2010 Reign VS Trance...REIGN 0 Has landed..in my garage!

[zstreetco]

Hey guyz,

So we all know everyones excited about the new 2010 Glory....HOWEVER! My dilema rests at the ole Reign VS Trance question...

I do a lot of trail riding mostly, bit of lysty, Forest is my favourite spot so far....but I also want it to be able to hack a bit more descent orientated riding, not Downhill racing or anything freeride like, but something that'll handle a bit of single track too if you catch my drift.

My plan is either 2010 Trance or Reign (not Reign X) and have both lightweight wheelset for XC/Light Trail as well as a bit heavier duty wheelset for heavier single track type riding.

Any thoughts? Suggestions? Anyone with a similar set up?

EDIT 29/8/09:

Ok so its landed....only ridden outside work for a quick minute, but feels amazing and JUST LOOKS SOOOO GOOD!
Going away for weekend...not riding unforunately...but will take pics before i ride it on Monday at youies! and will give quick review then

 

[Timbers]

Have been riding a 2009 Reign since they came out in Oz and love it, built it to just under 13 kg with a remote Joplin post, 2.35 UST tyres, DHX shock and chain guide.

About the best genuine all mountain category bike out there as far as I am concerned, even did my first marathon on a Reign (2008 model).

Going to change over to a Trance X ADV SL but only so as to have a lighter bike for marathons and Super D's not because I was unhappy with the pedaling efficiency etc, should be an awesome versatile bike.

 

[zstreetco]

Yeah ya couldnt complain with a 11.1kg stock bike ey...those trance Adv Sl's look very nice.

The reign is looking very inviting, dual ring chain guide could be an option too

 

[Nerf Herder]

Without really knowing the tracks your riding ... I reckon this is the big BUT ... from a reign user too

Going to change over to a Trance X ADV SL [BUT] only so as to have a lighter bike for marathons and Super D's not because I was unhappy with the pedaling efficiency etc, should be an awesome versatile bike.

If your downhill bits are baby heads, up to 4ft ledges to relatively smooth landings ... and your not wanting DH speeds ... then I'd stick with the trance.

If your wanting higher speeds and riding rock slabs with square hits ... all seemingly pointing uphill at you , with generally frame, wheel and forking twisty tech stuff ... then, I'd go the reign X.

Now, if you have a lot of climbing to enjoy that downhill bit ... and then your not looking for DH speeds ... hmmmmm ... really no use carrying all that added weight ... so back to the Trance X again.

may need to describe your riding conditions and how aggressive your gonna be, but ...

I'm happy to ride my Trance on highly techy rides say 4/5 ... but at slower speeds ... I'll hit 3 fts (I have carbon bars so it kinda holds me back), but I'm confident it will take all the banging around.

If I want to ride faster to keep up with the DH'ers on XCs that I seem to ride with, whilst hitting more / larger square edges and rougher landings, I tend to take the bullit out ... which is a porkier Reign IMO

In saying all this, one of my riding buds would definitely try to talk you into a Reign ... so I reckon it comes down to the amount of climbing you'll be doing.

have fun ... looking forward to the PYR

 

[zstreetco]

Ok fair point there....

Climbing well...I guess i MUCH prefer downhill sections haha, and I dont plan on doing many downhill jumps/drops but it will get thrashed around a fair bit as i've never been overly soft on my bikes.

I want it to be nice and nimble for the quick technical descents too as many trails these days have them.

All in all I guess my riding would be 20% climbing at most, mainly small up and downhill sections like Lysterfield (Buckle trail for instance), and as many will know Forest is a bit of everything, steppish climbs into slow asending climbs into long downhill sections etc.....but there are also a fair few jumpy type things there now, and thats essentially what I want the bike to be able to hit quite happily....

Ontop of all the riding specifications, I want the bike to be fairly well spec'd for instance Crossmax wheels (at best) if not XT Wheels, with XT or X9 running gear at minimum, and preferably XT brakes.

Will be seeing the 2010 Giants at the release next week so that could be the decision maker.....

Oh and I want the bike to weigh no more than 14kg...preferably around the 13 mark

 

[Wednesday]

If you ride Lyster and Forrest as your huckleberry then go the Trance hands down bar none. Dont even think of the Reign!
The Reign is an awesome bike (yep ive owned one) for some aggro xc riding but its 6" of travel would be insulted by Lyster/Forrest.
With all respect (seriously), where will you use 6" at either one of these destinations?
Perhaps if you were looking at riding at the You Yangs as your regular then for sure, go the Reign as that's where you will appreciate the extra travel and handling. The energy suck you loose anywhere else is simply not worth it unless your looking for an extra workout (Reign style) as the weight weenies fly past you.
At least the Trance can be tweaked +/- to suit a purpose (mini Reign or xc enduro bike), but the Reign will never, never be as variable to suit multi purpose riding or able to shed weight like the Trance can.

