Good review thanks! I had the opportunity to try the non Llive Valve model of the Elite, I think Giant is pointing in the right direction with full power and light weight for future e-mtbs. Love the channel 👍
I got the elite2, great bike, I can only confirm everything you said about it, very fast. Kept the geo in high and got no pedal strikes so far. One negative comment: it is possible to connect the integrated power meter on a Garmin but it is not working, i.e the data are completely wrong, and would be great to push Giant to correct this bug.
Nice bike I’m looking at the elite 2 and 1, but 1 is really expensive ffs lol the 2 is alot cheaper but less specked.. how you find this?? I have two giants now but no carbon.
@@eastcoastlife3547I ended up pulling the trigger on an elite 1 as well. Waiting g for it to come in and can’t wait to see the raw carbon color in person. I was able to have them throw in the range extender at least!
Great review again but I feel like this bike has to much tech for what it’s supposed to be it’s like a Mac Pro m2 ultra with a 24 core cpu 76 core gpu 32 core neural engine 192GB unified memory and 8tb of SSD storage on 2 wheels lol 😂 and 14,000$ damn that’s crazy but other than that it’s cool thanks for keeping us tuned in on the latest and greatest bikes
BH ilynx plus has the ep801 85nm with a 540wh battery and 160mm at the same weights +- Both offers are interesting for sure and hopefully point at the future of ebikes
Your reviews are informative and really valuable. Where did you do these test rides? E-bikes aren’t allowed on most FS land around Bend. This location looked awesome and I’d like to ride there.
I know this has the live valve tech but if you would fix this bike up yourself with like a RS Lyrik Ultimate and a RS SD Ultimate shock do you think this bike would feel a lot better then the live valve you tested? Would it had maybe pushed this bike further up the ranking if you can put your personal touches to it?
Have you tested Giant’s range on flat surface? Can it be changed to 29er? How does the motor behave when battery dies - is there a motor resisantce when pedaling? How would you compare motor’s noise level to a Trek’s TQ motor? Do you think it’s a good all around bike for trails, forests, commuting, gravel and touring up to 100km? Would you recommend it over Trek Fuel EXe?
Thinking about getting an ebike and your reviews are very helpful. My question is do you turn the motor off on downhills? you talked about speeds nearing 25 -30 mph so can you explain how the limiter works or does it mean there is no drag on the motor after reaching 20mph? Different videos talk about like riding in mud after hitting the 20 mph mark.
If you’re above the motor speed limit, the combination of increased weight, motor drag and the contrast of assistance vs no assistance can make pedaling feel like mud. However the motor will not prevent you from going above its speed limit, and if you have the gravity to pull you up above the cut-off then it’s not so different to a mountain bike. Hope that makes sense and helps!
The weight matters more where it’s placed than how much it is. Save 1kgs on the motor, low and center, is good, but not crucial. Save it on battery is really noticeable , leaving all the power when you need it, and an extender you can carry o place also low, is the way to go. SL e-bikes are about stylish but and absurd concept in terms or performance.
I didn't hear a word about its abilities or technology...I was too busy thinking about the handlebar and stem. I'm normally pretty reasonable. I'm not sure why this created such a strong response. But it did, and I don't like it. It makes me immediately eliminate this bike from my options just like a cannondale lefty fork would. I don't want to have to think about replacing parts on my bike before my first ride.
Drew. I really feel like giant have missed an opportunity here by not bringing out an enduro version of this bike. Imagine this at 170/160 travel with similar weight, motor power and battery. It would be amazing and would disrupt the enduro SL market. The problem for me is that this is a trail bike with steep head angle and 140 rear travel.. A real shame.
I too would like them to make a Reign Elite version of this bike (and dual crown compatible!!!). I think it is on the horizon. I have the full-fat Reign E+ and it's 56.5 lbs w/ coil shock in a size small 😮. I don't think them first giving their trail bike the lightweight treatment is a shameful, missed opportunity though... It's not like they don't have 3 different versions of the Trance ebike - full alloy model, full carbon model, and now the lightweight carbon model. Stands to reason that they'll release a lightweight carbon Reign E sooner or later. I've got the Trance Elite 2 on order. I plan on upstroking the shock to 55mm to get ~147mm rear travel and upping the fork to 160mm. Will decrease head angle to right around 65°. Still won't be a ultramega enduro bruiser like the Reign E is, but it will be more fun and snappy for when I'm doing trails with less-than-crazy gnar and speeds.
Hello. Yes I am fine with them making this version first. And it's amazing if the short travel steep head angle works for you. But I understand from my contact at giant that they aren't making a longer travel version. Happy to be proved wrong on this as I'd love to see it and would buy it. But it's annoying having to modify a bike to increase travel etc. Peace
I'm going to try a +2 today. Torn between this and Fuel Exe 9.7....and there's a 2k euro price difference which is quite substantial for basically the same components. What would you suggest?
