So I picked up my 2012 Giant Glory 0 this past weekend and I'm going through the process of setting it up for my weight. I've been reading a lot online about the head angle on the Glory not being "Slack" enough for serious DH? Well for 2012 Giant sent out the bike with the optional headset bearings to alter the head angle from the factory 65.5 degrees. It gives me the ability to move the head angle 1.5 degrees either direction. So my question is how should I set it up and why? This is my first pure DH bike so I need some guidance please.
Head angle question for 2012 Giant Glory 0
- Thread starter MCCOYBOY
- Start date
Ignore all the assclowns on the internets that say the bike is unridable with the stock headset.
Take the bike for a ride. If it feels twitchy and unstable on the stuff you ride, try it with the other bearings.
See what YOU, not the internet, prefers.
tada!
Take the bike for a ride. If it feels twitchy and unstable on the stuff you ride, try it with the other bearings.
See what YOU, not the internet, prefers.
tada!
if its your first DH bike the steeper head angle will probably be easier to get used to. A slacker angle can be beneficial but will feel weird if you are not used to it. stay steep unless you ride it and feel the need to change
Better straight line in general and better stability at really high speeds when you open the bike right up, also better control when things get rough and nasty, less chance of getting deflected or bucked off. I find the slacker HTA is also better for steep stuff, less chance of going OTB. The slackness helps reduce feedback through the front end hence the better use for DH, e.g. less twitching and jabbering, so you can just focus your efforts on powering through rough lines. Just generally way more confidence inspiring and allows for more aggressive riding.
Too slack and the front end feels like a dead dog, hard to turn and unresponsive, hard to handle tight twisty trails. Also too slack and the front end sticks way out in front, and makes it much easier for the front end to wash out on flat or off camber loose stuff. Cornering technique needs to change a little too, going slacker means (IMO) you have to really believe in the front end and ride "into" the front of the bike, (again IMO) a technique I've used is to push down through the bars e.g. turning left I push down from the right arm. Seems to work well for me and helped me get used to a slacker HTA. The more you can get your weight over the front the better (but I guess that's a golden rule for any DH/aggressive riding). Backing off just destabilizes the front. Think "attack mode" all the time.
Beware facts and figure as mentioned above..... static h/a may not reflect in the HTA once you are on the bike and in your normal riding position, with the suspension set up front and rear to your own preference. e.g. mine is 64 degrees static and about 62.5 when I'm on the bike on normal riding position. Worth finding out/checking the actual HTA and go with what feels right for YOU, not what the internets say. Too slack can also lengthen the wheelbase too much making the bike unable to respond quickly and not poppy enough, e.g. off lips and off of jampz. Slack is good, but a good overall balance is important too.
64 to 64.5 degrees seems to be the "new" DH gold standard for HTA. Gotta be honest, I think once you get the hot spot set up you'll love it. Slacker is moar !!!
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Just slacken it out. 64 is normal. And the Glory isn't the kind of bike that rides deep in it's travel. No reason to make it steeper. I'd hazard to say that would be really silly.
You don't have a much choice with this FSA Option angle headset which 2012 Glorys are equipped with.
You don't want to have DH bike 67* HA, what you would acquire by reassembling headset turned by 180*.
You WANT it the way it is on the bike, now. Believe us
You don't want to have DH bike 67* HA, what you would acquire by reassembling headset turned by 180*.
You WANT it the way it is on the bike, now. Believe us
The bike came from the shop with the headset turned to the steepest angle (67 degrees) and the non-angled headset bearings were in a zip lock bag. I was a little disturbed by the lack of info on the headsets and optional shock bottom out bumpers that were included. I'm use to the dirt bike world where everything is explained in detail in the owners manuals. I think I'm going to install the non-angled headset and start with the 65.5 degree setting and see how that feels. Thanks for all the information!You don't have a much choice with this FSA Option angle headset which 2012 Glorys are equipped with.
You don't want to have DH bike 67* HA, what you would acquire by reassembling headset turned by 180*.
You WANT it the way it is on the bike, now. Believe us
Next issue is what options do I have for frame protection? My riding style is pretty much mow over any/everything in my path and I don't like the idea of bouncing rocks off my down tube. Is there something like a skid plate for the down tube? How about frame protection from cable rubbing? Thanks again for the help. I hope to meet some folks at the slopes this year.
I would start in the middle, only makes the most sense, it's highly unlikely you'll like it set in the 67* angle it is in now.
I agree. It's going to the 65.5* angle today and hopefully the fork and shock springs will be here today as well.
Good point as well. I'm planning on taking the tools needed to swap out the headsets when I go ride. That way I can try all 3 angles and see how they feel. I'm also a little worried about the added stress on the forks and steering head when the bike is setup at the 64* setting. Seems like a big drop would really task the front end considering my size and weight (6'3" 215LBS)
Don't worry about it, if you're going to break anything it will be the bearings. There are plenty of bikes much slacker than that that handle much more just fine. The Glory is built pretty stout too.
Taking plenty of effort to try out all your options there. Not to be a hater or judgemental, but if you didn't want a bike with a DH standard head angle, 64, I don't understand why you got a Glory. Put that DH bike in DH mode!
