# 2020 Giant Trance E+1 Pro - Review? Sort of



## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

I just picked up a 2020 Giant Trance E+1 Pro. I had been looking at several other bikes and narrowed it down to the Giant or Haibike. I posted up to get some feed back and help me sort through what I was seeing, feeling and thinking about those two bikes.

That thread can be seen here:
https://forums.mtbr.com/e-bikes/opinions-haibike-full-seven-9-0-a-1125019.html

As mentioned I decided on the Giant and since I did not find a specific thread on it, I thought I would start one to share my observations and hear what others thought.

Disclaimer(s):
If you are reading this you are probably:
fitter than me
faster than me
younger than me
have better bike handling skills than me
have fewer metal plates and screws holding your bones together
lighter than me
taller than me

Also, it is a safe bet that you are probably nicer and for sure better looking than me.

I don't "send it" or ride gnarly chunky terrain. I don't do doubles or back flips or 360s.

I'm an old roadie. I had a custom Paramount built for me back when they were made by hand in Chicago and I rode the crap out of it in hills. As a result, I loved that bike and I learned to hate flex in frames and then ultimately dislike FS bikes. I bought one about 20 years ago (GT LST3) but never fell in love as it was just too bouncy and squishy for me.

So I'm a hardtail guy. So much so that I converted one bike to ridged forks and then run the other bike with the forks locked out all the time.

Initially, when it came to ebikes I was looking at the Yamaha YDX Torq or several other HT ebikes.

But every single person I spoke with told me to get the FS.

*RIDE REPORT
*I picked up the Giant on Thursday, brought it home, plugged in the battery and spent the rest of the evening swapping over my handlebars, seat, and pedals from my most comfortable HT. I also repositioned some cables and got the controls set the way I like them. Pumped up the shock and fork, maxed out the dampning and checked tire pressures.

The bike came with two lights out of five indicating the charge level. It took SEVERAL hours for it to get a full charge.

Then waited for the next day.

First ebike ever and first FS bike in decades so the plan was a 30 mile ride on mostly residential streets, parks and horse trails. Places that would be easy to get to in case any of this fancy electronic stuff quit or I had any other problems. This initial ride was also an experiment in range and how the "auto" function performed.

So I set the control to auto and took off to the steepest street in my neighborhood. I can't give you a comparison as how this bike performed vs one of my other pedal bikes because I have never even attempted it on my pedal bikes. I already know how to walk and bikes are for riding.

Well this hill was no problem at all on the Giant. Even in auto mode. I am sure that if I selected max power I could sprint right up it.

The controller really seamed to adjust the power assistance to my cadence and effort giving me more help when I needed it and backing off when I didn't. I noticed a change in my riding style, where before I would constantly bang through the gears to find just the right one, on the ebike I often decided to just suck it up, pedal a bit harder and let the motor give me than little extra bit to make it up the hills. That's right, I found myself riding a bit harder on the ebike. I think it had to do with the knowledge that I for sure could make it up the hills I was trying to ride.

At just over 10 miles the first light went out and I stopped to make adjustments to the cockpit. I continued on and rode through a couple of parks and horse trails. No big jumps, just small bumps, pot holes and curbs. But it was clear that even in these mild conditions with the suspension near fully stiff, the ride was buttery smooth.

I was a tiny bit concerned during my test rides at the dealer as the bike actually felt a bit twitchy to me. I figured I could work through it but also suspected in was due to suspension settings and tire pressures.

I was right, since I had set the suspension and tires for my weight the night before, the bike felt SUPER stable to me yet easily controllable as well.

Also, I am so glad I got the medium. I'm right between a medium and a small and the dealer told me to get a medium for sure. Glad I did. The reach was not nearly as long as I thought it would be by looking at the numbers. I could probably go for a bit more stack but over all this bike just fits great. (I'm 5-7 FWIW)

At about 19 miles the second light went out and at about 26 miles the third light went out leaving me with two out of five. When I arrived home after 30 miles I still had two lights of charge left.

I plugged it in and it showed fully charged after about an hour, maybe 90 minutes. I did not time it exactly only to look down and notice it was fully charged and thing, "Wow that was fast." For sure this bike can recover quicker than me.

This was the very first ride with the very first charge and I let the bikes computer make all the decisions for me. My route included a lot of starting and stopping. I think my range in auto is about 45-50 miles. Almost for sure further if I take control of the unit as I know I would spend most of my time in the lowest or second lowest power setting.

The bike is QUIET. I mean the tires make more noise on the road than the motor does.

So after my 30 mile ride - the longest in literally decades, I got home and I felt great. Comfortably fatigued. I felt like I had a great workout but I did not feel like I damaged myself in any way.

NEGATIVES
So far the only negative I can think of is that the bike did not come with any documentation at all. No owner's manual, no instructions, no service recommendations. Nothing but a receipt. The LBS did a great job explaining everything to me but still, I would like some documentation.

CURRENT THOUGHTS
Well, I am a big fan of the N+1 formula for buying bikes. This Giant makes for SEVEN (7) bikes right now. And that is only because I recently gave one alway. I am now thinking I might come up with a new formula that looks like this:

(E-all other bikes = the correct number of bikes to own).

I can honestly see myself trimming the herd down to a single bike. I feel like I could do anything, ride any trail I care to ride and go anywhere on this Giant. I am VERY pleased with it.

Any other owners out there?


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## shreddr (Oct 10, 2009)

rkwfxd said:


> I just picked up a 2020 Giant Trance E+1 Pro. I had been looking at several other bikes and narrowed it down to the Giant or Haibike. I posted up to get some feed back and help me sort through what I was seeing, feeling and thinking about those two bikes.
> 
> That thread can be seen here:
> https://forums.mtbr.com/e-bikes/opinions-haibike-full-seven-9-0-a-1125019.html
> ...


I'm with you brother, my analog bikes are just collecting dust, I'm up to 3 ebikes and will probably add a few more. I seriously question whether I need to keep the clockwork bikes for any reason other than: ebikes will get banned (unlikely) or an apocalypse will make electricity unavailable, unless of course I go solar and off the grid.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

Funny you mention that, I was just wondering what would be involved in building a panel to solar charge the ebike. I have no idea how many watts or amps or volts or squirrels it takes. 

You sound like a few other ebikers I have met. They all have multiple ebikes now.

Maybe I am doomed as well. LOL


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## Renzo7 (Mar 25, 2015)

Awesome, man. I hope you enjoy your new ride for a long time.

Have fun! 

Sent from my SM-J710MN using Tapatalk


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

Renzo7 said:


> Awesome, man. I hope you enjoy your new ride for a long time.
> 
> Have fun!
> 
> Sent from my SM-J710MN using Tapatalk


Thank you Sir. More riding should lead to better health which should lead to a longer life which should lead to more riding......


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

SECOND RIDE OBSERVATIONS:

Today I went out for a short 10 mile ride and ended up doing 20 miles. I think that is kind of the point with an ebike, they help you go farther than you normally would.

I was experimenting with the power levels today. I initially set it on "automatic" and rode about a 2.5 mile loop. I then rode the same loop in the second power level and again in the third power level.

I already said I really liked the automatic mode from my first ride. It really feels like the computer and motor are working with you, feeding off your lead. It provides more power when you need it and then backs off with you don't.

The second lap was in level two. Meah. Level two was kind of like riding a tandem bike with a person who is just fit enough to carry their own weight but not fit enough to add anything to the trip. Level two made up for the extra weight of the battery and motor but other than that, I did not feel like it was helping out very much. I felt myself shifting a lot as I would on one of my other bikes.

I did not ride the loop in power level one. I can only see myself using one or two on the way home from the beach with a tail wind to help me pull a gear or maybe two taller than I normally would but not being in a hurry.

So the third lap was in level three. Bike says you are getting level three power whether you want it or not. L3 too weak to pull this hill the way you want? Tuff. It's all you get. L3 too much for this down hill? Tuff. Cover your brakes. Just kind of felt like I was shifting to please the motor for the given terrain.

So I did not try level one. Level two I was shifting for the terrain. Level three I was shifting to match the motor and terrain.

Levels four and five are for making time, at least for me. They definitely allow me to pull taller gears and ride faster than I normally would. They make the bike feel "serious" like OK guys, it's been a fun ride but the sun is setting and we need to get to our camp so it is time to grind. Let's go!

So now that I have ridden a bit with all of the power levels except One, I have pretty much confirmed my first impressions, I will be riding this bike primarily in the Auto mode. It gives just enough help when I need it and backs off when I don't.

Range to day was about the same. First light went out right after I hit 10 miles and second like went out at about 19 miles. This was not a really long ride so it is tuff to just range. I have to assume that if I rode 40+ miles in L1 I would use less battery than if I rode the same 40+ miles on the same day in similar conditions in L5. 

BICYCLE STUFF

I am REALLY happy with the Shimano drivetrain. Most of the time the only sound it makes is the click of the shifter. The chain moves from cog to cog both up and down silently. Of course I let off slightly when I shift.

Front fork is perfect.

I need to add some additional air to the shock. I rides great and does not bounce while I sit and spin but I can tell it would bounce a bit if I were standing and grinding. I'm talking tuning here, not a weak or inherently bad part.

I know it has only been 50 miles but I am THRILLED with this bike. It just feels right for me.

YMMV

Ride Safe


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

I'm glad you like the Trance and thanks for doing this review. I'm currently saving up money for an e-bike and the one I've decided on is the Reign E+ 1 Pro, which shares a lot of the same components as your bike. Matter of fact, I think about the only real difference between the two bikes is geometry and an extra 20mm of suspension travel. I had initially put your bike on my list, but decided on the Reign because I'm a bigger guy who could use the extra 20mm of suspension, and I like the red color better than the yellow/green combo of the Trance. If you don't mind, keep the reviews going on this bike as you get more miles on it and get more used to it. Thanks.


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

Will do. I'd be out on it right now but life gets in the way. I am stuck at home at least for a little bit today.

I was/am a HUGE fan of the blue on last year's TE+2. I wasn't too keen on the yellow/green combo and basically bought the bike on feel and components. But I will tell you now, I LOVE the paint on this thing.

Kind of like the girl who you think is sort of cute but once you get to know her she looks beautiful to you. So you marry her and have kids and the next thing you know 30 years have gone by.


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

Yeah, the color isn't the main reason I chose to go for the Reign over the Trance, it was just one of the reasons and probably the least important reason. I just wish I could find a Trance or Reign somewhere close to me to take for a test ride. My local shops don't really keep any ebikes on the floor. The Trek store keeps an ebike marketed toward bike cops, but that's it. The local giant store has no ebikes on the floor, so I can't really test ride one before I buy it. I just have to choose the one with the closest reach and stack to my current bike, buy it, and hope I like it.

Can you tell me what length stem your Trance came with? The specs on Giant's website says both the Trance and the Reign come with the contact SL 35, but the stem looks longer than a 35mm stem to me on some of the videos I've seen on the bike.


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

Mine came with the Contact SL35. I took it off and replaced it with a Bevel 30mm in 31.8mm diameter. I have ordered a Giant Contact SL40 in 31.8mm diameter which I will install once it arrives so I can keep the bike as "Giant" as possible. 

I did/do not want a longer stem but I use 80 mm rise bars and no one makes those in a 35mm diameter. If anyone ever does, I will buy new bars just so I can go back to the original Contact SL35.


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

rkwfxd said:


> Mine came with the Contact SL35. I took it off and replaced it with a Bevel 30mm in 31.8mm diameter. I have ordered a Giant Contact SL40 in 31.8mm diameter which I will install once it arrives so I can keep the bike as "Giant" as possible.
> 
> I did/do not want a longer stem but I use 80 mm rise bars and no one makes those in a 35mm diameter. If anyone ever does, I will buy new bars just so I can go back to the original Contact SL35.


