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Going to the alps in july and all the guys im going with have full on dh bikes, as I've never been before im not sure how much of a battering my bike is going to take. From experience how much of this bike will I be bringing back with me in pieces?
Its an 06 reign with a monarch rt3 rear shock, also have a spare 3 way swinger
55 ata tst forks,
Fsa gravity cranks
DMR wheels
6ti hope brakes
Yes.
Everyone dies eventually.
Well, the first time I went to the alps, I had a bike with 63mm of elastomar sprung front travel, v brakes and bar ends. I don't think you'll die. And I don't think your bike will either.
Don't listen to him. You will die. Just hopefully not any time soon.
It'll be fine, great in fact! 😀
Take your spare shock..
You have 12 pistons in your brakes. If you die in the alps it will be all your fault.
All the mates are telling me I need a full dh rig as mine will fall to bits. Think the wheels may take a pounding but seem well made to me. Taking a spare bearing set, shock with top hats, o rings for the forks and my lucky pants.
Your bike will be fine for the job.
They are a very capable bike but not too light! its doesnt look the lightest build so if you can ride downhill you will be fine, if you cant ride uphill you maybe in a world of hurt. is that a 1x9? chain catcher?what tyres you running?
Will be fine...before Marketing went mainstream in MTBing, we just rode whatever was in the way on whatever we had between our legs...the Reign will be plenty fine...
You will die but most likely in many years time from now...
Get some dual-ply High Rollers and a couple of spare mech hangers and you'll be fine. Your mates sound like willy-waving louts 😉
Which alps? They're about the size of the UK, every sort of riding is available.
What type of tracks will you be riding? Natural singletrack or the mainstream Pleney and Les Gets?
Your a lot better rider than them willy wavers yim you will be fine
mainstream Pleney
not this year...
Your bike will be fine for everything if you are a competent rider. A week or two will only destroy the rear mech (as the bushing in it will go super floppy), everything else should be fine if you have some dual ply tyres. Normally worth giving forks and shocks a quick lowers/air can service before going if you're capable.
intense 909s or minion dhr as tyres go at the moment. Its currently on a 2x9 but i'll swap to a 1x9 before I go as its my (very heavy) xc bike too
Get a Stinger and stay 2x9. Cheaper than a single ring guide and you can leave it on back here.
I went last year with an 05 reign, bomber forks, slx brakes, 719 mavic rims.
Total bike damage
One broken spoke
Damage to me, sore hands from riding. I tried a carbon V10 for a day, faster, more manouverable but not actually that different in terms of time down hill or control.
You'll be fine 🙂
I took my 5" travel Pace RC405 last summer to morzine, and it was the shortest travel bike I saw all week! It survived apart from a rock taking out the rear mech on the last day. But this could happen to any bike.
As you can see in this photo though, once you're pointing downhill and on the brakes you quickly run out of fork travel on a short travel bike. I was desperate for an extra few mm of fork travel!
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I rented a DH bike for the last day after breaking mine. This made things much more fun!
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Make sure you have some decent brake pads i.e sintered, should have fited mine instead of 'carrying them as spares' for my Juicy 3's or whatever I had fitted, and finding no power with the standard pads that were fitted.
I was on a 100mm travel bike, on the other hand I tagged along with some guys on hardtails they were more than happy.
I blaady hope not! ive just bought a reign, with the idea of it being alps capable!
depends what you ride though. I smashed my patriot up last year on the penultimate day of two weeks through a dodgey landing, so spent the final 48 hrs riding my 21" xc bike. just had to approach stuff differently!
we were all on 160mm bikes, though the fastest among us was on a slack 120mm bike!
For a lot of off piste twisty stuff or you want to go exploring your bike spot on.
I found sintered pads just cooked and caught fire in Spain, Get some decent organics if its dry weather, as changed mine to organics and all was fine for the week.
mabbe stick ta saddle doon abit
sorry but you are overbiked for the alps 😉
Your concerns are well placed, but you will see how amazing your bike is plus what you need to upgrade before you go again next year. The best thing is you will return a better rider.
The best advise i could give is take it easy start on the green runs and work your way up.
Enjoy
Coldon
I took my `05 Kona Dawg to Chatel last year 😆
It survived as did I. Rode only stuff I and the bike were capable of doing, some lifts & DH routes and lots of XC.
