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2017 Giant Reign 2 Review

Feb 6, 2018 at 13:23
by Ethan Wologo  
This voluntary review of a 2017 Giant Reign 2 is aimed to provide people with a short description from an everyday average joe about one of the many awesome new bikes anyone can purchase.

What will you get out of reading this review:

• Tips for buying a new bike
• New technology and parts you think you don't need
• Description of the 2017 Giant Reign 2

Picking a new ride and purchasing

My 2007 Giant Reign was kick ass with an upgraded 1x drive train and tubeless wheels. But with all the technology advances in the industry I decided it was time to buy a new bike. Best decision ever. Trails that I once thought were “hiking only” trails not only became ride-able, but incredibly enjoyable.

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Cave Trails, Idaho

2007 Giant Reign with upgrades
2007 Giant Reign with 1x10 drivetrain

Where do you ride? I live in Southwestern Montana so to say our trails are steep and rocky severely understates the technical difficulty of your everyday out and back. I need a bike that can climb steep singletrack while packing suspension that can handle large drops, jumps, and scree fields.

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Pretty standard Wink

Early Spring 2017 I purchased a brand new Giant Reign 2. I had narrowed my choices down to three awesome 160 mm bikes (Kona Process 153 and Transition Patrol) but in the end it really came down to my personal preference of suspension design and color choices :/ since the part packages were very similar on the base models I could afford.

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Literally a decade of difference


2017 Custom Transition Patrol
A friend's 2017 Transition Patrol. Upgraded fork, wheels, and other parts that do not come stock.

Several factors were considered when selecting which bike to buy:
• Retail shops that sell that brand of bike
• Part package to price balance
• Type of terrain that will be ridden

Not every bike shop will sell the brand of bike you want. Do your research at home for a first look at your favorite new whips. Then find a local shop that sells that bike and ask to get test ride (enthusiasm and courtesy go a long way). Your shops will be more than happy to get you out on some wheels.

New Tech You Need

Each bike had three or four component options that can significantly raise the price point on your new ride. Leaving behind a 10-year old bike I knew that I wanted:
• 1x drivetrain
• Dropper post
• Tubeless wheelset

Keep in mind where and what I’m riding. This is not a XC bike, I don’t need two chainrings up front. In fact, I will always have a 1x on my All Mountain bike. The rough chatter and chainslap that results on the trail is drastically diminished with a clutch derailleur and a narrowwide chainring. Get a 1x system.

The Reign 2 comes stock with the Sram NX 1x11 system. I was reluctant to go Sram since I loved my Shimano XT 1x10 OneUp extender (range 11-42t) on my old bike, but after a few rides I got used to the shifting differences and have no complaints with the NX. Something that must be said about 1x systems is that the gear range is short, meaning if you have a climbing granny gear, you don’t have much top end speed for pedaling down forest service roads. There are options to increase this gear range, one being the Sram GX Eagle 1x12. Look for my review about a cheaper range extending option in future posts.

Secondly, a dropper post. This is one extraneous piece I thought I never needed, especially for the price. But if you’re like me, you want to keep riding straight through and not have to dismount and adjust your seat for every little climb or steep descent. The dropper post allows you to never get off your bike and eliminates the compromised seat position that isn’t quite what you want for climbing and also too tall for descending. Most All Mountain bikes come stocked with a dropper post these days so don’t fight it. The Reign 2 (large) comes with a 150mm Giant Contact post. This post, like all droppers, will require some maintenance. The design is simple and cleaning/greasing is easy to do at home. I love my dropper even though it’s not a Fox Transfer.

Tubeless. Another upgrade that I resisted for years because I just couldn’t understand how it would make a difference. The traction and buttery smoothness that tubeless tires provide was easily recognized on my first ride. And it’s not just about low pressures! Think about a standard setup with tubes; when you sit on the bike and squish the tire, you can see the tire sidewalls wrinkle since the structure is held by the inner tube. But with tubeless, there is no wrinkle, the integrity of the tire is maintained by the tire itself. Now imagine this effect going around a birm at 25 mph or blasting through a rock garden.

Giant Reign 2

TERRAIN: This bike is designed for rocky singletrack, but its long wheelbase and steep headtube angle make it "a bit much" for mellow smooth singletrack. It is still very fun on mellow trails, but there are other bikes with less travel more suited for that style of riding.