So is that stock stem length actually 35mm on the contact SL 35? I swear I saw a review video of the bike, and in the closeup shots they got of the cockpit, the stem on the bike looked to be quite a bit longer than 35mm. Maybe this shop had put a longer one on it for someone to ride with before they shot the review video, but it definitely didn't look short enough to be a 35mm stem.


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

Yes, the stock stem was for a 35mm diameter bar and it was 35 mm long.

You might consider going to your LBS and test riding the ebikes they have. Even though they are not what you are looking for, you might at least get a feel for the motor and controller.

I don't know if you read my other thread where I was looking at Giant and Haibike but I was able to ride 19 Haibike, 19 Giant and 20 Giant and I could definitely feel and hear a difference between each one. The 2020 Yamaha in the Giant was sooo much smoother and quieter. Now the 2020 Bosch might step it up even more. But I am happy with my purchase.


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

rkwfxd said:


> Yes, the stock stem was for a 35mm diameter bar and it was 35 mm long.
> 
> *You might consider going to your LBS and test riding the ebikes they have. Even though they are not what you are looking for, you might at least get a feel for the motor and controller.*
> 
> I don't know if you read my other thread where I was looking at Giant and Haibike but I was able to ride 19 Haibike, 19 Giant and 20 Giant and I could definitely feel and hear a difference between each one. The 2020 Yamaha in the Giant was sooo much smoother and quieter. Now the 2020 Bosch might step it up even more. But I am happy with my purchase.


Man I'd love to do that, but there's no LBS that carry them around here. I did ride the one trek police electric bike, and the bosch motor felt really fast to me. It was a police bike in the parking lot, but I could tell having that kind of power in a mountain bike on a real trail would be a blast.


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

ANOTHER UPDATE:

I just returned from a ride on my local "trail" Fullerton Loop. For those not familiar it is not really a MTB trail but more of several hiking and horse back riding and park paths that someone connected and mapped out years ago. It is about 90% dirt with a little pavement. No real rocks but some good climbs and decents.

I have never been able to actually ride the whole thing. I am just not fit enough to make the climbs and have to do a bunch of walking.

NOT TODAY BABY!!!!!

Rode the whole thing. A few spots I was in max power and lowest gear but I spun right up. I am loving this bike.

From a handling standpoint there were a couple of spots that were only several feet in length in which I felt the steering head angle was a little steep. And there were a couple of climbs in which I was seated on the VERY front of the seat. But remember, I SUCK as a MTB rider and I am running 80mm rise bars.

Range dropped a bit. I noticed the first light went out right at 7.4 miles but remember, I was using max power to climb some very steep hills. I also used the max to climb some lesser hills that were part of the rout. Most of the time I still tried to keep it in the auto mode which is still my favorite for general riding.

The whole loop is only 12 + miles long so I am still showing four lights or 80% of battery charge.

I for sure need to add air to the rear shock.

I am loving this bike.


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## ziscwg (May 18, 2007)

Hey OP,
You mentioned you could not hear the motor on the road (you heard the tires)

What about on dirt climbing?

and......

did you hear the motor on dirt at the different power levels?


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

ziscwg said:


> Hey OP,
> You mentioned you could not hear the motor on the road (you heard the tires)
> 
> What about on dirt climbing?
> ...


Great question!

Yes, I can hear the motor on the trail. The sound / volume does not change at all with the power level. It is very consistent. But the tone of the sound seems to change based on the gear that I select and the strain I put on the motor. I felt like the sound was actually helping me select the most efficient gear both for the motor and for me.

Overall, it is VERY quiet.


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

ANOTHER UPDATE WITH RANGE INFO

So yesterday I rode 12+ miles in the hills and parked it last night. I did not charge it. Today I had an errand to run so I took the ebike. I have never taken my other bikes to do this before so having an ebike is already getting me to move more and pollute less.

Anyway, it was a short errand and I knew I would ride some more afterwards but wasn't sure where. I decided to hit the train tracks and use that route to get close to home and play with the suspension. More air in the rear shock is much better for me. I'm fat. Think a dude who already lost 40 pounds but is still 100 pounds over weight. So stiff shock works well for me. I also played with the adjuster on the fork. Turning it down definitely softened the ride along the tracks.

After that, I just hit the streets near my house racking up the miles. These are all gentle hills with about a 300 elevation change from one end of a street to the other.

Well I predicted that I would have a range of about 30-40 miles and I was right on the money. At a combined mileage of right at 32 miles the last of the white battery lights turned red. I kept riding but headed home and just as I was riding up my street, the little red light started to flash and the computer cut my power down to level one. Near as I could tell this was just as I hit 35 miles of riding between the two days.

I'm going to give it a rest and then recharge it later tonight and hit the trails again tomorrow.

FWIW I've had it for a total of seven days, I have ridden it four of those days and have put a total of 85 miles on it.

I am getting all of my mileage from my Garmin watch.


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

NEGATIVES:

Went out on another ride today and decided I would spend some time trying to think of the negatives of this bike. I set out to ride 10 miles but then rode 15. It that a negative? It could be. I know I am kind of neglecting some stuff around the house. I keep thinking there is time to do everything but biking comes first. Then I turn a one hour ride into a two plus hour ride. Not sure it is a negative but something to think about.

You definitely have to plan your ride(s) around battery life and charging cycle. Unless of course you don't mind riding home on a dead battery. But I'm not sure this is much different than riding an analog bike. I'm not going to do Fullerton Loop on my analog because I can't climb the hills so I have to plan a different ride etc....

Of course while it is easy to charge the battery, it is one more item of very regular maintenance that must be done.

Absolutely do not regret the purchase.


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

I went to the local Specialized/Giant bike shop today to see if they had anything in on the floor. The last three times I went by there last year they had no ebikes in the store. To my surprise, they had a Spesh Levo on the floor today, and I got to take it for a spin. Holy smokes that bike was fast on the second and third power levels!!!! I'm hooked now. Going to get a Reign E+ or Trance E+ soon. Can't decide which bike would bike or size I need though. 

I'm 6'2" tall, which is right in between a L and XL frame size. I'm currently riding a large Timberjack, but I had to move the stem up the fork about 20mm from stock and get 35mm rise bars to make it more comfortable. Wondering if I should get which ever one has the closest top tube length as my current TJ. 

Wondering if I should go with the Reign E+ since I do like to hit every jump or drop I come across on the trail. Then again, where I normally ride, the jumps and drops are really not that big and there isn't a ton of them, so maybe I should go with the Trance E+ since it's closer to an AM bike, which is what I'd consider most of the riding I do. Decisions.....


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

Well one thing I have NOT found - a person who bought an ebike and then decided they hated it and went back to analog.

FWIW I am between a SM and a M. I was leaning towards a small and the LBS owner said no way. Medium all the way. So I reluctantly got the medium and boy am I glad I did. Small would have been too short and cramped when turning.


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## hikerdave (Mar 8, 2006)

rkwfxd said:


> ANOTHER UPDATE WITH RANGE INFO
> 
> So yesterday I rode 12+ miles in the hills and parked it last night. I did not charge it. Today I had an errand to run so I took the ebike. I have never taken my other bikes to do this before so having an ebike is already getting me to move more and pollute less.
> 
> ...


You'll get better range in the summer; the air is less dense and the battery functions better. Steep climbs at high assist are a real battery charge killer for me; electric motors get much less efficient at high torque because of I-squared-R losses.

Glad you're enjoying the bike - I had 15 minutes of trail riding on that model and it was way better than my SDURO, especially the suspension. What I like about my SDURO is the short front end which fits me better but I think you've fixed your fit with a high-rise bar.


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

hikerdave said:


> You'll get better range in the summer; the air is less dense and the battery functions better. Steep climbs at high assist are a real battery charge killer for me; electric motors get much less efficient at high torque because of I-squared-R losses.
> 
> Glad you're enjoying the bike - I had 15 minutes of trail riding on that model and it was way better than my SDURO, especially the suspension. What I like about my SDURO is the short front end which fits me better but I think you've fixed your fit with a high-rise bar.


That's interesting. I will have to track the range again once it warms up. But to me honest, at this stage of my "training" (if I can call it that) 35 miles is more than enough.

I hit the Fullerton Loop again this morning and did all the climbs in AUTO mode except for one which I knew I would need full power and my lowest gear. One another hill, I left it in AUTO and made it but was regretting it a bit as I got super slow and unstable. Then when I got to the peak I figured out that I wasn't even in my lowest gear. So AUTO worked for every hill I tried it on. Once I get fitter I might try it on the one I call the wall.

But I STILL went the wrong way. DOAH! I thought I had the whole route figured but no, I went right when I should have gone left at one point. Going back tomorrow to get it correct. 

Loving this bike.


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

WATER BOTTLES DON'T FIT

So far I have tried three different cages (two front loaders and one side loader) and two different water bottles and none of those combinations fit in my size medium frame without force and rubbing on the underside of the top tube.

Also the bike comes with spacers for the cage. I have removed those but still do not have enough room.

I have too much invested in this bike to scratch up the paint from using a water bottle. Crashes are one thing, especially if they have a cool story to go with it, but to tell someone I messed up my bike by using the water bottle just isn't going to cut it for me.

I did find another bottle on line with a tapered top that might work. But I only need so many bottles and I don't want to keep buying them to try them out.

Might stop by the LBS today after my ride and just see what I can find and try there but I think I am going to need something a bit more exotic than the standard bottle.

I am sure a standard bottle and cage will work fine in a large or x-large frame.

In the meantime, I will continue to carry my Camelback.


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## Beaker555 (Mar 9, 2019)

Awesome great reading (and riding) and well done. I have the same bike but 2019 model so different lol. Orange and black best value for specs in New Zealand that I could find.
I am just wondering what the auto mode is. I have 5 levels of power assist which are just 5 little led lights is there something different on your controller?


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

Beaker555 said:


> Awesome great reading (and riding) and well done. I have the same bike but 2019 model so different lol. Orange and black best value for specs in New Zealand that I could find.
> I am just wondering what the auto mode is. I have 5 levels of power assist which are just 5 little led lights is there something different on your controller?


Thanks for reading. I am glad you have enjoyed it.

So the Auto Mode is new here in the States for 2020. If your bike has it the way you get to it is to turn on the bike. Once on, if it is like mine, you will see battery level lights on the right and power level on the left and only the first, or lowest, power level light will be on. Hit the down button and that lowest power level button will turn off. Hit the down button once again and now the third or middle power level light will come on but only the third one. All other power level lights will be off. If your bike does this you will be in Auto Mode.

To get out of Auto Mode push the Up button once - the bike will still be on but all power level lights will go out and the motor will not provide assistance. Push the Up button again and you will get Level 1 power, push it again for Level 2 etc....

The 2020s also got Walk Mode in the States.

Hope this helps, if not let me know and I will try to explain it better.

Good Luck.


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

RANGE AND POWER ON/POWER OFF INFO:

So yesterday I hit the Fullerton Loop with my buddy on is 20 year old rigid 3x7 with cracked tires. I had to ride slow and I had to stop at the top of all the hills and wait for him. He rode as much as he could but had to walk a lot. I didn't mind because the last time we did the loop together I was on my Timberjack and walked a TON. 

Anyway, I never shut my bike off and I kept it in Auto mode the entire time. Never used any other power level. Let him test ride it after we got back to the car. Brought it home and parked it. Did not charge it as it was still showing 4 lights.

Took it back to the loop today alone. Turned it on and it was still showing four lights of battery charge. I hit the trail hard and rode faster than I normally do. Second light went out right quick. At about the five mile mark, the 3rd light went out which left me with two.

Now the entire loop is only 12-12.5 miles long so with two lights left and only about 7 miles to go, I am sure I had enough juice.

But I'm not wired that way. Once I get down to half a tank of gas I am looking for the next station because I have "only" 20 more miles of range left.

