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Giant Reign Modifications (Not Reign X)

277K views 729 replies 164 participants last post by  kurtis1984 
#1 · (Edited)
Hello,
The purpose of this thread is to hear of modifications people have made to their giant reign to find out what works and what doesn't.

I am very interested to know about switching the rear shock for something other than the DHX air. I have also heard of guys changing the stroke legnth on the rear shock to gain more travel ie...from 2" stroke and 6" travel to 2.35" stroke 6.75" travel. Anyone tried this?

Here's my mods;
2009 Giant Reign 0
-36 Fox Talas , brings my head tube angle to 66.5 and the BB just over 14". I really like this setup, makes the reign much more capable on gnarly descents but just as versatile for climbs, XC type stuff. It comes with a 1lb weight penalty.
-KS i950r adjustable seat post with 5" travel. For me this was necessary because as you know the interrupted seat tube on a reign did not allow for maximum extension for climbing AND total drop down for downhill. this post is awesome, adjust on the fly and have the seat right where you want it depending on what your riding. it comes with a 1/2lb weight penalty.
-RaceFace Bashgaurd
-Chromag 50mm Ranger Stem for better control downhill and less of a felling like i'm going over the bars
-Chromag Fubars OS 730mm for extra stability, less twitchyness

Post your Mods!!!!!!!!
 

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#358 ·
Gotcha. I'm not a fan of how Giant routes the rear derailleur. My thought is that the more bends or curves a line has to make, the worse its performance will be. Or the quicker it will degrade. Not as much of an issue with hydraulic lines, but still (feel free to ignore my stupid long brake cable :thumbsup:) . I have everything routed and connected to the top tube, and it seems to make for a much cleaner setup.
 
#367 ·
I am buying rear shock for reign 1 2013, want to get monarch plus LV can MM tune i weight about 70kg geared. I know on the old models 57mm stroke shock was an option. So can i mount 57mm on reign 1 2013? Original is 51mm stroke. Please help if someone know, because i must place my order tommorow. Thx
 
#371 ·
I run this shock on my 08 Reign. I got to demo this shock straight from SRAM before I purchased it, this was their recommendation. Upon further investigation, I agreed. I used to run a Pushed Fox RP-23 on it, it was crap. No pedaling platform whatsoever. I can tell a difference in pedaling this bike on the low setting and mid setting, thus my reason for asking why anyone would want a M tune. If you don't pedal chunky, steep, rocky, ugly uphill terrain like I do, then I guess the MM would work. I actually like the mid for descending, too, I ride fairly aggressive. I weigh 155 geared, about the same as you. My fork is a Pushed Rev 150, so far so good.

If you go to the longer stroke, make sure your front der. clears a bottom out. And it will steepen your HTA just a touch as well. Good luck
 
#373 ·
The 2.25 was for the Reign X, a 6.7 in travel bike. The Reign calls for a 2.0 and is 6in travel bike. Longer stroke, more travel. Might work on a L or XL, may or may not work on a M or S. Just saying to check before you buy something that might not work. FWIW, I have a 2.0 on my regular Reign....not Reign X, a different bike. You will LOVE the new shock if you are running the stock Fox junk.
 
#378 ·
Well after a day of research i found out that i just cant find a 200/57mm stroke shock with low volume canister. As soon as i look at 57mm they are all high volume? Is that an issue for a light rider like me (70kg)? I also got a great deal on 200/51mm monarch plus but also is high volume canister. They are all MM tuned. So if i you have any information about my dilemma i would really appreciate it. Ty in advance :)
 
#381 ·
Ty for reply. There is one final question if i may... so i was offered a monarch rt3 2013 hv mm really cheap, the catch is that is tuned for a bike that nas 150mm rear travel, meaning that it has 2,63:1 leverage ratio and reign has 3:1 (and i am going to increase to a 170mm of travel on reign). So do you think i should go for this costum tuned shock or no? This is the last i ask of your help :)
 
#383 ·
I had been running a Monarch Plus RC3 on my 2010 Reign and quite liking it. Picked up a new shock X-Fusion Vector Air HLR to try out, really liked the Vector. A couple of weeks ago I put the Monarch back on and rode some of the same trails I had been riding with the Vector. There is a pretty big difference.

First off I live in Vancouver and ride my Reign on the shore on most of the same trails I would ride my bigger bike.

The Monarch handles most of the trails quite nicely, but does get overwhelmed on really rough trails or on g-out type hits in that you feel the bottom out. I run 30% sag, which feels really nice over everything else. For pedally trails or smoother flow trails 25-27% sag works, but feels too harsh over rough terrain. Overall the shock feels lively and works excellent.

On the smoother trails the Vector is not quite a lively as the Monarch and I tend to add a little more LSC. The rebound adjustment is a little hard to get to so I don't mess with it too much. The rougher trails is where the Vector out performs the Monarch. I still run about 30% sag, but do not bottom out or at least I don't feel them.

As good as the Monarch is, it simply does not provide the amount of external adjustment as the Vector. So for those of you worried about which air can to get on the Monarch, you might want to consider going another direction and getting a shock like the Vector that provide for a wider tuning range and can handle everything you can throw at it and more.
 
#385 ·
Just wanted to share my do-it-all '11 Reign specs/mods...

suspension:

7.875x2.25 fox van RC shock with Ti spring, roller bearing in place of upper DU bushing.

fox 36 van 180 lowered to 155mm (for the slightly more offset and extra bushing overlap than the 160 van)

wheels:

pacenti TL28 rims, front 650b/27.5 with hope hub and neo-moto 2.3 tire, rear 26" w/king hub-Funn bolts and rampage 2.3 tire ...both ghetto tubeless

drivetrain:

X9 9sp shifters, XT dyna-sys 10sp rear derailleur (yes mine works fine w/X9 9sp shifters no spacer), SLX front derailleur, XT 11-32 9sp cassette, raceface turbine 22-32-42 front rings (yep, 42 not 44) XTR/DA 9sp chain.

brakes/everything else

SLX brakes 203fr/160rr

thomson stem/post

flite saddle

answer carbon bar

PD540 pedals

roughly stripped the white paint, and lightly brushed with 000 steel wool...

And finally/most recently, I removed 5mm from the bottom of my head tube to get the steering angle as close to where I want it as it's going to get with the longer fork and bigger 650b front wheel....

over the past two years I have tinkered with nearly every wheel combination on this bike (26/26, 650/26, 650/650, 29/650) and at least three different suspension setups (what it came with, reba 29er fork/monarch rt3 shock, and what it has now) , and I have said this before, it is truly the swiss army knife of bikes..

pics:

Bicycle wheel rim Property Bicycle accessory Spoke Rim


Bicycle accessory Bicycle part Metal Bicycle Steel


**late edit** haha, I need to get out a pick and clean off that leftover paint!!
 
#390 ·
2011 Giant Reign 1 chain guide option

Just recently purchased a 2011 Reign. I'm really liking this bike. Still want to change the fork and rear shock. Good information on this forum. Glad to find it. One of the first things I did was to install a chain guide using a clutch mtb adapter. The Straitline Silent Guide is amazing. I use it on my DH bike as well.
 

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