The Giant Reign Advanced 1 comes into the test fleet as the underdog, seeing as it’s the only bike on test that isn’t the brand’s top-flight whip. Is it already at a disadvantage and starting off on the wrong wheel, or can it come through strong?
Long and slack last year, and long and slack for the coming season too: other than the paintjob, Giant haven’t touched the frame. Component-wise, however, it’s a different story, seeing RockShox swapped in favor of the FOX Performance models. DT Swiss wheels have been scrapped for Giant’s house-brand carbon wheels, although an uncouth bunny hop landing on a rock cracked the rear rim. The Shimano 1×11 drivetrain is tried, tested, and approved, much like the dimensions of the cockpit: 800 mm bars and a short 50 mm stem (although if we were keeping the bike we’d be tempted to narrow the bars by 20 mm).
The bike fitted well, and you can even forgive the hefty 13.8 kg weight as it climbs pretty solidly, particularly when you’ve flicked the climb switch on the new FLOAT X2 rear shock. The slack head angle is an added hurdle on technical climbs, as the front wheel liked to wander.
Giant Reign Advanced 1 in spec
Fork: FOX FLOAT 36 Performance Elite 160 mm
Rear shock: FOX FLOAT X2 Performance 160 mm
Brakes: Shimano XT
Drivetrain: Shimano XT 1×11
Seat post: GIANT Contact SL Switch-Remote
Stem: Truvativ Holzfeller 50 mm
Handlebar: GIANT Contact SL DH RiserBar 800 mm
Wheels: GIANT TRX 1 Carbon
Tires: Schwalbe Magic Mary / Hans Dampf
Weight: 13.80 kg
Price: € 4,999
FOX suspension units now come with black stanchions, and they’re still as high performance as ever. The FOX 36 suits the Reign aesthetically and functionally.
The FOX X2 Performance rear shock generates masses of traction, and the new climb switch lever is an asset to the Reign’s climbing.
Visually we’re not keen on the spacers under the stem, but they do balance out the very short head tube.
Giant’s carbon rim on the rear wheel proved too feeble for our testing and ended up cracked. An aluminium rim might have fared better in this pretty minor bang, perhaps coming away with just a dent. Carbon rims might be tempting, but unless they are very strong they’re expensive when it goes wrong.
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Turn the bike around, and it’s a missile on descents with bags of smoothness and suppleness that rendered it suitable for attacking technical descents – no matter how hard your rear wheel hammers into rocks or roots. There’s plenty of traction too, although it’s a test of strength to maintain grip on the front wheel while cornering. Given the massive wheelbase, it’s a bit tank-like in its maneuvering, so for non-racers who are split between two frame sizes, we’d recommend going for the smaller model.
Conclusion
Take a ‘barge through’ approach and the more you let off the reins on hard and fast trails, the more this rocket will feel at home. Mellow, flowy trails are likely to send the Giant Reign to sleep. Considering the price, the spec is wisely chosen. Naturally, the broken carbon rim is a sore point, so we’d prefer to see the aluminium DT wheels from the previous season on such a hard-knuckled racing bike.
Strengths
- Super-smooth
- Incredibly sensitive suspension
- Huge reserves
Weaknesses
- Slightly lumbering on the climbs
- Needs a bit of effort to corner
- Not very agile
For more information head to the Giant website!
For an overview of the test fleet head to the main article: Does it get better than this? – 9 high-end enduro bikes in comparison
All bikes in review: BMC Trailfox 01 XX1 | Bold Linkin Trail LT 29 | Canyon Strive CF 9.0 Race | CUBE Stereo 160 C:68 Action Team 27.5 | Giant Reign Advanced 1 | SCOTT Genius LT 700 Tuned | ROTWILD R.E1 FS EVO | Yeti SB 5.5C X01 | YT Capra CF Pro Race
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