So in an effort to deal with my internal demons and irrational fears I tried turning the bike off and riding it with no power for a while.

That SUCKED.

Even on the flat and down hills and forget about climbing like that. No way. So I tried power level one for a while and that seemed to give me just enough to overcome the added drag of the motor. I bumped it up to three for a couple of very short climbs but basically kept it in one until I got past the golf course and started up the climb to Brea Bl. There I put it back in my favorite Auto Mode and spin right up. Of course when I got back to the court house and my car, it was STILL showing 2 lights of battery charge so in the end, I am sure I have enough on one full charge to make two trips around the Fullerton Loop which would be right at 25 miles.

For those of you not familiar, as I mentioned already it is about 12-12.5 miles, maybe you could stretch it to 13 with the right off shoots and it has about a 1,000 foot elevation change.

YMMV

Ride Safe

I love this bike.


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## njperry (May 12, 2019)

Thanks for the awesome thread and updates! I'm only just beginning to explore (and save for) an e-Bike, so this is definitely a good inspiring. Keep it up. 

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk


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## Sunderland (Mar 7, 2012)

rkwfxd said:


> WATER BOTTLES DON'T FIT
> 
> So far I have tried three different cages (two front loaders and one side loader) and two different water bottles and none of those combinations fit in my size medium frame without force and rubbing on the underside of the top tube.
> 
> ...


Just went through this on a Medium Trance 2+E. Also tried side loader bottle holder but still touched bottom of top tube. Ended up buying the Fidlock. Works perfect even though only only 450ml and $40.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BMTYN9L/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Another benefit of the Fidlock bottle is that you can use a Camelbak Podium mud cap.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HGSJ4K...colid=L9FXLJFDF4R5&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

njperry said:


> Thanks for the awesome thread and updates! I'm only just beginning to explore (and save for) an e-Bike, so this is definitely a good inspiring. Keep it up.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk


You are welcome and I am glad you are enjoying it. I have tried to give and honest and transparent review of the bike. Good luck in getting yours.


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

Sunderland said:


> Just went through this on a Medium Trance 2+E. Also tried side loader bottle holder but still touched bottom of top tube. Ended up buying the Fidlock. Works perfect even though only only 450ml and $40.
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BMTYN9L/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
> 
> ...


Thank you Sunlander. Just ordered one.


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## Beaker555 (Mar 9, 2019)

Awesome thanks, no very good explanation of how to find auto. Seems I don't have auto mode though but thats fine. Thanks again happy riding 

Yep got walk mode 
cheers


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

WATER BOTTLE(S)
So I received and installed the Fidlock bottle and mount as suggested above. Fits great. But.... I'm a bit uncoordinated when it comes to remounting the bottle as I ride. So I removed it and will use it on another bike.

I picked up a small ABLOC bottle https://www.abloc.com/ and use it in a side entry cage and it works better for me. Does not rub the top tube and I can slide the bottle into the cage while riding easier than I can re-align the Fidlock mounts.

Also, while waiting for bottle deliveries I picked up a Camelback waist pack

https://www.camelbak.com/en/waist-p...n_Belt?color=d3d9ceb5d9964eae9bd790590affbe17

Podium Flow Belt.

Man I like this thing a LOT. Doesn't bounce around at all for me and the bottle is very easy to pull out and replace while riding.

I used a Camelbak hydration pack for years out in the desert on my dirtbike and it never bothered me. Used it more recently on my bike and it also never bothered me. But what did bother me was trying to clean out and dry the hydration pouch every other day or so. When I was dirt bike riding I only went out 4-6 times a year for 3-4 days at a time. So cleaning and drying the pouch when I returned was not that big of a deal.

On the E+1 I am riding almost every day so the hydration pouch never really gets clean or dry. With the Poduim belt I can just pull the bottle and throw it in the dishwasher to keep it clean. Or rinse it out with some bleach and let it dry. No need to try to prop it open and hang it up.

Only negative is that I am thinking the pouch(s) for the belt might be a smidge too small. But I can probably re-arraign my wallet, glasses, phone, tools etc to make it all fit the way I want.

My ultimate goal is to have no bags or packs on any of my bikes. To be able to just put Podium belt on (or maybe another waist pack) and go for a ride regardless of which bike I take and alway have everything I need right with me.

Anyway, thank you for all the suggestions.


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## rmcobb (Feb 14, 2020)

Hi,

I have a 2019 E+1 Pro (orange/black) and appreciate your views. My thoughts are similar, in that I love the bike. Had some issues initially with the controller, which was replaced, but things are going well. I'm coming off riding a 1989 Raleigh hard tail so the differences are HUGE. 

I find that if leaving the power mode in 1 or 2 can significantly lengthen the battery life.

Have you downloaded the App and adjusted your power levels? This will also provide another way to extend battery life.

Cheers
Randy


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

Hi Randy. I am not yet strong/fit enough to ride in my local hills with the power set at 1 or 2. Leaving from my house, riding to the trails, riding the trails and then riding home is right at 20 miles total so in the Auto mode I have plenty of battery, usually still showing three lights on when I get home. I bet I could make that distance in 4 or even 5 but the lower Auto mode is fine with me. 

I have not downloaded the app but I have heard of it. 

I wonder if the power levels are adjustable on the US bikes.

I have been using my Garmin 245M watch to record all of my biking data.

Thank you for your input and ride safe.


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## jminhudson (Feb 26, 2013)

:thumbsup:


MX9799 said:


> So is that stock stem length actually 35mm on the contact SL 35? I swear I saw a review video of the bike, and in the closeup shots they got of the cockpit, the stem on the bike looked to be quite a bit longer than 35mm. Maybe this shop had put a longer one on it for someone to ride with before they shot the review video, but it definitely didn't look short enough to be a 35mm stem.


Thanks very much for the great review rkwfxd.
I bought a 2020 Trance E+ 2 Pro (Canada) that I was able to quickly test before we got our first snow storm and I'm with you, I love this bike ! 
On the stem, mine came with the Contact SL 35 (35mm dia.) but with a longer stem of 50mm. The riser on that bar is about 15mm. After checking geometry specs on Giant Site (both Canada and US), seems the Medium normally comes with that 50mm (2") long stem. I have also ordered a 38mm riser bar from deity (35mm dia) to offload some weight on the front wheel. Worked well as it was, just some personal fine tuning.
E-Bikes are growing in popularity in Canada, nowhere near what it is in Europe. We're starting to see some shops have more e-bike inventory than analog-muscular bikes.
Love reading this thread, I'll be able to add some in a few months keep it coming.
Cheers!


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

@jminhudson

Very cool and good for you! Thanks for adding to the thread. I am hoping folks from around the globe will chime with with their experiences and opinions and modifications to the the Giant Trance E. 

Sooooo glad I don't have to deal with snow, although it is beautiful.

Riding the E bike has quickly become my daily priority in that I plan every thing else around it and get bent when I can't ride. Thankfully my wife supports this addiction.


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## Browneye (Feb 20, 2020)

New Trance owner...first post.

Liked your report - it's a great bike! I got the '19 E+2 for a really good price, stoked!

Took it out yesterday to ride the Fullerton Loop and got lost big-time. I guess you need to turn left at that first park trail to make the loop. I ended up at Imperial Hwy, way way north. LOL 

Would love to tag along one day if possible. We've lived close by for thirty years and I never knew any of that was there. Beautiful place to ride!

I was going to buy a E+1 from Ricardo at FB, but found a leftover at a big savings. But I got my Explore from him, love it as well. 

Have you done anything for flat protection? Got one first ride - looked like a thorn or something. I'm looking at Tannus Armour.


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

Browneye said:


> New Trance owner...first post.
> 
> Liked your report - it's a great bike! I got the '19 E+2 for a really good price, stoked!
> 
> ...


That 19 E2 is about the best looking bike I have ever seen. Congratulations.

So, yes, I am VERY familiar with getting lost on the loop the first time out. I had very detailed directions and a GPS and ended up cutting about 4 miles out of the loop. So the next time I went with a buddy who assured me he knew the way. Well, he did but it turned out the four miles I cut out were mostly hills and there was no way I could ride up them. That was what inspired me to finally get the ebike.

I usually ride from my house, up over Idaho from Imperial, catch the loop, ride the loop and then ride home.

However, if you want a guide, send me a PM and LMK. I'd be happy to meet you at the court house and show you the standard route.

I am unemployed for the duration so I usually ride during the week to avoid the weekend crowds but I am flexible. I am planning to ride it tomorrow.

My bike is set up tubeless with Stans No Flat or whatever they put in it at the time of purchase I have a solid 400 miles on it now with no flats.


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

rkwfxd said:


> That 19 E2 is about the best looking bike I have ever seen. Congratulations.
> 
> So, yes, I am VERY familiar with getting lost on the loop the first time out. I had very detailed directions and a GPS and ended up cutting about 4 miles out of the loop. So the next time I went with a buddy who assured me he knew the way. Well, he did but it turned out the four miles I cut out were mostly hills and there was no way I could ride up them. That was what inspired me to finally get the ebike.
> 
> ...


Did y'all's bikes come set up tubeless from the factory, or did you have to do the conversion when you bought the bike? I will be ordering a Reign E+ 1 soon, and was just wondering if I need to plan on buying some tape, valves, and sealant. Thanks.


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

LBS did it automatically as part of their pre-delivery service. All I had to do was get on it and ride.


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

Sweet. Hope they get mine done too. Thanks.


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## fore76 (Jan 27, 2020)

Hi All. Read this thread 2x already as i just became interested in a e-mtb. I used to do light mtb riding while i was in the service but an amputation in 2010 put every riding to a halt. Well, at least until 3weeks ago when i was at a LBS. I hopped on a trainer and wondered if i could pedal with a prosthetic (left). A little hard but think i can manage. I’ll try to pedal my grandson 26” mtb today and see how it goes., balance is what concerns me most. 

The review was really insightful and got me quite interested as i did look at Haibike but have yet to try any. Thanks for writing things up. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Browneye (Feb 20, 2020)

rkwfxd said:


> That 19 E2 is about the best looking bike I have ever seen. Congratulations.
> 
> So, yes, I am VERY familiar with getting lost on the loop the first time out. I had very detailed directions and a GPS and ended up cutting about 4 miles out of the loop. So the next time I went with a buddy who assured me he knew the way. Well, he did but it turned out the four miles I cut out were mostly hills and there was no way I could ride up them. That was what inspired me to finally get the ebike.
> 
> ...


Thanks! I'm surely digging it. 
I'd love to cut out for a weekday ride - big-shot tech job makes that tough to do. But a saturday or sunday for sure. There were quite a few peeps there Sunday, but not crowded on the trail once you got away from the start. 
I ended up riding about half of it backwards, had just one MTB'r hauling butt tell me I was going the wrong way. LOL

Will PM you with contact info - that would be great. I'm old but not too slow, rode dirtbikes for fifty years. LOL

My bike came with the kit to convert to tubeless - 3 bottles of sealant and a pair of tire levers. No stems - but that's all you need, the rim is sealed and ready for tubeless.

I think I'm going to go Tannus Armour instead, I loath the mess of the sealant. Tubes are easy to deal with, easy to carry a spare, easy to patch. I may run for awhile without, see how it does. Over fifty years of bicycling and motorcycling I can count the number of flats on one hand.

Nice forum here!

BTW, Fullerton Bikes bought out Sam next door - you see that? Electric Bicyles is now owned by Mike at FB. In fact, they're moving all the ebikes over to the other shop.


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

Just ordered a Reign E+ Pro 1 from Giant's website. Thanks to all who chimed in on their experience with Giant E-bikes on this thread. It helped me make a decision on which bike and size to buy.

Went to the dealer I'm getting it shipped to and they said since I ordered it through them I get a lifetime warranty on the bike (assuming just the frame), year's worth of free adjustments, and a store discount.

