Giant Reign Advanced…any good?

I will be turning 39 in just over a week, but im already looking ahead to the big 40 and planning on treating myself to a new bike…at the moment I’ve got my eye on the above.
just wanted to know if anyone had one and what’s their experiences of owning and riding one?
also what are the real world differences between the advanced and alloy versions of the Reign?

What kind of riding do you do?

It’s quite a serious bike, you may be better looking at a trance if you’re not smashing downhills/enduroing.

what are the real world differences between the advanced and alloy versions of the Reign?

200g apparently. The alloy one is certainly stiff enough.

Planning a year ahead? You’re worse than Renton!

What kind of riding do you do?

It’s quite a serious bike, you may be better looking at a trance if you’re not smashing downhills/enduroing.

current bike is a Giant Reign X2. a lot of the riding i do is exactly that sort of stuff but i need something that is light enough to pedal back up the hills.

Planning a year ahead? You’re worse than Renton!

i’ll need about 12 months to scrape the money together for it. it also gives me enough time to build up a valid case for support to convince wifey that spending that sort of money on a bike will be a great idea…it may cost me more than the bike itself

What size would you be looking at gonzy?

You can have a go on my medium alu over Gisburn sometime if you like.

You can have a go on my medium alu over Gisburn sometime if you like.

thanks for the offer Chakaping, i may take you up on that offer if only to just take it for a quick spin around the car park…my current Reign is a small but the top tube length is the same as my friend’s medium Whyte T-129.
its been mistaken as a medium before…the only give away seems to be the massively sloping top tube and short seat tube
ive had a look at a medium at my LBS and it looks to be the right size for me but i havent ridden one yet.

you met some of my mates on sunday…im a few inches shorter than the lad on the orange Bronson (thats a large)

Just drop me a line if you do want a spin on it. I’m 5ft 8in (but short legs) and I half wish I’d got the large FWIW.

thanks Chakaping!

I’ve one too, like chapaking would be interested to see what a large would be like for me (have a medium, 5’7″) in the world of longer longer bikes.

I’ve had a lot of bikes before it and really rate this. Not heavy, climbs fine and is great downhill.

i’ve read all the reviews and they have been quite positive, but one thing confused me yesterday.
i picked up a copy of a certain rival bike magazine who shall remain un-named…mainly because it had a feature in the new Reign Advanced and also it was giving away a free helmet bag.
reading the review of the bike wasnt good,,,they didnt seem impressed by the bike and gave it 3/5….but on bikeradar the very same writer did a review of the 2015 model of the same bike and gave it a glowing review and 4.5/5.
looking at the specs of the 2016 and 2015 model the only major change i could see is the change from Shimano XT drivetrain to SRAM. so essentially, or at least to me, they are the same bike just with a different colour scheme
generally i generally don’t go by what a journalist has said about a bike or product…but when its going to cost this much i’d like to know what they thought of it as well as finding out what its like to own and ride from people who actually has one.

but what gives with the 2 differing reviews from the same person?

but what gives with the 2 differing reviews from the same person?

Because he talks so much bullshit, he has trouble keeping up.

Review will be proportional to advertising spend of the manufacturer…

Pah, reviews!

I bought an end-of-line 2015 Reign Advanced just before Xmas because:

1. I loved my old (2013) Reign, still got it but need to get around to selling it….
2. It was a bargain.
3. I wanted (and had been told, by a guide in Finale Ligure that my bike was too small for me) to try a longer bike. I went from Medium on the old to a Large in the new – that is a big step-up for a 5’11” shorty, but the new one feels great and is much, much faster than I am.

Go for it, great bikes 😀

aha!!….you know who i’m referring to?

I think I read the review you mention gonzy.

IIRC the main criticisms were the wheels being bit lightweight and the custom 46mm fork offset feeling odd.

I had a different model and upgraded my wheels anyway, but the jury is still out on the fork.

It does feel quicker steering than I expected from the bike’s geo. It might make it feel a touch nervy when descending. Can’t be sure until I’ve ridden it on more terrain. Local trails been muddy or submerged since I got it.

