Mountain Bike Performance

2021 BUYER’S GUIDE

GEAR

MTB PERFORMANCE

Giant Trance X Advanced Pro 29 2 $5,599

When it comes to a value-packed trail bike designed to handle rugged enduro rides and technical singletrack, the Trance X Advance Pro by Giant is tough to beat. Under the eye-catching chameleon paint job is a composite carbon monocoque frame with two-setting adjustable geometry to dial the bike in for exactly what you’re riding. Its 135 mm of RockShox-based rear and 150 mm front travel, paired with the big 29" Giant trX-2 29 Carbon hoops will help you up and over the most challenging terrain. The 12-speed SrAM NX Eagle drivetrain includes the 11-50 tooth cassette for maximum versatility. Stopping power comes from four-piston Shimano MT520 hydraulic brakes. The Advanced Pro has Maxxis Minion tires and Giant cockpit parts, including a dropper seatpost. (giant-bicycles.com/ca)

Rocky Mountain Instinct Carbon 30 $5,949

The Canadian brand Rocky Mountain has taken the best of two successful model lines – the 27.5" Thunderbolt and 29" Instinct – and combined them into a single trail-shredding platform. The 2021 Instinct offers 27.5" wheels for extra-small and small frames, while small can also take 29" hoops, as can medium, large and extra-large. The extra-small and small options aren’t merely shrunk versions of larger frames: they have a slightly different shape to their carbon frames and smaller shocks. All Carbon 30 frames offer 140 mm of rear and 150 mm of front travel via the RockShox Deluxe Select+ shock and RockShox Pike Select RC fork, respectively. You’ll also get Rocky’s Ride-9 adjustable geometry and 10 mm of chainstay adjustment, along with internal cable routing and plenty of frame protection. The Carbon 30 build has a Shimano Deore drivetrain with four-piston MT4120 brakes and 180-mm rotors. It rolls on Wtb ST i30 tCS 2.0 tubeless wheels and Maxxis Minion tires. Rocky Mountain supplies its own cockpit parts, along with its Toonie Drop dropper seatpost. (bikes.com)

Intense Primer 29 Expert $5,299

With Intense Primer’s big hoops and plenty of travel, it is ready to take on any trail you put in front of it. The frame is carbon front to back and uses all titanium hardware. It also features internal cable routing, ISCG-05 mounts for chain guides and frame protection on the down tube. With a quick switch of the frame’s flip-chip, the geometry changes to a more descent-focused head-tube angle, dropping the bottom-bracket height by 7 mm and the reach by 6 mm (on a large frame). The Primer offers 140 mm of rear travel from a Fox Performance Float DpX2 shock and 150 mm up front with the matching Fox Performance Float 36 fork. In Expert trim, the Primer has a SrAM NX Eagle drivetrain with Shimano four-piston M6120 hydraulic brakes with 180-mm rotors. E-thirteen rims with Intense hubs and Maxxis Minion tires, along with Intense cockpit parts and a Wtb saddle finish off the build. (intensecycles.com)