Can't wait until the bike gets here and the local trails dry up!!!!


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

fore76 said:


> Hi All. Read this thread 2x already as i just became interested in a e-mtb. I used to do light mtb riding while i was in the service but an amputation in 2010 put every riding to a halt. Well, at least until 3weeks ago when i was at a LBS. I hopped on a trainer and wondered if i could pedal with a prosthetic (left). A little hard but think i can manage. I'll try to pedal my grandson 26" mtb today and see how it goes., balance is what concerns me most.
> 
> The review was really insightful and got me quite interested as i did look at Haibike but have yet to try any. Thanks for writing things up.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I had a one legged cyclist pass me on a ride years ago. You can do it and I bet it will be even easier on an ebike. Good luck.


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

Browneye said:


> Thanks! I'm surely digging it.
> I'd love to cut out for a weekday ride - big-shot tech job makes that tough to do. But a saturday or sunday for sure. There were quite a few peeps there Sunday, but not crowded on the trail once you got away from the start.
> I ended up riding about half of it backwards, had just one MTB'r hauling butt tell me I was going the wrong way. LOL
> 
> ...


HMU, I'm old AND slow so you may have to wait for me in a few spots to point you in the right direction. It will be fun though.

Yes I knew about Mike buying Mel's shop. I had the inside scoop but was sworn to secrecy.


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

MX9799 said:


> Just ordered a Reign E+ Pro 1 from Giant's website. Thanks to all who chimed in on their experience with Giant E-bikes on this thread. It helped me make a decision on which bike and size to buy.
> 
> Went to the dealer I'm getting it shipped to and they said since I ordered it through them I get a lifetime warranty on the bike (assuming just the frame), year's worth of free adjustments, and a store discount.
> 
> Can't wait until the bike gets here and the local trails dry up!!!!


Congratulations!

That Reign will probably ruin all other bikes for you. I went from not being able to ride my local trails (too steep) to trucking my bike to them, to riding to them from my house and now I am adding loops to them to increase my mileage. Just did 25 miles today as a matter of fact and at the start of the year I was happy to do 12.


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

It just might, but I’m keeping my timberjack anyways. It’s light and don’t need a battery. 

I got the reign for more enjoyable rides. Here in NC, it gets really hot and muggy, and a 3 hour ride can really make me suffer sometimes on a regular bike. I’m also almost 40 years old, have three denegrated discs in my lower back, and one of them is ruptured pretty bad. Some days I just want to ride and have fun without suffering or killing myself. Hopefully I can put in half day rides on this reign in July with enough energy left over to mow the yard or enjoy time with my girls afterwards.


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

MX9799 said:


> It just might, but I'm keeping my timberjack anyways. It's light and don't need a battery.
> 
> I got the reign for more enjoyable rides. Here in NC, it gets really hot and muggy, and a 3 hour ride can really make me suffer sometimes on a regular bike. I'm also almost 40 years old, have three denegrated discs in my lower back, and one of them is ruptured pretty bad. Some days I just want to ride and have fun without suffering or killing myself. Hopefully I can put in half day rides on this reign in July with enough energy left over to mow the yard or enjoy time with my girls afterwards.


I have a Timberjack as well. Never ride it now. LOL. I'm 56 with a whole list of medical problems and six doctors, two attorneys and one judge have decided I am disabled. But the ebike is keeping me on the trail. I rode for over 3 hours today in some warm weather and up multiple nasty hills. Came home completely fatigued but in a good way.

You will love the Reign.


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

Man I hope so. I got a tracking number for it today, so with any luck, I’ll be able to hit some trails on it next weekend. Hope it stays dry enough for the trails to be open next Saturday.


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## Browneye (Feb 20, 2020)

The naysayers just don't get it. 63 with 8 back injuries, sworn off motorbikes, barely walking, but still kickin' it. Let me ride my f'ing ebike.


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## 33red (Jan 5, 2016)

Browneye said:


> The naysayers just don't get it. 63 with 8 back injuries, sworn off motorbikes, barely walking, but still kickin' it. Let me ride my f'ing ebike.


At 62 i have no clue how to read minds.
Here is what i think about that new E chapter.
Multi billionnaiires are just extracting more $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.
In Quebec people get big $$ in subventions from provincial and federal governements to buy the dummest thing. Ecars.
They just add to the traffic problems and parking problems.
Ecars are not clean they run on electricity mostly coming from pollution they are BS on 4 wheels and the huge price tag just concentrate $$$$ in a few pockets.

Ebikes are the solution, we can pedal to work, 
to the trails
to have some fun.

Some 10-12 years old boys are pretending to be man and say/write
stuff like never for me or only when it becomes a must.
Their fragile egos probably feel threatens.
Here up north there is a lot of bashing that they damage trails in the winter.
I ride early 6 days a week, i see the damages, many comes from braking
by regular fatbikes. Ask trails groomers they know that to be a fact.

They are just racists who pretend to be great by putting some people down.
They are just showing how much unhappy they are.
Frankly they look quite ***not so smart*** attacking strangers on the web.
I never get attacked in person but on the web people unload their frustrations or something.

That is just my guess.


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## Shane.G.M (Sep 24, 2016)

MX9799 said:


> Just ordered a Reign E+ Pro 1 from Giant's website. Thanks to all who chimed in on their experience with Giant E-bikes on this thread. It helped me make a decision on which bike and size to buy.
> 
> Went to the dealer I'm getting it shipped to and they said since I ordered it through them I get a lifetime warranty on the bike (assuming just the frame), year's worth of free adjustments, and a store discount.
> 
> Can't wait until the bike gets here and the local trails dry up!!!!


I think that's a great speced bike, if I didnt have a e-mtb already that would be on the list,good value for money when on special here in NZ...if only it had a bigger battery.
my wife has the Trance E+0 2019 been a great bike so for,done approx 1000km

Best of luck with your new steed


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

Thanks Shane.
Got the call yesterday that the bike was ready. Unfortunately I was out of town when they called, so I’ll go get it tomorrow. I ordered the bike on Thursday and it was delivered to my local shop and assembled by Saturday. That was a lot faster than I thought it would be.


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

Well, I picked up my Reign yesterday and took it out on the trail at my house last night with a headlamp on. Man, the bike is super fast in power mode 5. hahahaha. I had to try it out to see what it was like. Seemed like it was probably a little too powerful for anything other than a big, steep climb. EMTB mode seemed pretty smooth and plenty powerful. 

The bike did seem rather long and lower than what I'm used to. The seat also seemed obnoxiously high with the post lowered all the way down into the seat tube. I'm starting to wonder if I should've got the large instead of the extra large. 

I'll get it out on some proper trails this weekend and make a decision. With the 14 day return period on the bike, hopefully if I decide I want a large frame size I can work out a deal for a trade.

Overall, the bike looks sweet and seems well put together. I'm spoiled by bike yoke droppers, so of course the Giant dropper post felt like it was filled with crunchy peanut butter to me, but other than that I don't have any complaints. The front brake felt a bit down on power, but I'm sure once the pads wear in or I do a quick bleed it'll be fine. 

Overall, I'm pretty stoked on the bike. This coming saturday afternoon should be interesting. I'd post a picture of it here but this site won't let post my pictures for some odd reason.


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

@MX9799

That sounds about right. I use Auto Mode exclusively and it gets me up some very steep hills. Any more power and I would lose traction. 

My brakes work great. They may have been a bit soft to begin with but I honestly can't remember. I am very happy with them right now.

Sizing is a difficult one for those of us in-between. I am tweet a small and a medium. Dealer talked me into a medium. Dropper was too long so he swapped it out for a 100mm dropper. It is pretty much perfect all the way up for me. But all the way down....seat still feels too high and we have the post pushed down as far as it will go. BUT, and this is a big but, it does not feel as high now as when I first got it a couple of months ago. Maybe I am getting used to it or maybe the suspension is starting to sag a bit. But I have checked the shock and it is holding air so I am probably just getting used to it.

I know when climbing or descending I want a longer lower slacker medium. When I am goofing around I want a small. 

Even so, there is a pretty good chance that next time I will go with the small.


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

@ rkwfxd,

From what little time I got on the bike at my house, it seems like the Auto Mode is the way to go unless you have a very long, very steep climb up a very tall mountain or something. I don't have any of that where I live.

As far as sizing goes, I think a 35mm stem, 40mm riser bars, and a shorter dropper post will get me where I want to be. I measured my new and old bike seat heights last night and the Reign's seat only sits 1.25" taller than my TJ's seat, so I think when I get around to switching out seat posts, I'll get a 150mm dropper. That should put me where I want to be. 

I think the bike has me kind of fooled. I think the front wheel being so much farther out in front of me than any other bike I've ridden is making the bike "feel" much longer than it really is.


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

I use a short stem and 80mm rise bars on all my bikes. When I picked mine up, we swapped out the dropper and I set the seat to where I thought it should be. Got home and actually measured and it was exactly the same height as by TJ. When it's right it's right and you will know it. Tayloring the the cockpit to you is a must oh any bike.

Please give us another update(s) as you put miles on it.

Ride Safe


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## rancher52 (Aug 16, 2019)

MX9799 said:


> Well, I picked up my Reign yesterday and took it out on the trail at my house last night with a headlamp on. Man, the bike is super fast in power mode 5. hahahaha. I had to try it out to see what it was like. Seemed like it was probably a little too powerful for anything other than a big, steep climb. EMTB mode seemed pretty smooth and plenty powerful.
> 
> The bike did seem rather long and lower than what I'm used to. The seat also seemed obnoxiously high with the post lowered all the way down into the seat tube. I'm starting to wonder if I should've got the large instead of the extra large.
> 
> ...


Same issue different bike, I put 4" rise bars so I wouldn't be so low, still I'm centered but comfortable.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

Well, I took the new Reign E+ out for a ride on Saturday afternoon. It was the most fun I've ever had on a mountain bike. The trails I rode on were very XC oriented with a lot of pedaling, some decent rock gardens, and several fast, sweeping descents. It was mostly just some relatively flat, flowy single track though. 

The bike handled great. It handled much better than I was expecting it to for a bike that long and heavy. At speed, the extra weight and length of the bike seemed to fade away, and it handled great. I gotta say I had the fork and shock set to fox's recommended settings, and they felt great as well. 

For the motor, holy smokes this thing is fast. I rode with the bike in Auto mode, and rode WAY faster than I ever have on these trails. Didn't have to shift much either. I think I rode the whole ride somewhere around the middle 3 or 4 cogs. Shifting was flawless and quiet as well.

Complaints? I have two. The first is the brakes. I've always like XT brakes, but these seem down on power than all my other XT's, and have mushiness feel at the lever as well. The stopped me fine, but they have less power than I'm used to. It could be that they are the same, but I'm riding a bike that's 25 pounds heavier than I normally ride. IF they don't improve after a good bleed, I'll be replacing them with Saints.

Second complaint, the range. It was not good. To be fair, I started the ride without charging the battery all the way up, but I still had five lights showing. I also rode pretty hard and fast as well, and I imagined I worked the motor pretty hard with how fast I tried to go, especially up the hills. Still though, I only had 16.5 miles showing on my MTB project app when the bottom battery level light turned orange. I would've hoped to get at least 20 miles on a charge riding in Auto mode. We'll see if that improves as I get more used to the bike. 

Overall, I'm pretty happy with my purchase. The bike ride was an absolute blast. I'm planning on getting a shorter stem and taller bars to make it a little more comfy. Eventually I'll get a better, slightly shorter dropper as well.


