Do Giant owners get aggro from their bikes?

Shifty

E*POWAH Elite
Aug 29, 2019
249
442
Wiltshire
When I see the Giant forum compared to Specialized I’m so glad I brought a Giant. Either hardly any Giants sold, Giants are more reliable, or I’m biased or theirs just loads more users of the other forums means more complaints and issues on them? Maybe a combo of all of them!
 

Peaky Rider

E*POWAH Master
Feb 9, 2019
821
520
Derbyshire Dales
Don't get too smug, my mate bought his E Trance 2 last November when I bought my Focus.
First ride out, his freewheel failed (the grease in it was more like candle wax).
A few rides later, his handlebar controller went mad and his bike kept setting off on its own. He had to take the battery out and ride back without power. On two rides his brakes seized on.
After six months his wheel bearings were shot, LBS replaced the rear ones but could not source any for the front so he had to have a new hub.
Oh! and he's just had to have a new motor.
He does like it though.
 

MinusPrevious

Well-known member
Sep 5, 2019
355
298
So.Cal
Now, why did you have to ask that question about Giant quality LOL. Shake the tree & rattle the bees!

Have had my Trance E for over a month and approx 130 miles on it (fingers crossed?)
 

Tony.OK

Active member
Mar 20, 2019
191
234
Napier, New Zealand
Trance rides great with a couple of mods, I got one of the 1st to NZ, if I could have a do over I'd wait till the 2nd year of model release.....most of the niggles I've had would prob be sorted......
Word of advice.........buy from a local shop! Much easier to sort any issues and prob won't cost if they're a good shop......
 

Crawford919

Active member
Aug 7, 2019
101
117
USA
Love my 2019 Trance E. I have a little over 1000 miles and it’s been awesome. I have a Levo also and it’s had no issues either but I prefer to ride the Giant over the Levo. It has more power right off the bottom, won’t hold back nearly as much at the speed limit and handles so much better. Have a 2020 Reign E and another Trance E ordered, can’t wait.
 

MinusPrevious

Well-known member
Sep 5, 2019
355
298
So.Cal
Love my 2019 Trance E. I have a little over 1000 miles and it’s been awesome. I have a Levo also and it’s had no issues either but I prefer to ride the Giant over the Levo. It has more power right off the bottom, won’t hold back nearly as much at the speed limit and handles so much better. Have a 2020 Reign E and another Trance E ordered, can’t wait.


Well, thats a pretty strong testimonial right there. Wow!(y)
 

MinusPrevious

Well-known member
Sep 5, 2019
355
298
So.Cal
Hey Gents

Just doing a little Giant research. Is this 2016 the first release of the their EMTB?

2016_Giant_Full_E_update.jpg
 

MitchF

E*POWAH Elite
Jun 1, 2019
520
611
Mirokumk38
GIANT is one of the biggest manufacturers in the world that’s a fact I never knew until I started researching my fist e-bike.
I think there’s some brand snobbery in Emtb, like lots of hobbies and sports.

Had mine Stance E+1 from New in June
The bike is great at everything I want to do, it looks great as well.
Happy with the components and build quality

One minor issue with the controller, replaced by giant at my lbs GIANT dealer with no hassle in a couple of hours.

Over 300mls so far off road and no issues.

Every brand has issues and everyone posts them in forums, but you don’t hear from the happy owners.

Good question ??✔️

98FDABF4-97C0-42D4-BEBA-FD362DC9A042.jpeg
 

57 Reaction

Member
May 27, 2019
73
56
United Kingdom
I've had my Giant Trance E+3 for 10 months and done 2000 miles on it, the only issue that I have encountered was with the forks, they developed a rattle and were rebuilt with updated innards by Suntour.

The motor has performed 100% and battery range is good, many 50 mile 5000ft rides completed with battery capacity to spare.

That said I have just sold it and bought a Levo.

Why ? well the Trance is too long and too heavy on the front, basically it's a straight line freigthtliner, point and it goes (anywhere) up or down.

It's a great bike I just wanted a bit more agility.............horses for courses, just wish I could afford to have both .
 

Pukmeister

Active member
Jul 18, 2019
283
263
Fareham
The only negative to my Trance E+2 is its weight, I wish it was just a few Kg lighter. The only realistic way that will happen is with the future improvement of battery chemistry. As a bike for my riding of x-country trails and moderate downhill its perfect.
 

The Flying Dutchman

E*POWAH Master
Jan 16, 2019
340
555
Wellington NZ
YES Giant has had a few technical blunders on their EMTB range BUT they're still significantly cheaper than similarly spec'd bikes from other brands. Their support is probably the best I've heard of, so if something does go wrong - it's fixed. All the known problems are easily remedied with a few minor upgrades (hubs, wheels, crank arms etc) AND you'll have a far better spec's bike than the smucks who forked out $10k+.

I'd buy Giant again in a heartbeat.
 

poppy

Active member
Jun 26, 2018
123
247
Gold Coast Queensland
Mate, i had an E Pro 1 as my 1st EMTB. When i bought it i was as happy as a dog with 2 dicks. It had issue after issue after issue within the 1st month and i put up with it for 3 months. The only reasons i did was my LBS was unreal to deal with, and i actually thought between us we could solve any issues. There were plenty of times i could happily of set fire to it or tossed it in the bush and walked away. Anyway, long story short, the time came and LBS said, mate, we have ordered you a replacement bike and this one is going back to Giant. So now i have an E Pro 0 and absolutely love the thing. Not any sort of major issues since, apart from some moisture in the switch. Has not let me down once, just charge and ride apart from the standard maintenance. I am not unhappy, but i wouldn't say no to some of the other brands as well, so many to choose from, the hardest part is making a decision, how can anyone not grin like an idiot riding these things, there awesome.
 

