[AM] 2016 Giant Reign Advanced 1

teK--

Eats Squid
Have finally outgrown ye olde faithful Trance SX and upgraded to a bigger and lighter sled.

As it is already a very nice build from new I have so far just moved over the wheels, brakes, saddle, and bars from the Trance, and don't think there will be as such heavy mod'ing this time around. Instead I hope to fill this thread with some info about how I set up the bike, and lots more pics and videos of riding at various places.

All changes from stock parts shown in green.


Frame - 2016 Reign Advanced Carbon 160mm, Frameskin, Rockguard, Enduro MAX bearings
Rear shock - Cane Creek DB Inline Coil, 450Lb Valt spring
Front shock/fork - DVO Diamond 160mm, with shimstack mods.
Handlebars - Enve DH, cut to 780mm, 23mm rise
Stem - Easton Havoc, 35mm, 0deg
Headset - Hope
Grips - Renthal Traction, Ultra Tacky
Saddle - Specialized Henge Comp
Seatpost - Fox Transfer 125mm. Wolf Tooth lever
Front brake - Hope Tech 3 E4, 200mm Hope rotors
Rear brake - Hope Tech 3 E4, 200mm Hope rotors
Cranks - M8000 Deore XT 175mm
Chainguide - MRP AMG v2 w/ 28-32 backplate and HD full upper guide
Chain - KMC X11.93
Pedals - Crank Bros. Mallet DH
Rear derailleur - M8000 Deore XT
Rear shifter - M8000 Deore XT
Cassette - M8000 Deore XT, 11-42
Front hub - Hope Pro 4
Rear hub - Hope Pro 4, 44T
Front rim - Stans Flow MK3, 29mm, 32H, BK Stickers decals
Rear rim - Stans Flow MK3, 29mm, 32H, BK Stickers decals
Spokes - DT Swiss Comp
Nipples - DT Swiss brass Prolock
Tyres - F/R: Maxxis Minion DHF 2.5WT, Maxxis Minion DHR2 2.3
Tubes - Stans No Tubes. Cushcore (rear only)
Total weight - 15.00 Kg

First day home, 13.19 Kg no pedals:
IMG_4526.jpg


Ready to shred, 15.00 Kg with pedals:
IMG_20180408_075019.jpg
 
Last edited:

teK--

Eats Squid
Here are some photos during the few hours that it remained stock!

IMG_4523.JPG
Very bright. I didn't really like it in the stock photos but when I saw one on the trails is what convinced me of the colour:

p5pb12803985.jpg
Dunno who this guy is but he is absolutely rippin, and the photograper really captured the true colour of this bike


IMG_4527.JPG
New 11 speed. No more fudging around with ghetto 1x10 extended range. Feel is not as light action as the Saint lever but each click is very crisp like SRAM. Chainstay guard too bright with the cutout but fixed now see below.

IMG_4530.JPG
DT Swiss M 1700 Spline 2. They are reportedly very nice and light 1700g pair. But at 22.5mm wide not really what I want. Might sell them?

IMG_4531.JPG
XT Brakes are going onto the Missus' Anthem. Something new for everyone! Blanking plate not available for shifter until February 2016 so I'm stuck with the optical display for now.

IMG_4532.JPG
Am stoked to have a shock that I can fully service at home.

IMG_4533.JPG
The new upper design guide is near silent; I haven't heard any chain noise yet. Can retrofit to older MRP guides. Also they have replaced the polycarbonate parts with Nylon now so no more issue with using certain degreasers and chain lubes.

IMG_4534.JPG
Dinner plate

IMG_4535.JPG
Lovin the kool aide! Just in time for Summer.

IMG_4538.JPG
Finally Giant spec'ing some decent width bars.


After an obligatory driveway test it was time to start attacking with tools and get her ready for first ride :evil:

IMG_4543.JPG
Carbon wrapped blanking plate.

IMG_4545.JPG
Made a guard using Mucky Nutz as a template but extended length and with mounting holes customised for this frame.

IMG_4546.JPG
Had to disconnect all cables/hose and re-route to the correct sides they made an awful mess of this at the factory. Favorite bars and grips go on.

IMG_4549.JPG
IMG_4552.JPG
Saints on these rotors are gonna kill it.

IMG_4550.JPG
Last set of Mallet DH have survived 2 bikes, 3 seasons and are still going strong. It was a no brainer to buy another set in matching colour.

IMG_4553.JPG
Bit beatin up now after a couple of years but still super comfy.