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

MX9799 said:


> Complaints? I have two. The first is the brakes. I've always like XT brakes, but these seem down on power than all my other XT's, and have mushiness feel at the lever as well. The stopped me fine, but they have less power than I'm used to. It could be that they are the same, but I'm riding a bike that's 25 pounds heavier than I normally ride. IF they don't improve after a good bleed, I'll be replacing them with Saints.
> 
> Second complaint, the range. It was not good. To be fair, I started the ride without charging the battery all the way up, but I still had five lights showing. I also rode pretty hard and fast as well, and I imagined I worked the motor pretty hard with how fast I tried to go, especially up the hills. Still though, I only had 16.5 miles showing on my MTB project app when the bottom battery level light turned orange. I would've hoped to get at least 20 miles on a charge riding in Auto mode. We'll see if that improves as I get more used to the bike.


Maybe the brakes just need a better bleed?

My range has varied a bit where lights started to go out sooner than usual or stay on longer than normal. Haven't quite figured out why other than sometimes the bike sits for several days before I ride it which reduces the range a bit. I've hit 30+ miles several times with charge to spare and 20-25 miles on a regular basis with two lights still showing. I always charge mine as soon as I get home from a ride.

Enjoy.


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

Yeah, I'm going to get them bled proper when I get a chance. It's no big deal though. The brakes on the bike are plenty adequate, I'd say. I never blew out corner or lost it because the brakes weren't strong enough. I'm just used to, and prefer, a hard bite without much lever pull, and these brakes don't have that right now. No big deal. If the brakes don't improve with a full bleed, I can live with them for a while until I save up some spare coin to get the saints.

The range issue was a little disappointing, but I still had a blast. The LBS said it had a full charge when I picked it up from them at the beginning of the week, and I probably put a few miles on it riding it at the house on my trails during the week before I took it to the trails, but there were still five lights showing when I started the ride. I figure with a legit full charge, and riding a tick mellower, I could possibly get 20+ miles. 

I read on another thread that Giant was working on a bigger battery to fit the bikes. If it comes down to it, I'll get that one and use it, plus keep the one that came on it in the truck and just switch it out in the parking lot for more miles. I definitely had enough energy left after the battery go low to ride for another couple hours.


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

I doubt it was fully charged. LBS told me the same thing. I brought it home and threw it on the charger. Yes the controller showed 5 lights but the charger did not go solid green for FOUR hours. That's longer than it takes to get a full charge after a 25 mile ride now.

I bet your next ride, after a true full charge, will result in better range.


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

rkwfxd said:


> I doubt it was fully charged. LBS told me the same thing. I brought it home and threw it on the charger. Yes the controller showed 5 lights but the charger did not go solid green for FOUR hours. That's longer than it takes to get a full charge after a 25 mile ride now.
> 
> I bet your next ride, after a true full charge, will result in better range.


That's good to know. I had a feeling it might get better once I read the manual and learned that it had been stored in the warehouse in a "hibernation" state and that the dealer had to "wake" up the battery. It didn't seem like my charger had been opened when I got it, so I think the dealer did the "wake up" deal on the battery, saw that it had five lights, and just told me that it was fullly charged.

Hoping to go for another big ride this weekend so we'll see how it goes. I'd be happy to get 25-30 miles off a full charge.


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## Browneye (Feb 20, 2020)

Don't charge fully for storage = bad for pack cells. 
Use the button on the charger for 'storage charge' to 60%. Takes less than an hour. 
Charge fully to ride for best range - also balances all the cells best as possible.


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

Browneye said:


> Don't charge fully for storage = bad for pack cells.
> Use the button on the charger for 'storage charge' to 60%. Takes less than an hour.
> Charge fully to ride for best range - also balances all the cells best as possible.


Browneye - I get the whole 60% charge for storage deal that I read in the manual, but if I charge the battery up one day, and then ride two or three days later, is the that really going to make much of a difference in range. FWIW, the manual says to charge it to 60% if it's going to be stored a month or more.

In other words, if I'm a weekend warrior (and I am; not much if any time to ride on weekdays), should I charge the battery to 60% when I'm done with a weekend ride, and wait until the next Saturday or Sunday to put in a full charge right before I head to the trails?


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## Browneye (Feb 20, 2020)

That's exactly what I do. 60% charge after riding, then full up the night before. 

And store your battery at room temp - if the garage is going to be under 55F or over 75F then bring it indoors. They hate heat worse than they suffer in sub-zero. Hi-temps will really kill them. 

Lithium-ion batteries are pretty durable, and not nearly as unstable as say, Lithium-Polymer, but they definitely benefit from proper care in number of full charges they'll take before degrading. 

Storing at full charge is one of those no-no's. I dunno, a lot of other simple cordless appliances dock on a charging station and stay full always. But then, they don't generally have a $900 battery either. LOL

The biggest issue with a full charge is that temperature and unbalanced cells can send some to overcharge state, and that is really bad for them. This is where you find it won't get to to full capacity. Your RideControl app will show your max battery capacity, just like your smartphone. Over time you see them drop a few percentage points. My other bike is at 97% after a dozen cycles. The Trance is still 100. My 4-year old iPhone 6 is at 88%.


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

Gotcha. I'd guess my basement, which is where I keep my bikes, never gets under or much over about 60 degrees. I'll start charging to 60% after a ride from now on and top it off right before a ride. Hopefully, that can get my range up quite a bit, or else I'm going to have to get a spare battery to keep in the truck.


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

Update on my Reign E+1. Went for a ride on Wednesday afternoon at my house. My aim was to start with the battery at 100% power, confirmed by the giant app, and ride until the battery went dead to see how many miles I could get. I have a loop I built in the woods on my property around my house that is over a mile long according to project mtb, and I just ride laps usually, but I sometimes session the jump line in front of the house. 

My ride started off with 100% battery, but my daughter wanted me to ride some with her before I really got going on the trails. I didn't keep up with the mileage while I was riding with her on the easy parts of the trail, but I'd guess I got about a half a mile of distance riding with her. When she was finished riding, I turned on the giant app, started recording the ride, and checked the battery level. It had 97% power when I started recording the ride. I turned what I thought was 14 laps on the trail, with some more easy riding with my daughter on the easier parts of the trail between laps a couple of times. Maybe I lost count of the laps I did, but when the bottom battery level light turned orange, I did one more lap and stopped riding. Upon ending my route on the app, I found out I had 4% battery left, and I had rode 39.5 km, or 24.54 miles. I don't know if my app is wrong, I lost count of laps and did quite a bit more than 14 laps, or if I rode a lot more with my daughter between laps than I realized, but I didn't think I had put that many miles on the bike in this ride. I rode the whole ride in auto mode. I'll do a full battery ride again my next ride and see if I get the same mileage to confirm things. The app did say my ride time was 1 hour and 56 minutes, which I know is right.

As far as the bike goes, I'm getting more accustomed to it and like it even more now. This bike truly handles great. The trails at my house are far from anything I would consider tough, but the bike really does corner, pivot, and jump way better than I could've imagined. Even though I need some taller bars and a slightly shorter stem to get a little more comfy, I'm still enjoying the ride.

The stock dropper post and saddle have to go as soon as I can get the money for a bike yoke dropper and WTB volt saddle though. The stock seat isn't as comfortable as the WTB volt I have on my TJ, and the giant dropper just feels terrible compared to the bike yoke 160 dropper I have on that same bike. 

Upgrade list:
40 or 50 mm riser bars - havent decided on rise or bar clamp diameter
35 mm stem - which ever bar clamp diameter handlebar I decide on
Bike Yoke Revive 160 dropper
WTB Volt Saddle
Spare battery from Giant for longer days at the trail or bike park


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

I'm sure you got at least 24 miles out of your battery. I know I can get a solid 30 out of mine in the hills. But I do run my tires at a higher (30-35psi) pressure.


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

Went riding at Brumley Forest Nature preserve yesterday. I started the ride with a confirmed 100% battery level according to the app. Unfortunately, my tracking app messed up sometime during the ride, and I didn't get a recorded distance. However, according to the trail maps of the park, I got 6.8 miles farther than I did last weekend (16.5 miles), which would put me at 23.3 miles. I planned it out just perfect, as the battery went dead enough to stop pedal assistance when I was about 100 yards from where my truck sat in the parking lot. Hahahahahaha. 

I'd like to get a spare battery for this thing to keep in the truck for some longer rides. I feel like a 25 mile ride is a pretty good ride right now, but once I get my fitness back up from not riding all winter, I got a feeling I'll be looking for more miles.


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

Hmmm, I don't know what I am doing differently but I believe I can consistently get 30+ miles out of a charge in auto mode. I've ridden 30+ a couple of times with one light left and only completely drained the battery once at 35 miles. 

The first three and the last three miles of my usual 24 mile ride are on pavement but they also include hills and when I am done I always have two lights left. Was just getting ready to up it to 30 miles when I crashed and hurt myself and then the virus came.


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

Don't get me wrong, I'm pretty happy with the range I'm getting right now. On this bike, I pretty much go all out whenever I'm riding it, so I could probably eek out another mile or two if I slowed down a bit and took it a little easier on the hills and on the flats, but that's not as fun, so I pedal hard whenever I'm pedaling. I hit the speed / assist limiter on this thing a lot more than I thought I would. 

I'd imagine those six miles of pavement you have on your ride helps your mileage a little too. Even if you have some hills on those pavement miles, I think pavement riding requires a less from the motor. 

I don't mind having to buy another battery for longer rides either. I had thought I might need one before I bought the bike, but since I'd never ridden an ebike in the woods before I got this bike, I didn't buy one right away. I really wasn't sure if I'd need one. I thought a two hour ride might be all I could do, even on an ebike. I know now by the time the summer rolls around I'll still have some energy left for more miles after going through one battery charge.


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

MX9799 said:


> On this bike, I pretty much go all out whenever I'm riding it,


There's the difference right there. I am confident I am riding more conservatively than you and that is giving me the added range.

The best part is, it sounds like we are both having a blast.

Stay Healthy.


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

rkwfxd said:


> There's the difference right there. I am confident I am riding more conservatively than you and that is giving me the added range.
> 
> *The best part is, it sounds like we are both having a blast.*
> 
> Stay Healthy.


I sure am having a blast on this bike. I've never had this much fun on a bike. Can't wait for next weekend so I can ride it again.

You stay healthy too man.


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## Browneye (Feb 20, 2020)

I'm getting a little better range, ride mostly in level 3, with 4 or 5 for hills. 
Last loop was 23 miles, 7 on road to and from trails, app said 24% charge left or 13 more miles. 3500ft elevation gain. 
I'm surely happy with that!


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

@Browneye, Chris it sounds like we are local. After this virus is knocked out we will need to get together for a ride.


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

Browneye said:


> I'm getting a little better range, ride mostly in level 3, with 4 or 5 for hills.
> Last loop was 23 miles, 7 on road to and from trails, app said 24% charge left or 13 more miles. 3500ft elevation gain.
> I'm surely happy with that!


That's great mileage there. I'd be thrilled with that too!!!


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

Went to try to get a good bleed on my front brake that never felt as powerful as it should've been and found one of the pistons stuck. When I press with a tire lever to try to push it back into the caliper it won't budge and I can hear a crunching noise when I push on it. Looks like the bike is going back to the shop for some warranty work. The county and city are under "shelter in place" orders now, so I really don't even know if the bike shop will be open any time soon. If they aren't, I might just order a Saint front brake for the bike and deal with front brake issue later.


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

Round here LBS are considered essential businesses and still open. For some folks their bike is their only source of transportation. As this closure plays out, more and more folks may be depending on their bicycles and the LBS will be needed even more.


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

rkwfxd said:


> Round here LBS are considered essential businesses and still open. For some folks their bike is their only source of transportation. As this closure plays out, more and more folks may be depending on their bicycles and the LBS will be needed even more.


Good point. They are open. I just got an email reply from them that they are open, but working by appointment only. Looks like I'll have to make an appointment tomorrow or this weekend to get it fixed.


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

Well, the local shop got my front brakes fixed, but they still aren't up to par for what I want out of a front brake. Seems with the heavier bike, the XT 8120 just don't have the stopping power I'm used to from a front brake. They've now been properly bled and should be at full power, but I just can't get them to where they feel like I want them to.

