Thanks, I appreciate the positive feedback!

No shifter on the left, which makes things nice and simple or allows for a dropper seatpost remote on the left without adding confusion

I think the 2023 is still an excellent bike and worth considering at the sale price. The 5mm travel won't be noticed. All you really miss out on is the downtube storage and headset adjustment but other than that (and a third position for the rear flip-chip), the 2023 geometry was great and so were the parts.

@@BikeBrosBikeShop great! Thank you for the reply.

I imagine this is to meet a specific price. I'm only 185 lbs, relatively quick but not smashing corners or huge stuff so 36 vs 38 doesn't bother me. I imagine a rider who rides hard enough to appreciate the difference is probably stepping up to a fancier build to get a piggy-back/coil shock, fancy bits anyways.

it is. Canadian Dollars, so I think that is like $18.00 USD? haha

I have a personal bias (and actually all the shop staff do) against Sram SX rear derailleurs so we don't even bring in the Stance 29 1. We've seen far too much inconsistency in quality and performance from one bike with SX to the next... a couple bikes work well and others have caused a lot of frustration for customers and our mechanics trying to get the shifting to work nicely and remain in adjustment. The most interesting feature on the Stance 1, in my opinion, is the fork which is modestly upgraded from the Stance 2 - with that exception I would probably choose the Stance 2 over the the Stance 1 even if the price was equal.

thanks for the great review btw, your explanations make the myriad of confusing choices for Giant Trance's much more understandable :)

The Trance X1 alloy version looks amazing. The only down side is the expected 2(ish) pound weight increase on the aluminum version (vs carbon) you get in USA. I'm not overly concerned about weight so it wouldn't bother me / for some it is a psychological barrier. Beyond the weight, the alloy frames look excellent, Giant does a great job on their alloy frames and the spec is really solid.

Hmm, can you provide an example? I compared to Surly as a common option and this Marin stretches the dollar quite a bit further with equivalent tubing. I imagine the steel on this Marin to be similar to Reynolds 631. 9xx Reynolds is fancy Stainless steel, much more expensive.

@@BikeBrosBikeShop but is not Reynolds and whole bike is overpriced

I think rider height and preference for feel is how that decision would be made. The 27.5 uses 2.6" tires which can be great for traction and confidence while the slightly larger 29s will be a touch more efficient... a fairly even trade off

I agree. Someone thought I was on a YT because of the colors and similar head badge... I was actually insulted!

@@BikeBrosBikeShop hah ! send a screenshot of this comment thread to Giant HQ asap

I’m trying to choose between these two as well. Getting back into trail riding after years off but want a simpler bike to ride like a hardtail. Worried about the negative words about the Creat fork on the Giant. I have a Trek store 20mins away.

I was in the same boat as well, on Wednesday I ended up going to Trek and 99bikes here in Aus and tested both. Although I thought initially that the Fathom was a better option, the Roscoe 8 was something else. Go test them and see for yourself, I got the 2023 Roscoe 8 in the Matte black olive. Trek had a sale on for $2k aud and got my local bike shop to price match. Always support local Trek and the bike shop both profit.

Thanks. I'm glad it was helpful.

Ideally you could ride both but if not, I would suggest medium - most people seem to size up.

Hi, medium should work fine. Sounds like a great deal!

I think you're probably too tall.