We deliberately requested the Reign X1 for this test. At Giant, the X stands for rough. Big fork, more travel, greater reserves and therefore a lot of riding fun in the direction of gravity. The Reign X1 was intended to expand the test group upwards in this comparison test, i.e. to open up the horizon towards enduro. And it does. On the test lap, the bike only has a tired smile for the rocks, roots and speed. "Is that all?", it seems to say. Fact: We didn't utilise the suspension travel and were still faster than with any of the other seven bikes. Of course, there is a price to pay for this from an all-mountain perspective - less agility. The aluminium frame, wheels and fork are heavy, plus a chain guide = the heaviest bike in the test. Uphill, the rear end sinks away due to the lack of a platform, you sit rear-heavy (slack seat angle) and struggle.
Conclusionvery capable bike when the going gets technical and downhill. The small increase in suspension travel makes a big difference. As expected, more enduro than all-mountain.
PLUS Very confident downhill, suitably equipped for (enduro) use. Enormous reserves in the chassis.
MINUS Damper without platform/lockout. High weight.
