The bike uses Giant’s new SyncDrive Pro 2 electric bike motor system, which was developed in conjunction with Yamaha.

The electric mountain bike also uses the new EnergyPak Smart 400 battery. This is built around higher-density batteries and was developed in conjunction with Panasonic.

The new Trance also features (slightly) updated geometry, an adjustable one-piece cockpit and new motor controls.

The Liv Intrigue X Advanced E+ Elite is launching alongside the unisex Trance Advanced E+ Elite. This is the brand’s first carbon electric trail bike

In keeping with Liv’s design ethos, the bike feature’s women’s-specific geometry. Liv is the last major manufacturer that still manufactures separate unisex and women’s frames.

The Giant Trance X Advanced E+ Elite range starts at £5,499 for a Deore-equipped bike.

The top-spec Trance X Advanced E+ Elite 0 comes with Fox Live Valve, a full SRAM Eagle X01 AXS drivetrain, Zipp 3Zero Moto wheels, Quarq Tyrewiz pressure sensors and full-carbon everything. It will set you back £12,999.

No international pricing was available at the time of writing.

A lighter and more powerful motor, plus new battery tech

The Giant Trance X Advance E+ is powered by a new battery pack developed in conjunction with Panasonic. This is based on 22700 cells.

According to Giant, 22700 cells are lighter and more energy dense than cells typically used in electric bike battery packs.

The batteries also “stay cooler, which means less stress on the system and a longer total lifecycle”, says Giant.

The bike ships with a new smart charger. Giant says this stays in constant communication with the battery pack, extending battery life.

The charger can be used to charge the battery up to 60 per cent – the ideal charge level for long-term storage, according to Giant.

The bike is built around Giant’s new SyncDrive Pro 2 motor. As with the brand’s previous motors, this has been developed in collaboration with Yamaha.

This is Giant’s most powerful motor to date, delivering up to 85Nm of torque and up to 400 per cent support.

It is claimed to be lighter at 2.7kg (Giant has not supplied savings figures) and quieter than the previous-generation motor.

The bike’s Smart Assist mode can control the motor automatically via six sensors.

As with most motors, the system’s behaviours can be customised in a companion app.

Adjustments available in the app include Launch Control (this adjusts how quickly torque from the motor kicks in), assistance support level and more.

Giant notes these adjustments can be made to any existing or future bike fitted with the SyncDrive Pro 2 motor.

The system’s controls are integrated into the top tube of the bike, with a supplementary control integrated into the grips.

Suspension and geometry

All bikes in the Trance Advanced E+ Elite 0 range are built around a mullet wheel setup.

The bike is designed to run a 150mm-travel fork and has 140mm of rear-wheel travel. This is controlled by Giant’s long-standing Maestro suspension system.

The geometry of the bike has also been updated, but only slightly.

The previous-generation bike used 29er wheels front and rear. The adoption of a 27.5in rear wheel on the new bike means chainstay length has shrunk significantly to 447mm on all sizes of the new bike (down from 473mm).

Reach, stack, head angle and seat angle all remain unchanged.

A flip chip enables riders to switch between high and low positions.

The stack and reach of the women’s-specific models is different, but all other figures remain the same.

2023 Giant Trance Advanced E+ Elite geometry table

2023 Liv Intrigue Advanced E+ Elite geometry table

An adjustable… one-piece cockpit?

The bike features Giant’s all-new Contact SLR Trail one-piece cockpit.

Unlike the majority of one-piece cockpits, the stack and angle of the bars can be adjusted.

A series of specially moulded spacers sit beneath the stem. These adjust the stack and rotation of the bars.

The top cap for the stem features swappable inserts to fit bike computers, lights or other accessories.

The cockpit has a claimed weight of 255g in an unspecified width.

Giant claims this presents a 30 per cent reduction versus a regular two-piece carbon cockpit, and a 40 per cent reduction versus a two-piece alloy cockpit.

The bars are also claimed to offer 16 per cent more vertical compliance than a Contact SLR Trail carbon handlebar.