[AM] 2016 Giant Reign Advanced 1

[beejay]

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.

I've got the same "knock" as the fork tops out. after some investigating it seems it could be some slick honey/butter whatever clogging up the pressure equalization dimple between the positive and negative air chambers. Solution is said to be removal of the lowers and the air piston and wiping away any excess in the dimple, then rebuild. Haven't tried this yet but will see if I get time too in the next couple of weeks to see if it solves the problem.

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.

Did the same added 3 bands and set the rebound to 4 clicks from fast and it pops so much better without kicking me over the bars.

Love these bikes BTW couldn't be more stoked with the way it rides up and down.

 

[teK--]

I've got the same "knock" as the fork tops out. after some investigating it seems it could be some slick honey/butter whatever clogging up the pressure equalization dimple between the positive and negative air chambers. Solution is said to be removal of the lowers and the air piston and wiping away any excess in the dimple, then rebuild. Haven't tried this yet but will see if I get time too in the next couple of weeks to see if it solves the problem.



Did the same added 3 bands and set the rebound to 4 clicks from fast and it pops so much better without kicking me over the bars.

Love these bikes BTW couldn't be more stoked with the way it rides up and down.

Thanks for the tip re Pikes. What i also read was you can sometimes clear the equalisation port by pumping fork up to near max pressure, then compress the forks quickly a few times, which makes the air force any excess grease out of the port. Saves having to dismantle the airspring.


Update re Minion DHF 2.5 WT...

Have taken out for a couple of rides now and this tyre is just awesome, on everything from loose over hard, hardpack, tree roots, boulders. Can lean over very far until it lets go (about the same as a Magic Mary), and even when it starts sliding you still have a decent chance to save it. The possible lean angle on the DHR2 2.3 is now less than the front tyre, so a couple of times I have found the back would start sliding before the front whereas the Shorty was kind of sketchy when the front would just fold over.

After initial fitment the tyre stretched another 1mm wider and after riding it has stretched another 1mm. So in all about 3mm wider than the 2.3 Shorty it replaced. Haven't noticed the extra 80g of weight. It's well worth the extra grip even if I did.

Quick pic from yesterday's ride; taking a break in searing 39deg heat after doing a run down Aneurysm at Lystie...

 

[beejay]

Thanks for the tip re Pikes. What i also read was you can sometimes clear the equalisation port by pumping fork up to near max pressure, then compress the forks quickly a few times, which makes the air force any excess grease out of the port. Saves having to dismantle the air spring.

Yeh I tried the air pressure trick but it didn't work for me.
So I serviced the fork, dropped the lowers, removed the air spring and there was a shit load of suspension grease on the air spring. Cleaned it off, applied a new coating of grease and cleared the equalization dimple. Put it back together with some nice fresh oil and voila!! No top out "click" and as smooth and slick as baby oil on a slip and slide :first:

Well worth doing IMHO.

 

[mitchy_]

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but I was under the impression than the DPA pikes don't have the same negative air pressure dimple that the solo air forks do.

 

[beejay]

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but I was under the impression than the DPA pikes don't have the same negative air pressure dimple that the solo air forks do.

I believe you're right mitchy. Forgot they were DPA on teK's rig.

 

[teK--]

Thanks for the clarification guys. I guess instead of a blocked transfer port in the stanchion I need to keep an eye on the one in the air shaft hehe.

Latest update is after 200kms and 12 hours riding i did first service on Pikes. 2016 oil spec is 10ml oil in each lower so that is what I used. The latest manual Rev D states this new oil amount is applicable to 2014-on forks.

I have always been of the view that the old spec 5/15ml seemed quite low.

Didn't have any Pike 0-30W oil but several bottles of many other types out there. Reports from others say Fox 20wt gold works better and no one has died yet!

Also found a fair bit of oil came out of the damper side leg so it is definitely not running the old oil volume spec.

With the Fox Gold the fork is super super smooth even more so than from new. Maybe also due to fork being run in.

The new design of the foot nut is a pain in the ass, where the crush washer sits inside a groove of the nut and once compression fit is stuck quite well. Suggest spraying with some aerosol to dislodge the oil then it can be pried up with a pick:



Note that my damper footnut still had "(!) Max 5cc" etched on it, which would be from when the oil spec used to be 5Ml. Disregard this they obviously haven't updated the production of these.

 

[beejay]

Thanks for the clarification guys. I guess instead of a blocked transfer port in the stanchion I need to keep an eye on the one in the air shaft hehe.

Latest update is after 200kms and 12 hours riding i did first service on Pikes. 2016 oil spec is 10ml oil in each lower so that is what I used. The latest manual Rev D states this new oil amount is applicable to 2014-on forks.

I have always been of the view that the old spec 5/15ml seemed quite low.

Didn't have any Pike 0-30W oil but several bottles of many other types out there. Reports from others say Fox 20wt gold works better and no one has died yet!

Also found a fair bit of oil came out of the damper side leg so it is definitely not running the old oil volume spec.