Really depends on what you value more, power and speed from a drive unit that packs a lot more assist, a slightly slimmer looking drive unit, looks... Both bikes are very good in their own ways, but Giant definitely has a lot more power and if you stepped down to a lower model that still has good suspension without the live valve, you'd save money and be able to afford a range extender, which could possibly have us pick that....Although the EXe with a 160mm fork and range extender is a very awesome and fun shredder! Can't really go wrong, just need to evaluate what matters to you and your terrain.
@@TheLoamWolf I tried the Elite +2 and bought it right on the spot yesterday...they made me a 20% off sweet deal. I just couldn't wrap my head around paying 3k more for a Exe with the same components.
That cable routing looks horrendous! I thought companies were trying to make cockpits look cleaner with headset routing! This one looks worse than any external routing I've seen!
Why would anyone choose Live Valve? Seems like the most unnecessary tech to come around in years. And for what? The benefits are marginal at best for adding so much complexity to a bike.
It certainly is interesting.... While we're not huge fans, it works better on this bike than many others we've tried it on. Still not something we'd ever spend our money on or say is a must have for most riders..
The Elite 2 trim retails for $7,200 USD. The Elite 3 trim is a relatively affordable $6000, but comes with an alloy rear triangle. I found a place having a 15% off sale and am getting the Elite 2 for $6,119.00
I love most of your stuff but come on - repeating marketing bulletpoints directly from the brand is beneath you guys. New cells? So - how is the density compared to the batteries on other high end LW eMTBs from the competitors? That's right. It's pretty much the same. The weight savings is not from the "new" cells. The thing is, I can see you spent a ton of time filming, editing, setting up equipment etc, and the shots are beautiful. I just hope for more journalism, rather than brand bullet point talk. I hope it doesn't come of as too harsh. Still love you guys. About the bike, it DOES seem very cool. I wish it was a 150/160 with adjustable headset and adjustable geo for 29 F/R making it an absolute winner in every category because the platform seems awesome otherwise.
Hey thanks for the comment and no offense taken! We appreciate you being a fan and thanks for loving "most" of our stuff haha. To clarify, this video is part of our Dissected Series, and if you noticed at the beginning it does have a made in partnership/support with Giant and their logo. Our Dissected videos are a way for us to work with brands, showcase newer bikes, technology and features in a fun way that isn't a home page takeover on a website, or posting a boring press release. They are not intended to be product reviews, but instead our own news feature to talk about a product in an informational way before we conduct our official long term review, which will be much more focused on performance, pros and cons etc... Hope that helps clarify? Until we start having followers say they're willing to sign up for a monthly membership or we decide that we'd rather load our website up with ugly banner ads 7-days a week, we gotta find some way to pay these video editors and keep our lights turned on! So, now that the Dissected is wrapped, you can rest assured we're hard at work testing this bike for our usual, straight up, unbiased long-term review! Thanks again Drew
@@TheLoamWolf Hey Drew, yes that does clarify it. Thanks for the thorough explanation. For people outside the industry it can sometimes seem hard to know when you are doing ads and when you are doing reviews (just look at the comments in the sections, some say thanks for the review). Just promise you wont turn into GMBN :) Looking very much forward to the tests!
this bike makes no sense: all the tech in the motor and battery the wrong tech in shift and sus…it has to have flt attend and AXS transmission! no one wants more wires Fox eventhough your suspension is superior and not Trans? why?
Good review thanks! I had the opportunity to try the non Llive Valve model of the Elite, I think Giant is pointing in the right direction with full power and light weight for future e-mtbs.
Love the channel 👍
I’d love to see a reign version of this light weight full power bike..
Yes so true but I believe they are not making that! No plan to. Which is lame
So would we!!
@@mtb_3930 I posted a comment on Giant's instagram about this, and their response was "👀" ...I would not be surprised if they have one in the works.
YESSS. And make it dual crown compatible!!!
As a Giant retailer and user I also hope they will make a Reign version. :)
I got the elite2, great bike, I can only confirm everything you said about it, very fast. Kept the geo in high and got no pedal strikes so far. One negative comment: it is possible to connect the integrated power meter on a Garmin but it is not working, i.e the data are completely wrong, and would be great to push Giant to correct this bug.
Thanks for sharing!
Nice bike I’m looking at the elite 2 and 1, but 1 is really expensive ffs lol the 2 is alot cheaper but less specked.. how you find this?? I have two giants now but no carbon.
@@eastcoastlife3547I’m in the same boat. I’m leaning towards the elite 1 but the price jump is painful. What did you decide?
@@RT-yh8pi elite 1 and yes even with a deal it’s stupid expensive 😩
@@eastcoastlife3547I ended up pulling the trigger on an elite 1 as well. Waiting g for it to come in and can’t wait to see the raw carbon color in person. I was able to have them throw in the range extender at least!
