, fork, and cranks (which were on my '04 Klein Palamino), everything on this bad boy is new, which I'm super stoked about.
Came in at 26lbs 10oz, not super light, but decent for the travel (4.2" rear, 4.5" front), and nothing is scary-light. I have most of the parts on my other bikes too, they're all my favorites, so I know they'll hold up under my 200lb frame.
I will be swapping the fork over to the slightly lighter Reba Team pretty soon, as soon as I swap that fork over to the 100mm mode from the 80mm it's set to right now, so it'll lose a little bit of weight, nothing huge, and lose the U-Turn function, but that's ok.
This bike is replacing the Palamino as my "everyday" trail bike. I liked the Klein, it's just that for some reason Trek decided to use a bolt-on disc brake mount in the rear, instead of one that's welded on. This meant that I could not be on the brakes on a long downhill very long, or very hard, without the bike making a HORRIBLE howling, it was too bad to deal with, so away it went.
The Klein in turn was replacing my NRS Carbon, which was my favorite bike I've ever had to date. I still have the frame, haven't brought myself to sell it yet, even though I know I should, I guess I just need to make sure that it's going to be "all that" before I lose her forever...
Wow, I wrote a lot, sorry about that guys!
Anyway, hope you like it, feel free to ask me any questions...

JJames

P.S. Sorry for the crappy shot, it's with my phone, which is my only camera right now...
 
MMcG

MMcG

Ride till you puke!
Dec 10, 2002
15,457
12
Burlington, Connecticut
Do you have any trail time on it yet? IF so, how does it feel. Whattya gonna do with the current Reba that's on it when you switch over to the other one??

Take more pics with yur digital camera please.

And congrats on the new ride.
 
James

James

Carbon Porn Star
Sep 11, 2001
3,559
0
Danbury, CT
MMcG said:
Do you have any trail time on it yet? IF so, how does it feel. Whattya gonna do with the current Reba that's on it when you switch over to the other one??

Take more pics with yur digital camera please.

And congrats on the new ride.
Click to expand...
Nope, no trail time on her yet, probably not until Wednesday. Or maybe Sunday, if my buddy can get done with his ****e early, and we'll go later in the afternoon.
But riding it around the town felt pretty good, I may go to a slightly higher-rise stem, as the 6 degree may not be qutie high enough. I have a 10 degree new Thomson X4 to throw on there in that case though. But I'm gonna wait until after a couple of rides to see.
The Reba will probably go on another bike. I currently have 3 Rebas, a U-Turn Race, a regular Race, and the Team. LOVE that fork. Can't wait for the carbon-crowned World Cup version to come out!

JJames
 
James

James

Carbon Porn Star
Sep 11, 2001
3,559
0
Danbury, CT
Skookum said:
That frame design pedals well. i have a pal who rides the heavier reign and got to spin it around for a bit.
http://www.ridemonkey.com/mountain-bike-photos/showphoto.php/photo/1972/sort/1/cat/500/page/1
Click to expand...
Yeah, I have a Reign too, just waiting on a couple of spacers from Mavic, then she'll be done, and I'll post up a couple of pictures.
Has a Pike Team Air, CrossMax XL discs, X.O stuff, XT cranks, Answer carbon ProTaper bar, Easton stem and post, Hayes carbon discs, pretty nice stuff. Just need the spacers to run the wheels as 20mm through-axles, and it's done! Hopefully by the end of next week I'll have the parts...


JJames
 
B

blue

boob hater
Jan 24, 2004
10,160
2
california
Just James said:
LOVE that fork. Can't wait for the carbon-crowned World Cup version to come out!

JJames
Click to expand...
Turns out mine isn't screwed up. My little brother decided it would be fun to play with my shock pump.

I'm debating between the Manitou R7 or the Reba World Cup for my for for next year...
 
B

blue

boob hater
Jan 24, 2004
10,160
2
california
indieboy said:
to bad they jacked that suspension design......
Click to expand...
I really don't understand why everyone is bitching about how this company ripped off this design from this company, yadda yadda with these suspension designs (VPP, Maestro, DW), etc. I also think Pacific/GT sued (and won), requiring Maverick/Klein/whoever uses the "maverick" suspension design to pay them. The Mav design is essentially the same as the i-Drive. Just shop banter I heard...I'll have to look that one up.

In the end, it's better for the consumer, and encourages competition if companies don't go patenting their designs. Look what Big S has done with the 4-bar...an awesome suspension design, that pretty much everyone used, and then they patent it, driving up costs for everyone, killing profits, and stifling innovation.

Bike suspension designs are not secret...it's not like you're raiding and pillaging another company to steal their stuff. If something works well and can easily be copied, it will be copied. It encourages innovation. However, on the flipside, Big S patenting 4-bar also encouraged innovation, as companies looked to see if they coul produce something that performed as well or better. It could go either way, although I'm thinking that if S had not patented 4 bar, we would have better suspension designs today. Read on.