IMG_4560.JPG
Murdered out factory guard looks much better.

IMG_4540.JPG
Ready for first ride! Slight weight saving from carbon wheels/tubeless was offset by heavier cassette, and bars. Weight without pedals is now identical to stock weight.
 

mitchy_

Llama calmer
what cassette dd you change to? i'm struggling to see how you added 500g, unless that is now with pedals?
not that weight matters though... it seems the heavier i make my bikes, the faster i go. :lol:

sweet ride though. good to see so many bikes with good spec out of the box... you used to buy a bike and have to change 2/3rds of it to make it decent, now it's buy and shred!
the reigns are a bit hit and miss with the colours though, i'm in love with the new blue one!
 

fedor346

Likes Dirt
Looks good Tek. Interested to know how u find the monarch plus and whether u'll be using any spacers.
Cheers
Gav
 

B Rabbit

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I usually don't care for Giants as I'm a brand snob cock head, but that looks pretty sweet!
 

Yarrahappinni

Likes Dirt
Interested to hear how it rides compared to the Trance SX.
My experiences are (my) Trance SX is a better pedaller still, whilst not being too far off the bombing runs.
 

ajay

^Once punched Jeff Kennett. Don't pick an e-fight
Gaint bloody nailed it with this. Nice ride mate!
 

haydenw

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Very nice!

Make sure to keep an eye on cable rub below the BB, seems to be a common problem with these bikes. I've made up a plastic guard which has solved the issue.
 

teK--

Eats Squid
Thanks for the feedback all, I'll fire off some quick answers ahead of a setup/ride report...

what cassette dd you change to? i'm struggling to see how you added 500g, unless that is now with pedals?
not that weight matters though... it seems the heavier i make my bikes, the faster i go. :lol:

sweet ride though. good to see so many bikes with good spec out of the box... you used to buy a bike and have to change 2/3rds of it to make it decent, now it's buy and shred!
the reigns are a bit hit and miss with the colours though, i'm in love with the new blue one!
Correct, stock weight 13.19kg no pedals. Mod'ed weight incidentally came out exactly the same. Once pedals are added total weight 13.66kg. The weight saved from tubeless/carbon wheelset was offset by weight added from the Renthal bars and Saint brakes. Still running the stock XT 11-42 cassette.

Yes the blue Team 0 looks hot but well out of my price range :)


Looks good Tek. Interested to know how u find the monarch plus and whether u'll be using any spacers.
Cheers
Gav
So far so good. It came stock with no spacers I found it was blowing through travel. I have fitted 3 spacers (7 maximum capacity) and it is perfect.


Sweet ride!

What's that bit of tech hanging off your non drive side chain stay?
Garmin wheel speed sensor. Yes my mates and I are competitive ;)


I usually don't care for Giants as I'm a brand snob cock head, but that looks pretty sweet!
Poor man's Yeti!


Could be keen on those wheels if you decide to sell them!
Will let you know and also if I cbf sending interstate, cheers.


Interested to hear how it rides compared to the Trance SX.
My experiences are (my) Trance SX is a better pedaller still, whilst not being too far off the bombing runs.
On the flats the SX definitely kept more momentum. On the climbs I haven't noticed much loss; I beat most of my times on regular climbs so far. Descending it is HEAPS faster.


Very nice!

Make sure to keep an eye on cable rub below the BB, seems to be a common problem with these bikes. I've made up a plastic guard which has solved the issue.
Thanks for tip.

I'll post up pics later of a fix I did on the Trance as well to prevent this happening. Basically wrap rubber amalgamating tape around the cable at the point where it enters the frame grommet. Leave enough slack in the cable so the suspension can bottom without the cable touching the BB. The tape stops the cable being pulled back into the frame when suspension tops out.

Post up some pics of your fix as well!
 

teK--

Eats Squid
General Setup and First Rides report

There have been a lot of questions out in the wild about how this compares to the Trance SX.

I am in a good position to make a comparison having owned a medium sized Trance.


Fit:
The Reign is definitely longer in reach (19mm in medium size). Coupled with 1 deg slacker seat tube, when seated the difference is longer again (by about 5mm at my saddle height). However, the use of an inline seatpost takes up this difference and more.

The head tube stack height is very low on the medium frame, about 10mm lower than the Trance from memory. With the 1 degree slacker head angle, the more spacers you add the reach reduces more quickly. If this is an issue for you, you may want to run a moderate amount of spacers with higher rise bars maybe 30-35mm.

