Reign Advanced 1 2016 or Reign 1.5 LTD 2016

Gaius

Hey,

i have finally registered i have been reading this forum for a couple of years but never really posted something, i always found enough info without asking

So here is the thing i am finally buying my enduro bike and i have nailed down to this two, only this two i am considering based on my very good price, local dealer and support so i am sold here

I am 190cm and I weight 115kg i have already choose the XL size. I can get a 1.5ltd for 3k and adv 1 for 4k

So here is my main question, what would you choose or in other words is the Reign Advanced worth the extra grand?

Giant Reign Advanced 1 2016 or Giant Reign 1.5 LTD

1.5LTD: http://www.giant-bicycles.com/sl-si/...d/24927/90184/
ADV 1: http://www.giant-bicycles.com/sl-si/...1/24928/90182/

Ill try to brake it down in short pros and cons of either.

The way I see it is that the Advanced model have a better rear shock (RL compared to R), better saddle, carbon front triangle, m1700 wheelset, giant dropper with 150mm in my size, the only really negative thing is a dual position pike which i read is not as perfect compared to RC or RCT3.

The 1.5LTD same groupset, RC pike, reverb dropper with 125mm and a wheelset that need to be changed in near future and thats about it.

So i would love to hear your opinions and advices and i know you're tired of this same o same questions about which one i should get but i am pondering this two options for the last two weeks and i am overthinking it so i really need your opinion.

Thank you!

rockmonkeysc

I would go for the cheaper bike and use the change to upgrade the shock and wheels and still have plenty left over.
The dual position Pike would put me off and I would rather the Reverb than the Giant seat post.
I rode a Reign 2 at a demo day and it's really nice. A little bit heavy going on the climbs but brilliant on the descents.

Gaius

Yes i think i might be on this path as well

I can get a nice set of dt swiss wheelset for 300-400,i don't really think the monarch plus on reign 1.5 really need an upgrade its debonair can, piggyback plus, the only thing its missing is lockout.

There is a 200g of weight difference between alu and carbon, maybe 250g in size XL, so this is like nothing. There is a decent saddle for 50-80 and i am all set for 500tops.
I can also buy a better (read: lighter) wheelset for like 400-600 at like 1600-1700g and there it is my carbon frame saving compensated

I woundnt be really buying a advanced option because of a weight, i would do it because i wish to only buy it once for the next few years and don't really want to regret in a year, ohh i should have gone with the carbon option.. this is my only hesitation. Price wise i am sold on grand cheaper alu.

swod1

rockmonkey, what is wrong with the dual position pike fork?

I've been specing up a bike (rose granite chief) and my choice was the dual position pike fork as I thought it would be an advantage when riding up hills to drop the front of the bike down.

Does this alter the damping of the fork by having this dual position.

On the choice of the two bikes I would agree and go for the cheaper bike and save the money as you will bound to change the seat and maybe stem/bars length anyway

Gaius

they say its not that plush and it lacks a small bump sensitivity

rockmonkeysc

The dual position Pike lacks some of the sensitivity of the solo air and it just lacks the quality damping the Pike is known for. If you shop around for Pikes you will find that the dual position models are much more heavily discounted than the solo air model.
Dual position is pointless on modern bikes, they climb perfectly well with the fork at full length.

Gaius

Thanks for replay guys..

I am leaning toward the Advanced i have to admit, and the fact that ADV is available in a month compared to 1.5LTD which will be available in January blurs my decision

If i would try to upgrade the shock to RL or RCT3 i would need additional 100eur and dealing with eBay.
Found a great deal on dt swiss wheels M 1700 for 450eur, but this is a sale price, normal is more of a 500-550eur.
Saddle on 1.5ltd is really shitty so i need to invest additional 50-70eur in start for a decent saddle, the SL one on the advanced was just upgraded and i think it would be ok.
Tires like you mentioned, set of hans dampf from 1.5 costs around 45eur for a pair and on the advanced the set is 85eur.

Not sure about the dropper tho, i think reverb is better choice than giant branded one right? I have never ridden any of those.

rockmonkeysc

Giant own brand wheels are made by DT Swiss and are pretty good to be fair.
I would give the saddle a try, you might find it comfortable.
I wouldn't upgrade to another Monarch, what you save on wheels would get you a much nicer Cane Creek shock.

Hob Nob

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19715608#p19715608]RockmonkeySC[/url] wrote:

Giant own brand wheels are made by DT Swiss and are pretty good to be fair.
I would give the saddle a try, you might find it comfortable.
I wouldn't upgrade to another Monarch, what you save on wheels would get you a much nicer Cane Creek shock.