Also having issues with the dropper post. The collar on the post comes loose while I ride, moves up the post a bit as it loosens itself on the threads, and gets to a point high enough that when I drop the seat, the saddle bolts hit the collar and scar it up quite a bit. I'd post pictures of the damage, but the pics will just post sideways so I'm not going to bother. 

New Saint front brake and Bike Yoke dropper will be coming soon, along with taller bars and a 40mm stem. 

Other than those two issues, I'm still loving this bike. I just did a firmware update last night and now the bike turns on directly to auto mode, so that's cool. Hopefully the firmware didn't mess with the power output in auto mode, because I was pretty happy with the way it ran and the mileage I was getting running auto all the time.


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

If you hadn't already ordered new brakes I was going to suggest trying a different pad.

Never heard of that happening with a dropper. I just ordered a PNW for my Surly Lowside, I hope I don't have any issues with it.

I am using 80 mm rise bars.

Having it turn on to Auto Mode sounds great. That's pretty much all I use. Please let us know if the power is the same. I may need to do an update if so.

Stay Healthy.


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

rkwfxd said:


> If you hadn't already ordered new brakes I was going to suggest trying a different pad.
> 
> *Never heard of that happening with a dropper. I just ordered a PNW for my Surly Lowside, I hope I don't have any issues with it.*
> 
> ...


You shouldn't have any issues with the PNW dropper like I'm having with the giant dropper. The main issue is that the heads on the saddle bolts are very tall. If the collar at the bottom of the dropper stays tight, the heads of those bolts will never touch it. But if the collar loosens during riding and rides up the threads, the tall heads of those saddle bolts hit the collar and make a nice gouge on the top edge. I don't like the giant dropper anyways, so I'm just going to get another brand. I know I like bike yoke droppers, so I'm going to go with that.

The new update makes it so that you don't have to go through the "off" setting to get to auto mode. The bike turns on to auto mode. From auto mode, one push of the up or down button takes you directly to trail mode (3 lights), and then you can scroll to the preset modes from there. To get back to auto mode, you just hold the up or down button down for a few seconds and it will go back to auto. It's pretty cool, but I really didn't have any issues with the way it was. I just left it in auto mode all the time anyway. It seems like a solution to a problem that I didn't have, so hopefully the power in auto mode is the same.


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

rkwfxd said:


> If you hadn't already ordered new brakes I was going to suggest trying a different pad.
> 
> Never heard of that happening with a dropper. I just ordered a PNW for my Surly Lowside, I hope I don't have any issues with it.
> 
> ...


So I took my bike out on the trails at my house yesterday evening after putting the kids to bed, and the auto mode on my bike is not the same as it was before the firmware update. It now feels more like it has the power of active mode 2 (eco+). After riding it a few miles in auto mode, I switched it to active mode 3 (normal), and it now felt exactly like it used to when I was in auto mode. Hmmm.

That has me wondering if my bike was programmed wrong from the factory, and I was getting normal (3 lights on) power settings when I had my bike in auto mode. Weird. Oh well, guess I'll be riding my bike in active - normal mode now. If you guys are happy with your current auto mode and how you get to it (like I was), I'd suggest not uploading the latest firmware update.

On another note, after riding around in normal power mode for a while, it started getting a little dark, and I wanted a few more laps on my trails before I couldn't see, so I bumped it up to sport+ mode (all five lights showing on the control unit). Man, that was a fun time. When riding the last 20 minutes of daylight in the sport+ mode, things seem to happen pretty fast. Hahahahaha.


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

Also, here are some pictures of the damage I'm getting to my dropper post from the saddle bolt when the collar on it comes loose while riding.

















You can see where the bolt is gouging the collar as it turns and makes it's way up post. I tighten the thing back down every time I stop for a break as best I can with my hand, but it always comes loose and works it's way back up. Be on the lookout for that if you guys have the same crappy dropper post.


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

Wow, the pics were rotated the correct way in the post....

Must be my lucky day.


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

MX9799 said:


> So I took my bike out on the trails at my house yesterday evening after putting the kids to bed, and the auto mode on my bike is not the same as it was before the firmware update. It now feels more like it has the power of active mode 2 (eco+). After riding it a few miles in auto mode, I switched it to active mode 3 (normal), and it now felt exactly like it used to when I was in auto mode. Hmmm.
> 
> That has me wondering if my bike was programmed wrong from the factory, and I was getting normal (3 lights on) power settings when I had my bike in auto mode. Weird. Oh well, guess I'll be riding my bike in active - normal mode now. If you guys are happy with your current auto mode and how you get to it (like I was), I'd suggest not uploading the latest firmware update.
> 
> On another note, after riding around in normal power mode for a while, it started getting a little dark, and I wanted a few more laps on my trails before I couldn't see, so I bumped it up to sport+ mode (all five lights showing on the control unit). Man, that was a fun time. When riding the last 20 minutes of daylight in the sport+ mode, things seem to happen pretty fast. Hahahahaha.


Yeah I read something similar on FB or Instagram or somewhere and it sounded like the update caused the bike to run at a lower power setting. I am guessing to increase range. I have been super happy with my range so far so I don't think I will mess with the update. I use my Garmin 4Runner 245M watch to track my rides and then keep track to total distance on my calendar. I don't use Strava or anything like that. Finally, one of the draws to the Giant for me was the LACK of a computer on the bike. I find that stuff can be distracting and did not want anything more than battery life and power setting. Plus no screen to break or crack.


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

MX9799 said:


> Also, here are some pictures of the damage I'm getting to my dropper post from the saddle bolt when the collar on it comes loose while riding.
> 
> View attachment 1323007
> 
> ...


That sucks. Seriously. I would be bummed.


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

rkwfxd said:


> That sucks. Seriously. I would be bummed.


It's just cosmetic, nothing too awful bad. The post is still functional, even though it has the feel of a fairly cheap dropper post. The shop I had the bike delivered to said that Giant would replace the post under warranty (they saw it when I went in to have my front brake caliper fixed) within a year, so I'll very likely get a new one at some point. I'll more than likely wait until all of this quarantine / COVID 19 crap is over with before I have it replaced though.

I can't understand why Giant would design the post this way though. There's very little clearance between the top of that collar and the seat bolt, even when the collar is threaded all the way down tight.


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

So I picked up a Shimano saint front brake for my reign E+ and it’s a MUCH better brake. The lever now has the feel that I like combined with the power I’m used to. 

I cold pull the lever dern near to the grip with two fingers with the stock 8120 brake and could not get the front wheel to lock up tight. With the saint brakes, minimal effort braking with one finger easily stops the bike in an instant and lifts the back wheel off the ground. Will be upgrading the rear brake to saint when I get some spare spending money.


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

Glad that worked out. I have a new Surly Lowside and the front brake wont even lock in my living room. It's been raining. Once it clears up I will go out and seat the pads and hopefully that will take care of it.


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

rkwfxd said:


> Glad that worked out. I have a new Surly Lowrider and the front brake wont even lock in my living room. It's been raining. Once it clears up I will go out and seat the pads and hopefully that will take care of it.


What brakes are they?

I honestly don't see where these XT 8120 brakes are better. I've always ran XT 8000 2 piston brakes on all my other bikes, and they have more power than these new 8120 brakes.


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

Lowside has Tektro two piston hydraulics. It's a light single speed simple bike and I am slow. They should work fine once I seat the pads to the disks.


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## Browneye (Feb 20, 2020)

rkwfxd said:


> @Browneye, Chris it sounds like we are local. After this virus is knocked out we will need to get together for a ride.


You got it. :thumbsup:

I've done the loop about eight times now - it's way fun.

I did crash hard a couple of weeks ago - pedestrian stepped right in front of me at the last moment - I had a choice of clipping or a fire-hydrant. Clipped the ped and it instantly knocked me down. I even called out to them, but apparently she didn't know her right from her left. Is that common???? LOL

Bike is okay, I have a cracked rib, back knocked out, and hamburger-knuckles. A couple of visits to the PT and I'm feeling better, knuckles mostly healed, just hurts to sneeze or cough. If I get the virus I'm dead. :lol:

I learned my lesson - peds get a WIDE berth. Like dodging a deer on the highway.


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

Browneye said:


> You got it. :thumbsup:
> 
> I've done the loop about eight times now - it's way fun.
> 
> ...


Not sure I mentioned it on this thread but I too took a tumble a few weeks ago. Purely self imposed. Badly scraped knee and rib damage. Nothing showed up on x-ray but Dr said I could have micro fracture(s) that would not show. It has been about six weeks now and my ribs are finally feeling better.

All my training is in doors right now on my stationary bike. I can't wait to get back on the e-bike.


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

Well, I put a 40mm stem and some 40mm riser bars on my bike and took it out again this past weekend. I didn't want to stray too much from the stock setup, as it surprisingly felt almost OK to me on the trail, even though the bars felt a little low when sitting on the bike. 

I will say that the last firmware update must've done something to the power output on the bike. Auto mode now feels weaker than it used to, but power level 3 (normal mode) feels about like the old Auto mode used to. I did my normal +/- 2-hour ride, the same ride that used to completely drain the battery in Auto mode, and with using power level 2 and 3 instead of auto, I had two lights left showing at the end of the ride. I had somehow accidentally put it on power level 2 (eco + mode) for a few miles before I realized it, but the ride was mostly done in power level 3 (normal). I was pumped to have 2 lights left showing at the end of the ride, but a little bummed because, for some reason, my giant app isn't connecting to my bike anymore, so I don't know exactly how much power it had left.

Anyone else having trouble with connecting their bike to the app? 

I realize the app isn't completely necessary to ride the bike, but I did enjoy being able to see exactly how much juice I had left in the tank. I know from using the app before that the five battery level lights don't equate to equal 20% battery levels. After charging the bike to 60% battery, and confirming 60% on the app, I'd usually have 4 lights showing on the controller.


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

More Range is always nice. I have never downloaded the app. You might try the FaceBook group for some assistance.


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

rkwfxd said:


> More Range is always nice. I have never downloaded the app. You might try the FaceBook group for some assistance.


More range is nice. I was pushing pretty hard on power level 3 too, so if I had around 25-30% battery left when my time ran out on my ride, I could likely get 30 miles out of a good charge if I took it a little easier on the climbs and flats.

Don't have a facebook account, but I might have to use my wife's to see what the group has to say. What is the name of the facebook group? The whole app thing isn't really that big of a deal, but it would've been nice to see exactly what I had left at the end of the ride. It's weird that it quit working immediately after the last firmware update.


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## 33red (Jan 5, 2016)

MX9799 said:


> More range is nice. I was pushing pretty hard on power level 3 too, so if I had around 25-30% battery left when my time ran out on my ride, I could likely get 30 miles out of a good charge if I took it a little easier on the climbs and flats.
> 
> Don't have a facebook account, but I might have to use my wife's to see what the group has to say. What is the name of the facebook group? The whole app thing isn't really that big of a deal, but it would've been nice to see exactly what I had left at the end of the ride. It's weird that it quit working immediately after the last firmware update.


It depends on your weight, etc... but many with a 500 battery do better than 30 miles per charge.


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

MX9799 said:


> More range is nice. I was pushing pretty hard on power level 3 too, so if I had around 25-30% battery left when my time ran out on my ride, I could likely get 30 miles out of a good charge if I took it a little easier on the climbs and flats.
> 
> Don't have a facebook account, but I might have to use my wife's to see what the group has to say. What is the name of the facebook group? The whole app thing isn't really that big of a deal, but it would've been nice to see exactly what I had left at the end of the ride. It's weird that it quit working immediately after the last firmware update.


Have your wife search for and join the Giant E bike group. Those folks might be able to help you out.


