Giant Reign Advanced Pro Year-Long Review 12

Find out why Vital Tech Editor Jason Schroeder picked a Giant Reign Advanced Pro as his test bike for the 2024 season, what he liked and disliked about the Reign throughout the year, and what components he chose as his favorite. 

Schroeder's Giant Reign Advanced Pro 0 Build 
Size: Large // 29-inch wheels 
Fork: 170mm Öhlins RXF 38 m.2 
Shock: RockShox Vivid Ultimate (205x62.5) 
Drivetrain: Shimano XTR drivetrain (170mm cranks, 10-51T cassette, 32T chainring) 
Brakes: Magura MT7 HC3 with 203mm rotors F/R 
Wheels: 29-inch HUNT Enduro Wide Alloy 
Tires: Maxxis High Roller (DH casing, MaxxGrip) 
Handlebar: Burgtec Bryceland Ride High Alloy (38mm rise, 790mm width) 
Stem: DEITY Copperhead (50mm length) 
Grips: Burgtec Bartender Pro 
Pedals: DEITY Deftrap 
Dropper: 200mm TranzX 
Saddle: WTB Silverado (135mm width) 
Weight: 36.3 lb / 16.4 kg

Test Sessions videos from the year
Enduro Forks
Gravity Tires
4-Piston Brakes

Related:
Giant
12 comments

View replies to: Giant Reign Advanced Pro Year-Long Review

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anotherbikerguy
2 hours ago

My solution to the shift housing routing under the chain was to zip-tie on a short piece of that same foam you used to quiet down the internal routing. Maybe not the prettiest but it seems to be doing fine after 8-ish months. (Riding a Trance, not a Reign, but the routing is identical.) 

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OMP77
1 day ago

Great review!  Was wondering, do you switch tires out for days when you’re pedaling more? If not, are you doing long climbs with that bike? 

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Jason_Schroeder
1 day ago

No, I've been pedaling with the HR3 dh casing tires and it hasn't been too bad. I think a DHR2 in the rear or something similar with more ramp would be better if I wanted to make the bike faster pedaling. That, or lighter casing tires. But the Reign has a very upright pedaling position that's sweet for grinding out bigger climbs. It isn't the fastest moving, but it's enjoyable to pedal nonetheless.  

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Glory831Guy
2 days ago

Nice Review! I've always ridden Giants because you can consistently find lightly used ones much cheaper than the asking price for "cool" brand bikes. That said, I wish Giant would bring more mid/high spec Aluminum bikes to the U.S. again, as those bikes make more sense to the average rider, IMO. The aluminum Trance X SX has better spec for the money than the Reign does currently,  so hopefully they improve the build on the Reign 2 also.

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rodrigomorais
2 days ago

Great insights on the build, thanks Jason!! What pressures are you running on the Highrollers?

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