2007 Giant Reign X review

[cjcrashesalot]

So I’ve been on this thing for about a month now, and figured it was time to give a review. Still need to ride it in a few more places to get a full feel for it, and need to get the suspension dialed a bit better.

Spec:
Reign X frame 18” (built up from frameset only)
Marz ’06 66 sl @170mm
DHX 3.0 coil
Azonic Headlock
Bontrager Earl wheelset
Planet X Stem
Easton EA70 bars 685mm
Lizard Skins lock on grips
Sram x.7 shifters
Sram x.7 rear derailleur
Deore front derailleur
Avid Juicy 5 brakes
Giant internal headset
Truvativ Holzfeller crankset
Truvativ Howitzer BB
Crank Bros Mallet C pedals
E.13 DRS
WTB Speed V seat
Bontrager Select seatpost
Shimano crap cassette
Hutchinson Barracuda 2.3 front tire
Hutchinson Piranha 2.3 rear tire

Misc Measurements:

Frame weight: 9.0 Lbs exactly with shock (no headset)
BB height: 13.8"
Wheelbase: almost 45.5" exactly

Weight: a hefty 38.8 lbs

Future upgrades: Thomson stem, XT cassette, full tubeless setup, 8” rotors, wider bars, Roco TST rear shock, possibly lighter pedals

The ride:

Climbing: Does surprisingly well for what it is. The internal headset helps keep the front end low, and I actually have room drop my bars further. The rear end keeps traction very well, both seated and standing. The long(er) chainstays and rearward axle path help keep you from looping out as well. Much better than my old enduro. The weight is definitely noticeable, but not a big deal for this kind of bike. Definitely some pedal feedback in the granny ring over rocky terrain… will get into that more later

Pedaling: Pedals VERY well. While seated, there is zero bob whatsoever. While standing, I probably use .5-1” of suspension while sprinting. This thing seriously pedals like a stiff 4x fully. Even with an intentionally choppy pedal stroke, the Reign X maintains very minimal bob. However, while in the granny ring going uphill, there is definitely pedal feedback. It is most noticeable over big rock ledges and such, and isn’t really an issue on smoother trails. The only time is is actually a problem is when my legs are beat from riding and don’t have the power to overcome the chain tug. Otherwise, it is just something you notice, rather than being an actual hinderance. The feedback is easily countered by some leg power. Also, it totally goes away in the larger ring (I run 22-36). It should be noted that my sag is not dialed yet, I need to experiment with different spring weights.

Descending: The reign X is amazing on the downhills. The Maestro feels soo much better than my previous M1 and Enduro. Soaks up square edge hits and large rocks extremely well. I can just blast horrible lines and come out great. Pretty much a mini DH bike (like so many are asking for these days…) I still need to get my suspension dialed, but small bumps and such are a non issue currently. I could use some more small bump compliance, but not a big deal. The fairly slack headangle (around 66.5 deg on mine) feels great on all the trails I’ve ridden so far… nimble enough to handle switchbacks well, but slack enough to take high speeds with ease. We’ll have to see how it handles the super fast and choppy stuff at Keystone, but I’m not worried about it. The low BB gives you the feeling of being in the bike, rather than on. It just feels super comfortable and natural, low and slack.

Cornering: This thing has improved my cornering already. The low BB, low COG, and grippy tires inspire so much confidence in the turns. The bike maintains traction well, and the lower handlebars help keep the front end weighted just enough to not worry about it. Basically just lean and go…the reign x drifts predictably (these hutchinson’s help a lot with that), and is easy to steer in the right direction. There is a nice balance between front and rear weight bias.

Jumping: Haven’t done a whole lot of jumping on this bike, but from what I can tell it will be killer. Rode a buddy’s Glory on some nice DH bike jumps, and it jumped pretty well for a 9” DH race machine. The Reign has a lively feel, so I’m guessing it will be right at home in the air.

Overall handling: A very well balanced bike. It is somewhat difficult to manual, mainly due to the initial rearward axle path, but once you learn the bike it isn’t bad. It is really easy to maneuver your body around this frame to get it to do what you want. Not the typical DH ‘bike is riding you “ feel, but rather you control the Reign X, while it worries about the terrain. Very easy to handle in all situations. The low standover is great (although mine has the XC seatpost in the pictures), you can really more the bike around. It should also be said that the tires rule. I didn’t think much of Hutchinson before (was all maxxis), but these things are super predictable and grippy.

Complaints: Seatpost range of adjustment could be better, but it still gets plenty high enough for the climbs and slams low enough for the descents. However, I will throw on a shorter post for the resort stuff and jumping. As mentioned above, the pedal feedback can be annoying. But it is a small price to pay for an otherwise killer suspension. Also, I have an older style DRS and had to dremel the hell out of it to get it anywhere close to right...which explains why it still isn't dialed. The holes also came nohwhere close to mounting, but I guess that's the difference between ISCG05 and earlier.




Some bad pictures (not much of a photographer):

[mattmatt86]

Awesome write up CJ!!!!!!! I wanted to see more X's with aftermarket builds, bike looks and sounds awesome!

[gurp]

Thanks for the write up. What are your thoughts on the DHX 3.0? Do you find yourself wishing you had the compression adjustments or is it not an issue?

[Castle]

can you not mount the drs behind the b.b. shell?... not using the ISCG's tabs... I would do this if you can.... you may need to take some material off the top of the roller guard spacer plates to help get better rotation since the bike has somewhat dropped stays....

ISCG 05 has a larger diameter or circumference... not just the holes clocked differently it's actually bigger around

just some thoughts... Sick bike have fun! Get some riding pics up!

