Press Release: Giant Says 27.5 Glory is on the Way to Production

Apr 11, 2014 at 15:17
by Richard Cunningham  

Giant Glory 27.5 Prototype 2014

Marcelo Gutierrez raced his prototype Glory 27.5 to a podium finish at the Valparaiso Urban DH race in Chile over the winter. South Africa will mark its World Cup debut.



The three riders of the Giant Factory Off-Road Team are kicking off the 2014 World Cup downhill series this weekend riding prototype bikes featuring Giant 27.5 technology. All three of the team’s riders—Danny Hart, Marcelo Gutierrez and Andrew Neethling—have been involved in testing and development of their new race bikes, and each is planning to race the prototype at this weekend’s World Cup opener in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Giant confirmed that the new prototype will be the basis of a new Glory 27.5 production bike.

photo

Based on feedback from the Giant Factory Off-Road Team riders, cable routing was redirected to the top of the downtube, with clean integrated fork bumper guards.



photo

The all-new upper linkage takes its design cues from the current Trance 27.5 trailbike.



photo

RockShox Reverb dropper seatposts were installed on each of the Factory Team rider's bikes for the World Cup in South Africa.


Giant USA

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70 Comments
  • 126 5
 Do this color with white logo or another simple solid color. No stupid graphics please. Nothing dates a frame faster than shit/over the top colors.
  • 32 1
 100%
  • 6 1
 these are always Giant's prototype colours. production bikes will not look like this. I have been told that for 2015 the graphics are going to be something else, new team or something.
  • 4 1
 Idk why anyone would buy this one when they're almost definitely gonna completely change the design next year
  • 12 0
 Manufacturers want to make the look bike dated in future, so that people buy new ones.
  • 3 1
 @daugherd nailed it. The Reign X1 looks like a great bike, but that colour scheme...... pass.
  • 3 1
 I think this color scheme looks fucking awesome, especially if the Giant logo itself was black.
  • 4 2
 omg its ugly... sounds like something a little girl would say
  • 1 1
 When Giant replaced my 2010 reignx1 I was sick worrying that they'd give me a 2012, nastiest graphics ever. Lucky me got the 2013, solid grey.
  • 1 1
 AMEN!!!
  • 2 1
 I'm sure it rails but man, still thinking about that Pivot
  • 2 0
 Cant not like a stealthy black bike

Also I liked
"Based on feedback from the Giant Factory Off-Road Team riders, cable routing was redirected to the top of the downtube, with clean integrated fork bumper guards."

You mean the overwhelming public hate for your previous cable routing wasn't enough until your riders didn't like it too.
  • 46 1
 come on giant time to make the carbon glory
  • 21 19
 The glory is already as light as most of the carbon frames out there, if they went carbon I'd bet it would be the lightest DH frame on the market!
  • 27 3
 So many cool 27.5 DH bikes, so little money.
  • 7 1
 This season of new products is awesome
  • 4 1
 I feel weird being like the only person I know getting a new DH bike that is still 26inch. It even has a 27.5 inch option just so torn....
  • 4 0
 I still ride 26 too, and I will continue to for a while until 27.5 moves into the used market more. I understand the benefits of the wheel size but I still haven't ridden a 650B so my opinion is still out. I still like seeing all the eye candy on PB though.
  • 10 0
 It looks like they lengthened the top tube as well? I hope this makes it to production as well (some of us are tall!).
  • 2 1
 they didn't need to. I had a medium 2013 and it was alot longer than the 2012 model medium. They really needed to shorten the back end up on the 26inch model. i bet that wont happen now.
  • 2 0
 I've got a 2010 Glory - quite a good bike. I always feel the top tube is a little short, and the head angle was too steep. I know they fixed the head angle with the newer versions, and lengthened the top tube a bit. I'd ideally like just wee bit more on the top tube than the current generation has in a large.
  • 1 0
 yea man i agree, if they did lenthen it, and shorten the chainstays, it would be perfect. but hard to say what changes were actually done to work around the new wheel size..
  • 2 0
 I think the designers are in a bit of a conundrum. The longer rear end seems to be more suitable to world cup racing, while a short back end seems to suit mere mortals and park riding. I would really like to see more companies using adjustable rear dropouts for this like what Intense and Transition do. I have a V10c and I would love to have the flexibility to adjust the chainstay length and/or bb height to suit my preferences.
  • 1 0
 Well, a large should be 24.5-24.8/18 reach for modern geo.
  • 1 0
 longer front shorter rear just buy a demo. hahaha jk They need to bring in adjustable geo for sure, riding style and terrain really can call for different preferences.
  • 3 1
 My question is like guys who ride downhill bikes for freeride purposes like Kurt Sorge, are they going this way too or will they get special 26" glory's made for them, I'm asking that about all bike companies too. They said on the 27.5 article the other day that these wheels couldn't hold up to that abuse.
  • 3 0
 Good Question. I'm thinking some freeriders will stay on their old frames for a while. Sorge is still using a old trance for his slope style so why not. What other options do they have. But I do think the 27.5 will handle the abuse, just riders won't see the need to use a tool (wheel size) less suited for the application than a 26".
  • 2 0
 So true! but what with the Head Angle of the first photo? seem like a 51 degrees or so...
  • 4 0
 They'll adapt...Logan Binggeli did and he got a 3rd at Rampage in 2012 on his 650B DH KHS.
  • 1 0
 "Based on feedback from the Giant Factory Off-Road Team riders, cable routing was redirected to the top of the downtube..." LOL They could've get this feedback from me 3 years ago. Was the first thing I changed when I got my '11 Glory.
  • 3 0
 I think it looks really stylish in an understated way , I wonder if they will go carbon soon now that they seem to be set on 27.5 , perhaps they have been anticipating this.
  • 1 0
 I dig this. I like how the seat tube bend is right on the rocker pivot. I like the clean dropped top with no extra, ugly, unnecessary support tube stuck to it & the seat tube. It's lean, it's clean & it's mean. Nice & simple. Not sure why the down tube needs to be all whacked out f*ckin' bent like that, but otherwise, it's pretty titty as far as derailleur bikes go.
  • 1 0
 I know everyone says that a carbon Glory is sort of a pipe dream, and or it's just not necessary, but I for one eagerly await it's arrival. Everyone hates the current Glory cable routing, which lets face it was basically as terrible as it gets. When it comes down to it, over the top routing isn't that big of an improvement, when there is a far superior method of routing cables on a bike that virtually always has only 2 cables going to the rear, and that is internally. The Session 9.9 does it, and it looks crazy clean, even Giant does it on some of it's other models (Trance Advanced SX 27.5 though not carbon) and it looks and functions great. Carbon also has other benefits beyond just weight savings, vibration dampening, stiffness, and such. I for one feel like Giant is purposefully lagging behind when it comes to feature innovation as a sales tactic rather than a belief in the merits of the choices they've made.
  • 4 0
 Might get one in my dreams
  • 4 2
 This incarnation of the bike is so much better looking than glory's of days gone by.
  • 3 3
 just wait till they open up the can of paint!! the design is way too similar to the old ones if you look closesly...
  • 4 1
 Please, for the love of freeride, keep the Reign X 26"...
  • 1 0
 This is gonna be one hell of a bike it's slacker the front center was lengthened out and the chain stays are 1/4 inch shorter says my bike shop guy
  • 3 0
 Wheelbase looks sooooooooooo long...
  • 2 0
 Hot damn I'm not usually a fan of the Glory but air sprung with all black like that looks dead sexy.
  • 3 2
 Say what you will about the bigger wheels. I think these new DH bikes just look right.