Ex: Bike industry, 1990something, URT is all the rage. Lets pretend Single-piv had not been invented, in a twisted backwards evolution sense. Company A releases single piv, but patents design, making companies pay a fee to use the design, and refuses to license it out to others who might be too big of competitors. While Company C is being mashed because A will not license them the technology, Company B gets a SP license, but has to pay. Costs go up, so prices go up, allowing Company A to have lower prices than Company B , but with the same stuff, because they don't have to pay license fees. Company C doesn't have enough $$$ for R & D to develop better suspension design. Company B's sales go down because they have high prices, so they don't have enough money to develop a new design, either. A sits complacent atop the market with no desire to come out with a new design, as they don't really need to. They have a half-assed monopoly.

Scenario B:
Company A releases SP, but does not license design. While A has a foothold on the market for the first year or so with their new design, B and C catch up the following year, and their prices are about all the same (Aside from B, whose titacarbadium frame is all the boutique bike rage). The three companies are all aspiring to best each other (because who wants to be on the same level as everyone else?), so using the SP and additional profits, they can all develop new suspension designs, or tweak the SP as they see fit. Companies borrowing and sharing ideas with each other...think of it as a Hegelian Dialectic of suspension. In the end, the consumer gets a better product at a lower cost than if companies were licensing their designs.


You could just call it open source for bikes. Meh. My drunken rant is over. This probably won't make sense in the morning.
 
James

James

Carbon Porn Star
Sep 11, 2001
3,559
0
Danbury, CT
Darkreaper said:
I'll take the NRS frame if you decide to sell ;)
Click to expand...
Actually, I have decided to sell her. Much regretably, but I'm most likely moving pretty soon, and another frame to cart around isn't the wisest move. It's a 20"/L if that fits you. PM me if you're interested...

JJames
 
B

blue

boob hater
Jan 24, 2004
10,160
2
california
Just James said:
Actually, I have decided to sell her. Much regretably, but I'm most likely moving pretty soon, and another frame to cart around isn't the wisest move. It's a 20"/L if that fits you. PM me if you're interested...

JJames
Click to expand...
I got a Reba Team to replace the Fox Float 100 that was on my GT, but I kept it at 85mm instead of 105, cause my shop claims the a to c length on the Reba at 85 was the same on the Float at 100. Can you measure it for me? I really would like that extra bit of travel without killing the headtube angle...
 
Zark

Zark

Hey little girl, do you want some candy?
Oct 18, 2001
6,254
7
Reno 911
Do your dishes dude, that kitchen looks like hell! ;)

Sweet ride dude

N
 
James

James

Carbon Porn Star
Sep 11, 2001
3,559
0
Danbury, CT
Zark said:
Do your dishes dude, that kitchen looks like hell! ;)

Sweet ride dude

N
Click to expand...
The dishes are done man!
Anyway, took it out for it's maiden voyage yesterday, on a local trail with a really good buddy from the east coast. We got into riding together back when we were 15, but he hasen't really been on a bike in about 6 years or so. Wasn't a super-long trail, but it was enough to really take the wind out of his sails...it was nice not being "that" guy for a change...:)
Anyway, holy ****, I was really, really, REALLY impressed with that bike! Not only it's climbing prowess, but also the descending.
I was so used to my NRS, since it's basically the only FS bike I've really been riding non-stop in about the last 4 years, well that and the VT too.
Anyway, I had been hesitant to sell the NRS frame until I got some time in on the Trance, but now I'm totally, utterly, completely sold on that bike. Dialed the Reba down to 85mm for the climb, then up to the 115mm for the downhill.
Wow.
Wow.
Wow.
I haven't been this enamored with a bike since my new XTC Composite hardtail.
Going for another ride this afternoon, this one a little longer, say about 20-25 miles or so. Hope my buddy can make it! :)

JJames
 
James

James

Carbon Porn Star
Sep 11, 2001
3,559
0
Danbury, CT
Finally got a *REAL* camera, so here are a couple of shots:






Soon to be an upgraded rear shock, can't say what yet, but I'll post it up when it comes through...

JJames
 
B

blue

boob hater
Jan 24, 2004
10,160
2
california
That link worked.

Where do you live...so green...moving there. Immediately.

Hot bike.

I might be interested in the rear shock if you sell, depending on the size. It's an RP3, right?
 
James

James

Carbon Porn Star
Sep 11, 2001
3,559
0
Danbury, CT
blue said:
That link worked.

Where do you live...so green...moving there. Immediately.

Hot bike.

I might be interested in the rear shock if you sell, depending on the size. It's an RP3, right?
Click to expand...
I'm in Ventura County, Camarillo. Those pics were from Santa Barbara though. It was almost TOO green. Well, the trail hadn't been ridden in a while, so it was SUPER grown over in places. I had to go super-slow, I couldn't even see where the trail was.
The shock is actually just a Float R, not the RP3, one of the reasons I'm upgrading. That bike doesn't really need a lot of "platform" though, just a smidgen, not much at all.

JJames
 
B

blue

boob hater
Jan 24, 2004
10,160
2
california
Just James said:
That bike doesn't really need a lot of "platform" though, just a smidgen, not much at all.

JJames
Click to expand...
Ah, I see, that's kind of how my bike is.

Want an RP3 for the GT...mmm.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom