Looks like Giant hit another home run. I bought the Trance29 last year and I can’t wait to try the Reign. Looks like my next bike. It always amazes me when people have to begrudgingly give Giant props. I think the bike is sexy as hell, no over the top styling cues. Just simple clean lines. Whoop whoop. Go Giant give them boutique brands hell.
I reviewed this bike about a mo th ago. It is my favorite 29er. It's a decent climber, but was just amazing on the descent. Definitely go with the model 1 for 5k. Great review.
I have a 2018 Anthem 27.5” and it’s a great bike, performs beyond its travel here in Colorado. Recently I have been on the fatbike kick with my Surly Ice Cream Truck. Gonna get it on the trails ASAP once the weather breaks. This Reign looks like a beast!
If Giant wants to fight the budget brand persona, a classic and effective strategy is to create a sub-brand, much like S did with S-works, or Toyota did with Lexus. The Innovators Dilemma goes deeper into why this is necessary. Personally speaking, paying $9k for a Giant has as much appeal as $90k for a Honda when I could buy a Lexus for the same change.
Reign SX 29 is a way more interesting proposition. It's aluminum sure but that $4k gets you Fox Factory parts without the Kashima. Codes are fine. NX sucks but just swap it out after you trash it.
What about the Reign SX 29? $4K w/Fox DHX2 coil and Fox 36 Performance Elite Grip2. More affordable, party suspension, but NX build makes repairs less painful.
So happy to see this in the Bible. I can't wait for my Adv Pro 1 to get here (that $5K+ build...). Feel like I made the right call for sure. The Pro 1 build saves you $4K and leaves room for upgrades (in my case, longer dropper, Code RSC levers, carbon Bar)...
Every Pro 1 i've seen (including mine) ships with RSCs from the factory. Not sure if this is due to a shortage of Rs or if it's because of an error on Giant's site. If you look at photos on instagram (search hashtag #reign29) you'll find that all of the Pro1s where the brakes are visible have RSCs.
@@sovinsihota wait, what? That is awesome! RSC'S instead of just R's. Sweet!! Mine hasn't come in yet so I was just going off the build info my shop gave me from Giant. Thanks!!
Reviewers of Giant bikes often get the build with the TRX0 wheels. They can only be described as too harsh for trail riding. Can’t see anyone sticking with them or at least changing out the front wheel, which is what I’ve done on my Trance.
I totally agree. Found it to be an amazing wheelset on even slacker geo than Reign. Actually, totally gave up on them. Then, installed on 2020 Stumpjumper EVO Carbon S3. That seems to be the TRX0's true element. Simply phenominal on 1250mm wheelbase, w/ 2.6 tires, and 64-degree HTA. * The EVO frame is even lighter than Reign Advanced and/or Trance X Advanced. The lightweight carbon TRX0 wheels absolutely shine at keeping the slack angles "trail tight!" Helps create a "Superbike" trail designation, in my opinion. Truly wonder if the larger Specialized carbon tubes and smaller bearing FSR Horst link design isn't as tight as Maestro? Making these incredibly stout wheels provide much-needed feedback. *
@@TheNationalTrails really interesting to hear that. I guess the slacker angle reduces the influence of the wheel on the vertical compliance but, as you say, allows more direct steering because of the rigidity.
I'm 183cm, the large is a perfect fit, I can stand over the top tube with both feet on the ground. I find it's a better fit than the Reign 27.5 which feels short.
I learned one major thing riding and that's at the end of the day it's not the bike but the person riding the bike. So befor you think about dropping $9.000 on this bike just know that it will not make you a better rider. And the guy almost eat shit in the beginning of the video on this $9.000 bike. 😂🤣😂🤣
Noel L yes but also no. You should try the sizes out. I myself prefer a longer bike for the stable feel because I love going fast in a straight line, and not everyone might like that. It’s personal preference.
Especially in the case of the Reign 29, definitely stick with the medium. There's a big jump between medium and large, but that medium is spot-on for a modern long-travel 29er. Its reach will be longer than your Trance, but only by 20 millimeters. Embrace it!
Great video. I’m late to the party here but I’m currently considering buying a Reign. Can anyone advise on size? According to Giants size guide, at 169.5cm tall, I am between sizes small and medium. Would it be better to go on the small or larger side? Thanks
Testning 29' dayly, nit One its broke and more Than drone Maybe the first giant in Denmark One suspension, One vand Some One Donate a full 29' full suspension xtra tire, extra host, Br Matrix on the move.
Nice looking bike but poor quality control or poor transport.Rear wheel has major issues right out of the box. th-cam.com/users/postUgkxHL1v1R3NE5x4KiYfyt8dnQmyNYz7qi5L Rear axle is bent! Derailleur is misaligned.Since the rear wheel comes assembled I would have expected better.Assembly instructions poorly written, but that was not unexpected...just annoying.I just had the bike checked at a shop and was told that I should contact the seller about getting a whole rear wheel assembly with cartridge. (The bike shop could not do anything to help me).Not a good experience with this bike, so lesson learned.Added 3 stars for excellent customer serviceUpdate Sept 8 2020Just received a complete replacement wheel for free. Great service and an otherwise fine bike.
I'll never buy a Giant Bike again. Terrible warranty service, and they have a lot of stress fracture issues in their XL Carbon frames. Took me nearly 9 months to get a frame replacement, which I immediately sold. Now that they are setting price points like this, they are going to experience a much stiffer competition.
Looks like I'll need to start saving up for this awesome bike. I have a Pivot Mach 5.5, which is an excellent bike, but this would be a nice addition. The guy in the middle needs to do something with his hair because he looks like a woman in need of a hairdresser.
How this bike breaks down is a bike specifically tailored for the Giant fanatics. @9K this is just a mess that is made for middle of the road enduro gnarl/drops and the upper end trail enthusiast. I doubt the EWS will be hosting any champions on this rig. Too much up front for days in the saddle, not enough in the back for big park days. Back to the drawing board Giant! Jeesh... keep the carbon rims (no longer a selling point) and sell it for 6K while keeping the other components as well. Too much markup for this douche brand without the gain in kinematics. Long reach over shortened rear travel doesn’t make the bike more progressive, merely isolated to mid-range transitions. Maybe a professional rider can run this in heavy tech sections, but damn if it’s not forgiving I’d bet.
MTB DUD, the 5K variant is a significant drop in the components. If you decided to go for a 5K bike with all of the bells and whistles you can go that way without missing out. My case in point is a bike like the Rose, Pikes Peak. A significantly better bike with all of high end components and much tighter overall geometry. Yes it’s only available in 27.5 at the moment, but you get my drift I’m sure. To say go ride it and then complain is not worth the time. Multiple articles and similar characterizations of this bike have been examined and expressed thereof. So my complaint isn’t that the bike can’t gitter done, moreover that they’re pushing the cost where it doesn’t need to be only because Giant covers every consumer stream available. In a sense it’s self defeating, the only folks really wanting this thing are professionals given the bikes, or significantly reduced cast agreements, or a hard-core old Giant enthusiast guy that has money. I hope my point isn’t misplaced, thanks.
Looks like Giant hit another home run. I bought the Trance29 last year and I can’t wait to try the Reign. Looks like my next bike. It always amazes me when people have to begrudgingly give Giant props.
I think the bike is sexy as hell, no over the top styling cues. Just simple clean lines.
Whoop whoop. Go Giant give them boutique brands hell.
Bo Rogers I have the reign 29er and it is the perfect bike
I reviewed this bike about a mo th ago. It is my favorite 29er. It's a decent climber, but was just amazing on the descent. Definitely go with the model 1 for 5k. Great review.
UOS Urban Outdoorsman SoCal Nice looking channel! Getting the ball rolling on mine as well!
I have a 2018 Anthem 27.5” and it’s a great bike, performs beyond its travel here in Colorado. Recently I have been on the fatbike kick with my Surly Ice Cream Truck. Gonna get it on the trails ASAP once the weather breaks. This Reign looks like a beast!
If Giant wants to fight the budget brand persona, a classic and effective strategy is to create a sub-brand, much like S did with S-works, or Toyota did with Lexus. The Innovators Dilemma goes deeper into why this is necessary. Personally speaking, paying $9k for a Giant has as much appeal as $90k for a Honda when I could buy a Lexus for the same change.
Justin Bohner...really good point. Maybe they call their premium brand or premium products something like Hero MTB.
@@acfella100 "Prodigi Cycles" Its short for Prodigious but they don't have to tell anyone that.
If i'm spending 9k on a bike its going to have a throttle!
Reign SX 29 is a way more interesting proposition. It's aluminum sure but that $4k gets you Fox Factory parts without the Kashima. Codes are fine. NX sucks but just swap it out after you trash it.
