Competent bicycle retailers make the difference in creating a cyclist for life. Our family of retailers is ready to communicate our mutual commitment to the cycling lifestyle and its lifelong health benefits. In order to get more precise feedback about the battery, your current speed, and pedal cadence, you need to spend extra money on an Ant+ wireless device that’s compatible with the bike. Since it’s wireless, and there’s no USB charging port built into the bike, you might have to remove the device frequently to charger. There is also a delay when activating and interacting with the device to wake it up. I think the motor is also capable of supporting up to 120 RPM so you can downshift and spin without losing support and momentum for a steep climb.
The Maxxis Ardent 27.5 x 2.2 tires are not enough to match the bike’s capabilities. I love it, I’m just starting back in MTB and this has me hitting the trails again. I easily did my initial setup, added a couple things that I prefer giant mountain to ride with, and hit the trails. Rear derailleur is slow to shift causing about a one second lapse in putting the power down between each shift. Still happy with the bike, but a good clutch style derailleur will be my first upgrade.
With the assistance of a SyncDrive Sport motor the Stance-E+ 2 laughs its way up hills boasting 360% of tuneable power and 70Nm of torque. Tune your assistance levels, track your rides, make the most out of the 500wh frame integrated battery, and much giant KIDS BIKES more through Giants Ride Control app. The firm and high-riding fork clashes with the pillowy read end to create an unbalanced ride—the contrast in feel is quite stark. Despite this mismatch, the Stance still performs well in certain situations.
In fact, this bike was faster and more comfortable on the climbs than any of the budget hardtails we tested for this review. The 29-inch wheels, fast-rolling tires, and supportive suspension platform combine for an efficient approach to uphill travel. This $1,550 mountain bike is the kind of bike that I would be happy to recommend, without reservation as to quality or ride—a pretty rare and wonderful find.
And at 30 pounds, the bike is pretty darn light, more so than other trail bikes that cost twice as much. FlexPoint rear suspension offers 120mm of travel for smooth-riding confidence on climbs and descents. The type or style of riding that you do will also affect which size you need. For example a mountain biker that wants to ride more aggressively and would like a more manoeuvrable bike may prefer a size smaller than they would normally take. Likewise a cross country racer that is looking for a flatter and speedier mountain bike may prefer a size larger than they would normally take.
It depends where and how you ride, but swapping the somewhat narrow and low profile Forekasater tires for something with a more aggressive tread would do wonders for this bike. If you ride smooth trails with hard-packed dirt the Forekasters might be just fine for you. If you ride more aggressive terrain or in loose conditions, it would be worth considering something with more cornering and braking bite. Giant has spec’d the Stance 29 with their own XCT tubeless-ready wheelset. On the 29-inch version of this bike, the wheels have a 25mm internal rim width which is bordering on narrow in this day and age. The 27.5-inch wheeled version of this bike comes with wider rims and tires.