John208

Member
Oct 1, 2019
45
28
Hampshire
Had my Giant E+1 pro for 2 months now and just had the ride control one play up ,not switching off and then turning it self on, seems to sorted itself for now ,must of got moisture in it when I washed it.Apart from that its been great and I look forward to a ride out
 

MitchF

E*POWAH Elite
Jun 1, 2019
520
611
Mirokumk38
Had my Giant E+1 pro for 2 months now and just had the ride control one play up ,not switching off and then turning it self on, seems to sorted itself for now ,must of got moisture in it when I washed it.Apart from that its been great and I look forward to a ride out
Mine did the same ??
 

Wernher

Active member
May 30, 2019
180
181
Cape St Francis
The first controllers had issues with moisture creeping in. There were initially also issues with bikes either switching off by itself or running off on its own. Another common issue was with the freehub bodies packing up.

My LBS replaced my controller and when the freehub body recall came thru they replaced it before it became an issue.

I've since done more that 2000 hard kilos without any issues. We ride through a lot of sand and up steps and rocky climbs that are very hard on motors. Of the guys riding with me on Giants we all had the exact same experience. No motor failures. The one guy is approaching 4000 kilos this year.

The Levos have a lot of motor issues and the guys I know have almost all had multiple motor replacements. The Levo is a really nice bike and I get why people buy them but are as unreliable as a Land Rover.

The other bikes we have are Meridas with Shimano steps 8000 motors and they are also extremely reliable with zero failures.

On Bosch motors I heard of many with failure on bearings and plastic gears on the first generation motors. The new one seem to be better but they have a built-in rattling sound like a loose chain that had been mentioned in some of the reviews that I read and we need a bit more time to see how they fare in real life over time.

It therefore seems that Shimano and Yamaha are the reliable motors out there and I like my Giant for value for money.
 
Last edited:

Lee67

Active member
Nov 21, 2018
195
205
Yorkshire
2019 Fathom e Pro’ 1600 trouble free miles apart from rear hub failure in first month( well known issue) .. Giant changed complete wheel to an upgraded wheel.... bike has been faultless even in extreme weather !

9F1BB8FC-7070-44B0-950B-523613781C25.jpeg
 

Wernher

Active member
May 30, 2019
180
181
Cape St Francis
Had my Giant E+1 pro for 2 months now and just had the ride control one play up ,not switching off and then turning it self on, seems to sorted itself for now ,must of got moisture in it when I washed it.Apart from that its been great and I look forward to a ride out
I would get it replaced. It's a quick swop out and they'll replace it under warranty as it is a known issue. Those of us who had the issue can attest to the fact that it will come back and the new improved controller will not have the issue. Mine has done about 2000 kilos after it was replaced and neither rain nor water from washing the bike has had any effect since. You don't want to get the problem while you're on a ride far from base, trust me.
 

Wernher

Active member
May 30, 2019
180
181
Cape St Francis
New controller on order,what happens when the rear hub fails so I can keep a eye on it
Initially you'll just hear a loud clonk when you get on the pedals hard. That is an early warning that things aren't right. If it fails you'll lose drive. When you hear the noise ask for a replacement. My LBS did mine while I waited on pre-appointment and no issues since. We had one guy who had 2 failures but it is probably his riding style. Giant eventually replaced his hub with a Hope hub and things haven't gone wrong since. The rest of our group are on the original hubs with mine having been replaced when it started to make the clonking noise and no more issues.
 

John208

Member
Oct 1, 2019
45
28
Hampshire
Initially you'll just hear a loud clonk when you get on the pedals hard. That is an early warning that things aren't right. If it fails you'll lose drive. When you hear the noise ask for a replacement. My LBS did mine while I waited on pre-appointment and no issues since. We had one guy who had 2 failures but it is probably his riding style. Giant eventually replaced his hub with a Hope hub and things haven't gone wrong since. The rest of our group are on the original hubs with mine having been replaced when it started to make the clonking noise and no more issues.
 

John208

Member
Oct 1, 2019
45
28
Hampshire
Thanks for the info I think mine is failing as when I put a lot of preasure on the pedals in the higher gears I get a clonking skipping some times. The bike has only done 350 miles
 

iXi

E*POWAH Master
Feb 17, 2019
416
319
Brisbane
Mrs bike has had the hub and controller replaced. Also one day the battery over charged or so the giant diagnostics stated. We always charge her battery in a cool environment so no idea what happened that day. Other than that it's been fine.
 

Wernher

Active member
May 30, 2019
180
181
Cape St Francis
Thanks for the info I think mine is failing as when I put a lot of preasure on the pedals in the higher gears I get a clonking skipping some times. The bike has only done 350 miles
Also make sure your chain is properly lubed. eBikes are hard on the chain and cassettes and you'll be surprised how a little lube can improve the operation and get rid of the skipping. Sometimes it could also be slight misalignment but the clonking is definitely reason to have it checked out.
 

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