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The Giant Stance and Liv Embolden are the Taiwanese brand’s entry-level, dual-suspension trail bikes, placed between the budget-friendly Talon and Tempt hardtails and the longer-travel Trance X and Intrigue models in the Australian range.
It’s only been about a year since we last rode the Stance, but since then Giant and Liv have released an updated model with some pretty drastic changes to the design language.
The bike retains the 140mm fork and is based around Giant’s FlexPoint suspension, but it receives a completely redesigned rear triangle and linkage that takes cues from the Anthem XC bike. This brings a new shock layout, revised kinematics, and a 5mm bump in rear travel to 130mm, along with subtle changes to the bike’s geometry.
The Giant Stance and Liv Embolden share the same suspension platform and component package, though the Embolden uses its own sizing and geometry.
We’ve just got our grubby mitts on this new Giant Stance, so let’s take a closer look.
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Giant Stance and Liv Embolden frame overview
The difference in appearance from the old Stance is quite striking. It’s still based around the single-pivot FlexPoint suspension design, but the shock is now mounted in a hollow pocket inside the top tube. When the brand launched this suspension layout with the Anthem, it claimed reduced frame flex compared to other flex-stay-based arrangements. According to Giant, this improves small-bump sensitivity and damping consistency.
We can’t speak to that just yet; however, what we can say is that it makes for a straight, uninterrupted seat tube and plenty of room inside the front triangle.
There are actually two sets of bottle cage bosses inside the frame, though we are sceptical that too many riders would be able to fit two drink bottles in the freed-up space. It certainly has enough room for a large water bottle and multi-tool or pump to be attached here.
In-house designed Crest suspension
The updated Stance now comes with 130mm of rear travel, controlled by the brand’s Crest FloTrac shock. We have spent a fair bit of time on Giant’s range of Crest suspension, as we first saw it on the 2025 Giant Anthem Advanced 29 4 and then on the 2026 Giant Stance E+1.
So far, each bike has had a different version of the FloTrac shock, with the new Stance equipped with the FloTrac Elite TR. This shock sees externally adjustable rebound, a two-position compression adjuster, and accepts tokens to tailor progressivity.
Up front, the Stance gets a Crest STL 34 with 140mm of travel and a Giant-tuned trail damper, with 29 clicks of rebound adjustment and five clicks of compression adjustment.
The STL 36 fork we rode on the Stance E+1 impressed us with its composure, so we have high expectations for the STL 34 on the non-powered version of the Stance.
Setup guidance for both ends comes via what Giant calls its Unified Suspension Setup, which provides base settings based on rider weight. Giant hasn’t traditionally provided much help with suspension setup, so we’re happy to see them offering some level of guidance, especially given this bike is targeted at newer riders.
Frame, cockpit and finishing kit
The frame itself is made using the brand’s ALUXX aluminium and has a threaded bottom bracket, while the build kit is mostly Giant-branded parts.
In our experience, Giant’s components pass muster; however, we’d like to highlight the cockpit for two reasons.
The handlebars are an important change for 2026. The ultra-narrow 690mm bars on the old Stance have been replaced by a set of 760mm bars that feature a 35mm rise. For a size medium frame, this is about where most folks will cut their bars down to, and it’s nice to see Giant embracing a slightly higher rise from stock.
Just below those handlebars, you’ll find a headset that has provisions for routing cables internally through the top bearing. Giant says the Stance has ‘convertible cable routing that allows for internal or external routing.’ While we’re happy to see that Giant has opted to send the cables and brake hose through the down tube ports out of the box, it’s a curious feature to offer on a $3,299 AUD trail bike.
Giant Stance Geometry
Along with the new linkage and kinematics, the Stance’s geometry has seen several small changes for 2026. The new model includes an XS size which comes in a mullet configuration with a 27.5in rear wheel and a 29in wheel up front — all other models from S to XL come as dedicated 29ers.
The head tube angle has slackened slightly from 65.5° to 65°, while the seat tube angle remains unchanged at 76.5° except on the new XS model, which has a 77° angle.
Using our medium-sized test bike for reference, the reach grows by 5mm to 450mm, and the stack is 1mm taller. The wheelbase is 12mm longer at 1,210mm, while the chainstays have only increased by 2mm to 442mm across the S to XL sizes, with the XS mullet getting 440mm chainstays.
Giant has also opted for shorter 165mm cranks on all sizes.
