Giant Trance E+1 or the E+2 which one

[Andy A]

Hi guys I am after my first ebike and I nearly went for the Levo Expert but at this time I just don't want to spend over £6000 on a bike and have to keep clearing the trail out of the motor housing! I have had a Giant before and really liked it and there is a dealer near me which is always a bonus so which one is the better model the E+1 or the E+2.

I know the 1 is a bit dearer so any advice would be appreciated Oh and what do you think to yours is it good

The thing I am not liking is that led display on the left bar with those tiny lights what is that telling you as it looks a bit cheap, also am I right in thinking there are 5 settings to use! Isn't that too many and are the specs good on thgese bikes as I am not really up on what's good etc are the brakes good on these?

Oh and is the motor good on these and is it quiet?

I reckon they will give a discount of at least 10% won't they

Thanks

 

[PeteIOM]

Been looking at the Trance as well.. not much stock about in my size, but awesome looking bikes.

The price diff is components.. Mix of SLX and XT on one and Sram Eagle on the other, diff fork..
The price difference is pretty small, £300.

 

[StevenM]

Yep

You should get 10%

Bit better gear on the 1 but the blue on the 2 is so sexy

Yep 5 levels of power. You ca adjust these yourself with the Giant app if you want.

As far as spec goes they are great value

 

[Andy A]

Wow thanks for the replies it just seems like a more sensible option for me as the Levo is just so expensive, I love both colours on the Trance I have read that the saddles are uncomfortable can anyone confirm this?

 

[DarkBlueSheep]

I struggled with the standard saddle but others seem to get on with fine. Very subjective things.

Can be a fairly cheap part to replace if you don't like it.

I love my E+1, the GX chain set changes gear so nicely. Don't know why but during my last couple of rides I have really noticed just how instant the gear change is.

 

[knut7]

Motor isn't among the quietest. But noise doesn't increase a lot when cadence increases, the way it does on many other motors. I made a review of it.

I prefer the Shimano brakes on the E+2 because it uses mineral oil rather than dot fluid, and I'm used to Shimano. But the Code R's on E+ 1 are good.

 

[Andy A]

Motor isn't among the quietest. But noise doesn't increase a lot when cadence increases, the way it does on many other motors. I made a review of it.

I prefer the Shimano brakes on the E+2 because it uses mineral oil rather than dot fluid, and I'm used to Shimano. But the Code R's on E+ 1 are good.

Thanks for that and it's good to know the Sram brakes are good as I love the orange colour of the 1 model

 

[MattyB]

I personally don't think 12 speed is necessary on an ebike, and the 12 speed drivetrains I've seen do seem to be a bit more sensitive to setup and more expensive in parts, so I would probably go with the 2 (suspension is pretty close between them, certainly not a differentiator to a rider of my ability).

 

[Andy A]

Well I just went into my local Giant concept store and wow the bike looks fab they had the blue 2 as he said it's the most popular model, I did see the orange colour on a different bike of theirs and I love that as well but they have a medium in the blue 2 in stick and the orange 1 has a lead time of around 15 weeks!

I managed to get 10% off the bike but then I pushed for a change of saddle as I have read on here the saddle is uncomfortable and I pushed for another £100 off it so it was £4000 but they will do it for £3500 with the new saddle which seems like a decent deal.

You can get it online with 15% off but I don't want that hassle as I would rather support my local shop and they will set the whole bike up for me

 

[PeteIOM]

, so I would probably go with the 2 (suspension is pretty close between them, certainly not a differentiator to a rider of my ability).

Just had the same conversation at my LBS.
The 2 is good for me.. Like shimano and telling the difference in forks is beyond my riding ability... the blue is lush too.

 

[Andy A]

Just had the same conversation at my LBS.
The 2 is good for me.. Like shimano and telling the difference in forks is beyond my riding ability... the blue is lush too.

That blue is lovely isn't it I like Shimano as well, so are you going for it?

 

[PeteIOM]

I'm tempted.
My local bike shop can't get a Large in until March but have put my name on it.
I've been looking at Haibike's too but edging towards the Giant at present. The Trance 2 looks excellent value to me

 

[RobNevyn]

I am biased with my E+1 and will always go for the best spec I can afford at the time.
The blue E+2 is hands down the best looking colour in my opinion.
I think which ever way you go you'll love it and they climb beautifully.
I agree with DarkBlueSheep about the seat, the stock seat sucks, was originally looking at the SQ Labs 60X but the supplier had no stock in my country so I ended up with the WTB Volt Team which I love, if you are spending several hours in the saddle, and I am sure you will, I believe a new seat is worth the investment.