Go for it, great bikes

i intend to.
i love my current 09 Reign X2. it may be a bit on the lardy side with it weighing at around 35lb, but it climbs quite well for a heffer and descends like a full on dh bike.
i can easily keep up with my 650b wheeled friends.
in the 25+ years of riding mtbs i’ve only ever bought 1 off the shelf mtb brand new and that was my very frist one….a raleigh activator back in 1993. after that i bought a used marin. since then i have bought mainly used or brand new frames and parts for custom builds.

i’ve owned close to 30 different bikes in that time but as i hit 40 next year it will be my last chance to buy an off the shelf bike then it has to be the right one…and this seems to be the one

a few of my friends have mondraker dunes and have tried to convince me to get the same but they dont do it for me. riding one i can see the benefits of the geometry but the reign has a similar geometry.

i think my mind is pretty much made up and the only thing left now is to get a test ride to make sure i’m happy with it.

chakaping has been kind enough to offer his for a test…unless i can get down to my LBS and blag one off them for a quick test

IIRC the main criticisms were the wheels being bit lightweight and the custom 46mm fork offset feeling odd.

i cna understand about the wheels potentially being an issue but the bikeradar review had the same bike with the same fork and same offset but it wasnt a problem but now in the magazine it suddenly has become an issue…it doesnt make sense

aha!!….you know who i’m referring to?

yep. He’s an idiot.

I’ve had a few Mondrakers and the Reign does have a similar suspension feel as well as geo. Also feels way sturdier than my old Dune, though that was a 2013.

Is it right that it’s pronounced as per the US actor/president’s surname

Ha…

About to turn 40 too. Looked at the Reign. Also looked at the Anthem. Went for the Trance with 140mm 34s. Middle ground. Goes up hills. Goes down hills. Goes over bumps. Looks like a bicycle. Very happy with it. Great trail bike. Bang on 29lbs using my luggage scales. With pedals.

i hit 40 next year it will be my last chance to buy an off the shelf bike

really? Just about to hit 50 here and just bought an off the shelf bike. I did consider the reign briefly, but it looked a bit hefty for carrying up passes in the lakes

Other than slacker geo, weight wise, how does an average Trance stack up to an average Reign? I bet there’s not much in it at all.

really? Just about to hit 50 here and just bought an off the shelf bike. I did consider the reign briefly, but it looked a bit hefty for carrying up passes in the lakes

TBH i cant see myself spending £5k+ on a bike again…

having said that i’ve just noticed that for the sort of money i’m planning on spending i could go for a custom built Evil Insurgent or Santa Cruz Nomad…. 😯

The trance (in SX guise) is considerably better as an all rounder.
The reign needs the terrain to get the best out of it. It can go around trail centres etc, but it’s happier on steep, rough stuff (which is exactly what it was made for).
The trance is a very, very good bike.
If you want a big bike, the reign is as good as a nomad and an insurgent.
Oh, and the reign advanced frame is heavier than the trance alu (weighed and confirmed by a Giant store).

Did you change the fork on yr Reign wrecker?

If so did you ride the original too and could you tell any difference with the offset?

My feeling is that the Pike may be a tad flimsy compared to the frame, though that review and comments on other sites suggest the offset could be a factor.

Did you change the fork on yr Reign wrecker?

I did and found little discernible difference. I be tempted to pop a 170 lyrik on it because mine is mainly used for uplifts.
Stiffness wise, there is little between a pike and a 36 so I’m not sure the difference would justify the cost.

I’ve a feeling I may end up with a 160mm Lyrik, eventually.

I’ve heard they’re only a little bit stiffer – but that’s all I’m after.

I’ve manned the Reign team up a bit. Evo2/ex471 wheels, solo air forks, shimano zee drive (w/short cage mech) hope E4 brakes. Feels more proper now.
The DPA pike/XO1/DT swiss XM/Guides have gone on the Trance (and it’s a ****ing rocket!)

just spoken to the wifey and she has given me the go ahead to get it for my 40th next year!! 😀

but she has reservations on me paying full price on one and even more concerns about me paying for it outright….i’ve now been instructed that if i can get it on a 0% finance deal then she would be more than happy to allow me to get the bike.

i was expecting her to tell me to buy it outright and not get it on finance, so it comes as a bit of a surprise….but i suppose it takes the pressure off me in having to save up £5k for a bike.

i only rode the original bike when it came out with the special offset fork, but it didnt really feel odd to me.

I’ve got the Lyrik back on mine now, but I’ve run a few different forks and can’t really notice the difference in offsets.