 

[Rimmo]

I have just got back from riding Stromlo xc tracks on a reign 1, my mate on a trance X1. The trance was almost as capable on the downhill stuff as the reign and was in a different league uphill. We swapped bikes for a while and in my opinion, the trance seemed to be the better all rounder. Although the reign is no heavyweight, the trance climbed much better and soaked up the aggressive, rocky descents with ease. The weight difference (shorter travel/higher end components) made a big difference. If you are considering riding up hills regularly, I would go the trance. I was so impressed with the trance that I am considering swapping the reign for one shortly!

 

[mtb1611]

^^^ Stromlo's not a very good place to compare those bikes, as the terrain is far more suited to the Trance. If you were to ride in a rockier, rougher location you'd get a clearer indication of the differences between the Trance and Reign. I'm not dissing either machine, they're both fine pieces of kit.

Oh and don't listen to Nerf Herder, you CAN climb on a Reign!

 

[leftieant]

Tough call!

Given that this is posted in the XC forum, I think it's fair to expect that the majority of replies will be for the Trance. And that's probably because it is an incredibly capable bike.

Reign is good for XC and singletrack, but is it as good good there as the Trance is on steeper stuff?

Pricing for both I think should be publicly available this week some time, will that have any bearing on your decision?

 

[xwgasaxe]

Having owned a 2007 Trance 1 since new I can attest that they are a super bike, I was stoked with some of the jumps that you could take, sure they were not 4ft but the landings were fine.

Only thing I changed was to a 180mm front rotor for a bit more brake.

 

[Isildur]

As far as weights go, there really isn't too much between the TranceX & the Reign builds for '09. I was recently at my LBS, and these are the actual, built, with pedals weights for their '09 range (all were "Medium" frame builds):

Anthem X0 - 10.9
Anthem X1 - 11.5
Trance X0 - 11.8
Trance X1 - 12.0
Reign 0 - 12.3
Reign 1 - 12.8


So between the Trance X0 & Reign 0, there is only 500 grams. Take a decent dump before you ride and you'll free up that much

The Reign 0 is a superbly spec'd bike too. Talas 32 up front (140,120,100 to make climbing easier when needed), Big Volume Fox RP32 at the back for a nice linear shock, Crossmax ST Wheelset, Elixir Brakes, SRAM X9/0 + RaceFace Dues drivetrain/cockpit.

I ride 2 bikes at the moment (a Pivot Mach4 for XC, and a Glory8 for FR/DH), but if I had to sell up and get one bike, the '09 Reign0 would be a very attractive option at the moment. Especially with the discounting on '09 stock due to the imminent arrival of 2010 stock.

And yes, I have ridden the TranceX (albeit an '08 X1) and I reckon the difference isn't too much on the climbs, particularly with the Talas up front on the Reign.

Just my $0.02. As with anything though, make sure you ride both before spending money on them!

 

[zstreetco]

OK

very much appreciate all the info and opinions, tis always useful.
So i sat on..i know its not as good as riding but i didnt have time...both the bikes 09 Trance X2 and 09 Reign 1...and i must admit the reign just felt a bit more 'able to jump and smash singletrack' so to speak.

HOWEVER!

Now seeing the spec on the 2010 range and working in my LBS i know the 2010 prices, and i must admit the 09 Reign is MUCH better spec'd than 2010.....but now im thinking I could go a 2010 Reign 0 but im not keen on that wheelset at all (Shimano XT hub rear and Shimano 'Tracker' QR15 hub front with Mavic rims), the 09 came with Crossmax which i liked the look of, so I may try and get an 09 at a good price instead...Otherwise the 2010 Trance X1 seems like a way to go, very good spec and pricing

Thoughts?????

 

[Nerf Herder]

^^^ I reckon your leaning towards the reign ... so go it I reckon ... as Gab put it 500g difference for an extra inch, and more aggressive geo ... I'd pay that
For extra travel you sick puppies

Oh and don't listen to Nerf Herder, you CAN climb on a Reign!

your engine is just more finely tuned then my old goat

 

[Isildur]

As I mentioned, I'd be going down the Reign path if I had to trade my bikes in and get one to do it all.

Especially given that realistically, with the '09s clearing out to make room for the 2010 models, you should be able to pick up a Reign 0 for around the $4k mark! Almost makes me want to get one just because it's so cheap!

