Just a few weeks ago Giant lifted the veil on its latest XC weapon the Anthem 29, and now it has announced a revamped Reign, which features updated suspension and refined frame geometry. The new Reign is aimed at competitive enduro racers, big-mountain adventurers, and those who wouldn't be caught dead on a smooth trail.
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The range was designed in collaboration with Giant Factory Off-Road Team riders, including Josh Carlson who scored a top-10 ranking in last year’s Enduro World Series and rode multiple prototype versions. This meant that testing of the Reign’s updated suspension took place at race events and on Carlson's local trails in Vancouver, British Columbia.
“One thing we’ve learned is that when it comes to enduro racing, small, incremental changes can have a major impact on your performance,” Carlson said. “We need a bike that can do it all. It has to climb 2,000 meters in a day, and then give you the confidence to bomb down unfamiliar terrain when you’re right on that ragged edge. The suspension updates and new geometry on this Reign open up new possibilities for this style of trail riding.”
The new Reign sees an updated version of Giant’s Maestro rear suspension with 160mm travel, and a new trunnion mount shock allows for a longer stroke and lower leverage ratio, which is said to improve small-bump sensitivity and pedalling efficiency.
Giant also says the trunnion mount has allowed for the upper pivot to sit lower on the frame allowing for more insertion depth for longer dropper posts. The Reign also gets an updated Advanced Forged Composite rocker arm that Giant tells us is stiffer, stronger and lighter than previous iterations.
For 2018, Giant has overhauled the geometry of the frame with a 65-degree head angle and 73-degree seat angle, all based around for 160mm of squish front and rear. This has added 15mm of reach in each size and the wheelbase expands from 1,191mm to 1,209mm in a size Medium frame.
Based around 27.5in wheels with boost hub spacing, Giant says this new geometry makes for better overall control without sacrificing agility or climbing efficiency.
“Working directly with Giant Factory Off-Road Team athletes, we opened up the cockpit, which allows a greater range of body movement in the most high-speed, rowdy scenarios imaginable, all without compromising overall stability,” said Kevin Dana, senior off-road global category manager at Giant. “Climbing, descending, or in the air — this bike gives the rider the confidence and control to push new limits.”
The new Reign comes in two versions: the Reign Advance with a carbon front triangle and ALUXX SL aluminium swingarm; and the Reign with a full ALUXX frame and swingarm.
Hidden within the Reign series there is also the Reign SX, which features an additional 10mm of front suspension for those who like to get especially rowdy on the trail.
Models
Reign Advanced 0
- Frame: Advanced-grade composite
- Fork: RockShox Lyrik RCT3 Solo Air 160mm-travel fork with Boost thru-axle
- Shock: RockShox Super Deluxe Coil RT trunnion mount w/ remote
- Wheels:DT Swiss EX 1501 Spline One
- Tires: Maxxis Shorty and High Roller II
- Drivetrain: SRAM X01 Eagle 1x12-speed drivetrain
- Crank: SRAM X01 Eagle
- Brakes: SRAM Guide RSC
- £TBC / $8,200 / AU$TBC
Reign Advanced 1
- Frame: Advanced-grade composite
- Fork: Fox 36 Performance Elite 160mm-travel fork with Boost thru-axle
- Shock: Fox Float DPX2 Performance trunnion mount
- Wheels: DT Swiss E1700 Spline Two
- Tires: Maxxis Shorty and High Roller II
- Drivetrain: SRAM GX Eagle 1x12-speed drivetrain
- Crank: Truvativ Descendent
- Brakes: SRAM Guide RS
- £TBC / $5,400 / AU$TBC
Reign SX
- Frame: ALLUXX SL
- Fork: RockShox Lyrik RCT3 Solo Air 170mm-travel fork with Boost thru-axle
- Shock: RockShox Super Deluxe Coil RT trunnion mount
- Wheels: Giant P-AM2 Disc wheelset
- Tires: Maxxis Shorty and High Roller II
- Drivetrain: Shimano SLX 1x11
- Crank: Shimano SLX
- Brakes: SRAM Guide RS
- £TBC / $4,000 / AU$TBC
Reign 2
- Frame: ALLUXX SL
- Fork: RockShox Yari RC Solo Air 160mm-travel fork with Boost thru-axle
- Shock: RockShox Deluxe RT trunnion mount
- Wheels: Giant P-AM2 Disc wheelset
- Tires: Maxxis Shorty and High Roller II
- Drivetrain: Shimano Deore 1x10
- Crank: Praxis Works 1x
- Brakes: Shimano Deore
- £TBC / $2,700 / AU$TBC