[siv]

I see tons of people that have either a Trance X or Reign X but not many Reigns. What is it ideal for that the other two are not? Im leaning toward a Reign because of BB height, little burlier and HA. Im 200 lbs and ride aggresive XC singletrak some trails with lots of rocks and washout nastiness(central PA). Seems that the Reign series is more wallet friendly than the TranceX also.

 

[Pitto]

theres heaps of reign riders around these parts.

i have an 06, with a Talas 36 on it and the thing rocks. an 09 with a 160mm fork would be a weapon. i would still buy the standard Reign if i had my time again. but thats just me.

 

[Acadian]

I think the problem is that you cannot buy the Reign as a frameset - you need to buy a complete bike. Many folks like to just get a frame and built their bikes from scratch.

I have a 09 Reign and absolutely love my bike. like Pitto mentioned, it's a weapon. I also have a 08 Nomad (which is for sale) and the Reign is pretty close as far as geometry is concerned - so the bike handles very well for most riding but shines when pointing downhill. The Reign also pedals much better then my Nomad ever did.

you got a point tho...you don't see that many Reign's out there

 

[siv]

Never thought about the frame aspect, good point though. The 1 and 0 are both very appealing to me. Is the Talas a fork that needs to be serviced often? Not sure sure if I really need it. How are the wheels, not tubeless ready are they. Thanks for the input guys. These boards are kinda dead. Any other forums for Giant bikes out there?

 

[Haggis]

Never thought about the frame aspect, good point though. The 1 and 0 are both very appealing to me. Is the Talas a fork that needs to be serviced often? Not sure sure if I really need it. How are the wheels, not tubeless ready are they. Thanks for the input guys. These boards are kinda dead. Any other forums for Giant bikes out there?

Maybe if you did some reading before asking questions scattergun-style... Why do people have to repeat themselves endlessly for your benefit?

 

[siv]

Thanks for your lack of input. Think how dead the boards would be if no one ever asked the same question? Obviously you're here only for your benefit and not mine.

 

[Sim2u]

Actually the Giant boards are some of the most active given the introduction of different countries, timezones and other peoples work as well as commitments, although you may have known that if you had taken the time to simply surf around.

Myself I still have a 06 Reign with the RS Pike and it is a weapon, I have won numerous races on that bike where others were running full tilt DH race machines. It is one of the most versatile bikes that I have EVER owned and really hate the idea of selling it.

But sell it I will, ONLY to make room for a 09 model for the missus, and I will wait for 2010 to update my GRX.

 

[siv]

I guess my way of asking questions may have been "scatter-gun" but wow are you guys defensive! If Im annoying then skip the post, thanks for the input anyway.

 

[Stoner]

Your not getting off that easy! I'm an OG Meastro rider (2005) and I own a Trance, Trance X, Reign and Reign X! and each bike serves a purpose! I have however just retired the Trance to my street rider (cool urban terrain rider). The new Reign is got to be the one bike for any agressive trail rider

 

[Pitto]

07 Talas 36 is great, i have not done much to it besides change the oil in it and re adjust the travel adjust. Theres a few headaches with the 07 / 08 Talas 36, but nothing really major from what i have read. Well not compared to the Lyric.

it makes a huge difference when doing long climbs, it was a hard choice between a Pike and the Talas, and the talas was a Ebay Bargain i couldnt refuse.

i will look at updating in a couple of years, but i am really happy with the Reign. it just does everything i could want.

The 09 comes pretty light stock, so doing a weight weeny build would be quiet possible.

 

[Acadian]

07 Talas 36 is great, i have not done much to it besides change the oil in it and re adjust the travel adjust. Theres a few headaches with the 07 / 08 Talas 36, but nothing really major from what i have read. Well not compared to the Lyric.

Granted I've never owned a 2Step, I've been riding Lyrik's since their introduction and I've never had any problems.

 

[siv]

Thanks guys, hearing that the Reign is probably the all-arounder is what I was waiting to hear. I dont have a dealer that has real demo's so I can only ride in the parking lot thats why Im asking you guys for input. If the Talas isnt a hassle then I guess the 0 is a better deal than the 1 for the money. I prefer the black though.

 

[Sim2u]

As many have said, it is a great all rounder...and to talk plainly, it also looks great with some excellent functionality.

