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.