Great review again but I feel like this bike has to much tech for what it’s supposed to be it’s like a Mac Pro m2 ultra with a 24 core cpu 76 core gpu 32 core neural engine 192GB unified memory and 8tb of SSD storage on 2 wheels lol 😂 and 14,000$ damn that’s crazy but other than that it’s cool thanks for keeping us tuned in on the latest and greatest bikes
I’m not a naysayer, but not all of us can afford the Ebike. Now, with that being said, I absolutely would love to have one.
BH ilynx plus has the ep801 85nm with a 540wh battery and 160mm at the same weights +-
Both offers are interesting for sure and hopefully point at the future of ebikes
Your reviews are informative and really valuable. Where did you do these test rides? E-bikes aren’t allowed on most FS land around Bend. This location looked awesome and I’d like to ride there.
Thanks Russ. BLM land east of Bend. It’s a great winter or post rain destination
I know this has the live valve tech but if you would fix this bike up yourself with like a RS Lyrik Ultimate and a RS SD Ultimate shock do you think this bike would feel a lot better then the live valve you tested? Would it had maybe pushed this bike further up the ranking if you can put your personal touches to it?
Have you tested Giant’s range on flat surface? Can it be changed to 29er? How does the motor behave when battery dies - is there a motor resisantce when pedaling? How would you compare motor’s noise level to a Trek’s TQ motor? Do you think it’s a good all around bike for trails, forests, commuting, gravel and touring up to 100km? Would you recommend it over Trek Fuel EXe?
Everything is awesome about this like except for the stem And handle bar
Looks like a Scott..
Thinking about getting an ebike and your reviews are very helpful. My question is do you turn the motor off on downhills? you talked about speeds nearing 25 -30 mph so can you explain how the limiter works or does it mean there is no drag on the motor after reaching 20mph? Different videos talk about like riding in mud after hitting the 20 mph mark.
If you’re above the motor speed limit, the combination of increased weight, motor drag and the contrast of assistance vs no assistance can make pedaling feel like mud. However the motor will not prevent you from going above its speed limit, and if you have the gravity to pull you up above the cut-off then it’s not so different to a mountain bike.
Hope that makes sense and helps!
Thanks! Appreciate your response
My liv vall e plus 2018 same power motor 85nm and 500wh baterry very good power for uphils easyy
The weight matters more where it’s placed than how much it is. Save 1kgs on the motor, low and center, is good, but not crucial. Save it on battery is really noticeable , leaving all the power when you need it, and an extender you can carry o place also low, is the way to go. SL e-bikes are about stylish but and absurd concept in terms or performance.
I didn't hear a word about its abilities or technology...I was too busy thinking about the handlebar and stem. I'm normally pretty reasonable. I'm not sure why this created such a strong response. But it did, and I don't like it. It makes me immediately eliminate this bike from my options just like a cannondale lefty fork would. I don't want to have to think about replacing parts on my bike before my first ride.
It’s adjustable
As andymtb said, it's adjustable. But if that still bothers you, the more affordable Elite 2 and 3 trims come with standard handlebars and stem.
With a +2 you get a normal bar...and no live valve. win-win
Drew. I really feel like giant have missed an opportunity here by not bringing out an enduro version of this bike. Imagine this at 170/160 travel with similar weight, motor power and battery. It would be amazing and would disrupt the enduro SL market. The problem for me is that this is a trail bike with steep head angle and 140 rear travel.. A real shame.
I too would like them to make a Reign Elite version of this bike (and dual crown compatible!!!). I think it is on the horizon. I have the full-fat Reign E+ and it's 56.5 lbs w/ coil shock in a size small 😮. I don't think them first giving their trail bike the lightweight treatment is a shameful, missed opportunity though... It's not like they don't have 3 different versions of the Trance ebike - full alloy model, full carbon model, and now the lightweight carbon model. Stands to reason that they'll release a lightweight carbon Reign E sooner or later.
I've got the Trance Elite 2 on order. I plan on upstroking the shock to 55mm to get ~147mm rear travel and upping the fork to 160mm. Will decrease head angle to right around 65°. Still won't be a ultramega enduro bruiser like the Reign E is, but it will be more fun and snappy for when I'm doing trails with less-than-crazy gnar and speeds.
Hello. Yes I am fine with them making this version first. And it's amazing if the short travel steep head angle works for you. But I understand from my contact at giant that they aren't making a longer travel version. Happy to be proved wrong on this as I'd love to see it and would buy it. But it's annoying having to modify a bike to increase travel etc. Peace
Yeah, that could be a middle weight. That is all you need is another category to cover. Look forward to shoot out.
They just keep coming! haha.
I'm going to try a +2 today. Torn between this and Fuel Exe 9.7....and there's a 2k euro price difference which is quite substantial for basically the same components. What would you suggest?