I am in the process of building up a 2005 Reign for this summer. I will take a DH bike too.
But the majority of my riding will be on the Reign. I run a 57mm stroke rear shock which gives 6.75" rear travel. This works OK on a 16" Reign, but I don't know about the other sizes. I am looking for some cheapo 55s for the front.
I will run XT brakes and Pro2/Flow wheels, most likely tubeless.
I do not plan to die, fingers crossed. And your bike looks great.
Personally the only change I'd make would be Dh tyres set up tubelessly. I took a 1st gen 100mm Blur to the Dolomites a few years back (admittedly it had a 140mm fork on the front) and the only problem I had was with the tyres - bought some super tacky high rollers out there.
I'm planning on taking a few tyres but for some reason I'm old school and I'm an inner tube kinda guy! I'll listen to the advice and get some spare mech hangers too just incase.
Knowing the idiots I ride with starting with the green runs won't be an option and it'll be a baptism of fire.
no dropper? certain death
Done a few alpine trips now. First time was on a rigid XC bike. Second on a 6" full sus, 3rd on an NRS. If I go back it'll be on a lightly built short travel hardtail. Ignore your mates, bleed your brakes beforehand and all will be lovely.
big yim - MemberI'm planning on taking a few tyres but for some reason I'm old school and I'm an inner tube kinda guy!
FWIW I think I might have been the only person on our last week in the alps who didn't flat, including the guides. Tough tyres + tubeless - clumsy riding = great success 🙂
If I was going to some full-on downhill place I'd take the 224 but we're off to the Tarantaise and White Room so Hemlock it is.
My 1st visit to the Alps was on a Giant NRS, 3.75" travel front and rear. The guys I was with were on bigger bikes but I had no problems. Maybe not the ideal bike but I rode just past the edge of what the bike should be able to do 😉 bike and me came back in 1 piece..
just make sure your brakes have had a decent bleed and you will be fine
that Giant will be great out there. as said already, if you have a spare shock then take it with you just in case, also some spare brake pads as everything costs much more out there (if they have them in stock).
The first time i went out there i was on a GT i-drive 1 which handled everything with no problem......my C2 Hope brakes on the other hand 🙂
It will be fine, everything with a pivot (mech/frame etc) will all be wobbly by the end of it... but it will be fine.
If the frame/forks will take some 2.5 tyres then that will help.
Good luck with your hands, the braking bumps out there are hard on your hands when riding bikes with less than 7" travel.
Alps is a big place. I live in them and ride nothing but a rigid singlespeed. It's not 'the alps' that defines, it's the locations, the trails you want to ride and how you want to ride them.
I'm a mincer and I took my rigid singlespeed to Meribel meet up with some riding friends who were over from the UK. I was told not to bring my bike, you won't be able to ride it. Hire one. Needless to say I ignored their advice, had a hoot and suprised everyone.
Whatever you do have fun!
It'll be fine, I rode a Kona Dawg on all the Morzine and Les Gets downhill runs and it didn't snap. DH bike would have been faster and more comfortable but nothing gave way.
You'll want a dual ply tyre for the front (at least) and a pair of DH inner tubes though. Our party with UK set up tubeless and tubes lasted half a day before everyone upgraded.
(If you want a brand new dual ply super tacky high roller and some DH tubes then mail me, I have them left over from my trip, going cheap!)
Beefy large volume tyres e.g. double ply or protection sidewall, tubeless or DH tubes. Take a spare tyre and spare DH tubes.
Don't under inflate the tyres - your rims need protecting
I took my 2007 Reign X0 to the Alps last year, no issues whatsoever. In fact the only thing holding me back was the step up in riding and the fear and vertigo on some of the black runs (and chair lifts) 😯
Dual Ply tyres ideal both super tacky, Minion front High Roller rear
loads of spare brake pads
Full face and some padding
We drove so had plenty of spares - wheelsets / tubes / tools etc but as it turned out did not need any
Have the courses developed much technically since 2005? It seems these days everyone is running slack bikes. I was fine on a 70.5 HA Stumpy FSR 100mm with a DH wheelset, my only bike at the time, but I thought of it as a bit like using a dual/4X bike. It was seriously tiring on the hands though.
