BIKER'S EDGE

So today, we’ve got the Giant Reign, which I’ve dubbed the “Rippin’ Rainbow.” I’ve been dying to throw a leg over this bike since it came out. I’ve finally had the chance to do a wide range of riding on it, from our local backyard tails to the southern Utah desert and even a day at the old Rampage site. It brings a surprising ride quality to the table that doesn’t necessarily align with what it looks like on paper. So stick around to see if it’s the enduro bike for you.

Giant Reign Geometry and Details

Let’s cover some business items before we go ride bikes. The Reign is Giant’s enduro bike with 160mm of rear wheel travel and a 170mm fork. It can be run with two 29” wheels or in a mullet configuration. It has super adjustable geometry with a three-position flip chip. The head tube angle options are 63.5, 63.9 and 64.2°. I’m riding an XL frame with a reach of 510mm in the middle geometry setting. I landed on the middle setting as my favorite geometry position, but we will get into that later. The wheelbase is 1303mm with 443mm chainstays. So far, we’re ticking all my favorite boxes. 

The Reign rolls on 160mm of Maestro rear suspension. I’m typically a pretty big fan of how Giant’s Maestro suspension rides. It does a good job of feeling snappy on the climbs and supportive on the descents. The suspension on the Reign doesn’t stray from that generalization. I have a custom build here with a 170mm Rockshox Zeb and Fox DHX2 coil shock on the rear.

The Reign features in-frame storage with one of the best doors/latches I’ve seen to date. It’s ultra-secure and not very fiddly. The only problem is the opening is pretty narrow. It can be tough to get Maverik burritos and gummy worms in there for mid-ride snacks. Putting bigger items like jackets in it is kind of like when that person who’s seemingly never been on an airplane before tries to stuff a 3’ roller bag into a 2’ overhead compartment. Or, like my dog Kevin, thinking he fits through the cat door. Either way, it’s never going to happen. 

And because I’ve finally given up my crusade against weighing bikes because I don’t think it matters as much as everyone says it does, my Reign weighs 33.9lb. You win. 

Giant Reign Ride Review

Uphill

For a bike with this much travel, the Reign has zero business climbing as well as it does. It feels light, responsive, and quick — for the category, of course. Giant does a great job of making their bikes go uphill well — the Reign is no exception. It offers a decent amount of traction, a great body position, and excellent pedaling characteristics. 

Let’s start with the suspension feel on the climbs. Based purely on the climbing performance, I wouldn’t believe you if you told me it has 160mm of rear wheel travel. It feels too quick and snappy under pedaling forces. It feels much closer to trail and all-mountain bikes in that regard. And remember, I have a coil shock on mine. Even with the coil, there’s very little noticeable bob while pedaling — the bike just scoots along.

There are usually tradeoffs for making a bike snappy on the pedals. Traction tends to suffer the more efficient a bike gets. While the Reign doesn’t provide the same level of traction as other bikes in the category, it offers enough to keep most folks happy. Granted, some of my testing was done on southern Utah sandstone (read: grip tape), but still, the Reign did a pretty good job at keeping the rear wheel from slipping out. 

I have zero complaints about the climbing position and geometry on the Reign. It’s well-balanced, making the bike easy to control through tight sections, tech, and steep pitches. My weight felt like it was right where it was meant to be between the wheels. I didn’t find myself falling off the back of the bike or, alternatively, too far over the front, making the back end feel light. I’m on an XL frame, so the ratio between the reach and seat stay is pretty spot-on for me. Without size-specific chainsays, however, shorter riders might start feeling that longer rear center. Especially riders on the small frame, as the reach is shorter than the chainstay. The front end feels lower than some bikes in the category, giving the Reign a sporty feel. It’s very similar to the Yeti SB160 in the handlebar height. That helps you keep the front end weighted properly on steep climbs.

Overall, I’m putting the Reign near the top of the enduro category for its climbing performance. It does better than it should for how much travel it has. 

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Climbing Highlights

+ More efficient than most enduro bikes

+ Excellent body position

+ Good amount of rear wheel traction

Downhill

Now, let’s talk about what the Reign was built to do — and that’s going downhill. The Reign is a bit surprising here, with it being far more balanced than I would have imagined. Contrary to my on-paper impression, it’s not a mega-plush couch potato. Somehow, the suspension offers a lot of control in the rough and a lot of pop on smoother terrain. 

Let’s start with the suspension feel. The Reign is surprisingly supportive for a bike with 160mm of travel. It rewards you for pumping, jumping, and being an active rider. Some of my first rides were on smoother, flowy terrain — the kind of place where a trail bike would probably be ideal. The Reign ended up being far more useable in easy terrain than I thought. It doesn’t blow through its travel too easily, leaving you deep in the midstroke trying to pump the lip of a jump or hit corners aggressively. In other words, it ends up being a pretty fun and playful suspension feel. 

I found myself a bit surprised at the off-the-top feel. It wasn’t as plush as expected, especially considering I have the Fox DHX2 coil shock handling rear travel duties. When I found myself in more chattery terrain, the bike moved around underneath me a bit more than expected. I also noticed the occasional rear-wheel hangup in rough terrain, mostly while on the brakes. This isn’t to say the bike isn’t smooth and controlled in the medium to bigger-sized impacts, it just translates a bit more trail chatter through to the rider. In fact, the Reign is very adept at handling medium to large impacts. It handles flat landings and big square-edged impacts better than most. 

The Reign’s geometry offers a lot of flexibility for different riders in different terrain. I ended up settling on the middle setting as my favorite. It offers a more balanced ride quality and enough BB clearance to keep those pedals above the rocks.  The long wheelbase keeps the bike from being squeamish at high speeds. It’s very stable when you let off the brakes and let it roll. Even though the front end is fairly slack, I’d probably explore my options for taller rise handlebars if I did a lot of steep descending. As a rider with the proportions of a baby giraffe, the front end was a bit lower than I’d prefer. 

That sporty front end is what keeps the handling as sharp and responsive as it is, though. The Reign corners rather well for a big bike — it doesn’t feel slow and sluggish to change directions. That quick handling contributes to the fun characteristic the Reign brings to the table. 

Overall, the Reign is more balanced and versatile than it looks on paper. In the right hands, it’s going to be an incredible enduro race bike, and for the rest of us average Joes, it’s a versatile long-travel bike that keeps the fun factor and confidence high.

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Descending Highlights

+ Supportive suspension platform that’s great for medium to large impacts

+ Stable and controlled at speed

+ Quick around a corner

+ Easy to get airborne

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Giant Reign Comparisons

 

Who is the Giant Reign for?

Let’s chat about who is going to enjoy the Reign the most. I think active descenders are going to get the most bang for their buck out of it. It rewards someone who’s willing to let it hang out there by pushing the pace, hitting corners hard, jumping over trail obstacles, hitting flat landings, holding it open through flat corners —I think you get the idea. It’s an incredibly fun bike for someone who’s not just going to sit back, close their eyes, and let the bike take them where it wants to go. 

It’s also a great bike for the rider who wants a lot of travel without feeling like they’re on a really big, heavy bike. It climbs really well and will have no problems hanging with slightly shorter travel bikes. It is still fun to ride in terrain that may not demand 160mm of travel. 

The Bottom line: Giant Reign

The Reign perfectly blends balanced and capable