Really depends on what you value more, power and speed from a drive unit that packs a lot more assist, a slightly slimmer looking drive unit, looks... Both bikes are very good in their own ways, but Giant definitely has a lot more power and if you stepped down to a lower model that still has good suspension without the live valve, you'd save money and be able to afford a range extender, which could possibly have us pick that....Although the EXe with a 160mm fork and range extender is a very awesome and fun shredder! Can't really go wrong, just need to evaluate what matters to you and your terrain.
@@TheLoamWolf I tried the Elite +2 and bought it right on the spot yesterday...they made me a 20% off sweet deal. I just couldn't wrap my head around paying 3k more for a Exe with the same components.
Agreed. Can't get over that bar and stem
I was strongly considering this bike, but the stem/bar will probably make me go for commencal instead...
What gloves are you wearing?
Hell yeah!
That cable routing looks horrendous! I thought companies were trying to make cockpits look cleaner with headset routing! This one looks worse than any external routing I've seen!
live vavlve makes me nervous - especially on Fox sus - Great bike without the live valve
22700 or 21700? Just wondering.
Is this Sram T-Type compatible? I
Once I hit 50 I'll def have a ebike
When are companies going to start speccing rockshox?? Not really interested in anything Fox these days
When have companies not spec'd RockShox??
I just cant get behind a mullet bike. I maybe get them for smaller frame sizes but any L or bigger bike needs to be a full 29r.
Cannot disagree more. Mixed wheels for the win!
ok boomer
@@chickenclipsremember snow flake, a fool and his money are soon parted.
Yamaha ❤
Man these e-bikes are expensive. Hmm zx4rr or trance x+……..
It's criminal that a "bicycle" cost way more than an average motorcycle😅
🙃
Why would anyone choose Live Valve? Seems like the most unnecessary tech to come around in years. And for what? The benefits are marginal at best for adding so much complexity to a bike.
It certainly is interesting.... While we're not huge fans, it works better on this bike than many others we've tried it on. Still not something we'd ever spend our money on or say is a must have for most riders..
14k 😮😮
The Elite 2 trim retails for $7,200 USD. The Elite 3 trim is a relatively affordable $6000, but comes with an alloy rear triangle. I found a place having a 15% off sale and am getting the Elite 2 for $6,119.00
I love most of your stuff but come on - repeating marketing bulletpoints directly from the brand is beneath you guys. New cells? So - how is the density compared to the batteries on other high end LW eMTBs from the competitors? That's right. It's pretty much the same. The weight savings is not from the "new" cells. The thing is, I can see you spent a ton of time filming, editing, setting up equipment etc, and the shots are beautiful. I just hope for more journalism, rather than brand bullet point talk. I hope it doesn't come of as too harsh.
Still love you guys.
About the bike, it DOES seem very cool.
I wish it was a 150/160 with adjustable headset and adjustable geo for 29 F/R making it an absolute winner in every category because the platform seems awesome otherwise.
Just get a Levo.
@@curiosgeorge16 No thanks. And this bike won't be a levo if it get a few more geo features.
Hey thanks for the comment and no offense taken! We appreciate you being a fan and thanks for loving "most" of our stuff haha.
To clarify, this video is part of our Dissected Series, and if you noticed at the beginning it does have a made in partnership/support with Giant and their logo. Our Dissected videos are a way for us to work with brands, showcase newer bikes, technology and features in a fun way that isn't a home page takeover on a website, or posting a boring press release. They are not intended to be product reviews, but instead our own news feature to talk about a product in an informational way before we conduct our official long term review, which will be much more focused on performance, pros and cons etc...
Hope that helps clarify? Until we start having followers say they're willing to sign up for a monthly membership or we decide that we'd rather load our website up with ugly banner ads 7-days a week, we gotta find some way to pay these video editors and keep our lights turned on! So, now that the Dissected is wrapped, you can rest assured we're hard at work testing this bike for our usual, straight up, unbiased long-term review!
Thanks again
Drew
The answer is always…levo. Levo sl best of both worlds.
@@TheLoamWolf Hey Drew, yes that does clarify it. Thanks for the thorough explanation. For people outside the industry it can sometimes seem hard to know when you are doing ads and when you are doing reviews (just look at the comments in the sections, some say thanks for the review). Just promise you wont turn into GMBN :) Looking very much forward to the tests!
Great review ruined by waaaay too loud awful jingly jangly guitar “music” smothering commentary. But review and channel is great.
Thanks and we'll work on lowering those volume levels some more.
this bike makes no sense: all the tech in the motor and battery the wrong tech in shift and sus…it has to have flt attend and AXS transmission! no one wants more wires Fox eventhough your suspension is superior and not Trans? why?
The headset routing absolute trash. Not even on my long list of bikes
Congradulations.