The trails might not have, but riders and their kit have. More armour on display, more full facers, bigger bikes etc - sort of peer pressure really, I can see why people ask.
Look what bikes are used for 4X and ask yourself again if a Reign isnt bigger enough.....
But, probably more comfy on a big bike, depending on what you're riding down. Personally I go out there for long, techie footpath type descents, rather than the pistes, so a "trail" bike is perfect for me (and adequate for the odd day in the bike parks).
10 weeks in total over the last 2 years or so, no torn tyres (single ply HRs), 3 flats between 2 of us, no damaged mechs and a set of pads will do me for a least a few weeks in the dry.
Go and have fun.
big yim - Member
All the mates are telling me I need a full dh rig as mine will fall to bits
Have you tried replacement mates?
Less armour id say
legend I havent got the receipt so they are non returnable i'm afraid.
TBH, depending on where you go, you don't even need to ride full suspension. But it makes it a nicer ride out. Just make sure you have several sets of brake pads with you. France / Ch do have shops - but you need them when you need them.
Try not to ride down covering the brakes or with them slightly on , all the time ... things get very hot.
Full face lid ....
Other than that you are good to go
Re the full down hill rig - sure if you only do the gravity based stuff - but on most AM trails there is always a bit of uphill ...
the 909 tyres I've got are dual ply, so sounds like all I need are mech hangers and dh tubes
Yim i have got a 2.35 hr super tacky u can have think its only single ply tho
big yim - Member
legend I havent got the receipt so they are non returnable i'm afraid.
Ah shite, not the first owner eh?
😉
You won't die, you'll just have to go a bit slower, maybe. My mate took a Pace RC300 with 63mm travel forks there once. He survived, his forks didn't though due to a silly mistake.
Any bike will be ok, it's the speed that varies.
not the first owner and are shop soiled
Giant reigns are solid bikes with an excellent suspension system.........not so long ago they were an alps bike so you will be fine but as everyone has said
tyres
tubes
brakes
rear mech
hanger
Are you comfortable on that bike.....if yes the enjoy
there is loads of marketing guff about what you need........when we were ther lots of lads on big bikes full face passed downhill by an elderly say 65 diminuative wiry local on a sunn with v brakes and 63 mm travel forks....not what you ride but how!
watching people arrive with a shed load of kit is intresting.....
enjoy
Totally depends on your riding style / aggressiveness. My 06 Reign (with 150 fox fork) was my only bike and I took it to the Alps 3 times and didn't die. That being said I'm pretty cautious, no jumps to speak of.
If your mates are all on DH rigs they are likely to ride rougher / bigger trails which you may find hard work.
Just get some bigger tyres (eg double ply HR's) and spare brake pads and have a go, I mean how bad can it be 😉
The lesser the bike the more you'll improve I reckon. I'm lucky enough to have spent eight weeks in PDS over three consecutive years on the following; Giant AC Team, Yeti ASX and Orange 223 the first two years bikes were the most enjoyable and had far less travel. I'll go back one day.
I'd say you'll be fine, I've ridden Megavalance on an Anthem with 120 up front and Hope Race X2 brakes and crest rims. Sure, I fitted 2.3 tyres, 180mm rotors and dropped the saddle, but I'm alive!
The only problem you will have is your mates will be a lot faster than you due to the difference in bikes, this could result in you beating yourself up trying to keep up on the downhill courses as they can be a tad rough. You don't need downhill tubes in your bike, I tried them for the first year and haven't used them since, only one puncture in 4 years.
I've been to Chamonix three times on my Kona Hei Hei, first of all with Pace RC35s and then Rebas, I was never the last down and I'm a very average rider.
Your skill levels will likely improve way beyond your mates.
I have nothing to add about its worthiness but feel the need to say that is the nicest looking Reign that I have ever seen.
Cheers I ache. I painted it in the shed!
Get some dual-ply High Rollers and a couple of spare mech hangers and you'll be fine. Your mates sound like willy-waving louts
That and maybe a dropper. I ride the alps most of the time on a hardtail, or a full sus. Most important are strong wheels and very good tyres.
I'm going to court controversy by suggesting some offset bushings. My friend really enjoyed riding his reign in the Portes du Soleil, but he did suffer a little when the going got steep. A good fork and brake service isn't a bad investment of time.