A 35mm long stem is on order to replace the stock 50mm. With the stack height set the same as the Trance I should be able to replicate the reach almost exactly. As it is now it feels just a bit too stretched out on steep descents.


Frame:
Some may recall the hysteria over last year's Reigns and the "dent" or dimple in the rear triangle brace, to clear the front derailleur.

Well they have changed this and moved the whole brace to the non drive side. In doing that they seem to have created a new problem; all the debris and rocks etc are now flung by the tyre into the seat tube lower swingarm area.

Kudos to Frame Skin, their kits are expensive but good value for money. They thought of everything and every part of the bike which might suffer abrasions is covered. Just fit it in a place with really good lighting to see bubbles/water trapped underneath, or have to re-do a few areas like I did.


Seatpost:
This is worthy of mention.

The Giant Command Post is now into its third version. It is now an inline seatpost clamp (not setback) which suits this frame length. They also "fixed" the design whereby if you lift the bike up by the saddle or catch your shorts, the saddle isn't going to extend. The return speed is also much quicker and there is hardly any side to side play.

They have finally got it right and if it proves reliable I don't see any reason to change this for another as I have always preferred cable actuated, not hydraulic.


Suspension:
I have always liked Rock Shox gear. They offer detailed service manuals and spare parts to the public, unlike the closed service/parts network of Fox and Cane Creek.

My Monarch Plus since new, made a slight squeaky toy noise upon compression. After some searching it appears many people including owners of the regular Monarch shock have reported this starting from several years back. Apparently due to the damper piston glide ring rubbing on a slight imperfection in the shock body. Reportedly doesn't cause any functional issue and even after RS repair under warranty the noise often comes back soon after. I don't hear it when riding so am going to leave it. So if you have the noise, don't worry too much about it.

This shock takes a lot more air to maintain the same sag. In my case 45-50 psi more than the 160 that I usually run with other shocks, to achieve 30% sag. Giant does not deliver these bikes with any volume reduction rings in the shock.

In the first ride I was blowing through travel quite easily and there was a distinct lack of pop off jumps. After fitting 3 rings (maximum limit is 7), increasing LSR by 1 click (8 clicks from full open), and maintaining the same sag it feels much better and am using just over 90% of travel. Will do some bracketing soon and see if I can speed up LSR a bit more.

Pike is awesome. I held out for the 2016 model as it has an updated damper head seal and wiper seals, both from SKF. It is to address the issue of earlier Charger dampers leaking oil into the lower legs. Time will tell if this has solved the issue otherwise I’ll fit the modified head seal from NS Dynamics.

The Pike when compared to the Fox 34 (with Avalanche custom tuned damper) is a better fork for me. This in no way discredits Avalanche since their damper is amazing. The problem for me is the Fox 34’s coil negative spring meant I had to run much higher than my ideal air pressure in order for the fork to extend to the advertised 160mm travel creating a harsh ride up top. The Pike with air negative spring resolves this and I can run as little pressure as I wish, whilst achieving full fork extension.

Straight up I installed 1 volume reducing token and started at 85psi to achieve 20% sag. Progressively reduced to 75psi and increased LSR speed to achieve about 25% sag. Feels amazing and after hard runs using just over 90% travel. The rapid recovery system really works, even whilst running a slower rebound speed it doesn’t pack up on continuous tree root sections and rock gardens. Currently on rebound 5 clicks from full open and compression full open.

I haven’t once used or felt the need to use the dual position air function even on the steepest climbs. It is a gimmick and wish they’d stop spec’ing these bikes as such.

Haven’t noticed much difference in torsional stiffness of the fork compared to Fox 34 but then I am not a heavy rider either. YMMV.


Handling
This bike rips.

I’m not sure of all the naysayers who complain about this bike’s climbing ability and are probably comparing it to an XC bike. That it is not, but compared to the Trance and probably most other bikes of that class, I have not noticed much, if any reduction in climbing ability. On steep switchback climbs it does require more steering input but traction is good and I haven’t noticed much of the front wheel flop from the custom offset fork crown.

It is very stable when leaned over hard and there is not much that can bounce it off the line you choose. If you want to go fast you really want to be standing though as it does feel slower compared to the Trance when sitting and spinning. It will not keep as much momentum on flat land but it more than makes up for it when you hit the decline. The shorter rear end is noticeable when descending through tight switchback corners. Just load up the front wheel and the back follows you around!