CLIMBING: So can this downhill beast actually climb? In short, yes. The climb switch on the Monarch RT stiffens up the suspension really well if you even need it at all. I use it more like heel risers on my backcountry skis, only engaging it when the going gets rough. While shopping, I was told this bike will not climb well, so was quite surprised when I was able to pedal sections of Blackmoore that most people don’t even want to push up. The wheelbase is quite long though and tight switchbacks can become the hardest features on the trail. But what is lost in "nimbility" is gained in stability on fast steep descents. I won't say this is the best pedaller out there, but it is up to the task.

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Don't believe me?

2017 Giant Reign 2 stock

SUSPENSION: Warning! Opinions abound! The Reign is not for everyone, but for me (6 ft, 160 lbs) the Reign is GREAT! It's quite versatile if you’re willing to make adjustments when riding trails or bike parks. The frame has a linear suspension design, so when paired with an air shock you get a mildly progressive suspension. The large aircan (Monarch Debonair RT) equipped on this rig can maintain a linear spring rate, but I did bottom it out on some large drops leading me to add spacers. After a season of riding I settled on 4 of 9 spacers in the positive chamber with 180psi (of 350 max).

For heavy riders, you will find that you need to pump 300 psi or higher just to set the sag at 30%. The stroke length (200x57) for this large travel means that the shock is working hard, but for a small or average guy like me there are no issues. If you’re greater than 200lbs you will likely have to add many spacers and max out your psi to avoid bashing in your bushings. A different bike with a more progressive spring rate or a longer stroke could alleviate this problem for bigger riders.

I love the plush feeling of linear suspension, but some would argue that a linear bike is less playful than a progressive bike. The Reign might feel numb to some riders and extra speed really does brings this beast to life. That being said I don't think this bike is "not playful" and you will have no problem finding some lift on little root bonks and kickers.

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This jumps are tight and really require increased psi (280-300 for me) in the shock, tires (40psi), and fork (70-75psi with a few clicks of compression). I also turned the rebound up 2-3 clicks to handle the troughs between landings and lips.

Don’t have too much to say about the Yari. It is very plush and smooth, havn’t had any issues, serviced the lowers at the end of the season and all looked well. I ride 1 token in the airpsring and get 30% sag with 65 psi. Great fork and considerably less pricy than a lyric and even a pike.

WHEELS: 28 spokes!? What the hell Giant why? The wheelset on this bike is definitely the weakest link in the part package. The front wheel is boost, meaning the axle is 15mm x 110 mm instead of the standard 15x100. The argument is that a wider wheel means that it is stronger/stiffer and allows for less spokes (weight) to be used. Sweet, I'm all for a stronger, stiffer wheel. The rear wheel is also 28 spokes but with a non-boost standard rear hub 10mm x 142mm. So we have a great front wheel, but the rear wheel has less spokes without the added strength from the boosted width. These inconsistencies also make upgrading the wheelset a bit more pricey since the industry currently does not offer many front boost, rear non-boost combinations, so you're looking at a custom build. The Giant P-AM2 wheels are not really that bad, but the rear is lacking strength for an enduro rider and the hub does like to loosen itself up from time to time. Nothing a few cone wrenches can't handle. All said and done, the rear wheel will be the first thing to go on this bike.

I rode this bike hard, meaning rough rocky mountain trails, resort bike parks, and the local jump track, for the entire 2017 season. I started riding in March on low elevation (7000 ft) early drying sagebrush steppe, and when the snow melted I moved into higher (10500 ft) doug-fir, sub-alpine spruce forest trails and Big Sky bike park. I could not be more pleased with my new wheels and would recommend purchasing a new ride or upgrading your current ride with a dropper, 1xdrive, and tubeless tires. The Reign is a sick trail bike. While it can jump, it really excels on rough singletrack. It's linear design makes for a very supple smooth ride, but if you are heavy (>200lbs) you are going to be maxing out the shock.

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Lewis and Clark

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You wish.

Author Info:
ebum1127 avatar

Member since Mar 8, 2017
1 articles

1 Comment
  • 3 0
 Well done man







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