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giant reign 2 with coil shock
im stuck between a 2012 giant glory 2 and a 2013 giant reign 2. as much as i would love the glory, i probably wouldn't benefit from a full DH rig much. i am looking for a more all mountain rig, but i want to be able to throw it around pretty hard. one thing i have read is that the reign cant handle very big drops, is this true?
and also would a coil shock help that. because i have read that people have done it on 05/06 model reigns (not reign x) and they said that it gave it a more plush feel and helped with the bottoming out problem.
any advice would be aprreciated. and if it is possible to fit a coil shock, does anybody know what size it would have to be?
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With proper technique the reign should be fine for 6 feet to flat. With less technique a nice lander would help.
With bad technique you would still probably bottom the glory at 6 feet.
The reigns seem to come with a Fox DHX 5 Air on the US website. This is a gravity orientated shock with good performance for gravity. My old bike ran one, my only complaint was I only had 6" of travel, the reigns 6.7" should be good.
The coil may be marginally plusher but given the reign comes with air I wouldn't bother. Air is lighter for All Mountain riding and is more adjustable without messing around with different springs.
The Fox air shocks should all be interchangeable with coils so long as the frame has clearance for the spring. You just need to make sure you buy one with the same stroke length and shock length.
an 07 model that i rode pretty hard,it handled thredbo just fine and ive dropped 6 ft to flat on it(grass landing) and weigh 90+kgs.As an allrounder i think the reign is hard to beat-although my banshee wild card has managed to,but at near twice the cost!!Also have a look at the commencal range on bike exchange.there are heaps of 150-160mm travel bikes on there that are brand new but a season or two old so very well priced. Ive test ridden a few commencals and they ride very well.
If you plan on riding up any hills i strongly recommend the Reign!
Get a fox 36 talas fork, decent tyres, brakes and you can do whatever you want with it.
I own a DH bike and have owned 3 Reigns and now just got a Carbine.
As has already said the reign is fine with drops its all about the rider. Why people want to drop to flat is beyond me. All jumps and drops should have proper landing ramps. My reign has done every jump, drop and double at redhill without any issues at all. The air shock once set up is perfect. If you intend on riding back up the hills stay away from a coil shock.
My comments above on shock etc were for the 2013 Reign X which also has more travel.
Will update my comment later today.
However the Reign X could be a good option?
sounds like i wont need a coil shock afterall. and yes my definition of big is 6ft+, but i dont like to land on flat very often.
reign x, bit out of my price range, unless i could find a good older year model.
just got offered Commencal Supreme 6 Mini DH for $1500. seems rather good, might check that out as well.
thanks for all the help.
And then they have either bought a second bike for DH or stuck with it. Depends on budgets and what you are really into.
Reign is very capable but like any AM is a compromise between going down and pedaling back up. That's if you can call AM a compromise. For me it's what I do mostly.
As we said previously (also in earlier thread) there are some potential shock mods and upgrades that would make it more gravity orientated.
I only used landing to flat as an example of a harsh landing. Depending on where you ride not all lines have a lander. Landers are always preferable.
Hey mate I have been riding a 2011 reign sx for a year as my do everything bike, it's got 6.7 inch travel, coil rear, 20mm thru axle up front and 12 mm thru axle on rear, fox 36's. So it's a burley bike but if u have reasonable fitness it's fine to pedal around I use it for xc laps through to racing dh. If u can only afford one bike it's perfect. (unless u plan to do 100km XC races). Would possibly consider selling mine if your interested and Id just upgrade to a new one.
It's not a Reign, but I've got a 2012 Enduro Evo with Coil shock and I was concerned about the peddling back up the hills. Honestly it's nothin to worry about unless your doing timed XC stuff. Dont get me wrong air shocks are great, but if you wanna come down hills full of ruts, roots, drops etc Fast, go the coil. Again not sure about the Reigh but my Evo has wide handle bars (750mm I think), it's weird but that will give you bucket loads more confidence. I used to race down hill all over the place and never really felt at home on any other bike than one with slacker angles, wide bars coil shock, bla bla. Old habits die hard
i do plan on doing alot of downhill.
i suck terrible at climbing even on a hardtail but how much would getting a coil shock affect just pedalling around?
they are not as good as a air shock for straight peddling around, you cant lock them out. I ride mine every where and it doesnt bother me
My 2012 Spec Demo 8 with coil pedals better than my '06 Enduro with air shock. I rode the Enduro everywhere.
The 2012 Enduro Evo will be even better than my Demo.
Gear keeps improving.
I run one on my bike and I can climb just about anything (tight and technical or long slog-fests. Can even turn pro-pedal up and have hardly any bob, but I just leave it in a mid-range setting. It's just the weight penalty that is the disadvantage.
how hard is it to switch between air and coil? say i want to go for an xc day can i switch back to air easily or does it need to be fitted correctly and vice versa
If you're content to swap stuff, consider swapping tyres over. The difference in weight could be significant as would be the ride. 2.5" minions to 2.1 XC tyres is a BIG change.
My advice would be get the air shock. If after a GOOD amount of time and experience you don't like it or want a change, jump on Rotorburn and pick up a second hand coil shock for a couple of hundred. Fox whores are always flogging off cheap Rock Shox
yeh ill definately swap out the tyres, but i was gonna ride on the air for 8-12 months to see how i really like it