But with the price increases you may wish to get in early though prior to that.

 

[siv]

I checked with a LBS here and they told me the same price for January and beyond as they told me back in October, that being $2400 for the Reign 1 and $2900 for the 0. Thats a lot of dough but compared with the other bikes Ive been looking at its a great deal given the components you get with Giant compared to the others (Remedy, Nomad, Moto, Roscoe,etc.).

 

[boogenman]

I have a 2007 Reign 0 and I love the bike! I am a DH rider more than anything and the Reign RIPS!!

I was basically in the same situation you are. 200lbs, aggrssive XC/AM rider looking for something fun. I liked the GEO of the reign most of all, that is why I got it. I was a bit skeptical about the 6" of travel but after riding the bike you would never think it had that much, especially on climbs.

 

[Jack'sDad]

I checked with a LBS here and they told me the same price for January and beyond as they told me back in October, that being $2400 for the Reign 1 and $2900 for the 0. Thats a lot of dough but compared with the other bikes Ive been looking at its a great deal given the components you get with Giant compared to the others (Remedy, Nomad, Moto, Roscoe,etc.).

I have the '08 1 and althought I do not like the color (burnt orange) it rides very well.

I had progressed through the years from full rigid, HT, 4" FS, 5" FS to this. I bought it first cause I cracked two 575's in a year. I demo'd it and loved the geometry and bb height. I thought that parallel links were smoke and mirrors. Oh grasshopper how wrong was I . This baby floats. It laughs at 3' to flat drops. It actually forced me to be a better rider cause the old stuff was so easy, that I went for more. I feel bad if I "Mary" around something.

I also dumped the 140 RL and put a 36RC2 on it. Big difference and never thought about need for travel adjust.

The 7" front rotor helps vs a 6" and the 36 can actually handle it better.

"I think" the Reign is for someone who doesn't want the weight of the Reign X, but 95% of the capability. I call it a do all trail bike: it can up, over and down most anything.

Rob

 

[siv]

Gonna be a tough decision between the Reign and Roscoe. Was able to demo the Roscoe and it was sweet, geo felt good and it was really stiff. Giant takes it in value but I havent been able to demo one and that bothers me. Didnt get to demo my Prophet either and now Im looking at other bikes.

 

[tedstriker]

Anybody want to buy an '06 Reign 1? I have one for sale and it is in great condition. Fox 36, XT, Race Face, Hayes Carbon brakes....

 

[iamamodel]

I love my Reign. I think it is the most versatile bike out there. I've done epic rides in the Sierras on it and I've taken it to Whistler and Northstar for some double black diamond pounding. There are few bikes that versatile. The BB is low compared to similar bikes, but I like that as I love to corner.

I a 2008 frame only from O/S (replacing the 2007 frame). The 2008 frame is unchanged for 2009 except the 2009 frames on the lower-end Reigns are painted instead of anodized. This is cheaper for Giant (weak US dollar is to blame) but is 200 grams heavier.

My bike is a pound or two above or below 30lbs, depending on what tires I am running, but I spent a small fortune getting exactly the parts I want on it. I had an 06 Trance before that and thought it was the best bike in the world until I got my 07 Reign. And the 08/09 Reign frame is stiffer and is about a pound and a half lighter. Chainstays are 0.5" longer on the 08/09 but top tube is shorter so wheelbase is the same. I'd prefer shorter chainstays though. Original Maestro pivot rebuild kit fits 08/09 frames. Thank God.

I had an almost unlimited budget for a do-it-al bike and the Reign is my choice.

A thing to consider with the Talas is there are a few extra seals in there so there is a little more stiction. But I'm sure you won't care about that when you are popping wheelies on some gut-busting climb wishing you could lower the front end a bit. If climbing is more important to you, get the Talas. If descending is more important, don't. You can always get the TALAS internals later if you know the right people.

 

[Acadian]

The 2008 frame is unchanged for 2009 except the 2009 frames on the lower-end Reigns are painted instead of anodized. This is cheaper for Giant (weak US dollar is to blame) but is 200 grams heavier.

That's not true. The 2009 Reign has seen one changes in geometry, the head angle is one full degree slacker. the 2008 is 69 degree while the 2009 is 68. Minor, but very important change in my book.. :thumbsup: that was one of the reasons why I didn't want to buy a 08 but did buy a 09