Giant Reign Carbon 2017 (£Various)

Two years old now, this is one of many carbon enduro machines flooding the second hand market. With a lineage back to 2015, there’s some pedigree in this frame – Giant’s flagship enduro bike has faced little change in four years, a feat almost unheard of in these uncertain times!

I should add that mine’s a completely custom build, so I’m reviewing the frame as I experienced it with two differing shocks; the Vivid RC2 coil and Monarch RC3 (Vorsprung tuned) that I replaced it with.

Visually; the frame looks good. The lines are clean, the rear triangle being metallic means it’s easily replaced, and I did a full bearing change at home with relative ease. The paint finish is slightly disappointing; there’s significant lacquer peel, rubbed decals and chips which aren’t often found on bikes within this price range. The odd mark’s to be expected, but there is a sense that Giant are making these by the thousands, not crafting each one. Yes, I know that’s how they’re made (as indeed most brands are) but this Reign is the first bike (especially at this price range) that I’ve experienced with a ‘cheap’ feel to its visual finish.

More importantly, though, how does it ride? In a word: excellent. There’s a snappy feel coming out of corners and over jumps that could trick you into thinking you’re riding a shorter travel bike. Compared to the mega I’ve raved about before, there’s a more ‘upright’ feel that encourages pedalling; there’s not a sense of holding on and ploughing the track, more of a playful feel that has you popping off small rocks and lips. When things do get serious, however, it still reigns supreme as it soaks up the hits and remains unfazed by steep terrain. There is a more ‘forward’ feel to the riding position (which could be tweaked with different stems etc) but not an uncomfortable one. Put simply, rather than hanging off the back wheel and trying to plough the terrain, there was a sense of the reign pushing you forward into the driver’s seat to find the best lines. It never felt like I was heading out of the front door, but it keeps you honest when things get steep and rough.

I found it to be a comparable whippet on the climbs, a feat aided massively by switching from the Vivid RC2 to a Monarch. As should be the case with bikes in this class, there’s little sense of energy being wasted through pedal bob – each sweaty stroke rotates a wheel. Sitting atop the bike, and not too far over the rear wheel, keeps traction on the steep climbs and never poses an issue when you point it downward. As a predominantly ‘dh’ rider who likes to pedal too, this feels like a brilliant companion – tuned for the descents but light (and efficient) enough to really make up ground on the climbs too. And for some extra good news, Giant is, well, giant in the UK; a huge range of UK retailers stock replacement parts for absolutely any eventuality.

So… a verdict. This isn’t the rave review the 2015 Mega received, but it is coming from a position of more experience, of higher expectations, of a higher price range. On the one hand the Giant is a great companion that supports you on the descents and compliments you on the climbs. On the other, it’s an expensive frameset that somehow manages to feel cheap – a carbon front end and metal rear triangle at a price point competing with full-carbon offerings. In short, it’s a machine I’d deter nobody from buying because it’s fast, comfortable, and easily maintained. However, in a class stacked with outstanding machines, this remains merely adequate. I own one, I ride one quite happily, but I’d have no qualms about exchanging it for something else. Perhaps it's simply too efficient; it’s a bike that takes serious abuse and (thanks to its paint finish) has the scars to prove it, but it stoically remains a tool, rather than my pride and joy.

Shimano XT Di2 11-Speed Drivetrain RRP £1599.99 (With Brakes)

The future is here! Digitally tuneable shifting customisable to individual preference that avoids issues of conventional cable-gearing.

However, the infamous Jurassic Park quote “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should” could be applied just as easily to Shimano’s tech team. Not because of rampaging dinosaurs (although this will take a healthy bite out of your bank account) but because it simply seems like unnecessary faff; without name-dropping, I’ve ridden 1-by-9, 10, 11 and 12 speed drivetrains and never have I wished that I could tune my shifter to how I ride. Similarly, conventional cable shifting has never seemed an issue; yes, a cable can stretch or get caught, but the Di2 system still has wires which risk damage. However, it’s come on a bike I bought so I don’t have to shoulder the hefty initial price tag, reviewing it from a fairly ambivalent standpoint.

Does it shift seamlessly? Absolutely. The lever has the reassuring feel of a conventional cable system, and the bleep when you max out at either end of the range is a bonus – I suspect top flight riders (or decent mathematicians) among us don’t need a buzzer to let them know, but I found it really handy. The LCD readout is cool, in a retro 1980s-watch kind of way, and I see massive potential for where this could be going with tracking systems etc running off of a single battery. Similarly, the battery is brilliant – tucked away in the steerer and holding charge for a loooong time - I can’t envisage a scenario where it will run out. Tuning-wise I largely left it alone, although there are android and phone apps for the tech-savvy among us to fettle away with it. This, I sense, is the real selling point for the Di2. For those of us chasing that extra decimal point (and most people in between) the concept of a gearing system tuneable to you is attractive, providing a trailside talking point and potential racing edge. However, despite being quite easily dismountable (the wires are simply pushed into the main unit) I suspect many owners will ‘set and forget’ rendering it, like most top-end shocks, a fairly futile purchase when subjected to this method of use.