Now, 29" DH - there's an abomination.
  • 1 0
 I have 2013 glory that I converted into 650B works just fine check out vid and pics on my link
  • 1 0
 Take a great bike and add some solid refinements. Way smarter than reinventing the wheel again and again. Oh wait.
  • 2 0
 finally fixed the down tube cable routing. thank you giant.
  • 1 0
 Haha. The old routing made no sense.
  • 3 0
 The cable routing was a deal breaker for me when I bought my new dh bike in 2012
  • 1 0
 you can do a reroute quite easily with some stick on guides and routing it under the shock. Its so easy, I've always been confused why it took so long for giant to figure it out.
  • 1 0
 I said this earlier but it fits here

"Based on feedback from the Giant Factory Off-Road Team riders, cable routing was redirected to the top of the downtube, with clean integrated fork bumper guards."

You mean the overwhelming public hate for your previous cable routing wasn't enough until your riders didn't like it too.
  • 1 0
 Hart and Gutierrez have the simple design and impressive machine to get top 10.
  • 1 0
 They should've gone carbon before 27.5.
  • 1 0
 Fugly chainguide sticken out there
  • 1 0
 goddamn thats sexy , looks like everyone is going with the longer top tube
  • 1 0
 Mfrs date bikes by bringing out new 'standards' every couple of years.
  • 1 0
 Screw your xc and your 650b, i only ride park.
  • 1 0
 Wait for it, they are coming.
  • 1 1
 Finally. Glad to see the dropper posts on the DH rigs. Sometimes you have to pedal them up.
  • 1 0
 My next rig
  • 1 0
 Slack!
  • 7 6
 And 26" ?
  • 3 2
 So excited to get one! I looked at the qualies list and Danny and the whole Giant team went 1-2-3 cause the wheels made a way bigger difference in speed and riding ability than changing something from 2010!............ Wait wut?
  • 3 0
 where were you with these comments on the Pivot and Foes posts? Do you only read the headlines? I get the feeling that's what most of the people who usually post BS about wheel sizes whenever something other than 26" comes out do.
  • 1 1
 Pivot and Foes don't have a team that is talking about how much better the big wheels are and then not doing any better. Although I can say I maybe just haven't read or heard anything about the Pivot guys saying anything.
  • 1 0
 Want one
  • 2 1
 what an average bike
  • 1 0
 That fork rake...
  • 1 0
 dat wheelbase
  • 1 2
 Why has it got a seat dropper?
  • 4 0
 South africa
  • 1 0
 because its in Pietermaritzburg
  • 1 1
 looks like a glory...







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