With the Fox Gold the fork is super super smooth even more so than from new. Maybe also due to fork being run in.

My solo airs (2014) had the 5ml/15ml old spec but wasn't sure if I needed the new updated seal head on the air shaft to use the new oil spec?? can't seem to find any clear info online about it.

 

[teK--]

My solo airs (2014) had the 5ml/15ml old spec but wasn't sure if I needed the new updated seal head on the air shaft to use the new oil spec?? can't seem to find any clear info online about it.

Rockshox haven't given any clear reason on the change and only say it's applicable to 2014 on.

I know for 2016 they change the damper seal head. Also at some time the air spring seal head was also changed I cannot recall if it was 2015 or 2016.

So there are two possibilities:

1) Either or both of the above parts have no relevance to the oil volume.

2) Rockshox assume that by now, the 2014 and 2015 would have had the above part(s) replaced under warranty or due to wear and tear.

I only suppose you could try 10/10 and if you are motivated, fit the new parts at the same time while you're at it. They are part of the latest service seal kits and should bring more consistent performance than the old parts.

 

[poiter]

Awesome review mate. Have been looking for about 6 months at 6 inch travel bikes. Time to finally move off the big bike and broaden horizons to more trail oriented riding once again. I must admit to looking at the Reign over the last few months, but after reading your review, and run down of the (obviously Big Bang for the buck) spec list, I reckon I'm all bar sold on my next bike. As they always do, the World's largest bike company has come up trumps in their quantity of scale ability to spec out their rigs with an enviable parts list for the coin. And.....undeniably the design of the 2016 range, specifically the Reign, is pretty fucken on the button aesthetically.

One question though.....not having actually been down to the local dealer yet to scope these things out in the flesh.....I noticed from your snap shots that the DebonAir is the RC3 model, whereas Giant Aus say that this model comes with the DebonAir RT. You gat a fancy shop upgrade, or is Giant info on the local web site incorrect? Fork as supplied is the specked Pike RC yeah?

 

[teK--]

Awesome review mate. Have been looking for about 6 months at 6 inch travel bikes. Time to finally move off the big bike and broaden horizons to more trail oriented riding once again. I must admit to looking at the Reign over the last few months, but after reading your review, and run down of the (obviously Big Bang for the buck) spec list, I reckon I'm all bar sold on my next bike. As they always do, the World's largest bike company has come up trumps in their quantity of scale ability to spec out their rigs with an enviable parts list for the coin. And.....undeniably the design of the 2016 range, specifically the Reign, is pretty fucken on the button aesthetically.

One question though.....not having actually been down to the local dealer yet to scope these things out in the flesh.....I noticed from your snap shots that the DebonAir is the RC3 model, whereas Giant Aus say that this model comes with the DebonAir RT. You gat a fancy shop upgrade, or is Giant info on the local web site incorrect? Fork as supplied is the specked Pike RC yeah?

Hi mate,

If you want a trail bike that closely resembles your DH bike, then the Reign should make the shortlist. Also the Trek Slash and Specie Enduro should be considered but you pay more for a similar spec.

I think the Giant site might be incorrect as the RC3 came as standard. If you zoom in their stock pics you can just see the RC3 decal.

The forks came standard as the dual position RC.

 

[poiter]

Yeah, I have looked at what seems like an absolute mind numbing collection of prospective 6" travel options. To be honest, I had the new Rune at pretty much the top of the list. Primarily based on rider reviews being overwhelmingly positive, to say the least. I missed out on a couple second hand ones in the for sale section here, although a good one for the right price in Medium was like waiting for the second coming. At the end of the day, the SB66/6C was probably nest highest on the list. I really like the frame lines, and, as you pointed out in a reply earlier up, the Reign in the turquoise/green colour way is arguably the poor man's Yeti.

What I was wondering......and from reading a few of your other posts elsewhere on RB (teK by name, Tech by nature), was what your view was on the implications of the press fit BB vs an external bearing BB? Have you noticed any creaking/noise on your rig from the BB at all since purchase? I reckon you've notched up enough k's by now. I suppose I was just after your opinion on possible maintenance issue, and on the ability to upgrade cranks down the track with the supplied press fit setup. Although with the multitude of crank options out there, this probably isn't really an issue.

 

[teK--]

Yeah, I have looked at what seems like an absolute mind numbing collection of prospective 6" travel options. To be honest, I had the new Rune at pretty much the top of the list. Primarily based on rider reviews being overwhelmingly positive, to say the least. I missed out on a couple second hand ones in the for sale section here, although a good one for the right price in Medium was like waiting for the second coming. At the end of the day, the SB66/6C was probably nest highest on the list. I really like the frame lines, and, as you pointed out in a reply earlier up, the Reign in the turquoise/green colour way is arguably the poor man's Yeti.