Liv Embolden Geometry
Liv Embolden also starts as an XS and is available in three sizes. The Embolden XS and Stance XS are not the same frame, with the head tube 5mm shorter, the top tube 1mm longer, the reach 2mm longer, and the stack 4mm shorter.
The size S also has the smaller 27.5in rear wheel; however, it’s the size M that is the most interesting of the bunch.
With a 436mm reach and dual 29in wheels, it’s sort of a halfway point between the size S Embolden and size M Stance.
Giant Stance and Liv Embolden Models
Just like on the previous version, there is only one model and one colourway of the Giant Stance and Liv Embolden available in Australia. Both are priced at $3,299 AUD and are built using the same parts, including the Shimano CUES 10-speed drivetrain with an 11-48T LinkGlide cassette.
Our test bike sees a stealthy black-on-black paint job, which makes the gold anodised shock linkage and head tube badge really stand out, giving the bike a premium look.
Giant Stance
- Frame | ALUXX-Grade aluminium, 130mm travel
- Fork | Giant STL 34 dual air, 140mm travel, Boost 15×110
- Shock | Giant Crest FloTrac, Elite TR, 2-position lever
- Wheels | Giant AM30 Tubeless Ready, 29mm internal width
- Tyres | Maxxis Dissector 29 x 2.4in WT, TLR, EXO front, Maxxis Dissector 29 x 2.4in WT, TLR, 3C MaxxTerra EXO rear or Maxxis Dissector 27.5 x 2.4in WT, TLR, EXO on the XS models
- Drivetrain | Shimano CUES SL-6000, 10-speed, 11-48T cassette
- Brakes | Tektro Gemini M535, 4-piston, 180mm rotors
- Handlebar | Giant Contact TR35, alloy, 35mm
- Stem | Giant Contact SL, 40mm
- Seatpost | Giant Contact Switch AT travel-adjustable dropper, remote XS-S: 110-140mm travel, M: 140-170mm travel, L: 170-200mm travel, XL: 170-200mm travel
- Saddle | Giant ErgoContact Trail
- Price | $3,299 AUD
Liv Embolden
- Frame | ALUXX-Grade aluminium, 130mm travel
- Fork | Giant STL 34 dual air, 140mm travel, Boost 15×110
- Shock | Giant Crest FloTrac, Elite TR, 2-position lever
- Wheels | Giant AM30 Tubeless Ready, 29mm internal width
- Tyres | Maxxis Dissector 29 x 2.4in WT, TLR, EXO front, Maxxis Dissector 29 x 2.4in WT, TLR, 3C MaxxTerra EXO rear or Maxxis Dissector 27.5 x 2.4in WT, TLR, EXO on the XS and S models
- Drivetrain | Shimano CUES SL-6000, 10-speed, 11-48T cassette
- Brakes | Tektro Gemini M535, 4-piston, 180mm rotors
- Handlebar | Giant Contact TR35, alloy, 35mm
- Stem | Giant Contact SL XS: 40mm, S-M: 50mm
- Seatpost | Giant Contact Switch AT travel-adjustable dropper, remote XS-S: 110-140mm travel, M: 140-170mm travel
- Saddle | Giant ErgoContact Trail
- Price | $3,299 AUD
Flow’s early impressions
We’ve only just had the Stance arrive at Flow HQ, but after a couple of early rides, a few things have already jumped out.
The suspension feels efficient under pedalling, while the cockpit and geometry create a nicely centred descending position.
It’s also a sharp-looking bike, with the new silhouette giving the frame a more premium appearance than its price tag suggests.
The real test will be how the updated FlexPoint layout and Crest suspension perform once we put more hours into the rocky, technical trails around SEQ. Stay tuned for a full review soon.
The post First Look | The Giant Stance and Liv Embolden get a new frame, more travel and in-house suspension appeared first on Flow Mountain Bike.
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[[{“value”:”The Giant Stance and Liv Embolden are the Taiwanese brand’s entry-level, dual-suspension trail bikes, placed between the budget-friendly Talon and Tempt hardtails and the longer-travel Trance X and Intrigue models in the Australian range. It’s only been about a year since we last rode the Stance, but since then Giant and Liv have released an
The post First Look | The Giant Stance and Liv Embolden get a new frame, more travel and in-house suspension appeared first on Flow Mountain Bike.”}]] Read More Flow Mountain Bike
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