What about the Reign SX 29? $4K w/Fox DHX2 coil and Fox 36 Performance Elite Grip2. More affordable, party suspension, but NX build makes repairs less painful.
What height are palmer and the other testers so we can use the sizing information? And who climbs out of the saddle on normal single track?
No idea Geddy Lee was into mtb!
No one here looks like Geddy Lee
guitareater69 Travis Engel man, could be Geddy’s brother.
Trance in the back and Glory in the front. It's like the mullet of bikes.
Whaat? A giant MTB that doesn’t look ugly. Hell yeah!
I feel like this is a perfect bike, I just don't get the sizing
So happy to see this in the Bible. I can't wait for my Adv Pro 1 to get here (that $5K+ build...). Feel like I made the right call for sure. The Pro 1 build saves you $4K and leaves room for upgrades (in my case, longer dropper, Code RSC levers, carbon Bar)...
Every Pro 1 i've seen (including mine) ships with RSCs from the factory. Not sure if this is due to a shortage of Rs or if it's because of an error on Giant's site. If you look at photos on instagram (search hashtag #reign29) you'll find that all of the Pro1s where the brakes are visible have RSCs.
@@sovinsihota wait, what? That is awesome! RSC'S instead of just R's. Sweet!! Mine hasn't come in yet so I was just going off the build info my shop gave me from Giant. Thanks!!
@@sovinsihota I have one here with sram code R... worst brakes ever.
How does the 2020 Reign 29er compare to the 2020 Sight 29er?
I can't get over the music with the Meow cat sound every 20 or so seconds the whole video.
No kidding it's driving my cat bananas
I legit looked through the house thinking one of my kittens was trapped somewhere until I realized it was the stupid background music.
Awesome review fellas
Reviewers of Giant bikes often get the build with the TRX0 wheels. They can only be described as too harsh for trail riding. Can’t see anyone sticking with them or at least changing out the front wheel, which is what I’ve done on my Trance.
I totally agree. Found it to be an amazing wheelset on even slacker geo than Reign. Actually, totally gave up on them. Then, installed on 2020 Stumpjumper EVO Carbon S3. That seems to be the TRX0's true element. Simply phenominal on 1250mm wheelbase, w/ 2.6 tires, and 64-degree HTA.
* The EVO frame is even lighter than Reign Advanced and/or Trance X Advanced. The lightweight carbon TRX0 wheels absolutely shine at keeping the slack angles "trail tight!" Helps create a "Superbike" trail designation, in my opinion. Truly wonder if the larger Specialized carbon tubes and smaller bearing FSR Horst link design isn't as tight as Maestro? Making these incredibly stout wheels provide much-needed feedback. *
@@TheNationalTrails really interesting to hear that. I guess the slacker angle reduces the influence of the wheel on the vertical compliance but, as you say, allows more direct steering because of the rigidity.
im handicap on my Giant 29ér one suspension- i like to ride that 29ér full suspension nam nam :)
You think the bike in L is too large for me (6 foot 1 resp. 1.86m) normal leg/torso proportions)?
Awesome test by the way!
I'm 183cm, the large is a perfect fit, I can stand over the top tube with both feet on the ground. I find it's a better fit than the Reign 27.5 which feels short.
Nice and easy setup
I am 180cm with 83cm SL.. would be large size ok? I am in love with this bike and could get a large.
Been always between M and L... ;/
I have no idea what they were talking about because I kept thinking hairstylist, barber, anyone in the budget to help?!
I learned one major thing riding and that's at the end of the day it's not the bike but the person riding the bike. So befor you think about dropping $9.000 on this bike just know that it will not make you a better rider. And the guy almost eat shit in the beginning of the video on this $9.000 bike. 😂🤣😂🤣
For it being a longer bike, should one go a size smaller? I ride a medium Trance 2019 27.5, should I go for a small Reign 29?
Noel L yes but also no. You should try the sizes out. I myself prefer a longer bike for the stable feel because I love going fast in a straight line, and not everyone might like that. It’s personal preference.
No. If you ride a medium stay on the medium otherwise your seated position will feel cramped.
Especially in the case of the Reign 29, definitely stick with the medium. There's a big jump between medium and large, but that medium is spot-on for a modern long-travel 29er. Its reach will be longer than your Trance, but only by 20 millimeters. Embrace it!
