New bike - on the budget end

Hey guys,

Looking at getting back into riding after a fair while off and am after an all mountain steed - basically the same old story as everyone else, want a bike that can handle some light freeride and DH, but still be able to get back up the hill too. The riding i'll be doing will mostly be bulli/wollongong trails, and around Jindy, maybe thredbo on occasion.

I'm of limited experience when it comes to tech gear on bikes, and i'll be purchasing a lower spec'd model with the intent to upgrade parts when money comes in/or things break. So basically i'm after a good frame platform and decent package, but can improve on the package in the future. So far from some suggestions have narrowed my choices down to the following which are all currently available to me for the following prices:

- 2013 Giant Reign 2 - $2000
- 2011 Norco Range 3 - $2099
- 2012 Rocky Mountain Slayer 30- $2559

The Giant seems to be specc'd slightly better than the other 2, plus has a remote seat post thing which would be handy but is only 150mm travel. Where the Slayer and Range have a bit more travel at around 160mm, but are older models and more expensive. On the budget front, i'd much prefer to be closer to the giant end of the spectrum, but if spending a little more means i'll be better in the long term, then I guess its worth it.

As per usual, each shop I've been into has tried to sell me what they have in stock, which has left me in a bit of confusion. One guy was even trying to sell me a 130mm travel bike claiming it "shreds on downhill". haha.

At the moment i'm leaning towards the giant, but am worried it won't be enough bike, but I guess I can either build it up, or sell in the future and upgrade if I improve / get right into the sport. Anyway any help esp from those experienced with these bikes would be great.

Cheers
 

jumpers

Likes Dirt
Got a reign 2012. Gave up dh , sold glory and got the reign. It handles all my local dh stuff, not as fast etc and dont hit all the same lines but fun never the less. I set mine up with heaps sag etc pedals ok but i dont care how long it takes me to get to top but is fun going down. Mine has 3 rings, only dropped chain couple times - just ride dh in big ring and keep pressure on chain.

Basically i got reign due price , and it ticked all my boxes. But happy as with it, ride just same speed as mates on more expensive bikes. Only upgrade i look at one day is convert 1 front ring (did piss off giant bars and put wider ones)
 
thanks jumpers - that helps.

the 2013 model is 2 x 10 ring, which i guess is a little less cumbersome to a 3 ring front.

Is yours the 1 or 2 model? How do you find the rock shox forks?
 

jumpers

Likes Dirt
thanks jumpers - that helps.

the 2013 model is 2 x 10 ring, which i guess is a little less cumbersome to a 3 ring front.

Is yours the 1 or 2 model? How do you find the rock shox forks?
Mine is the reign 1 - only thing i dont like is red colour. I find the forks to be quite good, i only used rockshox so cant compare with fox. 32 mm stanchions, i aint no pro so couldnt tell difference between 32 and 34 (rode 32's on dh bike years no pobs). Like the dropper seat. I use flat pedals and no dramas pedalling.

In the end it comes down to type riding but most importantly ...how much can i afford???
 
Not sure about the other two but I brought a slayer 50 about 6mths ago and I love it, I haven't found anything it can't do yet: I'm racing a dh this weekend as well as the gravity enduro next weekend and regularly go for a spin on the local xc loop. Climbs like a champ and absolutely shreds anything that looks remotely downhill.

It really comes down to personal preference though, best thing you could do is try get some trail time on them before you lay some cash..
 

outtacontrol

Likes Bikes and Dirt
The Reign is a smaller bike than the Norco and the Rocky. The Norco and Rocky have 36mm 160mm travel forks which make a huge difference in the riding you are targeting. They both will not climb as well as the Reign, but will both be more capable when the going gets fast and gnarly.

You probably need to work to work out what you want from it. The Reign will be a great all round trail bike, but the other 2 will be better if you are looking for something more downhill specific.

I bought a Slayer a couple of years ago and love it. It pedals and climbs very efficiently for a bigger bike. If you have a big enough motor to push 14kgs you will have no trouble climbing. I regularly take it to the local DH and find it deals with everything if you are sensible.
 

evObda2

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Another budget option many have liked is the Avanti Torrent.
Seem reasonable for the money. But if you can find a runout Giant Reign you cant really go wrong there..
 

pharmaboy

Eats Squid
thanks jumpers - that helps.

the 2013 model is 2 x 10 ring, which i guess is a little less cumbersome to a 3 ring front.

