Giant Reign 1 *UK* 2006/7 Reviewage

[Hezza]

Some of you may have already seen these pics in my other thread...

Well, me and my new companion went out for our first run yesterday and what can i say. Whao

XC Use
Coming from a hardtail XC bike i was somewhat concerned about the pedalling efficiency of a 6" AM bike, but i have to say its excellent. With the pro-pedal turned on the RP3 it really does pedal almost like a hardtail, pedal bob is almost non-existant and it climbs like a goat! The tires don't roll as well, but that was to be expected - they do, however, stick like sh*t...
It hardly weighs more than my hardtail (albeit a mid-range hardtail), so in terms of an XC bike i am super chuffed

FR/DH Use
Here is where i would have expected the biggest difference, and i am pleased to say i have not been dissapointed! Bumping down the trails and Dual-Slalom course before was like being inside a tumble-dryer. Now the bike gives me a nice magic carpet to hover over all the roots and bumps on the way down, i get to the bottom with a big smile on my face ...although i am concerned it may give me too much confidence
I did a couple of small jumps i had never attempted before, and it was like landing on a bed of pillows Brakes are awesome, saddle is perfect, shifters are super fast and smooth - do you get the picture?

So, speed up the hill with the Pro-Pedal on....then flick the switch and bomb down the other side.

Downsides....nothing major really:
-The fact it took me 2 months to find one
-The rubbish colour selection across the Reign range
-Paint job looks a bit suspect

In terms of riding though...can't fault it!

A couple pictures for your viewing pleasure:









Cheers,

[Pitto]

-Paint job looks a bit suspect

Yeah, your right, you'd better part it out and sell me those sweet 36's cheap.

Mate, you've got a sweet rig there. F^&k the colour, its the ride that counts. besides if your riding it right, it should be covered in mud and dust by the end of your ride anyway.

I love my Reign, Like you said, it gives you a false sense of ability, making you push your riding to a whole new level, untill you come unstuck.

Look forward to seeing some action shots.

G

[All Mountain]

That is one nice Reign.
I like the paint job and colour, and it looks mean .
Thanks for the post mate.

[atsunD]

that's a nice bike - but the gold and black is a bit weird

[[bEn]]

That is one sick as bike. The paintjob is different, but i love it! Very very nice bike!

[All Mountain]

That is one sick as bike. The paintjob is different, but i love it! Very very nice bike!

Yeah bEn, I like the paint job and it is different... it's refreshing after years of girly stripe patterns Giant has been putting on their bikes. I'm even riding one of the girly bikes myself and it needs a re-spray!

[Haggis]

Congrats & cheers for the pics, interesting to see the diff spec's for the R1 around the world. The Dual Duty's are a nice change from Poxmax. I like the paint job - got a UK mud theme going... Pity it didn't come with the shock guard.

[Steve71]

That IMHO is one very nice looking Reign. The big fat 36mm stanctions look right at home with the Reign’s huge down tube

I had a blue bike with a blue lizard skin... it didn't stay blue for long

[All Mountain]

All add that the red Lizard Skin has to go !