What I was wondering......and from reading a few of your other posts elsewhere on RB (teK by name, Tech by nature), was what your view was on the implications of the press fit BB vs an external bearing BB? Have you noticed any creaking/noise on your rig from the BB at all since purchase? I reckon you've notched up enough k's by now. I suppose I was just after your opinion on possible maintenance issue, and on the ability to upgrade cranks down the track with the supplied press fit setup. Although with the multitude of crank options out there, this probably isn't really an issue.

I also looked at the Rune. Didn't see any second hand that I liked, am not a fan of the 2016 colours, and when I tallied up the cost of a build (sans wheels and other small parts I already had), the cost was well over the price I paid for the Reign.

Haven't had any noise, wear, or reliability issue with PF BBs; that is having owned 5 bikes of which 3 were carbon and 2 alloy and all with PF. Even with Giant's oversized BB shells they also supply bikes with sram cranks, so at a minimum you could go with any Shimano or SRAM crank which is a big choice.

A couple of times a year I'll remove the cranks and clean inside the BB; regrease etc. Kept the hose away from that area and even after 2 years on each bike haven't had to replace the bearings. A key part of it is also not to overtorque the pretension cap it only requires about 2Nm.

 

[poiter]

Well, I reckon that's enough of an endorsement on PF for me. I reckon when I get some time in the next couple of days, might drop in to FTR and see what deals I can talk Timmy into re the Reign. Cheers man.

 

[Ultra Lord]

Get him to throw in some of those monarch rubber bands. Best thing I did to my reign.

 

[teK--]

Hit up the Mt Buller Epic again during the holidays.

Last time we rode it, we went the official route which is to split off Stonefly just before you reach the Bluff Spur Hut, and basically waste a shitload of elevation down a boring steep fireroad to end up at TBJ.

This time we rode the whole Stonefly loop, then at Howqua gap took Circuit Road which is a cruisy undulating smooth fireroad climb back to TBJ. The climb from TBJ to the Epic descent was a little tougher than the Trance, but I suppose a sustained 9km long climb will do that. It is the only time so far that I have dropped the fork to 130mm travel, and it helped noticeably.

With our extended version of the Epic it hit just bang on 50Kms. Will definitely be going this way again next time!

One of our mates loves climbing trees so he shot these beauties:

 

[slider_phil]

Epic has been one of my favourite rides. I was the same after the trail turned off from Stonefly, I was so bummed after I descended all that way and didn't get to do the stonefly descent. The next day we where taking to the guys from Blue Dirt Shuttles and they mentioned the route you took. Will definitely be doing that when we hit it again in a couple of months.

 

[teK--]

Epic has been one of my favourite rides. I was the same after the trail turned off from Stonefly, I was so bummed after I descended all that way and didn't get to do the stonefly descent. The next day we where taking to the guys from Blue Dirt Shuttles and they mentioned the route you took. Will definitely be doing that when we hit it again in a couple of months.

We thought about why the official Epic trail doesn't include the full Stonefly loop. Here is a possible reason why; IMBA's criteria for a trail to meet the "Epic" category is follows

The Epics designation denotes a true backcountry riding experience—one that is technically and physically challenging, more than 80 percent singletrack and at least 20 miles in length.

The official Epic trail is shown as 40Kms. Including full Stonefly loop is 50Kms. The Stonefly descent is 4Kms.

This means the extended version we rode, adds 6Kms of fire road to the official route. It may very well be that this means there would be more than 10Km/20% of the course consisting of non-singletrack hence it loses its Epic rating.

 

[beejay]

Rockshox haven't given any clear reason on the change and only say it's applicable to 2014 on.

I know for 2016 they change the damper seal head. Also at some time the air spring seal head was also changed I cannot recall if it was 2015 or 2016.

So there are two possibilities:

1) Either or both of the above parts have no relevance to the oil volume.

2) Rockshox assume that by now, the 2014 and 2015 would have had the above part(s) replaced under warranty or due to wear and tear.

I only suppose you could try 10/10 and if you are motivated, fit the new parts at the same time while you're at it. They are part of the latest service seal kits and should bring more consistent performance than the old parts.

So I went ahead and purchased the full service kit. It has the updated air and rebound seal heads and it seems that is associated to the new oil volume specs as the bottom bolt now has the 10cc MAX on it instead of 5cc.

 

[teK--]

So I went ahead and purchased the full service kit. It has the updated air and rebound seal heads and it seems that is associated to the new oil volume specs as the bottom bolt now has the 10cc MAX on it instead of 5cc.

View attachment 323803

Thanks for sharing. Good to see they finally updated that footnut. Mine has 2016 seals but still the old nut that says 5cc max so they were probably getting rid of all the old stock.

Where did you buy your kit from and did it come with the new SKF wiper seals? I haven't been able to track one down that doesn't have the old wipers.

 

[beejay]

Where did you buy your kit from and did it come with the new SKF wiper seals? I haven't been able to track one down that doesn't have the old wipers.

Purchased through the LBS so Monza imports.
Looks like they are the standard RS wiper seals not the SKF, but it is the upgrade kit for solo air pikes.