Great video. I’m late to the party here but I’m currently considering buying a Reign. Can anyone advise on size? According to Giants size guide, at 169.5cm tall, I am between sizes small and medium. Would it be better to go on the small or larger side? Thanks
I live on a different planet, apparently. There are no $9000 bikes in my world. I do have a cheap used Trance that works excellently.
You can’t go wrong with a Trance !!
Njg
Bring back the Pivot FB 29er for another review.
You do get carbon rims on the 2nd from highest
No, the stock TR-1 wheels are alloy. It is the Trance Advanced pro 29 1 that comes with the TRX-1 carbon wheels.
What’s this 4K bike they speak of that had the fox components on it?
YT?
Testning 29' dayly, nit One its broke and more Than drone Maybe the first giant in Denmark One suspension, One vand Some One Donate a full 29' full suspension xtra tire, extra host, Br Matrix on the move.
Sound is soooo bad in this video. Get a new sound guy.
Nice looking bike but poor quality control or poor transport.Rear wheel has major issues right out of the box. th-cam.com/users/postUgkxHL1v1R3NE5x4KiYfyt8dnQmyNYz7qi5L Rear axle is bent! Derailleur is misaligned.Since the rear wheel comes assembled I would have expected better.Assembly instructions poorly written, but that was not unexpected...just annoying.I just had the bike checked at a shop and was told that I should contact the seller about getting a whole rear wheel assembly with cartridge. (The bike shop could not do anything to help me).Not a good experience with this bike, so lesson learned.Added 3 stars for excellent customer serviceUpdate Sept 8 2020Just received a complete replacement wheel for free. Great service and an otherwise fine bike.
I'll never buy a Giant Bike again. Terrible warranty service, and they have a lot of stress fracture issues in their XL Carbon frames. Took me nearly 9 months to get a frame replacement, which I immediately sold. Now that they are setting price points like this, they are going to experience a much stiffer competition.
did anyone else hear the cat meow in the background music
They just need better paint schemes. That’s all.
Off topic...time for a hair cut please!!!
The guy on the right is like....
you know, like....
..... he could do with an e-bike
Put your hair back in a bun dude!
This guy just can't win in the comments with his hair 😆
"A Giant leap"...I see what you did there xD. $9K for this? WTF!!??
Wait...what?
carbon wheels are a lot of money .
Press fit bb. No thanks
Personally I have never had a problem with pf bb. A lot of people seem to hate it though
I’ve got a Trance 27.5. The SLX PF BB wore quickly, swapped to an XTR BB and it’s been totally solid.
Looks like I'll need to start saving up for this awesome bike. I have a Pivot Mach 5.5, which is an excellent bike, but this would be a nice addition. The guy in the middle needs to do something with his hair because he looks like a woman in need of a hairdresser.
How this bike breaks down is a bike specifically tailored for the Giant fanatics. @9K this is just a mess that is made for middle of the road enduro gnarl/drops and the upper end trail enthusiast. I doubt the EWS will be hosting any champions on this rig. Too much up front for days in the saddle, not enough in the back for big park days. Back to the drawing board Giant! Jeesh... keep the carbon rims (no longer a selling point) and sell it for 6K while keeping the other components as well. Too much markup for this douche brand without the gain in kinematics. Long reach over shortened rear travel doesn’t make the bike more progressive, merely isolated to mid-range transitions. Maybe a professional rider can run this in heavy tech sections, but damn if it’s not forgiving I’d bet.
Maybe you should try the bike before complaining about it? Plus there is a 5000 build.
MTB DUD, the 5K variant is a significant drop in the components. If you decided to go for a 5K bike with all of the bells and whistles you can go that way without missing out. My case in point is a bike like the Rose, Pikes Peak. A significantly better bike with all of high end components and much tighter overall geometry. Yes it’s only available in 27.5 at the moment, but you get my drift I’m sure. To say go ride it and then complain is not worth the time. Multiple articles and similar characterizations of this bike have been examined and expressed thereof. So my complaint isn’t that the bike can’t gitter done, moreover that they’re pushing the cost where it doesn’t need to be only because Giant covers every consumer stream available. In a sense it’s self defeating, the only folks really wanting this thing are professionals given the bikes, or significantly reduced cast agreements, or a hard-core old Giant enthusiast guy that has money. I hope my point isn’t misplaced, thanks.
9000 dollar bike. Lol. Lol. No one is so stupid to spend that on a bycicle. Nice plug tho.
No one? Read the comments.
First
Who cares about 29ers.
Fast riders