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Giant Reign 1 review by Feed The Habit
Feed the Habit just posted a review of the Giant Reign 1. The Reign 1 is the high-end model in Giant’s ‘trail bike’ category. It gets 6″ of rear travel from a Manitou Swinger 3-Way air shock, a 6″ Manitou Nixon up front, and a number of other high end parts.
For those who haven’t heard, the Reign utilizes Giant’s Maestro Suspension platform, which is Giant’s version of the VPP system used by companies like Santa Cruz and Intense. Maestro reduces pedal feedback and suspension induced power loss while maintaining traction and remaining active under braking. By all accounts, the bike performs wonderfully and, given the price point for the bike (MSRP is $3300 (USD)), is well positioned to make some serious inroads into the market.
The parts spec on the Reign 1 is solid. The bike features a Manitou Nixon up front and, while the reviewer had some issues with the fork’s bushings, Giant undoubtedly will warranty the defective item (they did for me when my Firefly developed the same sort of play). The Hayes HFX-Carbon are great brakes, and the carbon levers are very nice — there’s nothing better than reaching for your brakes on a cold day and not worrying about having your fingers freeze on aluminum levers. Personally, I would swap out the wheelset for something a little more suited to my riding style and the terrain in southwestern BC (I’d go with Mavic 823s). And I’m not a fan of the internal headsets that Giant uses on the Reign, the Trance, and some of their other bikes. I have one on my Giant AC and I’d rather have the option of using something like a Chris King or Syncros headset — the bearing life on the internal headsets is relatively poor and quality replacement bearings are difficult to come by.
On a personal note, Giant Canada offered me a Reign frame after I noticed a couple of cracks in my trusty AC1. I considered the offer seriously but decided against it for a couple of reasons. First, while the Reign is classified as ‘all mountain’, it features a relatively steep head angle (69 to 70 degrees, depending on who you’re talking with). That angle might work for people who are into agressive trail riding but it’s a little steep if you do mid-size drops and jumps on a regular basis. Second is the fact that the bike is equipped with an air shock in the rear. I know that these shocks are far more reliable than they’ve been in the past but I wanted to stick with a coil over, especially given the type of riding I do. I ended up with another AC frame and am satisfied that I made the right choice.
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1. Posted by Giant Reign 2 review from BikeMagic » The Biking Hub | 5:05 pm, 6 January 2006
[…] The three models that make up the Giant Reign lineup have been lauded by reviewers the world over for their ride characteristics, component spec, and overall build quality. The Reign 1 is Giant’s top end model and is likely out of the price range for most people. The Reign 2, however, has a much more competitive MSRP than it’s pricier sibling and is well positioned to make some noise in the marketplace. […]