mountain bikes: Test: Giant Reign 1 2018 – the companion for wild enduro adventures

Test: Giant revamps its Reign model. The ALUXX SL aluminum frame has been optimized for 27,5 inch wheels. Its trunnion-mount rear suspension offers a smooth and active 160mm of travel and now features an Advanced Forged Composite upper link that's said to be lighter and stronger than the older version. 

Giant is known for the good price/performance ratio of its bikes and last but not least for its very powerful rear triangle system. In the meantime, the frames are getting longer and the chainstays shorter in order to have a smooth-running yet agile bike for the trail. The Reign was getting a bit old, so Giant has followed suit and is launching the Reign 2018 with a significantly longer reach than the previous model. We were able to test the Giant Reign SX 2018 on Lake Garda and were impressed by the downhill performance. You can find out how the little brother Reign 1 performs in the test here.

Test: Giant Reign SX 2018 – downhill hit!

Giant Reign 1 - the companion for wild enduro adventures

geometry/frame

The frame has not changed in terms of its basic shape or appearance. The Giant Reign is available in four configurations. All Reign models come with a revised ALUXX SL aluminum frame that has been optimized for 27,5-inch wheels. 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.

As already mentioned, the frame has been revised and has grown significantly with its 495 mm reach in size XL. The chainstays are nice and short at 435 mm. This combination makes the Giant smooth-running and playful at the same time. At 65°, the head angle remains fairly slack, even for an enduro bike, and the seat angle of 73° is around the market average.

The rear suspension with trunnion mount damper offers a smooth and active 160 mm of travel and now has an upper link made of "Advanced Forged Composite" material that is said to be lighter and stronger than the older version.

Equipment

Giant bikes are actually known for their excellent price/performance ratio. But even here you can't completely escape the overall rising price level on the bicycle market. For the top model for 4.599 euros, the buyer gets a Rock Shox Lyrik RC Debonair, Charger 2 with 160mm spring travel and the mentioned aluminum frame.

DT Swiss offers the necessary rigidity in the wheel sector with the E1700. When it comes to tires, Giant trusts the Maxxis brand with the Shorty in the 3C MaxxTerra Triple Compound mixture at the front and the Maxxis High Roller 2 in the EXO carcass. In my opinion, this carcass is out of place on such a downhill enduro, as it does not offer the necessary puncture protection. The front tire, on the other hand, is a very good choice.

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.

For the seat post, Giant uses its own brand Giant Contact S Switch-Remote. A stroke of 125 mm is available for size SM and 150 mm for size L-XL. The saddle and shifter for the seat post also come from Giant's own brand. The Giant Contact SL DH RiserBar handlebar measures 800mm in length, but can easily be shortened to the needs of the rider. Giant also gets the handles from its own brand. The Truativ Descendant stem completes the cockpit.

It is shifted with a Sram GX 12-speed Eagle, which with a 500% transmission range still has the right gear ready even on steep climbs. It's nice that Giant installs a robust and visually appealing strut protector as standard - unfortunately this is a bit too short and we can see damage to the paintwork in the direction of the rear derailleur after a short time. The Rock Shock Super Delux RT DebonAir comes with a remote that can be operated while riding on the handlebars. The Metric Trunnion damper fits perfectly into the Maestro rear triangle system.

On the trail

The Giant Reign 1 was tested in size XL with a height of almost 2 meters. I was out and about with it on our local trails in the Bavarian Forest and on the beautiful trails at Lake Reschen and was able to find out where the strengths and weaknesses of the Reign lie.

The strengths are clearly evident on the downhill. Thanks to the long reach, which initially felt surprisingly long even for me at almost 2 meters, the Giant ran very smoothly on the trail. This was particularly noticeable at Lake Reschen at higher speeds on the trail. Thanks to the short chainstays, the Reign 1 is very playful in berms or corners and you circle through the corners easily. The suspension fork and the potent rear triangle offer a lot of reserves, lie well on the trail and have a lot of spring travel.

Unfortunately, the Giant Reign 1 felt quite sluggish on the climbs. Despite the lockout, the enduro bolide lacked the last bit of liveliness on the climbs and showed its more leisurely side. The Maxxis rear tire with EXO carcass gave up after the first descent at Lake Reschen. Breakthrough - air out. In my opinion, a Maxxis DoubleDown carcass would look better on the rear of such a downhill-oriented enduro bike.

During the test I wore clothes from Specialized. The 2FO Cliplite offers thanks to its rigidity, safety and proper feedback on the bike. The Specialized Enduro gloves give the hands a second layer of skin and are very comfortable to wear. For the pants, I chose the demo shorts because they are longer than the other models. Because of the warm summer days, I decided on a short-sleeved t-shirt that matches the color of the Giant Reign.

Web

www.giant-bicycles.com/de