Is yours the 1 or 2 model? How do you find the rock shox forks?
First up, I can't think of another completely mainstream bike that you see in those ridiculous vids doing true all mountain craziness, even in a specialized sponsored vid where rider 3 is on a reign , ;)

Second, 1 versus 2. The elixirs on the 2, I guarantee will drive you spare, the slx on the 1 are t he business. If you buy the 2, changing out the rear deraileur for a type 2, will make things so much quieter and save your frame. So even if I was buying a 2, I'd spend $300 before delivery on shimano brakes and a new rear deraileur, get onto wiggle right now :D.

That leaves the difference between the 2 models as rev versus talas with travel adjust, plus ctd fox rear shock. Tbh, rarely does the better model stack up as better value, but in this instance it does. Spend the $2600 on the reign 1, and have more capability, and far less hassle over the long term
 

wengji

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Mate, go the slayer with 36ers up front it will handle the dh trails better. A mate of mine has a slayer 50 2012 and loves it. He has ridden our local dh trails and freeride trails on ot says its great. Pay a little more and get a better bike in the slayer
 

jumpers

Likes Dirt
Sorry pirate forgot mention -mine came with elixirs, never could get them to work consistently. Swapped shimano and all good
 
if the giant's gunna need a few hundred of upgrades straight up... thinking the slayer might be the best way to go! hopefully can stretch the wallet that far.
 

Rider_of_Bikes

Likes Dirt
Even if the Slayer came without cranks and was an adult runner bike it would be 10x the bike the Reign is. The key is in the frame construction and Rockies are made tough as! I guarantee if you were to ride both the Slayer and the Reign through the same rock garden all you would hear with the Slayer is the tyres contacting the rocks while with the Reign it would sound like someone has pushed a filing cabinet down 100 flights of stairs.

Just my .02
 
Slayer all the way

Even if the Slayer came without cranks and was an adult runner bike it would be 10x the bike the Reign is. The key is in the frame construction and Rockies are made tough as! I guarantee if you were to ride both the Slayer and the Reign through the same rock garden all you would hear with the Slayer is the tyres contacting the rocks while with the Reign it would sound like someone has pushed a filing cabinet down 100 flights of stairs.

Just my .02
Yeah, all I can say this is right on! My slayer 50 2012. Loving it, eats everything up with the 36's
 
Thanks for the advice guys. Ended up coming across a hardly used '12 KHS lucky 7 for a very decent price. Sure its no RMS, but looks pretty solid to get me back into riding for a good price and fits the bill of something thats solid on the down but rideable for some ups too.
 

outtacontrol

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Great reply. How does a bucket of puss handle and why the fuck do you know how that is?
Considering Michael Ronning is riding one in the domestic Gravity Enduros and killing it, I would be happy to take his endorsement over MrZ32
 

MrZ32

Likes Dirt
Don't believe me then. .. but had the reign 1 for two months and sold it for a big loss. .. hated the thing.

I have ridden plenty of bikes that handle infinitely better... specialized enduro and stump jumper, SC blur ltc, yeti sb66c, the cannondale jekyll, couple of lappieres. I loved them all but the reign was just a mess.

The front end of the bike just didn't work and was a constant pain to deal with. What cemented it in to me was when I jumped on a scott genius and was so much faster on a bike I had never ridden on my favorite trails (backed up on strava and the best part was that I wasn't fighting the front of the bike). I then sold the reign shortly after.

The good points about it though was that the rear suspension setup is impressive. .. The maestro system climbs well and decends well for an almost 6inch travel bike. Point it in a straight line and its pretty quick but point it near a corner and my bucket of puss analogy still stands.

However if you want to tell yourself that the reign is the best thing ever. .. keep telling yourself that. I know I would be upset (because I was) if I spent my hard earned money on something that didn't ride the way I wanted it to.
 

outtacontrol

Likes Bikes and Dirt
However if you want to tell yourself that the reign is the best thing ever. .. keep telling yourself that.
Didn't say it was the best thing ever, just pointed out that some people who have some skills can ride them very fast. Not all bikes suit all riding styles.

I am pretty sure if it did in fact ride like a bucket of puss, Michael Ronning wouldn't be riding it...
 

MrZ32

Likes Dirt
You would be kidding yourself if you think that bike would be anything like the bike that you can buy off the shelf... That bike would be custom made to his specifications... yes its a giant reign but nothing like the reign you or I could buy.

Just like in moto gp there is a big difference between a satellite team's bike and a factory team's bike... 'same' but very different
 
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