Review: 2023 Giant Reign Advanced Pro 1

Since our First Look, Giant Offroad Factory Team rider Luke Meier Smith went on to nab the win at the opening round of the 2023 Enduro World Series.

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Contents

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Frame Details

Borrowing from the in-frame storage system used on the Trance and Trance X models, Giant transferred the principal over to the Reign. A small compartment is accessed by turning a dial 90 degrees. The water bottle mounts to the door and is guarded by a rubber trim.

Throughout the test, there were no rattles, even with a pump added under the cage. However, the opening itself is quite small. Fitting even the lightest windbreaker in there is next to impossible and there’s no way you’d fit a pump in there - it's best left for emergency supplies.

Moving on, a second strong talking point on the Reign Advanced frame is the carbon link that nests a three-position flip-chip in the seatstay pivot. In order to use a 27.5” wheel, you’ll need to use the highest position, which nearly reinstates the lowest setting of the full 29er.

Giant still opts for the 92mm-wide press fit BB and two-bolt seat clamp, but the rear triangle is up to date with compatibility for SRAM’s UDH standard. Throughout the rest of the frame, there’s no shortage of rubber protectors along the downtube and chainstay. Most of the pivot bolts have the torque spec and rotation direction listed on them, which is always handy.

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Geometry & Sizing

As you would expect from one of the largest players in the game, Giant didn’t stretch too far from the current crop of enduro bikes when laying out the Reign’s geometry, and that’s totally fine. They hit their mark by landing on the slightly aggressive side with a head tube angle that goes from 64.2 down to 63.5 in the slackest setting.

The seat tube angles also don’t fall below 78.3 degrees in the slackest setting on the size medium either. Using the flip-chip will alter the angles by about 0.4 degrees in either direction and also swing the reach 4mm in either direction.

The reach numbers are also spread out evenly from 430 on the size small, all the way up to 510mm on the XL frame. Of course, adjusting the angles will add or subtract 4mm of reach in either direction.

Riders on either end of the size spectrum might point out that the chainstays aren’t tailored per size; they measure 443mm on all sizes.

Suspension Design

Giant’s Maestro suspension design uses a fixed rear triangle that is connected by two short links that rotate in the same direction. That system produces a leverage rate that works well with either a coil or air shock. For reference, the high-end Reign Advanced Pro 0 is equipped with a Fox DHX2.

A 205x62.5mm Trunnion mount shock handles the 160mm of rear wheel travel. On the aluminum Reign SX, that stroke length is increased by 2.5mm to boost the rear travel to 165mm.

Like most Giant Maestro bikes, the lower shock mount doesn’t use any reducers. Instead, the forward pivot on the lower link slides straight through the shock, making coil spring changes or shock swaps less of a hassle.

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There isn’t much that Giant has left off the table here for the $6,800 price tag of the Reign Advanced Pro 1. You get a carbon frame, wheels, bar, and a Grip2 damper in the Fox 38 fork. Left off of the spec list are proprietary shocks, headsets, or integrated seat posts. Yes, the carbon parts are “house” branded, but they stacked up fairly well for the punishment they went through.

Finer details that stand out to me are the inclusion of an MRP chainguide, a 220mm front rotor, and the Fox Float X2 Performance shock. It’s not the Elite version, but it performed adequately.

The Giant Romero SL saddle and Tactal Pro grips, like all touch points, are a personal preference that I felt neutral on.

Otherwise, standard equipment like a SRAM GX drivetrain, Shimano SLX brakes, Maxxis tires, and a 170mm TransX dropper post round out the parts package.

Climbing

Weight doesn’t matter right? Well, when you have to pedal uphill all day in an enduro race, it certainly doesn’t hurt to have a lighter bike. The Reign comes in at a reasonable number; 14.9 kg (32.8 lb) for the stock build, with dual 29” wheels.

Other factors, like the riding position, also add to the Reign’s climbing abilities. That lower front end matches well with a steep seat angle to provide a less cramped cockpit than the slack head and steep seat tube angles would have led me to believe from looking at the geometry chart. I never found the head angle to pose any misguided steering on steep climbs or tight switchbacks.

In the lowest bottom bracket setting, with the dual 29” wheels, pedal strikes weren’t overly common, however, the BB drop is getting down there at 35mm below the axles. Although the geometry numbers are nearly identical between the 29" and mixed-wheel setup, I found the mixed wheels more challenging to climb with than the full 29er.

While plodding along flat singletrack there is a solid amount of support from the suspension that doesn’t dive when you need to power through short tech uphills. The climb switch on the Float X2 is within arm's reach and was regularly used in those two low settings, although I’d only need to resort to that for road commutes or smooth climb trails. Compared to RockShox’s new Super Deluxe or Cane Creek’s Kitsuma Coil, it’s not nearly as locked off.

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Descending

Digging into bikes with flaws poses less of a challenge for our tech editors compared to a straightforward bike that does a bang-on job. I’d be doing the Reign injustice if I said it’s boring, but it is very “Giant”. There are no kooky kinematics or revolutionary construction methods. The build is also laced with weight-saving carbon parts and quality suspension at an acceptable price point.

I’d put the Reign up there for being one of the most composed and well-balanced enduro bikes I’ve ridden lately. It offers a ride that reacts quickly in tighter sections of trail and doesn’t wince when you open up the brakes. The Reign feels low, compact, and light on the trail which gives the rider a planted ride that still has plenty of get-up-and-go.

On one hand, it’s not a plow, nor is it nervous when you start to give it the beans. A 63.5-degree head angle lets you attack steeper tracks. If needed, you can adapt the geometry for a quicker response in flatter territory by bumping the flip-chip down a notch.

