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):
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):