[ZHendo]

love that frame. you could easily get that thing down to the low 30s with a more expensive but lighter build. i'd like to take one for a test ride sometime. it seems like a really fun bike, long and low for DH racing but versatile enough to ride all mountain and some burly freeride stuff as well. the only thing i would advise against on your list of improvements is getting the coil rear shock. i know that most people, including myself, love the feel of a coil, but fox has revamped the dhx air to feel much better, and with marzocchi releasing the air roco, you may want to go with one of those. the roco has a massive air chamber, so some of the people that have reviewed it think it feels more like a coil than any air rear shock to date. decline reviewed the 08 fox stuff, and they said the dhx air has much better performance than any of the past years. just some things to consider.

[Biter]

I love my Reign X1, its light and rips berms. I put on some 729's on hope hubs, god, its sick.

[cjcrashesalot]

Thanks for the positive comments

Originally Posted by gurp

Thanks for the write up. What are your thoughts on the DHX 3.0? Do you find yourself wishing you had the compression adjustments or is it not an issue?

Well as far as performance goes, it seems great. But I am having a hard time matching the front to the rear, feel wise. It seems like some more adjustment could be handy, but the stock settings are pretty decent for me.

Originally Posted by castle

can you not mount the drs behind the b.b. shell?... not using the ISCG's tabs... I would do this if you can.... you may need to take some material off the top of the roller guard spacer plates to help get better rotation since the bike has somewhat dropped stays....

ISCG 05 has a larger diameter or circumference... not just the holes clocked differently it's actually bigger around

just some thoughts... Sick bike have fun! Get some riding pics up!

I actually ended up mounting the DRS behind the shell, so it worked out. Still needs a bit more dremeling to get it rotated right

Originally Posted by ZHendo

love that frame. you could easily get that thing down to the low 30s with a more expensive but lighter build. i'd like to take one for a test ride sometime. it seems like a really fun bike, long and low for DH racing but versatile enough to ride all mountain and some burly freeride stuff as well. the only thing i would advise against on your list of improvements is getting the coil rear shock. i know that most people, including myself, love the feel of a coil, but fox has revamped the dhx air to feel much better, and with marzocchi releasing the air roco, you may want to go with one of those. the roco has a massive air chamber, so some of the people that have reviewed it think it feels more like a coil than any air rear shock to date. decline reviewed the 08 fox stuff, and they said the dhx air has much better performance than any of the past years. just some things to consider.

Actually, the 08 Roco TST Air has me really interested. If it performs well, it'd definitely be my top choice. I don't know about low 30's, but mid 30's is definitely doable in the fairly near future.

This frame definitely kicks ass though.

[rockwool]

A guy I know is going to buy a frame but isn't quite sure if he should get a Totem or a Lyric for it. Will it be too high in the BB and too slack with the Totem? He's also going to do some XC onnit, except for DH/agro trail riding.

Also, what seat post clamp diameter is it??

[gurp]

I just bought one yesterday. Stays and wheelbase are fairly long (measured: 45"/17.25") and the bb is extemely low (13.6" stock), so a tall fork up front should be fine.

[Secret Squirrel]

Originally Posted by rockwool

A guy I know is going to buy a frame but isn't quite sure if he should get a Totem or a Lyric for it. Will it be too high in the BB and too slack with the Totem? He's also going to do some XC onnit, except for DH/agro trail riding.

The best thing that I did when I built my Turner RFX was to put a 66 Light on it. It has the ETA (external travel adjustment). Basically you flip a knob, push down on the fork and it drops your front end about 4" and keeps it there...works like a freakin' dream for climbing.

I'd suggest getting the RS fork that has a travel adjust option (i'm not an RS guy...so I'll leave it up to you to figure it out...)

[cjcrashesalot]

Originally Posted by rockwool

A guy I know is going to buy a frame but isn't quite sure if he should get a Totem or a Lyric for it. Will it be too high in the BB and too slack with the Totem? He's also going to do some XC onnit, except for DH/agro trail riding.

Also, what seat post clamp diameter is it??

Probably neither too tall or too slack with the totem...but it will suck to climb on it. I definitely wish i had a quick travel adjust on my 66sl. The totem 2 step would be pretty killer though. However, the lyric u-turn would probably be the best choice. Keep stock geometry (or very close to it), and get the full u-turn travel adjust.

[Spokompton]

Originally Posted by cjcrashesalot

Probably neither too tall or too slack with the totem...but it will suck to climb on it. I definitely wish i had a quick travel adjust on my 66sl. The totem 2 step would be pretty killer though. However, the lyric u-turn would probably be the best choice. Keep stock geometry (or very close to it), and get the full u-turn travel adjust.

I think the Totem might be a little too tall. It's already at 67 degrees with the Fox 160mm. The 2 step would not allow for fine tuning the travel for perfection. Plus, I think the Totem is too much fork to justify it for any 1 1/8 steer tube.

I personally think the Lyrik Uturn would be the best and most reliable travel adjustable fork for the Reign X. It's the next fork going onto my Reign X.

Rockshox is freakin retarded for not giving us a Uturn Totem.

2006 Boxxer ride would also be a sweet combo with the X1. Loved that fork. Kick myself every ride for selling it. Ability to adjust travel and ride hieght. Although it does weigh a lot for trail riding.

[rockwool]

Mucho thanks for the answers and enjoy your bike CJ!!

[trailmax]

This question been asked before, but never answered, so I will reiterate:

What size is the seatpost? BB-shell? bb-axis?

thanks in advance

[gurp]

73mm bb shell
30.9 mm post