Global niches: Giant Reign XO

/8 Comments/in , /by

Hey Lee,
glad to see you back on the web!!! Just a quick question, what do you think of the Giant Reign XO?????? And i see on there sight it is listed different in different countries, ie AM here and freeride in europe, thoughts???
Thanks man,
John

The more you click, the more I can post. Lee Likes Groceries dot com!

Hi John.

Thanks man. I’m semi-moved into my new bachelor pad. The computer and the bikes are dialed, but my dinner table is a cardboard box.

That bike looks super fun. The big companies market differently to different countries. Europe tends to be shorter-travel and faster-rolling than the USA; that’s why the Reign XO is All Mountain in the USA and Freeeride in the UK. That’s what my invisible friend tells me.

I think BRAAAP in the Queen’s English is still BRAAAP.

— Lee

8 replies
  1. SoCal AL says:

    I just got my Giant Reign XO last week and I already feel like it pedals more effciently than my Specialized Enduro. My only complaint is the top tube feels a little short to me. I am going to do a head to head comparison with my Enduro SL once I build it up. I love managing a bike shop.

  2. leelikesbikes says:

    VPP / Maestro is all about pedaling efficiency. The trade-off is usually a bit of pedal bob/brake jack, but that won’t ruin a great day.

  3. David says:

    I had an ’05 Reign as my first full suspension bike, and I rocked it hard last year. Only problem? It blew through its travel readily, which makes me wish the Reign X had been available then. Fox DHX shock, slightly burlier components, and only ~3 lbs. heavier= sweet! Lee is right though: Maestro pedals great but it stiffens slightly under hard, sketchy braking, but doesn’t everyone feel sketchy when clamping down hard through gnarly corners?

  4. leelikesbikes says:

    Thanks for your post. I can’t resist:

    – If a rear shock blows through its travel, you need more air pressure or a stiffer spring. Also maybe different valving. Push Industries style.

    – It would be best not to clamp down hard in burly corners. Unless you’re super-pro, it’s best to brake hard before then coast/pump through.

  5. SoCal AL says:

    Under braking I don’t really notice the brake jack on the Reign X0. Not like the brake jack on my Cannondales. But the overall pedaling efficiency makes up for that slight firmness under hard braking.

  6. Chris says:

    I’ve had a 2007 Reign XO for a few months now (I WAS waiting for the Enduro SL). It is fantastic. I’ve said to people that if I were a billionaire I wouldn’t get any other bike, except maybe a Trance, which I have too. Just get it.

    Brake jack? When I am riding at night on tarmac, I can hit the rear brake as hard as I want and the beam from my light does not move either closer or further from the bike. That must mean no brake jack. Or squat. Anyone else got a better test? I think that one eliminates ‘personal’ feelings.

  7. leelikesbikes says:

    Grab your brakes and roll over a curb, down a set of stairs, etc. Is your bike stiffer with the brakes on?

  8. Chris says:

    Lee, okay, now I understand, you are talking about lockout under brakes. I thought brake jack was what I explained (if you know what I mean) which my Mountain Cycle Shockwave suffered terribly of. And under brakes it may as well have been a hardtail! Well, I just spent the last half hour at the local school going up and down (mostly down) the different sets of stairs over and over, brakes on, brakes off, pedalling, not pedalling. I cannot say I feel a difference on my Reign. I have felt the difference before when after a couple of runs of a DH course I swapped my 4″ FSR bike with my friend’s 7″ Bullit. His felt stiff in the rough under brakes, where mine made no difference.

    PS John, I was too hasty, I have a Reign 0, not X0. I love to climb too much.

Comments are closed.