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

rkwfxd said:


> Have your wife search for and join the Giant E bike group. Those folks might be able to help you out.


Sweet. Thanks man.


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## Browneye (Feb 20, 2020)

Try removing the app, reinstall it, re-setup your login account, scan for ebike. 

I have three of them on two iPhones, works perfectly, but were a little balky getting setup. Once done they've been seamless.


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

So apparently the bluetooth on my phone somehow got turned off and that's why the app wouldn't connect to the bike. The bike is the only thing I use bluetooth for, so it never really occured to me that it might be turned off. Heck, I didn't even know the bluetooth connection on my phone could be turned off. One of my daughters must've inadvertently turned it off whilst playing on my phone. Had to get my wife to show me how to turn it back on....

The app connection is all good now. Hahahaha.


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

I just got a notice on my phone that the Giant Ride Control app had an update. I looked into it, and apparently there is a firmware update out now that fixes what the last update did to the smart assist.

If any of you remember, when I did the last firmware update on my bike, the smart assist mode seemed to decrease in power considerably. I've since been riding mostly in power level 2 and 3, and getting close to 30 miles on a full battery. 

They claim this new firmware update fixes the smart assist mode. Giant even admits in the update memo that they goofed up the smart assist mode with the last update. Hopefully this new update brings the smart assist mode back to where it was on my bike when I first got it. I liked that mode the best.

They also claim the new update changes, once again changes how you get to smart assist mode by just holding down the up or down buttons. No big deal to me, as I usually just change modes when I'm taking a water break, so it's really no problem for me to hold a button down to get into a different mode. I'll update my bike this evening and see how the new smart assist mode works with the new programming.


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

This is good news. Please keep us posted. If you are on FB maybe join the Giant E bike group and let them know as well. That is where I first heard of the problem and decided to to let the LBS update my bike.


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

After a firmware update and a quick spin through the trails at my house at last light tonight, I can say that the new update fixed the smart assist mode and made it feel like it did before my previous firmware update. I’m happy about that.


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

I whole LOT of folks will be happy about this. Thanks for sharing.


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

Also, the bike now powers on into smart assist mode. From there, hitting the up or down button will take you straight to power mode 3, and you can adjust the power modes from there. If you want to go from a regular power mode back to smart assist, you simply hold down the up or down button for a few seconds and the bike goes back into smart assist mode.


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## sopranos1342 (Jun 8, 2020)

Just wanted to make sure you realize you're comparing the range on his Reign vs your Trance... the Trance will naturally get more distance (considering everything else is equal) as his Reign is considerably heavier.

Cheers!


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## 2WheelDave (May 3, 2017)

I think my bike came with the "broken" auto mode and I got used to that. After the firmware update before my last ride, it felt like someone strapped a nitrous bottle on my bike! Now I understand the folks that say they ride around in level 1&2 only. I was riding the techie trails around my house in auto mode before, now that is too much power!


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## sopranos1342 (Jun 8, 2020)

I just picked up my Trance E+ 1 yesterday and WOW!!

A couple quick questions if I may:

- If I'm still showing 5 lights on battery after a short 5 mile test, should I just leave it for the next ride or do I need to fully charge every time after a right?
- Will the bike automatically shut itself off after a period if I forget to at the end of a ride?
- When charging the battery, will it auto shutoff when charged or do I need to check it and disconnect from charger in a timely manner?

Cheers!

Jon


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

sopranos1342 said:


> I just picked up my Trance E+ 1 yesterday and WOW!!
> 
> A couple quick questions if I may:
> 
> ...


1 - That's up to you. My Reign E+ will show 5 lights down to about 80% battery. If that's plenty enough for your next ride, I wouldn't think it would be a problem to leave it at 80%.

2 - Yes. Mine will turn itself off if I take more than a five or ten minute break.

3 - I'm pretty sure it has a shutoff. I always leave mine plugged in overnight when charging, both a 100% charge and 60% charge. When doing a 60% charge overnight, I'm pretty sure it gets to 60% long before I wake up the next morning and unplug it, and it always charges to exactly 60%. After 8 charge cycles my bike is also still showing 100% battery health, so I don't think leaving it charging overnight is hurting anything.

Hope that helps, and congrats on the new bike.


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## Browneye (Feb 20, 2020)

1. Unless you plan to ride for the full capacity of the charge, you shouldn't need to recharge for the next ride. If you're concerned about accessing the full range, then sure, top it up.

The worst thing you can do is charge it fully and then store it, especially if it will see warm temps. This can lead to overcharge state in some cells. And hence the 60% charge, takes less than an hour - charge and store. If your garage is hot, bring the pack indoors. 

2. Auto-shut off is 10 minutes. 

3. Charger auto-shutoff when full charge reached, either mode. 


The other worst thing you can do is NOT charge it from near empty when storing the bike. The cells are happy at 50-60%, and hence that option on the charger - a very nice feature that is rather uncommon for ebikes, as is the 6a rate. It's really quick!


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

Still loving this reign E+. It's pretty much the only bike I ride now. I'll still hop on the Timberjack for cruising around with my daughters, but if I'm doing a serious ride, I opt for the Reign E+. 

Now that my fitness is back up to par, I usually just ride around on power level 2 (eco +). This seems to be a pretty good power level for having fun and still getting some decent exercise. I've resolved all my issues with upgrading to a Saint front brake and a bike yoke revive 165mm dropper. The revive dropper is SO much smoother than the stock giant dropper. My 40mm stem and 38mm rise bars feel OK, but I sometimes wonder if I still want taller bars. Thinking about giving some 50mm or 60mm riser bars a try sometime soon.

I do now have some suspicions about the Giant Ride Control app. I got a heart rate monitor for my birthday, and the app for it will record your rides via gps as well. I'm getting much less mileage per charge according to the Polar Beat app. I used both apps recently to record a ride. The Polar Beat app showed 18.5 miles, while the giant ride control app showed a tick over 26 miles. I'm wondering which app is correct.....

I would think the giant app would be more accurate since it syncs to the bike and should know the exact mileage based on the rotation/speed/time the rear wheel is spinning, whereas the Polar Beat app is just going on gps locations which could be off a fair amount while riding in the woods in more remote locations. However, I'm wondering if the giant app could cook the numbers a bit to show that their bike gets better mileage than it really does. What do you guys think?


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## rkwfxd (Jan 8, 2019)

That's great to hear. TBH I still really like mine but, in an effort to avoid people on the trail, I haven't ridden it in months. Been riding either my Timberjack or Lowside around my hood which is pretty much deserted.

I use a Garmin 245M watch to log all my rides/walks/steps etc... The M also can hold music so with some BT headphones, I listen to my tunes while walking or working around the house. (I don't listen to music while riding). So far, it seems pretty darn accurate for the stuff I do.

I never downloaded the Giant app because I have the watch. But, I have read about numerous problems or short-comings with the app so now I really have no desire to download it.

One of the main selling points for me on the Giant E bike was the lack of a display. Just a few simple leds because really all I want to know is roughly, how much power I have left. I don't care about top speed, average speed, cadence, direction etc... In fact, on my watch I have changed the display to show only time of day and distance for current ride.

I'm a simple dude.

Now - things I don't like about my Giant ebike:

Not thrilled with the sizing/cockpit layout/riding position - I bought a medium and I feel like the reach is too long and the stack too low. I have shortened the stem and use 80mm riser bars which helps. My plan is to buy a new ebike every two years so my next one will be a size small for sure. For reference all of my previous bikes, including the Timberjack have been size mediums and I have been pretty happy with them. After buying the Giant, I was looking at the Lowside and based on the Giant, I went with a small on the Lowside and I am glad I did. I think it is just an issue with the new longer, lower, slacker trends and those don't really work for me.

Really don't like the tiny main triangle and lack of space for a water bottle. I have worked around it by using a side loading cage and a small ABLOC bottle. Pretty sure I am going to have to not carry a bottle on the bike at all when I go to a size small.

PEDDLE STRIKES!!! The bottom bracket is TOO LOW. For 99.9999% of my riding this is not an issue but for the tiny part of my riding where it is an issue, it is a BIG issue in that peddle strikes have knocked me off the bike several times. A better, younger, more skillful rider might not have any problems at all. Of course to make it worse - the ONLY time cute girls were on the trail was right when I was getting knocked off the bike from peddle strikes. Stupid bike. LOL.

Seat tube - I'd prefer a shorter seat tube so that I could use a longer dropper yet still get it completely down and out of the way. It's been a while since I looked but I don't believe the seat tube on the size small is much shorter so I am not convinced that will be improved for me.

Other options - The other bike I looked hard at before I bought the Giant was the Yamaha Torx hardtail. Sales folks talked me into a FS. The jury is still out for me on FS. I know the ride is smoother but to be honest, I end up pumping the shock and fork up to max PSI. But since I already have one ridged (Lowside) and one hardtail (Timberjack) I think I will give the new Yamaha FS a good hard look in another year when I am ready to get a new ebike.

Side note - I also looked at the Haibike and test rode it several times - HEEL STRIKES. For some reason I could not keep my heels off the chain stays. Again, that was most likely a problem with my form.

Ride safe.


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

rkwfxd said:


> That's great to hear. TBH I still really like mine but, in an effort to avoid people on the trail, I haven't ridden it in months. Been riding either my Timberjack or Lowside around my hood which is pretty much deserted.
> 
> I use a Garmin 245M watch to log all my rides/walks/steps etc... The M also can hold music so with some BT headphones, I listen to my tunes while walking or working around the house. (I don't listen to music while riding). So far, it seems pretty darn accurate for the stuff I do.
> 
> ...


I hear ya. So far, for me, the Giant app hasn't given me really any trouble. I downloaded it so that could check to see exactly how much battery power my bike had, and it's good for that. I also like fiddling around with the power output in different modes, and checking my battery health, which still shows 100% after 19 charge cycles. I use it to record rides, but now that I have the polar app w/ HR monitor, I don't know the ride app is accurate.

For instance, last night I had time for a quick 1-hour ride, so I rode around on the trails I've built at my house. The polar app showed I did 9.68 miles in 53 minutes. The giant app shows I did 12.1 miles in 53 minutes. That's almost a 2.5 mile difference. I'm not sure which one is correct.

I recently toasted my brakes at a new downhill park that opened up near where my wife's parents live. Had a blast there, and the Reign E+ handled everything well, but I don't think the stock SLX rotors are up to the challenge of trying to stop this bike on really steep stuff. Now the front brake squeals and vibrates really bad on hard braking. Upgraded rotors and pads are on the way.

I'm not terribly happy with the mileage I'm getting from a full charge either, and currently have another 500w battery on the way that I found for sale used with 10 cycles on pinkbike.com. At said bike park, I could only get about 13 miles out of a charge, and that was with only using auto mode on the 2 mile climb to the top, and not using any power at all (bike turned off) coming down. I'm hoping the new battery will get better mileage. The guy I bought it from said he was getting 3-4 hour rides with it in normal power modes, and anywhere from 30-40 miles depending how much he used eco+ mode.

I'm really happy with the bike though overall though. The bike handles like a dream and pretty much gobbles up anything on the trail I can throw at it. Bigger jumps that used to seem sketchy on my TJ now feel very easy. Just let go of the brakes and let it fly, and it always seems very balanced over jumps. The bike also seems to be much easier on my jacked up back with my still healing ruptured discs too.


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## ron m. (Aug 1, 2009)

I just got this bike and did some suspension tune-up laps at a local track (some really rough sections). Although it rides amazing (new fork, Angleset), I hear a subtle rattle which I believe is coming from the battery pack. Has anyone had to pad theirs to make the bike more quiet? Interested to know.


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

ron m. said:


> I just got this bike and did some suspension tune-up laps at a local track (some really rough sections). Although it rides amazing (new fork, Angleset), I hear a subtle rattle which I believe is coming from the battery pack. Has anyone had to pad theirs to make the bike more quiet? Interested to know.
> View attachment 1910457


I don't see how it could be the battery setup unless the screw that holds the battery tight is loose. If you've ever tried to remove the battery from the plastic guard/cover it sits in, you would know that it's pretty tight.

