Test: With the Giant Reign SX, we tested what is perhaps the bike giant's most potent 2018 enduro bike. With a coil damper, 170 mm fork and robust construction, you can really let it rip even in difficult terrain. At Lake Garda we tried to explore the limits of the bike.
The Giant Reign is one of the big names in enduro bikes. This is of course partly due to the great popularity and the extremely good performance in the hobby and professional sector alike, but also because the Reign has been available for many years. In the 2018 model year, Giant is once again sending its long-running enduro favorite into the race - literally, because it is also used by the Giant Factory Off-Road Team in the EWS.
Like most bikes that have been on the market for a number of years, the Reign has also gone through a number of changes in the past - including for the current model year. Two innovations in particular stand out: On the one hand, the geometry has been tweaked; in short, the new Reign has gotten longer and flatter. Also new is the shock with trunnion mount: This saves space and allows a model with a longer stroke to be installed. So you get a lower translation in the rear and theoretically a more sensitive response and better tunability for heavy riders.
The Reign comes in 2018 in a total of six trim levels. The two models with carbon frames (with the suffix 'Advanced') are joined by four variants with aluminum frames. Prices start at €2.699: The Giant Reign 2 comes with Rock Shox suspension, Deore brakes and SLX drive. The end of the aluminum flagpole is the Reign 1 for €4.599 - here you get a Lyrik RC fork, Super Deluxe Air damper, Guide RS brakes and a Sram GX Eagle drive. The top model Reign Advanced 0 costs a whopping €6.999: In addition to Lyrik RCT3 and Super Deluxe Air, Guide RSC brakes, Sram XO1 Eagle drive components and DT Swiss wheels are also installed.
Giant Reign SX 2018: frame and geometry
As previously mentioned, there are some changes to the framework of the Reign for this season. These are certainly most important in terms of geometry. The frame grows by an average of 15mm in reach in every size, while the seat tubes are getting a little shorter. The chainstays remain extremely short at 435mm - there is still more than enough space for the 27,5″ wheels that are used on all models.
The fact that neither the basic shape nor the look has changed that much is partly due to the fact that the angles haven't changed compared to last year: the head angle of 65° remains fairly flat, even for an enduro, and the seat angle is 73 ° around the market average.
Geometry Giant Reign SX
S | M | L | XL | |
seat tube (in mm) | 380 | 431 | 464 | 496 |
Top tube horizontal (in mm) | 600 | 635 | 655 | 680 |
head tube (in mm) | 95 | 95 | 115 | 125 |
chainstay (in mm) | 435 | 435 | 435 | 435 |
Wheelbase (in mm) | 1174 | 1209 | 1232 | 1258 |
Steering angle (in °) | 65 | 65 | 65 | 65 |
Seat angle (in °) | 73 | 73 | 73 | 73 |
Reach (mm) | 424 | 459 | 473 | 495 |
Stacks (in mm) | 575 | 575 | 593 | 602 |
In addition to the geometry, the damper and its standard are also new: In the 2018 Reign there are only spring struts with trunnion mount attachment. There is more space in the Maestro rear triangle and it is possible to install dampers with a longer stroke. Since the suspension travel remains at 160mm, as with the predecessor, the transmission ratio between damper stroke and suspension travel is automatically reduced. In short, this means that you have to ride less pressure for the same sag in the new Reign - so heavy riders in particular don't get into the red zone as quickly. At the same time, rear triangles with small gear ratios tend to be a bit more sensitive.
A lot of other things have remained the same: This also includes cables and cables running inside the aluminum frame, bright paintwork and of course the Maestro rear triangle, which – we have no doubt about it – should again be among the best that the bicycle market has to offer this year.
Giant Reign SX 2018: Features
For testing, we had a small special case of the Reign series with the Reign SX: It is the only Reign in 2018 with a full 170mm suspension fork at the front and thus offers a little more potential for rough high-speed descents. The RockShox Super Deluxe Coil damper takes a similar stance, which increases the weight quite a bit, but should quickly make you forget the few grams with its creamy response. So that it doesn't get too difficult going uphill, Giant has given the shock a remote lock on the handlebars.
The suspension counterpart to the Super Deluxe Coil also comes from Rock Shox: The Lyrik RCT3 is the absolute top model in the current portfolio: It is not only equipped with a new DebonAir air chamber, but also with the current Charger 2 damping cartridge, whose characteristics are based on the Fork crown can be quickly adjusted in three positions (open - platform - closed).
With the choice of chassis, Giant clearly shows in which direction the Reign SX should go: Down! This is also shown by the installation of a chain guide from MRP (as is the case with all equipment variants). The drive is rather robust and solid: From the rear derailleur and trigger to the crank and cassette, you trust in Shimano's SLX group. This makes perfect sense, for a number of reasons. The budget saved as a result can be used for other parts (such as the high-quality landing gear). In addition, in the event of a wallet crash, it doesn't hurt that much if a component doesn't get away with it completely unscathed. Functionally, the SLX group has been on par with its bigger brother, the XT, for years anyway.
The Sram Guide RS brakes with 200mm discs at the front and 180mm at the rear bring a lot of braking power with them, but if the Reign is held in a species-appropriate manner, they should eventually reach their limits, at least with heavy riders on long descents.
The cockpit is modern and adapted to the area of application. The Descendant stem is short and stiff, the Giant Riser aluminum handlebar is nice and wide at 800mm. If you would rather have a narrower one, you can always help with a saw. The Vario support comes from our own company and has been tried and tested for several years: The Contact Switch SL offers 150mm adjustment travel in sizes L and XL, including 125mm.
The wheels are made in-house: The PAM-2 with aluminum rims have powerful tires for any terrain: The Maxxis Shorty at the front is also good for freeriders and downhillers and the proven High Roller II at the rear is not one of the most popular for nothing Enduro tires at all.
Giant Reign SX 2018: On the trail
Hardly any other region in Europe is better suited to demonstrate the qualities of a downhill bike than the steep, rocky terrain around Lake Garda. No sooner said than done: This is exactly where we took the trails under the mighty tires of the Giant Enduro. The seating position and geometry are pleasing straight away – at least if you are used to modern enduro bikes. The main frame of the Reign is quite long - if you only know traditional geometries, it will probably take a ride or two to get used to it.
It also quickly becomes clear that the Reign SX is not a sprint miracle: This is partly due to the potent and therefore not very easy rolling tires, but also to the very descent-oriented geometry. If you are also on the road with an open shock absorber, it sinks in noticeably when you start hard. If you activate the lockout on the shock, the bike noticeably gains in agility. Incidentally, if you are on an uphill in the direction of the trailhead, this is not so noticeable. The Reign SX isn't really a climbing goat either, but once you've found a comfortable pace, it makes good progress. However, less trained riders might be overwhelmed with the easiest gear (32-46).
The lockout serves its purpose, but unfortunately the remote on the handlebars is not an ergonomic miracle and is not always easy to reach with your fingers. The same applies to the release of the dropper support - here we would have liked a variant with a trigger-style lever.
However, as soon as the terrain points downwards and the ground becomes rough, the Giant Reign SX can fully demonstrate its strengths: The chassis is extremely absorbing and does a really good job, even if the choice of line is not optimal. Thanks to the short struts, the Reign remains quite compact despite the long main frame and can also be circled around tight bends. Even if we initially had a few concerns about the brakes, they didn't cause any problems even on long descents.
As expected, the Maestro rear end did an excellent job in combination with the coil damper and literally absorbed small and large bumps. The new Lyrik at the front also offered more than enough reserves for really difficult terrain.