The lower end Giant wheelsets arn't DT - they are also pretty poor.

I also wouldn't bother with a Cane Creek. The Inline doesn't work on the Reign & the DB Air doesn't fit. If you want a really good shock on there, go for a Float X, if you want one of the best, put a Float X2 on there.

The spec of either of them isn't ideal for you it sounds - i'd lean more towards the carbon because it seems more appropriate - the Giant dropper is meant to be pretty good, and you can buy the solo air cartridge for the Pike to swap it over for not much money. No need to do a wheel upgrade etc.

By the time you have upgraded the aluminium one, you arn't far off the price of the carbon.

rockmonkeysc

The DB Inline works extremely well on the Reign and the DB air does fit, my mate has one on his Reign and there's loads of clearance. The new DB coil CS looks quite appealing.

Hob Nob

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19715694#p19715694]RockmonkeySC[/url] wrote:

The DB Inline works extremely well on the Reign and the DB air does fit, my mate has one on his Reign and there's loads of clearance. The new DB coil CS looks quite appealing.

Well, I went against the advice of TF Tuned and fitted one to mine (they suggested a number of issues) it promptly went bang. The second I tried for a month, and even with all the volume spacers it was a nasty, wallowing mess, that bottomed out far too easily, even with minimal sag. That one also went bang so I got my money back at that point. Response from TF? Told you so. I've seen a number of other reports of people trying it with similar results.

Maybe if your just wobbling around trail centres it would be ok.

The DB air doesn't fit - unless he's ground away the cable guides and part of the left side of the linkage. That's is the same for both the carbon & aluminium frames. The air can fouls against it. A couple of people have made an adapter that moves the position of the shock to fit one.

DB Coil CS also doesn't fit - the eyelet is too small for the shock mount. The lower mount doesn't use a bush, and the bolt is physically too big for the hole. I have seen one fitted to a Reign, but he got the shock eyelet machined out to fit it.

Personally. I don't think the Reign need a climb mode, so if you want a shock that's in keeping with the bikes ideals, I'd go with a Float X2, which is basically a lighter, refined CCDB Air without the annoying traits, or the DHX2 coil & one of the new SLS springs.

rockmonkeysc

My mate has done a season of UKGE and weekends at the local DH trails on his Reign with the CCDB air fitted. It went straight in with nothing fouling, stroke checked with no clashes.
The Float X is OK but doesn't have the same range of adjustment and isn't as good unless you get it PUSH tuned.
I have two Cane Creek shocks, a CCDB coil which has done three seasons of DH racing with only one service after two years and a DB Inline which has done a year of enduro, trail riding, 4x, dirt jumping and Alpine riding without a single problem and is by far the best air shock I have ridden. Nothing other air shock feels more like a coil.
If you rode one which felt wallowey then it needed setting up.

Hob Nob

He must have a very special bike then, as numerous people (including me) have tried it, and it simply doesn't fit. The can needs to move about 2-3mm forward to stop it from contacting the linkage. Of course I'm assuming you're talking about the current model Reign. That said, despite still having the DB Air CS on another bike, I don't actually rate it that highly, due to some of it's annoying little quirks, they may of course be highlighted by the bike it's on however.

The Float X is a good shock, even better with the Evo can, as long as you pick the right tune it doesn't need any custom work done. You need at least a medium compression tune, due to the suspension curve & leverage ratio of the Reign to give it good midstroke support.

The inline is a good shock (if it doesn't blow up, and a lot have, my own experience included) but it's more suited to shorter travel bikes IMO. It's by no means the best air shock though. Both the Vivid Air and Float X2 are in a different league. The X2 might well be the best off the shelf shock on the market (coil or air).

I know how to set up a shock, and the Inline on the Reign simply doesn't work. That's not just me being negative because I've had a bad experience, there are plenty of others who have tried and failed with it too, and most tuners will advise against it on the grounds of it being unsuitable, mainly due to the aforementioned suspension curve & leverage ratio being on the limits of the range of adjustability and its inherent reliability issues on bikes of this type.

If we're silly waving mine has now done a season of enduro racing, including EWS's, DH racing, general riding & uplift days & 3 months in Whistler riding the park and valley trails, racing most weeks including Crankworx, Phat Wednesday's & Worca events. It could do with a service now, but has been one of only a few parts on the bike that has needed nothing.

rockmonkeysc

DB Inlines seem to break on certain frames. They really don't work on Specialized frames, almost guaranteed to kill them. They also don't last well on Banshee or Devinci frames. Mine has been on my Transition and Nukeproof Mega TR and has been the most reliable shock I have had.