Already ridden: Giant Reign Advanced 0 C.

THE CONCEPT

When the Reign was relaunched in 2015, it was ahead of its time: longer, flatter and lower than the competition (reach: 444 millimetres in M), it developed a very smooth ride downhill with a full 160 mm chassis. Nevertheless, the enduro bike had enough drive for off-road jumps, easy manuals and fast cornering - the ideal mix. In 2018, the Giant engineers stretched the bike even further under the influence of their EWS racers, trimmed the rear end so that it is more stable in its suspension travel and gave the Reign (top version with coil shock) a remote lockout for better climbing.

GEOMETRY

The steering angle of 65 degrees was already spot on with the predecessor and the Giant engineers didn't fiddle with it, but they did adjust the seat angle to an unusually slack 73 degrees. The biggest change, however, is the generous reach of the new Reign: 459 millimetres in medium, 473 in large - that's quite a statement and a significant adjustment for all non-racers. Although many praise the improved riding position, especially at high speeds, the stretched geo also needs to be mastered. To put it bluntly: if you don't pull hard on the reins, the horse will quickly lose its way. Not a nice feeling.

ON THE TRAIL

For two days, we rode the Reign over steep, technical Alpine trails. With its stretched geo and plush suspension, it craves speed and develops a surprising amount of comfort on rough descents. Compared to its predecessor (which we had with us for a direct comparison), however, it requires more physical effort: it needs a lot of pressure on the front wheel in tight turns and more arm pull for jumps and drops. We liked the improved rear kinematics - the rear end sags less and the suspension generates sufficient counter-pressure. Thanks to the additional lock-out, it climbs more willingly than its predecessor. That's a good thing!

FOR WHOM?

The new Reign has become even more potent - a downhill-loving enduro bike that favours steep, fast trails and requires an active, experienced riding style if you want to exploit its full potential. It doesn't even shy away from rough bike park missions. For guys like EWS racer and Reign co-developer Josh Carlson, the new geometry of the Reign may be just right, as EWS trails are becoming more and more like downhill race tracks anyway. We missed the playful character of its predecessor.