The two Pikes I have had have both ended up with creaking crowns so I gave up on them really.

The bike is still awesome though, still love it a year later 🙂

<arrives from the other thread>

gonzy – Member

looking at the specs of the 2016 and 2015 model the only major change i could see is the change from Shimano XT drivetrain to SRAM. so essentially, or at least to me, they are the same bike just with a different colour scheme

One review is for the 0 model, the other for the 1, so there’s a lot of changes in there. Higher spec fork, carbon bars and cranks, Reverb instead of a Stealth, XX1’s a higher end groupset than XT, lighter wheels… So it’s pretty different in the detail.

But it’s £2200 more expensive! So it’s easy to see how one could get a much lower mark, if it just doesn’t bring enough added value for that 66% extra cost. And it’s also over a year later, so progression/competition could have impacted it too.

And o’course there’s the Kesteven Random Factor.

tats a fair point to make Northwind…i hadnt noticed theat the first review was for the 1 and the second for the latest 0.
but even then the frame is the same as are the shocks and forks. as you would expect with a more expensive model it uses more expensive and upmarket kit such as the SRAM kit…but he seems to be gushing about the bike in the first review but in the second, if you read his final paragraph he seems to suggest that its not a good bike to ride (not very lively and not stiff enough) even with all these upgrades especially given the price. he then hints that the 1 may be more tempting but then he baulks at the price tag (which in all fairness has gone up by about £700). but then if one bike rides shit, then surely the other rides even worse with lesser parts?
this is the weird bit considering he nearly creamed himself over the same bike in the first review.

as for geometry as far as i can see the geometry for the both the 2015 and 2016 frames are exactly the same

speaking of geometry i checked the geometry of my 09 Reign X2 last night
head angle – 64.5
seat angle – 70
wheelbase – 1150

the current reign advanced in the same small size
head angle – 65
seat angle – 73
wheelbase – 1150

That doesn’t look right. Unless you’re running an offset headst and shock.

The 2009 x2 Should be 67 head angle, and 72.5 seattube.and its a 1140mm wheelbase for a medium, or 1120mm for small.

Were you looking at the Glory?

Also… The guys under 5’9 going for a large… What length dropper do you run? I’m 32″ leg, and wouldn’t be able to run a 150mm dropper, as it would bottom out on the seattube junction.

Gonzy – I wouldn’t tell you not to spend £5k on one, but I couldn’t afford to myself so I did it on the cheap.

£1.5k for the 2 Ltd in the sales – this came with Pike & reverb stealth
£200 for XT 11sp bits
£120 for Zee brakes
£350 for Crossmax XL from CRC (BC discount)
£80 for a good selection of new & secondhand 650b tyres

By the time I sold the stuff that came on it I’ve not spent much more than £2k for a really nice spec bike.

What p**ses me of with these reviles is when you get a group test.

Bike A “has quite wide 24mm rims giving the tyres loads of volume and support”

Bike B “has too narrow 24mm rims that cause the tyres to squirm in the corners”

WTF do these magazines comics even have editors?

To me most bikes are pretty good these days, most of the difference is down to fork/shock selection/tune and tyres.

Chakaping – ive seen the current 2015 models on sale at a reduced price of just over £3k
im going to go for a 2016 model in the hope that i can get one at a reduced price…if not then wifey has offered to contribute the rest

That doesn’t look right. Unless you’re running an offset headst and shock.

The 2009 x2 Should be 67 head angle, and 72.5 seattube.and its a 1140mm wheelbase for a medium, or 1120mm for small.

running offset bushes and 170mm travel Marzocchi 55cr fork. the fork is longer than similar travel forks so hence the slack head angle

Were you looking at the Glory?

nope…i was looking at the 2016 Reign Advanced…geometry can be found here

Were you looking at the Glory?
nope…i was looking at the 2016 Reign Advanced…geometry can be found here

I think he meant were you looking at the 09 Glory instead of the 09 Reign X.

Geo for 2009 Regin X is:
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/bikes/model/reign.x1/2415/32131/

H/A 67
Seat 72.5

Another great quote by the same author…

“The Tarn’s personality is lively and playful – what you want from a plus bike”

What?! Isn’t the point of plus sized tyres stability and grip? If you want liveliness and playfulness wouldn’t you have stayed 26er? WTF.