First Duallie

For my question, the answer is... components! keep in mind this is a US version

According to the '05 catalog Reign 2 specs that differ from 3 are as follows:

Fork - Manitou Nixon Elite. This fork was originally spec'd at 6" travel, but with the Reign suspension, the tire ended up eating the headset at full compression, which was obviously disastrous for riding. Manitou fixed this by installing travel-limiting spacers that resulted in a loss of 0.5" travel, or limiting the shock to 135mm instead of 145mm of travel. I haven't had any reason to complain, still works fine, not sure if the Aussie version of the fork has the same travel issues, might want to look that one up on your own.

Brakes - Hayes HFX-9 XC Hydraulic discs, 6" dia.

Wheels - Alex DP20 w/ carbon hubs

Drivetrain - Shimano XT derailleur and shifters, LX front Derailleur and shifters, Race Face Evolve XC X-Type crankset

Reign 3 specs

Fork - Manitou Splice Elite w/ 5" travel

Brakes - Hayes SOLE XC Hydraulic disc w/ 6" rotors

Wheels - Alex DP20 w/ alum hubs

Drivetrain - Shimano LX Derailleurs front and rear, Deore shifters (same as Reign 2), Race Face Ride XC ISIS Crankset

Difference between the two

The Reign 2 is basically spec'd with better components for shifting, braking, wheelset, and drivetrain. There is nothing wrong with the R3's components, but the R2's are a step above. Think of the R3 vs R2 vs R1 as a good, better, best kind of deal. There is no crappy version. They all have fantastic components, the question is, are you going to want room to upgrade, or do you want the top of the line right off the bat? The R2 gives me the best compromise, not too hot and not too cold, its perfect! (for me). I guess it's more of a psychological thing, if I bought a R3, I'd know I want to upgrade, but the R1 was priced out of my range. For me, the R2 offered the performance at the price without a compromise, and it worked out perfect. Just my opinion, if you can't get your hands on a R2, but have a R3 available, I wouldn't pass it up, the half inch travel in front suspension can always be rectified by picking up a better fork down the road.

Thankyou Clutchman,

I do appreciate the time you've put into that response. In Australia the Reign 3 is $800 cheaper than the Reign 2.

The prices of the bikes I have examined are as follows:

Specialized FSR XC Pro 2006 AU$2999.95
Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Comp 2006 AU$3499.95 (Aproximately the tip of what I can afford)
Giant Reign 3 2006 AU$2195.00
Giant Reign 2 2006 AU$2995.00
Santa Cruz Blur LT 2006 AU$5799.00 (Way too expensive)

I am still curious about the GT I-Drive technology, and a new technology Scott has recently produced, also do Cannondale or Kona make comparable bikes?

Just to close up for the night here is what I have thought about so far.

Specialized FSRxc Comp 2006 AU$2499.00
Specialized FSR XC Pro 2006 AU$2999.95
Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Comp 2006 AU$3499.95 (Aproximately the tip of what I can afford)
Giant Reign 3 2006 AU$2195.00
Giant Reign 2 2006 AU$2995.00
Santa Cruz Blur LT 2006 AU$5799.00 (Way too expensive)
GT I-Drive 4 2006 AU$2910.00
GT I-Drive 5 2006 AU$2950.00
Scott Genius MC50 2006 AU$3299.00
Cannondale Rush 600 AU$2900.00
Cannondale Prophet 400 AU$2400
Cannondale Prophet 600 AU$2900

Over the last 1.5 months I was researching my first full suspension bike, and had a few of the bikes you list above as my choices (Yeti 575, Specialized Stumpjumper Enduro Expert, Giant Reign 1and2, Cannondale Rush and Prophets, Titus Motolite, Gary Fisher bikes). I must have ridden 20-30 different bikes all over Colorado, trying to test out as many as possible to see how they felt for me. After riding everything I had narrowed it down to the Yeti 575 and the Stumpy Enduro Expert - I also liked the Reign, but it didn't make the short list. I decided on the Yeti 575 after another week of testing just the Stumpy and Yetis. As a side note, my girlfriend purchased a Stumpy Comp. Both bikes are wonderful and have handled some early punishment well. Honestly, I don't think you can go wrong with any of those bikes... the key is to find which one feels best for you. If you are definitely an XC rider now, then less travel is fine... if you are on the fence, then perhaps more travel is good. Shocks are expensive, though, so you don't want to have to chunk down $1000+ extra to beef up an XC bike right away... That was one of the reasons I went with the beefier Yeti 575 and Stumpy Enduro Expert when I narrowed the list. They felt stiff and quick enough on climbs and burly enough on downhill to feel right for me.

There is also a pretty big weight difference between the Reign 2 and 3. The 3 is pretty heavy for what it is... I think around 35 lbs, the 2 is around 30 (I think). Check out other bike threads, there are A LOT of frames in this catagory to choose from!

Its not hard to upgrade, but as JSD said, shocks are expensive. I have a Giant AC Air Lite, after a short time the RS airshock had to go. Pedal bob was rediculous, the 6" travel setting unusable. A friend got me a 5th Element Coil for $250, now it stays in 6" mode all the time, bob is gone... The Psylo front fork took me a long time to outgrow, but that ended up being a good thing, it made me pick lines and ride smooth. The current '06 Boxxer Ride (5"-7" adjustable) is a great match for the 5th coil, and now I have a bike that is capable of more than I can do once again. I got the fork for $400 on ebay... Other things are much more minor, new seatpost, stem, handlebars, and misc. stuff that wears or breaks over time. It is pretty funny to see a dc fork and coil shock on a frame that says "Air Lite" on it... But it is still amazingly able to climb, depending mainly on tire choice. I got 2.4 Mutanos for trailriding, and they roll really fast!

Also, the Reign will not fit a 5th element type coil shock in its frame, the '07s might... I hear a lot of people liking air shocks these days, but my last air shock was outdated and not comparable to modern ones, so I can't say if thats a big deal...

Specialized FSRxc Comp 2006 AU$2499.00
Specialized FSR XC Pro 2006 AU$2999.95
Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Comp 2006 AU$3499.95
Specialized Enduro AU$3549
Giant Reign 3 2006 AU$2195.00
Giant Reign 2 2006 AU$2995.00
Giant Trance 2 AU$2895.00
Giant Trance 3 AU$2195.00
GT I-Drive 4 2006 AU$2910.00
GT I-Drive 5 2006 AU$2950.00
Scott Genius MC50 2006 AU$3299.00
Cannondale Rush 600 AU$2900.00
Cannondale Prophet 400 AU$2400
Cannondale Prophet 600 AU$2900
Kona Dawg AU$2199.00
Kona Dawg Dulux AU$2750.00

Sadly I've had to rule out Yeti and Santa Cruz bikes as in Australia they are very pricey and tend to come frame only from most suppliers.

At the moment my list is far from being a short list, I am going to have to think about whether my riding style necesitates the longer travel bikes or whether the shorter travel bikes will suffice, however I would like to leave some sort of buffer in case I suddenly take up more extreme activities on my bike.

I also have to check my bank accounts balance