I'd imagine what you're hearing is the small rattle-like noise the motor makes when the pedals move ever so slightly while the bike is freewheeling. Mine does this as well, but it's not a very loud noise at all. Does the bike make the sound while you're pedaling it, or does it only make that noise while you're coasting through rougher parts of the trail?


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## ron m. (Aug 1, 2009)

MX9799 said:


> I don't see how it could be the battery setup unless the screw that holds the battery tight is loose. If you've ever tried to remove the battery from the plastic guard/cover it sits in, you would know that it's pretty tight.
> 
> I'd imagine what you're hearing is the small rattle-like noise the motor makes when the pedals move ever so slightly while the bike is freewheeling. Mine does this as well, but it's not a very loud noise at all. Does the bike make the sound while you're pedaling it, or does it only make that noise while you're coasting through rougher parts of the trail?


I don't hear noise when pedaling. I don't frankly hear it when coasting a moderate rough terrain but it becomes noticeable when it gets really rough and I'm attacking the downhill.


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

ron m. said:


> I don't hear noise when pedaling. I don't frankly hear it when coasting a moderate rough terrain but it becomes noticeable when it gets really rough and I'm attacking the downhill.


It sounds like it's the noise the motor makes when the pedals move back and forth a small amount while coasting. It's a very small, rattle-like noise. 
Try this and see if it replicates the noise. The next time you go for a ride, coast slowly on the bike somewhere with your feet on the pedals. Quickly move the pedals backwards and forwards a small amount multiple times. If this replicates the noise you are hearing, it's the sound the motor makes as it engages when the cranks start to turn. I've found that on mine, when you're going downhill hitting stuff fast, the cranks turn back and forth a small amount, even though you might not notice it. Every time they move forwards, something in the motor engages and that makes the noise you may be hearing.

If you can't replicate the rattle doing that, then pull the energypak off the bike and see if anything is loose.

I honestly have a very hard time getting the battery off the energypak's bodywork. It fits in there very tight. I'm not even sure if the one tiny bolt that goes through the body work and into the battery is doing much compared to how tight the battery is when it's snapped into the cover/guard.

Also, check your crank bolts and all of the suspension bolts. Although I never heard any noise from those bolts being loose, all of those on my bike had loosened a bit after a couple months of riding from when it was brand new. Heck, check all bolts on the bike to make sure they're tight.


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## metalcat (Nov 21, 2007)

Hi guys,
First of all, my apologies to the OP for the "hijack".
I recently bought a 2020 Trance E+ 1 Pro and loving it but I have a question. When I power on the bike, the "light LED" goes on by default and there is no light installed. I'm just worried that if it is indeed on, there will be some electrical tension on the connector and if water gets underneath the protective covers, it might short circuit. Do any of you have the same behavior ? I would like it to be off by default (just in case I forget to turn it of ;-) ) .

Cheers,

Pascal


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

metalcat said:


> Hi guys,
> First of all, my apologies to the OP for the "hijack".
> I recently bought a 2020 Trance E+ 1 Pro and loving it but I have a question. When I power on the bike, the "light LED" goes on by default and there is no light installed. I'm just worried that if it is indeed on, there will be some electrical tension on the connector and if water gets underneath the protective covers, it might short circuit. Do any of you have the same behavior ? I would like it to be off by default (just in case I forget to turn it of ;-) ) .
> 
> ...


I'm not sure what the "light led" is, but if you haven't already, you might try getting the giant ride control app and updating the firmware. If that don't fix it, there could be a a function on the app that lets you change that default.


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## metalcat (Nov 21, 2007)

Well, on the RideControl One, it is the LED marked LT. I already upgraded to the latest level. But indeed, will be controlling with the app if there is something to be tweaked.


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

metalcat said:


> Well, on the RideControl One, it is the LED marked LT. I already upgraded to the latest level. But indeed, will be controlling with the app if there is something to be tweaked.
> 
> View attachment 1911375


OK. I see what light it is you're talking about.

FWIW, on my 2020 reign E+, that light comes on by default also when I turn the bike on. I never knew it was the light indicator. I thought it was just a light that indicated that the power was on, since that light is the one that blinks when you turn the power off. Guess I should read my manual....

I'm not sure how you get that light, and function, to stay off by default. Let us know if you figure something out.


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## ron m. (Aug 1, 2009)

Review and Question:

The Review:
Okay, at this point, this Trance E+3 (really an Intrigue in my case) has been heavily modified from the factory. First, it has a 1.5 degree angleset. Then I swapped out the super crappy 35 Gold RL fork with a Yari (and a Pike in the interim). I struggled slowing the bike down in the steeps so I ended up initially upgrading the front rotor to a Magura MDR 220mm rotor (2.3 mm thick) and that made slight improvement but switching to Shimano Zees really did the ticket. Haven't measured head angle but I'm probably a tad lower than 65 degrees at this point (it's also a 29er fork which allows me to go mullet if I ever wanted to... and I won't... haha!).

Anyway, before all these modifications, the bike was crap (and like I mentioned earlier, made me question this purchase). After trying to rebuild and improve the original fork, I ended up going Pike first and that totally changed the bike. Then I scored a local deal on the angleset and that made this bike even more stable at speed. With the extra speed, I noticed how flexy the Pike was so I found another local deal on a new Yari ($300) and bought that. After installing that, swapping out the Tektro brakes with Shimano Zees, this bike practically transformed into a full-on enduro bike. Super stable at speed, super composed on the steeps and still jumped pretty decent even with the longer front end. I may even leave the Yari Motion Control in place since it didn't feel like traction was compromised. I am REALLY loving this monster (as a back story, I sold my fancy plastic bike after getting the ebike because I couldn't bear having an expensive backup and the bike didn't really connect with me).

Question:
Near the end of my ride yesterday, my battery readout (from the phone) went from 20% to 2%. The drop just didn't feel linear at all.. in fact, the drop was almost exponential. Is this common? Maybe Giant's battery management software isn't that reliable? What's been your experience near the end of battery capacity (btw, the app says my battery is healthy)?


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## russinthecascades (Jun 1, 2013)

ron m. said:


> Near the end of my ride yesterday, my battery readout (from the phone) went from 20% to 2%. The drop just didn't feel linear at all.. in fact, the drop was almost exponential. Is this common? Maybe Giant's battery management software isn't that reliable? What's been your experience near the end of battery capacity (btw, the app says my battery is healthy)?


My wife's 2019 Intrigue e+1 Pro does not experience a steep drop off at the low end of the battery....


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## ilostmypassword (Dec 9, 2006)

Great thread. Apologies, but I can't find a 2022 thread talking about the latest Trance X E+ 1 bikes. Wow last time I logged in to MTBR must have been 2008. I fell out of love with bikes back then after being obsessed with mountain bikes since the 1990's. I then got into long distance mountain running and after knee surgery, hiking and walking has been my outdoor passion now for sometime. I've ridden a few bikes since and quite frankly I get super bored for most of the experience. The last bike I had that made me smile was a Marin Wolfridge with 130mm travel and that thing made me grin so much (going down)- but bike tech has changed a lot since then. I remember 29ers from that time had issues with your feet hitting the front wheels!

Anyway, after testing this bike I just picked up a 2022 Giant Trance X E+ 1 Pro that should arrive in a few weeks. I already know I'm going to have so much fun that I can't stop thinking bout getting out into the local mountain ranges here and not just exploring, but remote camping too. I'm a photographer by trade, and shoot a lot of film these days so will be getting out there more with a bike that can carry me and my camping gear. Anyway, awesome to see MTBR is still kinda alive and kicking.

Here she is. Damn I'm smiling just looking at this beast.


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## ron m. (Aug 1, 2009)

ilostmypassword said:


> Great thread. Aplogies, but I can't find a 2022 thread talking about the latest Trance X E+ 1 bikes. Wow last time I logged in to MTBR must have been 2008. I fell out of love with bikes back then after being obsessed with mountain bikes since the 1990's. I then got into long distance mountain running and after knee surgery, hiking and walking has been my outdoor passion now for sometime. I've ridden a few bikes since and quite frankly I get super bored for most of the experience. The last bike I had that made me smile was a Marin Wolfridge with 130mm travel and that thing made me grin so much (going down)- but bike tech has changed a lot since then. I remember 29ers from that time had issues with your feet hitting the front wheels!
> 
> Anyway, after testing this bike I just picked up a 2022 Giant Trance X E+ 1 Pro that should arrive in a few weeks. I already know I'm going to have so much fun that I can't stop thinking bout getting out into the local mountain ranges here and not just exploring, but remote camping too. I'm a photographer by trade, and shoot a lot of film these days so will be getting out there more with a bike that can carry me and my camping gear. Anyway, awesome to see MTBR is still kinda alive and kicking.
> 
> ...


Lol! Welcome back. As far as info on these bikes, you'll probably need to join ebike forums to find out more. Here are two that I belong to:





Electric Bike Forums - Q&A, Help, Reviews and Maintenance


A forum to discuss, share, get help and compare electric bicycles, pedelecs, ebikes and other light electric vehicles like scooters and skateboards.




electricbikereview.com









Articles


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The newest iteration of the Giant Trance is more sorted out (more battery capacity, better interface, sleeker for sure). One of the few things I wish it had was granular display of battery life (still bars in this case) but you could always purchase a Garmin or any computer that has ANT technology and compatible with Giant so you can see battery life (I use the Garmin 130 Plus). 

My bike in hopefully its last form:


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## ilostmypassword (Dec 9, 2006)

ron m. said:


> Lol! Welcome back. As far as info on these bikes, you'll probably need to join ebike forums to find out more. Here are two that I belong to:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks for the info I'll defiantly check those sites out. Having a larger capacity battery for 2022 is a real bonus for sure.

I love the black colour of your ride. It looks like a weapon! Have you increased the front travel? I've read that the Fox 36 fork travel on this new model can be easily increased. That great to know actually as I reckon a 160mm fork would be better on this bike.


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## ilostmypassword (Dec 9, 2006)

ngaynanggm34289 said:


> This looks so attractive
> 
> Sent from my Infinix X650 using Tapatalk


Looks good aye!


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## ron m. (Aug 1, 2009)

ilostmypassword said:


> Thanks for the info I'll defiantly check those sites out. Having a larger capacity battery for 2022 is a real bonus for sure.
> 
> I love the black colour of your ride. It looks like a weapon! Have you increased the front travel? I've read that the Fox 36 fork travel on this new model can be easily increased. That great to know actually as I reckon a 160mm fork would be better on this bike.


Yes, the front fork has 170mm of travel. The stroke on the rear shock is 55mm effectively giving me 147mm of rear travel. 

Your Fox 36 can be bumped up to 180mm with an air spring swap (it used to be an internal adjust on the older forks). The good news is that air spring internals are cheap and easy to do. I think 160mm is good... it tends to be too slack and high at 170mm. If yours come with Grip 1, it's good enough (I don't think Grip 2 is worth it unless you're a fiddler).


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## ilostmypassword (Dec 9, 2006)

ron m. said:


> Yes, the front fork has 170mm of travel. The stroke on the rear shock is 55mm effectively giving me 147mm of rear travel.
> 
> Your Fox 36 can be bumped up to 180mm with an air spring swap (it used to be an internal adjust on the older forks). The good news is that air spring internals are cheap and easy to do. I think 160mm is good... it tends to be too slack and high at 170mm. If yours come with Grip 1, it's good enough (I don't think Grip 2 is worth it unless you're a fiddler).


Yes 160mm is the sweet spot I think too.Good to know internals are cheap. Looking at the fork specs it has the Grip damper. Brand new tech to me!


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