Originally Posted by
accadacca
I’ve really liked my Giant Trance. It really depends on your budget. How much do you want to spend? Go-Ride has demo bikes.
I didn’t want to spend as much. I looked at Santa Cruz, Cannondale and other bigger brands and feel like I got more bike with my Giant. I got a seat dropper, fox suspension and a decent component group (Shimano SLX). I have upgraded the brakes to XT and went tubless. Otherwise it’s pretty much stock.
I like a cross country bike with a decent amount of suspension for downhill, but not overboard to still make it climb ok. Maybe I’ll get a 29er next time when I’m ready to shatter my Strava times.