 

[Mikey1984]

There must be only me who likes the stock saddle then lol?

 

[Alcove]

There must be only me who likes the stock saddle then lol?

I have no complaints with it and suits just fine for me... +1

 

[RobNevyn]

There must be only me who likes the stock saddle then lol?

Yep, you are on your own brother.

 

[RobNevyn]

I have no complaints with it and suits just fine for me... +1

I must admit I thought it was ok initially, but are several big rides I decided to see if it was going to be better with a new seat and I have to say it worked out to be twice as comfortable and half the weight.

 

[Mikey1984]

I must admit I thought it was ok initially, but are several big rides I decided to see if it was going to be better with a new seat and I have to say it worked out to be twice as comfortable and half the weight.

I must admit on the longer rides i do get arse pain so it makes me stand more. What seats are good im maybe gonna try a new 1 too see the differnce.

 

[Andy A]

I have asked the bike shop for a better saddle so they are going to give me a slightly more padded padded Giant saddle which I am sure will be better than the standard one.

 

[Andy A]

I need to ask owners here is that switch that controls the power settings is it any good as it looks a bit basic to me are those led light that show you what mode you are in and what battery level you have left clear to see and I know it has 5 different power settings so is that too many or do you get used to it?

Do you use a display on your bars and if so does it tell you what range you have left in the battery as my wife's Haibike does.

 

[Mat_Ron]

There must be only me who likes the stock saddle then lol?

I have no problem with the stock saddle but I do wear padded shorts.

 

[bullet]

I attach phone to bike, the ride control app shows remaining range

 

[Andy A]

I attach phone to bike, the ride control app shows remaining range

Oh that's great to know

 

[poppy]

I don't mind the stock seat either, the one on the Epro 1 is a little more padded and a different shape to the Epro 0. Stock lights on the control work fine for me, red is evil though, get back to your car or were ever you leave from asap. Power modes, i like the 5. I test rode, Carbon comp Levo, Kenevo, Merida 800 and i reckon the Giant gave less assist in 1 than any of the others which i liked. They are there if you want to use them, if you don't, don't. 12 speed's work good pushing up rock/root or rutted pinches or hills, certainly feels like it is being a little nicer to the drive train and motor, which also enables you to leave it in a lower power mode.

 

[MattyB]

There are several OEM display options you can add if you really want...

Giant® Ride Control Computer E-Bike Technology | Giant Bicycles United Kingdom

 

[DarkBlueSheep]

I have no issues with the standard control unit, the five power modes offer assistance for various uses, cruising along cycle paths in 1 or 2, and then pop it in 3 for the hills. 4 and 5 are just crazy fun, the acceleration is mad.

I don't bother with displaying speed/range via a phone, after a few rides you get a feel for the range.

The lights are plenty bright enough too, even in direct sunlight. You just need to get the angle right and then you can see them clearly.

 

[Kingerz]

I got the 2 as the blue is amazing and the bike is still nicely specced. The 1 has a few nice pieces, but the 2 offers a really solid set of kit and has the same motor, battery, frame etc. I upgraded the brakes to XT but the ones it comes with (equal to 4 pot Deore) are almost the same in actual fact and are superb. You can hook your garmin up with an app to use as a % display if you like, but in fact it's not needed. 5 power settings are very handy, I often find 3 too few on my Kenevo. The Giant app is bad, though. It can try and upgrade and fail forever, or even worse. On the other hand, Kenevo/Levo motors break too much.

 

[zorro77]

The Giant app is bad, though. .

Is It so terrible?

 

[andyb2]

When it works it's adequate, and to be fair it's worked for me, but for a lot of people it just doesn't work

 

[7869hodgy]

I think the 12 speed works fine and I use all of the gears during my usual routes.

The controller is reassuringly simple to use and keeps the bars uncluttered. Personally not a fan of the LCD “screens”.

I too like the colour of the 2.

The 625 battery is good for 70-80kms when used sensibly.

I like the Giant motor, but I would as I’ve only ridden Giant.

Way better value than the “lemming” Turbo Levo unless you are prepared to upgrade.