160mm is a healthy amount of rear wheel travel for erasing those “Oh sh1t!” moments, without sapping your energy in lumpy, low speed trails either. The air shock provides solid support and bottom-out control, but given more time, I’d be curious to play with a DHX2 coil option to seek out a little more forgiveness at the top of the travel. It’s interesting to see most of Giant’s enduro racers have chosen a coil, and the top-level Pro 0 comes equipped with one.

If I were to scrutinize the Reign further, I’d say that the suspension could be more active under braking as there’s some feedback through the rear end of the bike - part of that comes from the chain slap or feedback, even though there seems to be plenty of rubber padding the stays.

Giant claims that the rear triangle on the 2023 Reign is 39% stiffer than its predecessor. I never had a chance to ride the previous version, but compared to the fleet of enduro bikes I’ve been riding over the last year, the new Reign is on the softer side. I wouldn’t call the frame noodley, but there is a generous amount of flex through the middle of the bike when you load the bike up in turns or bounce through off-camber sections.

That’s not the end of the world, though; I’d just prefer to let the wheels handle that task. Why? Well, wheels with some more lateral compliance can also offer better tracking and less deflection on off-camber sections of trail.

I can see the benefits of racing a frame for enduro stages that is less jarring and has some level of compliance factored in (I loved the Santa Cruz Megatower, but the frame gave off a ton of vibrations ) - it’s simply less taxing to hold onto for extended descents. For seriously large jumps and bike park riding, stiffness can bring control though, so that can be a personal preference.

Durability-wise though, all the pivots remained snug, no wheels were harmed, and the shock never missed a beat.

When I loosened the pivots to place the flip-chip in the high setting to run a 27.5” rear wheel, the angles felt slacker and lower than the 29er in the lowest mode. These numbers are supposed to be identical, and a quick check with my phone didn't show any massive discrepencies, but on the trail the difference was noticeable. I’d frequently stuff the pedals or skid plate into the ground and had a perceived feeling of riding over the back of the bike further.

An interesting experiment would be to move up to a size large frame and run the MX wheel setup to see if the longer wheelbase would reduce rider weight shifts, ultimately, riding higher in the travel.

In the end, I settled on the slack setting for most days riding around Squamish but would resort to the middle flip-chip If I were racing where I’d want pedal at any given moment.

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Technical Report

Giant Contact SLR Handlebar: Giant fills out the spec sheet on their bikes with a fair number of in-house components that we might not otherwise test exclusively. I got on well with the 5x7 angles of the Contact SLR 35 when trimmed down to 770mm. At this length, the flex never felt over the top and vibration absorption remained comfortable. As mentioned, the medium bike came with a 20mm rise and I preferred a spare, higher rise bar I had in the garage.

Giant TRX 2 Wheels: Giant improved massively on the durability of the TRX wheels with the second-generation carbon rim. They were put through proper paces with a few hucks and multiple “oops” rock pings, but they didn’t miss a beat. A two-year warranty gives the consumer peace of mind too, although it'd be nice if they hopped aboard the lifetime warranty train. The hubs, on the other hand, lasted through the test, but I did experience the pawls jumping unexpectedly from time to time.

TranzX Dropper Post: TranzX posts have arrived on more than one mid-level test bike and they’ve been impressive in the past. This one in particular was stickier than others, even when the dual-bolt seat post clamp was torqued with a watchful eye. The system never failed, although it did require a helping hand to reach the max height. Finding a 170mm travel post on the medium frame was a welcomed sight though.

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Which Model is the Best Value?

For customers in the USA, there’s a large gap in the pricing between the $3,800 aluminum Reign 2 and $6,800 Reign Advanced Pro 1 because the base model carbon bike isn’t for sale in that region. Canadian and international customers have a wider selection of models, like the Reign Advanced Pro 2.

I can’t see a huge client base splurging on the Reign Advanced Pro 0 that checks out for over $12K USD, although it does have an assortment of electronic fixings.

If I were adamant about going the carbon frame route, I’d go for the Pro 1 for the increased suspension adjustment and performance gains. Giant also backs all of the composite frames and components with a two-year limited warranty, including the rims.

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How Does It Compare?

What’s another agile and lightweight 160 enduro bike that competes closely with the Reign in terms of performance at a similar price point? Transition’s Patrol Carbon that we tested back in June of 2022 during our Enduro Bike Field Test was a riot to ride and stacks up with its slack head angle, rear wheel travel, and frame qualities.

Both enduro rigs are built on impressively light carbon frames, but neither was the most supple off the top of the travel, or the stiffest under high g-forces. I’d give each one a point there, with the Reign taking the edge off square edge hits better and the Transition feeling stronger underneath you.

The Reign also offers more frame features, like a third flip-chip position and downtube storage area. The wheel sizing on the Patrol is also limited to a 27.5” rear wheel, whereas the Reign can technically accommodate either large or small.

Where the Patrol wins out is on steeper trails, even with a shorter travel 160mm fork. The setup performs best when the rear shock runs on the softer side, giving a greater sense of standing in the bike - keeping in mind, we tested a size large Patrol and medium Reign. For reference, the reach/stack numbers read 475/632 and 460/629mm, respectively.

Lining up the spec sheets, it’s a closely fought battle with barely $100 USD separating the builds. A few of the components are even the same, like the Fox 38 Performance Elite fork and SRAM GX Eagle drivetrain. On the plus side for the Reign, the Advanced 1 Pro build comes with TRX2 carbon wheels and a Fox Float X2 rear shock, versus the alloy Race Face Aeffect R rims and Float X shock.

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Pinkbike's Take

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