Giant Stance 27.5 Mountain Bike Review
Pros
Cons
The Giant Stance 27.5 makes a great first impression with a killer design and backs up its great looks with mid-range components on one of Giant’s so-called entry-level mountain bikes. At this price-point you are getting a well specced value for money mountain bike.
Giant’s advertising material for its Giant Stance 27.5 mountain bike proudly announces that the mountain bike will “let you sail down the singletrack with confidence” and even “conquer those steep climbs”. So we decided to review the Giant Stance 27.5 2015 mountain bike and see if Giant’s entry level 27.5 mountain bike can match up to the marketing hype, and is in fact the best mountain bike under 300 dollars.
When it comes to marketing in the mountain bike market, everybody knows that a killer design and aesthetically pleasing colors makes for a great first impression. And there is no doubt that the Giant Stance 27.5 makes a great first impression. Wherever we took the bike, out on the road initially, and then up the singletracks, passers-by definitely did a double-take as the bike certainly catches the eye.
We managed to review a striking black model Giant Stance MTB, matched with some cyan accents. In the design regard, Giant has scored a home-run. However the problem with most, if not all, entry level bikes is that the mountain bike needs to deliver a great ride alongside great looks.
Most entry-level mountain bikes deliver in the looks department, but come unstuck with their choice of cheap components.
The one thing you will notice about the Stance’s ALUXX aluminium frameset is its weight. At 13.5kg, you’ll need some power to lift it but you also need to remember that as a trail bike, not an XC or Marathon mountain bike, its weight is not disproportionate for this budget level. And once again, for a so-called entry level bike the components could even be considered mid-range. The Giant Stance 27.5 comes complete with Shimano Alivio shifting, M355 hydraulic brakes, a Monarch R rear shock and RockShox 30 Gold Solo AIR 120mm travel fork.
Giant Stance 27.5 Frame
Giant Stance 27.5 Crankset
Single Pivot Flexpoint Suspension
The Giant Stance’s alloy rims contribute to the heavier weight, with the bike being shod with Maxxis Ardent tires. As an entry level full suspension bike, the Giant Stance 27.5 ticks all the necessary checkboxes. Nice design, budget price, form and function.
Obviously at the lower end of Giant’s range, you lose some of the features that come standard on better specced Giant MTBs, like the Giant Trance or the Giant Anthem. To come in at the lower price point, Giant has sacrificed its signature twin-link Maestro suspension design, and replaced it with a single pivot “Flexpoint”. Basically this means that the Giant Stance doesn’t come with the completely efficient and total braking independence like its bigger brothers. On the upside, you get the benefit of a simpler system with cheaper maintenance. As an alternative mountainbike at a similar price, you may want to consider the Diamondback Hook, Line and Sync’r range.
Look out for our review of the Giant Trance mountain bike that we will be undertaking soon, and also our comparison post where we will be detailing our Giant bike-off, with a detailed post on the Giant Trance vs the Giant Anthem.
But back to our Giant Stance 27.5 mountain bike review, we really wanted to find out how the bike fared in relation to its marketing hype, namely letting riders sail down the singletrack and conquering the climbs. For all the climbs we undertook, the Stance handled them admirably, even considering the weight of the bike it did not seem like a laboured climb. On the downhill, the added weight was actually a boon and this is where the bike really came into its own. The 120mm of travel allowed the bike to sail over all obstacles.
Cons
The only real downside that we encountered with the bike was with the rubber grips that continuously shift on the descent, so we would replace those with a better quality mountain bike grip.
Overall Verdict
For a value for money mountain bike that does not break the budget, the Giant Stance ticks most of the boxes, and true to its marketing mantra it will help you “conquer the climbs and sail down the singletrack”.