The low bottom bracket is noticeable but you get used to it and start to re-learn where you can and can’t sneak in a few pedal turns. It only took a few mins for the first pedal strike.

Overall (for my type of riding) it is all positives in moving over from the Trance. I doubt I’ll be doing any more 50Km+ epic XC races though!
 
General Setup and First Rides report

There have been a lot of questions out in the wild about how this compares to the Trance SX.

I am in a good position to make a comparison having owned a medium sized Trance.


Fit:
The Reign is definitely longer in reach (19mm in medium size). Coupled with 1 deg slacker seat tube, when seated the difference is longer again (by about 5mm at my saddle height). However, the use of an inline seatpost takes up this difference and more.

The head tube stack height is very low on the medium frame, about 10mm lower than the Trance from memory. With the 1 degree slacker head angle, the more spacers you add the reach reduces more quickly. If this is an issue for you, you may want to run a moderate amount of spacers with higher rise bars maybe 30-35mm.

A 35mm long stem is on order to replace the stock 50mm. With the stack height set the same as the Trance I should be able to replicate the reach almost exactly. As it is now it feels just a bit too stretched out on steep descents.


Frame:
Some may recall the hysteria over last year's Reigns and the "dent" or dimple in the rear triangle brace, to clear the front derailleur.

Well they have changed this and moved the whole brace to the non drive side. In doing that they seem to have created a new problem; all the debris and rocks etc are now flung by the tyre into the seat tube lower swingarm area.

Kudos to Frame Skin, their kits are expensive but good value for money. They thought of everything and every part of the bike which might suffer abrasions is covered. Just fit it in a place with really good lighting to see bubbles/water trapped underneath, or have to re-do a few areas like I did.


Seatpost:
This is worthy of mention.

The Giant Command Post is now into its third version. It is now an inline seatpost clamp (not setback) which suits this frame length. They also "fixed" the design whereby if you lift the bike up by the saddle or catch your shorts, the saddle isn't going to extend. The return speed is also much quicker and there is hardly any side to side play.

They have finally got it right and if it proves reliable I don't see any reason to change this for another as I have always preferred cable actuated, not hydraulic.


Suspension:
I have always liked Rock Shox gear. They offer detailed service manuals and spare parts to the public, unlike the closed service/parts network of Fox and Cane Creek.

My Monarch Plus since new, made a slight squeaky toy noise upon compression. After some searching it appears many people including owners of the regular Monarch shock have reported this starting from several years back. Apparently due to the damper piston glide ring rubbing on a slight imperfection in the shock body. Reportedly doesn't cause any functional issue and even after RS repair under warranty the noise often comes back soon after. I don't hear it when riding so am going to leave it. So if you have the noise, don't worry too much about it.

This shock takes a lot more air to maintain the same sag. In my case 45-50 psi more than the 160 that I usually run with other shocks, to achieve 30% sag. Giant does not deliver these bikes with any volume reduction rings in the shock.

In the first ride I was blowing through travel quite easily and there was a distinct lack of pop off jumps. After fitting 3 rings (maximum limit is 7), increasing LSR by 1 click (8 clicks from full open), and maintaining the same sag it feels much better and am using just over 90% of travel. Will do some bracketing soon and see if I can speed up LSR a bit more.

Pike is awesome. I held out for the 2016 model as it has an updated damper head seal and wiper seals, both from SKF. It is to address the issue of earlier Charger dampers leaking oil into the lower legs. Time will tell if this has solved the issue otherwise I’ll fit the modified head seal from NS Dynamics.

The Pike when compared to the Fox 34 (with Avalanche custom tuned damper) is a better fork for me. This in no way discredits Avalanche since their damper is amazing. The problem for me is the Fox 34’s coil negative spring meant I had to run much higher than my ideal air pressure in order for the fork to extend to the advertised 160mm travel creating a harsh ride up top. The Pike with air negative spring resolves this and I can run as little pressure as I wish, whilst achieving full fork extension.

Straight up I installed 1 volume reducing token and started at 85psi to achieve 20% sag. Progressively reduced to 75psi and increased LSR speed to achieve about 25% sag. Feels amazing and after hard runs using just over 90% travel. The rapid recovery system really works, even whilst running a slower rebound speed it doesn’t pack up on continuous tree root sections and rock gardens. Currently on rebound 5 clicks from full open and compression full open.

I haven’t once used or felt the need to use the dual position air function even on the steepest climbs. It is a gimmick and wish they’d stop spec’ing these bikes as such.

