It’s called this because the alloy seatstays actually flex slightly as the rear shock cycles through its travel. Whereas some similar-looking designs will have an extra pivot around the rear dropouts, the Stance skips the pivot, and relies on a bit of flex through the seatstays instead. As well as being a bit lighter, it also reduces moving parts, and therefore cost.
I used to live in Orlando and rode places like Santos and Mt Dora a lot, the Trance would just be a better overall bike. It’s still a good bike but the relative small price difference between the two the Trance is a better buy. The suspension design of the Trance is much better than that of the Stance as giant ROAD BIKES well. Unless some major technical innovation has taken place, there’s usually minimal changes year to year. The 2020 has a mostly SRAM drivetrain, whereas the 2021 is mostly Shimano. They both work, but some riders have a preference for one over the other A bike like this really begs for a dropper post.
To some, a longer stem might help to keep the front end straight or maybe it is just me and my lack of biking skills. This bike has modern features, so upgrading or finding parts when you progress shouldn’t be an issue. It has a tapered fork tube and even cable hangers for if you want to have a seat dropper which by the way is my next upgrade. Again, as an entry level full suspension, this bike would very difficult to beat for the price.
An aluminium frame that uses built-in flex to account for suspension travel would typically raise some concerns about the potential fatigue life, but Giant knows a thing or two about aluminium. Unlike most brands they actually do their own manufacturing; right down to the smelting and extrusion of the raw tubes. With this in mind, you can rest assured that the swing-arm will be engineered from the ground up to last for a very, very long time. Just get yourself a helmet and something for hydration if you haven’t already. The seat post should be able to be adjusted pretty low but if its hitting something and can’t go any lower, you can buy a shorter one or cut your current one down by a couple inches.
When ascending, there’s little to no bob, whether you’re seated or standing up and mashing the pedals. Hop on the Stance and you’ll notice the upright riding position and relatively short cockpit. There’s nothing outlandish about the individual geometry figures, but as a package the bike makes you feel rather perched.
The handlebar is attached to a nice short stem and the whole front end of the bike feels comfortable and provides responsive steering. The saddle is a Giant Contact which is an average width and is reasonably comfortable with medium density padding. Unfortunately, it comes with a rigid seat post, and it has a seat clamp that requires the use of a tool to raise and lower the saddle height. Both of the full-suspension bikes in this test have rigid seat posts, dropper posts would be preferred and would greatly enhance the Stance’s downhill performance. Giant chose 29″ x 2.4″ tires here, which provide a low attack angle and smooth ride feel.
They are tubeless ready, for those who wish to reduce weight, and have some puncture protection built-in. The Giant Stance E+ 2 Power Electric Mountain Bike features 120mm of rear suspension travel and 130mm up front, plus the stable, nimble ride quality of 27.5+ wheels. This proven “single pivot” design uses the flexing action of the chainstay/seatstay giant ROAD BIKES junction to produce a lightweight and durable suspension system with 120mm (4.7″) of rear travel. The light weight and strong ALUXX SL aluminum frame featuring Giants FlexPoint suspension makes rooted, rocky, and all around tricky trails surprisingly easier. The 29-inch wheels Giant chose for this model bring a whole to roll the Stance’s initial design.