The Stance 29 floats 120 millimeters of rear travel and 130 up front. Both models come with tubeless-ready rims and tires, and though the lower-priced Stance 2 comes with a solid seatpost, the Stance 1 specs Giant’s not-great-but-not-terrible Contact Switch dropper. In years passed the dilemma with entry level dually was that the parts, especially the brakes and shocks, were likely to clap out quickly and find themselves in the bin. That’s not the case with the Stance; everything is serviceable and relatively well made. The frame itself is a standout; the build quality is such that it wouldn’t be out of place on a far more expensive bike.
When you factor in the high-quality components that this bike is made from and its intuitive design, it’s definitely worth a buy. These features combine to create a more than capable trail bike that you can take with you on any adventure you may be on. With durability, versatility, and functionality at the forefront of the bike’s design, you can be confident that it will be able to meet any of the real-world trail-riding standards you need. The Stance 2 comes packing many advanced technology systems that are interwoven into the very fabric of the bike’s design from top to bottom.
Giant has been offering their bikes at competitive prices for years and we’re very impressed with the Stance 29 2, especially for $1,550. This stealthy bike could easily be mistaken for a much more expensive model thanks to its clean lines, flat black paint job, and 12-speed drivetrain. The Stance narrowly edged out the Marin Hawk Hill 1 to win our Editor’s Choice Award in this test, and it costs $50 less. Larger 29-inch diameter wheels roll over rugged terrain with balance and stability, giving you the momentum to tackle technical climbs and the confidence to fly on fast, rugged singletrack descents.
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.
Rather than putting extra pivots near the rear dropouts, the seat and chainstays are one piece. They are designed to flex slightly throughout the suspension travel—Giant has dubbed it the ‘FlexPoint’. In addition to reducing mechanical complexity, it also and serves to keep the price down and makes the frame lighter. Numbers wise the Stance sits somewhere between the Anthem and Trance.
This proves to be valuable when you’d rather focus on the trail in front of you instead of what level of assistance the bike is in. The action is admirably smooth for a budget fork, but even when run with half the recommended air pressure for my body weight it still rode high and wouldn’t get full travel. It does have a crown mounted lockout lever but in this case it doesn’t need one.
The battery charger is heavier than average at roughly 2.5lbs, and it’s physically very large. The fact that it also uses a dongle adapter to charge the pack directly vs. the frame plug is frustrating and inconvenient, it means you have more weight and more things to keep track of. The battery charger is fast at 6 amps, so I hope that their cells have a high C Rating and don’t get degraded by the speed and heat. This has been a concern for automobiles and other fast-charging devices. It would be a bummer to have the battery experience fewer cycles or have to be replaced early, especially with the custom cover situation.
After tuning and upgrading to more aggressive tires, I was more impressed with how the bike handled. With all the bikes that we tested , this is by far the best handling bike we have riden. Mongoose Dolomite Fat Tire Mountain Bike features all-terrain knobby tires capable of gaining maximum traction on various terrains and trails. This trail bike design makes it easy for you to ride through dirt, mud, city roads, and snow.
130mm of travel up front allows you to easily navigate trail obstacles and singletrack terrain. A massively oversized bottom-bracket/chainstay area features a fully integrated, 86-millimeter-wide bottom-bracket giant ROAD BIKES design. Formed from raw materials in Giant’s own forging facility, this proprietary alloy features 30 percent additional stiffness over traditional 6061-series aluminum, while also reducing overall weight.