Haven’t noticed much difference in torsional stiffness of the fork compared to Fox 34 but then I am not a heavy rider either. YMMV.


Handling
This bike rips.

I’m not sure of all the naysayers who complain about this bike’s climbing ability and are probably comparing it to an XC bike. That it is not, but compared to the Trance and probably most other bikes of that class, I have not noticed much, if any reduction in climbing ability. On steep switchback climbs it does require more steering input but traction is good and I haven’t noticed much of the front wheel flop from the custom offset fork crown.

It is very stable when leaned over hard and there is not much that can bounce it off the line you choose. If you want to go fast you really want to be standing though as it does feel slower compared to the Trance when sitting and spinning. It will not keep as much momentum on flat land but it more than makes up for it when you hit the decline. The shorter rear end is noticeable when descending through tight switchback corners. Just load up the front wheel and the back follows you around!

The low bottom bracket is noticeable but you get used to it and start to re-learn where you can and can’t sneak in a few pedal turns. It only took a few mins for the first pedal strike.

Overall (for my type of riding) it is all positives in moving over from the Trance. I doubt I’ll be doing any more 50Km+ epic XC races though!
Awesome write up! Can't wait to see what else you do with this rig.
 

mitchy_

Llama calmer
how many hours have you ridden it for?

reason i ask is i was told the Pike on mine would take about 6-10 hours to break in. mine feels good, but with only a couple of hours on the clock it's still not as buttery smooth as the pike on my old bike. once you've got decent mileage under the belt it will just keep getting better!
 

teK--

Eats Squid
how many hours have you ridden it for?

reason i ask is i was told the Pike on mine would take about 6-10 hours to break in. mine feels good, but with only a couple of hours on the clock it's still not as buttery smooth as the pike on my old bike. once you've got decent mileage under the belt it will just keep getting better!
Probably total 3-4 hours moving time. It certainly felt better on the second ride but would partly be due to reducing air pressure. In any case the best is ahead of us!

I'll check again as I may have been imagining but when I was setting the headset pre-load there was a very slight knock which I wasn't sure if it was the brake pads, fork bushings, or fork top out.
 

teK--

Eats Squid
Some more pics and stuff.

IMG_4567.jpg

IMG_4571.jpg

35mm long Easton Havoc. Now the reach is perfect for me :D. Saved 50g in the process.


20151121_082459.jpg

Here is the fix I have used for the bottom cable which can rub on the BB. Wrapped the cable in spiral wrap then built up a few layers of rubber self fusing tape around where it enters the grommet to stop the cable getting pulled back in when suspension tops out. Works well so far no marks on the frameskin I have put on the BB anyway.


20151121_115107.jpg

One of the bigger root gardens at Black Hill, Ballarat. Seriously awesome network of tracks there, steep, technical and obstacle littered with only a short push back up to the top.

This is the bottom section of the Open Cut trail:

[video=youtube;p58Ij4TBbPA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p58Ij4TBbPA&feature=em-upload_owner[/video]
 

teK--

Eats Squid
Some updates;

After a sweet hookup from Al @ Pushies, the crappy remote from the Giant dropper post is now gone. In place is a KS Southpaw after a bit of hacking to anchor the cable at the lever end.

See here: http://www.rotorburn.com/forums/showthread.php?298106-Kind-Shock-dropper-remote-and-spare-parts

Lever feels smooth, is out of the way when bike is placed upside down, and the stupidly long cable is now trimmed.

IMG_4602.jpg


Went up to Mt Buller with the only unfortunate part being it was weekend before official opening of the Epic Trail. Would have been good to ride it again but still managed to get some good runs of Klingsporn and Delatite. On the wide open, fast rocky chunder it just felt awesome; I have not let off the brakes so much on any other bike. Super stable and just fast; shitgrins all around :D

20151128_120057.jpg

2.jpg

PH000012.JPG


Finally have my hands on the new Minion DHF 2.5 Wide Trail. Fitting it was not without its surprises; it is only 1mm wider than the 2.3 wtf??? (30mm internal width rims). The tread does look heaps more rounded profile than both the DHR2 and Shorty on these rims though so at least that is an improvement. In any case this tread will be welcome as the Shortys were becoming too sketchy now the trails are really drying up. Will update after I've give them a good scrub.

20151208_201222.jpg
Shorty 2.3

20151208_203358.jpg
DHF 2.5 WT... thought it should be around 63mm??

20151208_204603.jpg
Nice profile I suppose... proof will be in riding.
 
Top