khambone

There is a new (for 08) Giant "hybrid/commuter" bike called a Tran Sport LX. It has a black tubular rack on the back AND front with a headlight/taillight. The racks expand out by folding them up.

I have only seen this bike on paper and am interested but no dealers have them in stock (can't even order them). Has anyone seen one in person?

I would use it for commuting to replace my Giant Cypress hybrid.

I have never seen the type of handlebar it has, a "trekking" handlebar....is this handlebar condusive to hybrid style riding?

Also, is loading up a rack in the front or back going to make the bike too "top-heavy"? (laptop, small cooler, etc.)

angelaharms

I am looking at this bike now too... that's why I'm bumping this thread.

Anybody know about it? I have also only seen it on paper, so far. I am not sure what the handlebars look like or how they work.

Angela

Rosie8

You can do a search or look at this review of the Trans Send - the other option:
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...light=transend

J.C. Koto

I've seen one at the LBS a few months ago. It certainly *looks* rugged, if not drop-dead ugly in a beautiful sort of way

The handlebars are more or less standard "trekking", or "butterfly" bars. Many people on these forums seem to like these kind of bars, and they do look to be rather functional. Many usable hand positions!

I'm a little dubious of the racks, though. There are little "wings" that fold up making the platform of each rack huge. Seems like a good idea, but I've never really seen anyone use a rack in this fashion. It might make pizza delivery more feasible, I suppose. Also, the rear rack is terribly non-standard. One can see from the pictures that the bottom struts connect somewhat far up the seatstays, rather than at the dropouts. This itself is not a terrible problem per se, but there doesn't seem to be a place to connect a standard pannier bungee hook. Also, the rack tubing seems to be too thick for many pannier hook systems in general, not to mention probable heel-strike issues.

My overall impression with the bike, after seeing it in person, was that it is an interesting concept but with poor execution. IMO, someone would be better served by buying a rigid MTB or hybrid and decking *that* out with "normal" racks and trekking bars.

angelaharms

It's so pretty! I went into an LBS that had the Tran Send sitting out on the floor, and they had never heard of this bike! Thought I was crazy, I think, when I asked about it. Bummer.

khambone

I am the original poster for this thread, which I did a year ago and have a lot to add about this bike. Ironically, I visited my LBS this past friday and found out a number of things. First thing, though, I aired my grievance that despite living in Atlanta close to 8 Giant dealers, including the largest Giant dealer in the U.S., not one store was willing to stock even 1 of these bikes. It's pathetic. The closest shop that stocks them is Mike's Bikes in Charleston SC. The LBS store that I visited this weekend said that no one wants to buy a bike with 26 inch wheels (bogus assumption) and that's why they wouldn't stock it. I argued that they aren't selling 26 inch wheel bikes because they don't have them in their showroom. The also told me that no one wants a wide rack (bogus assumption #2). I need a wide rack to haul my laptop, groceries, boxes of lunches, etc....so, I bought a Topeak basket/rack and it works fine. The LBS told me that this bike was made for Europeans (bogus assumption #3)....it's discontinued for 09 in America. Giant didn't sell enough in the U.S. in 08....gee, I wonder why? Hmmm, there aren't any LBSs that stocked the bike in 08, so how could they sell any? It's a crazy situation.

