Giant Trance X2 vs. Gary Fisher HiFi Deluxe

Weight War: Giant Trace X2 vs. Gary Fisher HiFi Deluxe
Rating:

So we decided to take two perfectly working bikes strip them down and spend ridiculous amounts of time and money building them up, again. The bikes (pictures above) were both mid-level full suspension trail bikes, one from Giant the other a Gary Fisher.

***Note: The current weights will be updated as soon as both bike are weighed on the same scale.****

2008 Giant Trance X2

stock weight: 29.02 lbs

current weight: –.–lbs

Giant’s 2008 Trance X2 (bikepedia.com) is a 5 inch travel bike, with a Fox 32 F120R, 120mm travel, front fork. The Trance X2 is considered a cross country trail bike, but it definitely has all mountain characteristics, being that it has a similar suspension setup as the Giant Reign series.

We have created a basic table showing the stock components along with the “upgraded” components.

2008 Giant Trance X2

2007 Gary Fisher HiFi Deluxe

stock weight: 28.00 lbs

current weight: –.–lbs

The contender is a 2007 Gary Fisher HiFi Deluxe. The HiFi is also a 5″ travel bike (4.7″ actually) with a Manitou Comp Air 120mm front fork. The HiFi started with a slight advantage, the rear triangle is made from carbon fiber. This along with already being setup for tubeless tires gave the HiFi close to a 2lbs head start with stock weights.

2007 Gary Fisher HiFi Deluxe

Stock Weight

2008 Giant Trance X2 – 29.02

2007 Gary Fisher HiFi Deluxe – 27.09

To really understand how much time and effort went into these two bikes, it is best to compare each group of components; suspension, braking, wheels, and transmission.

Suspension:

The Trance X2 comes stock with a 120mm travel Fox F120R fork. ‘nough said. For the rear travel, Giant equipped the Trance with a Fox Float R. The only downside to the Fox Float R shock is the lack on the flly stiffness adjustment.

The HiFi Deluxe comes with an equally impressive suspension setup as well. Though the front fork is not Fox, the Manitou Comp Air 120mm holds its own. The rear suspension is equipped with a Fox Float RP3 with ProPedal. The ability to switch the stiffness with the flick of a switch is a plus. Being able to stiffen and soften the rear shock allows this bike to be extremely versatile on the fly.

Brakes

The ability to stop is priceless. So having light, yet powerful brakes was must.

The Trance X2 came stock with Hayes Stroker Ryde hydraulic brakes. Mounted to the front wheel was a 180mm Hayes V6 rotor, and a 160mm Hayes V6 rear rotor. Though decent at slowing the bike down, and having good modulation, the power of these brakes was lacking. The front brake just did not seem to bite enough, even when the lever was fully engaged. The solution, Avid Juicy Ultimate hydraulic brakes, equipped with two Avid 160mm G2CS rotors. The features on these brakes are endless, aside from the stopping power, they also have lever reach adjustment and pad contact adjustment. Overall the Avid Juicy Ultimates are definitely one step above the Hayes Stroker Carbons on the HiFi.

The HiFi Deluxe comes stock with Avid Juicy Five hydraulic brakes, with 160mm Avid G2CS rotors. These would have been great brakes, and possibly could have been left on the bike, except for the awful noise and vibration they caused when engaged. Besides, given to opportunity to upgrade to a brake with a carbon lever, who would pass that up. Currently a set of Hayes Stroker Carbons and Alligator Wind Cutter rotors are stopping the HiFi. These brakes are extremely powerful, fairly light, but the adjustment is a headache. Unlike the Ultimates there is no pad contact adjustment, so if by chance your rotor is slightly warped from a hard day of riding, you just got to deal with the noise until you can re-adjust and center the caliper, and true the rotor. So once again, the option of being able to adjust pad contact while riding it a plus.

Wheels

All wheels are round and roll, right? Wrong.

When trying to achieve a light full suspension mountain bike, strength cannot be compromised. The Trance X2 came with WTB laser disc rims. Upgrading the wheels to the Mavic Crossmax SLR was a no brain-er. Not only did it match the red theme like the Avids, but they are UST ready, and about 400 grams lighter than the stock WTBs. The Mavic wheels use a bladed spoke and machined out material from areas where it didn’t affect structural integrity.

The HiFi came with Bontrager Race Disc wheels, which were tubeless ready with the purchase of a $3 rim strip, also contributing to the bikes lower starting weight. Though the wheels were pretty decent, getting a true UST rim with custom components was the goal. Deciding to compromise a little in the light weight area, Chris King ISO hubs and Mavic 819 UST disc rim became laced together with DT Swiss triple butted spokes to create an extremely strong, and long lasting wheel, which also removed a few grams from the overall weight of the bike. The sound of the Chris King hub is similar to a swarm of bees, and music to some peoples ears.

Transmission

Bikes do not squeak.

The Trance X2 got a complete face lift in the transmission department. Stock, Giant was running the Deore LX line, with several Deore parts. These parts are usually fairly cheap, being made from plastics, and heavy. For everything but the crank and bottom bracket, Shimano’s XTR line was an easy choice. XTR shifters, front and rear derailleurs and cassette increase the Trance X2’s performance while cutting back on some extra grams. The Race Face Next crank was the lightest crank out on the market at the time of this build. Equipped with the Rotor Components SABB ceramic bottom bracket gave the bike a smoother rolling feel, along with more durable bearings.

The HiFi Deluxe came equipped with the Deore LX line of transmission, along with an XTR rear derailleur which was left behind. Unlike the Trance, the HiFi got the full XTR line up; shifters, front derailleur, cassette, crank, and bottom bracket.

Overall

Both bikes have now become prized possessions. Each have their differences but overall these are some of the best trail bikes that could have been put together. The time and research that went into every part, even those not mentioned, has created two of the nicest cross country trail bikes ever. With each bikes noticeable reduction in weight their climbing abilities have significantly improved. The stiffer and stronger wheelsets make sure their downhill stability is above par. If you have any specific questions, or would like high resolution version of the pictures, please do not hesitate to contact us.

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