I’m not one to mince words when it comes to whether something is worth its price tag, and in my opinion the XT Di2 system is competitive, but I wont be rushing out to equip it on any new bike. It’s a trailside talking point, but I didn’t feel that I was gaining anything over a traditional system. Is it effective? Absolutely. Equipped as standard on a new build, I wouldn’t hesitate, and I can’t imagine the XTR feeling significantly better in any other category except weight, which is high praise! However, were I running a traditional (fully functioning) system in any of the now numerous one-by options… I’d think twice. 

Windhill Bikepark

If you’re into swanky trail centres and expensive coffee, this isn’t for you. If you like things back to basics; portaloos, friendly staff, and a brilliant ride on your doorstep – it definitely is! It’s easily accessed via A-Roads and there’s a nearby services if you’re looking for hot food / accommodation.

You park up a three-minute ride from the kiosk, which is no issue – a bag of spanners and spare tubes is never too far away, and the staff often lend pumps and tools for trailside tweaks. The first thing you’ll see is a big wooden drop in ramp – and it links to every trail in the park, so makes a perfect hub for meeting new riders. Underneath this there’s a cubby hole to store bags etc and the kiosk where you pay. There’s a couple of seats and a load of tree stumps to sit on and have a bite to eat, and the kiosk sells the usual chocolate bars, energy drinks etc that you’d expect.

But the important bit, the trails…

They’re impressive, seriously impressive. There’s a massive amount of variety, from the (quickly becoming) infamous pro line you can see in Pilgrim and Reynolds edits, to a blue trail you could have an absolute blast on whether you’re experienced, or a complete novice

Blue Trail - It’s fast (as fast as you can go!) and flowy with a lot of BMX-type features that you can hone your skills on, finishing up on a nice set of jumps that you can send as hard as you like. Big berms opening up onto a few fast, straight sections give plenty of runoff and the chance for a novice to explore their potential. There’s a nice set of whoops at the start, and this beginning section shoots off into three other red trails, so no deflated egos when you drop in from the main ramp – you really can pick and choose your trails.

The red trails – You’ve got a lot of choice in this department. One trail follows the same ethos as the blue trail; fast, flowy and massively fun! The jumps are bigger, and you require reasonable pace to clear them - a novice could ride it without feeling too intimidated, but there’s a really sweet set of tables at the bottom that require good speed if you’re going to clear them. There’re two other red tracks that are slower (if you ride like me) and a bit more technical – tight corners, muddy roots and uneven ground – nothing like the stony, smooth blue runs. Bigger jumps, drops, and even a little road gap; all designed to keep you on your toes. If you were being picky here, you could argue that there’s nothing super-technical; there’re no big rock gardens or root-strewn ribbons of track threading tightly between trees. It never poses an issue for me though – I was having too much fun on what was there, and its an omission I’ve only really noticed on reflection.

If you’re a dirt jumper, don’t despair – there’s a great set of dirt jumps running off the pro line and no, you don’t HAVE to drop off that Northshore feature to hit them (but massive props if you do!)

So, yeah, it’s an easy day out. A few people might complain about an uplift, but the big positive about the park not being very steep is that it’s an easy 10 minute push up the fire roads – and if you can’t handle that, you need to work on your fitness. The tracks snake down the hillside, really making use of the shallower gradient – I found I wanted trails to last longer because I was having such a good time, not because they were noticeably shorter than I’m used to. As part of the B1KEPARK franchise (that runs Tidworth Freeride and Rogate too) it’s run as efficiently as you’d expect, and £10 a ride seems like a bargain – especially if you’re used to going further afield spending money on fuel, bridge tolls, parking and expensive trail centre food. The only thing worth mentioning is that you need to register beforehand; it’s a two-minute job online and is (as far as I understand) the equivalent of signing the waiver at BPW and most other bike parks. Plus, once its done, they mail you a membership card you can flash each time so you don’t need to take any other ID - if it’s your first time take a pic of the membership number they email you and show them that. Oh, and yearly membership is £125 with discounts for servicemen, youths and students, which works out a bargain when you think that’s 1 visit a month for a year – yet you’ll find most locals out there shredding almost until the sun sets on summer weeknights.