dvdfox67

I live in downtown Baltimore and wanted a bike to get around the city, go to the gym, get groceries, etc. My previous bike was an old Giant hybrid and it's tires just weren't rugged enough for the city. Plus, it was stolen. So I bought a TranSport last February. Had to order it. My dealer didn't stock it either. Plus I wanted it in October, but Giant didn't ship them until 4 months later. No wonder it wasn't a resounding marketing success.
Was willing to take the risk because I love Giant bikes, it had everything I wanted, and it was very reasonably priced. Here's my mini review:
1. It was everything I expected and am generally pleased.
2. Having the racks, the guard, and the lights come standard was nice.
3. Disc brakes are kind of a pain in the ass, but work great.
4. The frame tubing is really thick and with odd dimensions: can't hold a typical Kryptonite lock on any of the tubes. But I just use the racks to hold my locks.
5. The bike is really compact. Very handy for getting in and out of elevators and my condo.
6. The bike is pretty heavy. But what do you expect with all the accessories. That can be both good and bad. Luckily, I don't have to ever carry the thing.
7. The handlebars annoy me. Will be the first change I make. They're a little too complicated for my taste. Then again, I like the aesthetics of simple lines, so it's more of a look thing than a performance thing.
8. Since the racks have three configurations, I found a way to use my old Panniers with the rear rack. Yay! (But the way it's rigged makes them harder to get on and off. Boo!)
9. It seems to be rugged and strong. It's taken my abuse for 9 months and is none the worse for the wear.
10. I get so many double-takes, raised eyebrows, and compliments on this bike, it's embarassing. Everyone thinks its super-expensive, which it isn't. Some people say it's the coolest bike they've ever seen. Once person called it a girly bike--not sure why, but think it was because I had the panniers on and it does have the wide-ass cushion seat.

All in all, I enjoy my new bike. I call it my bicycle SUV. I do wish I could find a set of panniers that work better with the rear rack and would come off easier. That's why I ended up in this forum. So if anyone knows of any, let me know. Thanks!

no1mad 

A couple of observations about this now no longer in production model:
The racks were specially sized to fit the frame, i.e., the racks off of the Large frame would not fit on a Small frame and vice-versa.
Giant has, for now, decided not to offer those trekking bars as an aftermarket item (despite the sales reps pleas).

I'm sorry to hear about the other people's experiences about trying to find this bike locally. My LBS must be a fluke or something. He actually (God bless him) stocked BOTH models of the Tran Sport between his two locations. He still has a DX (the green one, w/o the lights) in a size Medium.

Oh, yeah, the LBS (in case anybody is still jonesing for this model) is Tom's Rivertrail in Tulsa. He also has a My Space page that has Queen's "Bicycle" playing on a loop.

RickyTheDog

I picked this bike up at my LBS for $650 in Feb 2008 to begin commuting to work (11 miles one way). As outfitted from the factory, I found it way too slow for a 22 mile round-trip commute (half of my commute is flat and straight where I want some speed, the other half is hilly with moderate vehicle traffic and stop signs, etc.) I replaced the knobby factory tires with a pair of slick tread Continential Contact tires, slightly over inflated, and this helped me pick up alot of speed. I swaped out the plastic platform pedals with light aluminum platform pedal, and put on these very cool Power Grips pedal straps which I like more than the traditional cage to keep your feet securely on the pdeal. I love the front and back racks on this bike, but found that I don't use the front one for my commute, so I removed it. I fit everything I need in a standard soft-bodied duffle bag, which I bungee to the rear rack. Lastly, I removed the plastic mud flap. These modifications lightened the bike considerably and gave me the speed I was looking for. Mind you, the bike does not carry speed well (in other words, when going fast if you stop pedaling and coast up even the slightest incline the bike loses speed). You need to learn how to ride it, like any bike. It is very rugged and yet responsive for quick turning. You can really beat the heck out of this bike and with 26" X 1.5" tires, you can go right over most any road hazzard that you'd probably want to avoid riding a bike with skinny 700cc tires. The handle bars - as another reviewer pointed out - are annoying. They can be rotated and positioned in a variety of ways but no position is ideal, particularly for me as I wanted both a heads-down speed position as well as a more heads-up commuter posture. I played around for a few days until I found the position that is best. I don't plan on getting rid of them, but I do find myself noticing other handle bars more often, trying to find ones I like more. As a newbie, overall very pleased with this bike and it should serve me well for a few more seasons. A good starter bike for those commuters who are looking for some rugged style and don't have a need for speed.