The only thing I reckon the 2010 Reign 0 has over the '09 is the different forks. The '09 comes with the 100-120-140 Talas, whereas the 2010 comes with the 110-130-150 Talas, which I think would suit the bike just that little bit better.

You might be able to find an '09 Reign 0 spec'd with the 110-130-150 though... If you can that would be one of the best all around rigs on the market today!

Good luck mate.

 

[ktmarke]

2010 vs 2009 Reign specs

I'm a newbie thinking of buying a Reign 1. Posts have mentioned a 2009 model being MUCH better specced than 2010 - which components are being referred to? I had assumed the 150mm forks and DHX 4 shock were better than what the 09 model offers, and other specs were much the same.
Was also thinking of holding off for 2010 model as RRP looks like it will be cheaper than what run-out '09 models are now going for. This obviously doesn't sound right - what am I missing?

 

[zstreetco]

Ok so....

just to clarify are you thinking the Reign X1 or straight Reign 1? cause the straight Reign 1 as i've been talking about is only a 130mm travel bike, not 150mm as the X1 is....

Anywho, the big price drop is due to american dollar improving but the spec does downgrade to a fairly basic wheelset compared to 09, pretty sure thats the only big difference.
Otherwise, ye the 2010 is cheaper and probs better in the bigger picture, im planning on getting a Reign 0 and keeping the stock wheelset as a bash around wheelset and getting a nice set of Cross Max UST's as a lighter wheelset.

WILL TELL YOU ALL WHAT THE GO IS WHEN I SEE THEM IN PERSON TOMORROW NIGHT!

 

[Cephas]

Keen to hear any feedback on what they are like in the flesh.

I have a 2007 Trance 1 at present and quite like it, but sometimes i wish it had a bit more travel to make up for my lack of skill.

The new Trance X1 and Reign 0 are on the list, as is a new 140mm Stumpjumper and Cannondale RZ 140.

I suspect the Giants will crap all over the other options in terms of spec though.

I'd like the 150mm travel some of the time, but maybe I just need to HTFU and learn to ride a bit better

 

[ktmarke]

Yes zstreetco, I was thinking of a "normal" Reign, not an "X" version. I stopped by a new bike shop here in Adelaide today and the salesman challenged my thinking on a Reign.
He believes that unless I'm trying to hit race DH speeds, a Trance X would be much more suitable for the tracks around Adelaide than the Reign, as it will handle the downhills (albeit slower) and be a lot better on the uphills. I definitely plan on doing both up and down, and am looking for an all-rounder as my "ONE" bike.
So now I'm looking into either a Trance X2 or a Reign 1 (my budget doesn't stretch to the higher models - in fact may be looking at a Trance X3 so I can get one for my son as well).
Need to now go and do some research on changes from '09 to '10 models to see which will be most cost effective.

 

[zstreetco]

OK!

Just got home Giant show....WOW they have done well this year!

Anthem Range = Very nice, base model is perfect for starter bike, Ladies bike has insanely cool colour scheme and good spec also, X2 is very nice, X1 is very impressive running full XT (to memory) and Advanced is of course very very nice.

Trance Range = Not as impressive as first expected, I did expect more judging by the Emag online and such, admittedly the X3 is again nice starter, X2 is ugly and boring as hell, X1 is very nice though (but should've had anodised linkage plates) and is nicely spec'd for the price and again...X0...WOW...one to definitely fork out a few more dollars for...its hot!

Reign Range = 1 = pretty sweet, actually not a bad colour (thought it would be horrible judging by Emag online) and pretty sweet spec for price. Reign 0 = S** HOT! Will no doubt be getting one of these as soon as they land in 2 weeks so keep your eyes out, I felt awesome to sit on, nice short stem also, very plush with a DHX Air 5.0! and Fox 32 FIT forks. And the colour is also very very nice......obviously wheels arent anything like the Crossmax ST's on last years model...but hey the price isnt anything like 09 either so im just keeping the stockies for thrashed and probs get some Crossmax ST's later on


All in all my verdict = Reign 0, Trance X1 and X0, Anthem X1 and X3 would be my best picks for nicest bikes of 2010 XC/Enduro's

But hey.....just check your local Giant dealers as im sure they'll start stocking them from next week haha

 

[Cephas]

Thanks for the info, not that it makes the shopping any easier.

Just a sanity check, if Manly Dam and Menia are as big and scary as I'm ever going to ride, is a Reign 0 massive overkill?
The 2010 Trance X1 has 20mm more travel, and a 1 degree slacker head angle than my current 07 Trance. Is that more than enough for those kind of trails?

Another way of looking at it... Am I going to hate pedaling a Reign 0 around the Red loop of Wingello State Forest or on the Andersons -> Oaks type rides?

I think a few test rides may be in order.