[jdusto]

Hi,

I am currently looking at building an all-mountain either around a 2010 Giant Reign X frame or a 2009/2010 Santa Cruz Nomad frame. I was wondering if I could get people's feedback to how the latest incarnation of the Giant Maestro suspension is holding up to hucking like from 3-5 foot vertical drops or hits on beginner/immediate jump lines.

Thanx in advance ... JD

 

[BrentD]

3-5 foot vertical is well within the capabilities of a Reign X as it is for a Nomad. It's a tough call between the two bikes as they're both great rides, my preference is for the Reign X (but since I'm posting in the Giant forum you probably expected that!). Best advice is to see if you can test ride both to see which you like best, there's really no bad choice to be made here.

 

[gunt pimp]

Hi,

I am currently looking at building an all-mountain either around a 2010 Giant Reign X frame or a 2009/2010 Santa Cruz Nomad frame. I was wondering if I could get people's feedback to how the latest incarnation of the Giant Maestro suspension is holding up to hucking like from 3-5 foot vertical drops or hits on beginner/immediate jump lines.

Thanx in advance ... JD

Go with the Nomad.

 

[jdusto]

Nobody in Seattle seems to have a 2010 Giant Reign X or even a Reign in the show room available for test ride.

The best I could find was a 2009 Trance X2 as well as a 2008 Heckler, and 2007 and 2009 Nomad. It was still an apples to oranges comparison because the Trance came with a pretty long stem so the bike has a more XC feel in comparison to the Heckler or Nomads. I like the petal response of the Maestro suspension and how the bike accelerates but I felt the Heckler and Nomad seemed more "controlled" when I was hucking the bikes off a nearby picnic table (it was the best thing I could find in the area of the shop). I did it two ways: just rolling off the table and coasting after landing and then a 2nd attempt with an immediate petal after landing.

There are alot of variables in play here especially given the Trance is targeted for XC so my impressions could be highly skewed. The Nomad is definitely a lot more plusher over the small stuff than the Heckler and Trance. The Heckler was definitely the most nimble of all those I rode with a weigh out similar to the Trance.

 

[BrentD]

The Reign X pedals very similar to the Trance X, but with more travel and slacker angles like the Nomad giving more stability. The Nomad 2 (09/10) pedals way better than the original and doesn't seem to suffer from the mid stroke wallow like the original. I don't think you can go wrong with either bike so it will come down to personal preference.

 

[Acadian]

if you really intend to ride it for what it was designed - I highly suggest that you stay away from the Nomad 2.

I've had a 08 Nomad, Nomad 2 and Trance X. The Nomad 2 was probably the worst of the bunch - yeah it pedals well, I'll give it that. But it feels like a 2" bike when the going gets rough.

Reign X all the way I say..

EDIT: and to be clear - I DID like my 08 Nomad. The 09 ruined it for me...

 

[trailripper]

if you really intend to ride it for what it was designed - I highly suggest that you stay away from the Nomad 2.

I've had a 08 Nomad, Nomad 2 and Trance X. The Nomad 2 was probably the worst of the bunch - yeah it pedals well, I'll give it that. But it feels like a 2" bike when the going gets rough.

Reign X all the way I say..

I'm with this guy.

I've had numerous pre-2009 nomad's, as well as an 09, and never thought i would stray from SC, until i got my 09 reign.

The 09 nomad was easily the worst of all the 6 inch bikes i've ridden (ask acadian, its almost as many as him).

I would def go for the reign. shoot, if they actually made one in my size i would grab a reign x as well.:thumbsup:

 

[jdusto]

I have my fingers crossed that I can track down a 2010 Reign X to try out. The Trance X2 I test rode had a pretty long stem on it (not sure if it was a stock build) so it had more of an XC feel to it than all mountain. You can definitely feel the effect of having a lower center of bike gravity with the maestro suspension than in comparison to the SC bikes. I am not saying it was better or worse, just different and my impression that the SC felt more controlled could simply have been that I wasnt used the effect and didnt have an opportunity to understand its benefit. I never felt I needed to utilize the "ProPedal" setting on the maestro suspension even on steep climbs.

It has been difficult enough to simply find any 2010 Giant Trances/Reigns/Faiths in general. Finding a demo Reign is going to probably be even tougher until the spring rolls around.

I am looking for a good balance between uphill vs downhill performance.

Looking at the pictures for the Reign X ... which cable is running under the bottom bracket? And can it easily be routed a different way?

 

[BrentD]

The rear derailleur cable and rear brake line are routed down the downtube and under the bottom bracket. Have a look at the 2010 Reign X thread here: http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=477953 to see how people have built theirs up from frame only to give you ideas about cable routing.

 

[TurnMeOn]

go with this

 

[chameleoneel]

Nobody in Seattle seems to have a 2010 Giant Reign X or even a Reign in the show room available for test ride.

Did you try Bothell Bike & Ski?

 

[jdusto]

Yes. They told me they would not be bringing in any new stock until Spring.

It's a moot point now ... I ended up getting the SC Nomad.