Not to be an asshole, but I promise you there are people with it in the slackest mode who are just as big as you riding way faster, hitting way bigger jumps, and fycking up way bigger jumps
There is no way you will need to worry about the HT sheering. I have a good picture of a 2010+ glory completely crumpled that my buddy was riding, when he did a massive endless stepdown going about 30mph and miscalculated and ran into a tree. Frame crumpled, but the HT was fine.
This one? Must have been one hell of a crash...
thats the one lol
he was extremely lucky and just got some scrapes and bruises while being thrown clear and some broken bike parts. Giant took care of him, and nobody can engineer a frame to take a full frontal hit from a tree at 30+mpg while in the process of landing. He's stoked on his glory, and excited to have it back together (albeit with a new frame).
Anyway, the moral I was trying to convey was that you can ride the snot out of that bike, and unless you hit something hard enough that you have to worry about permanent injury, you're probably going to be just fine.
he was extremely lucky and just got some scrapes and bruises while being thrown clear and some broken bike parts. Giant took care of him, and nobody can engineer a frame to take a full frontal hit from a tree at 30+mpg while in the process of landing. He's stoked on his glory, and excited to have it back together (albeit with a new frame).
Anyway, the moral I was trying to convey was that you can ride the snot out of that bike, and unless you hit something hard enough that you have to worry about permanent injury, you're probably going to be just fine.
Thanks for the tuff love fellers. I'm going to go out to the garage and knock the bike over so I can quit worrying about keeping it pretty lol.... I'm going to install the protective sheet to the down tube, set the head angle to 65.5* and go bomb a hill this weekend. Thanks again.
We just sold a Glory 1 to a guy, and he didn't get the 0 degree cups...?
Either way, me and my boss hypothesized that Giant put the headset in the steepest setting so the bike would fit in the box... I didn't measure it stock, but pictures make it look steeper than my 67 deg. trailbike!
Let us know if your headset makes noise. His is popping like crazy after re-installing it twice.
Either way, me and my boss hypothesized that Giant put the headset in the steepest setting so the bike would fit in the box... I didn't measure it stock, but pictures make it look steeper than my 67 deg. trailbike!
Let us know if your headset makes noise. His is popping like crazy after re-installing it twice.
There isn't a Glory 2 this year...?
What strikes me as funny, is Giant offers these headsets because customers wanted a slacker bike. Then they install the cups backwards? It's like a troll meme.
Yea the head set is definitely setup at the 67* setting. I wasn't sure if it came from Giant that way or if the bike shop put the front end together. Either way it's now at the 65.5* angle and that's where I will start. Now if the fork and shock springs would get here........
It's giant. What do you expect. They have less understanding of the biking community than I have of the cast fetishists. They just go with the trend, 2 years after it's commonplace. Wasn't that them who claimed their bikes arent for enthusiasts?
If the headset has been installed backwards, it must have been production mistake
Maybe they are a bit late with some gravity oriented trends, but if you look at other areas their offer, their just on top.
DH is a niche for them, but it's a whole world for us
Just different perspective. With other 200 models in a range, you can't reinvent each one every year.
Maybe they are a bit late with some gravity oriented trends, but if you look at other areas their offer, their just on top.
DH is a niche for them, but it's a whole world for us
Just different perspective. With other 200 models in a range, you can't reinvent each one every year.But they could make bikes that are in the front of change instead of waiting for other companies to test stuff out and release that 2 years later. You have to admit they are very conservative design wise.If the headset has been installed backwards, it must have been production mistake
Maybe they are a bit late with some gravity oriented trends, but if you look at other areas their offer, their just on top.
DH is a niche for them, but it's a whole world for us
Pretty sure you still run a lower tube guard to avoid dents and most new frames don't have cracking issue and proper prototyping and engineering should allow to avoid some mistakes. It's an excuse. I like some of their bikes but that's lazy behaviour.
Look at their pricing. It's far less expensive to react with proven designs than to proact. The headset options are a smart, cost effective way to appease the masses and address the feared head angle monster.
Maybe they are not carrying the technological advancement flag, but they provide a damn competetive product at a price that most companies can't touch. Christ, people were defending (OK, maybe it was only one or two) having to rebuild a Boxxer out of the box; swaping the headset around is not that big of a deal. In reality, the bike shop is more at fault for not understanding the system, explaining it to the customer and going over the final product before it goes out the door to assure that the customer gets what he wants.
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Not being an ass, but how many angle adjust headsets have you dealt with?
They take a little more time to install correctly. Even with the new Glory, you have to eyeball the lower cup, then hope you press it in straight. (They painted a small target in the headtube graphics for the top cup.) Maybe I'm anal about alignment, but if the cups aren't perfectly straight, I pop them out and do it over. After that, you have noise issues that pop up from time to time.
This all boils down to shop hours that we MIGHT be able to bill Giant for. Jus sayin.
One; the angle set. Had it put in my Sunday once and never had a problem. I understand that this scenario is probably an exception to the rule.
As far as shop hours go, that is why people buy from an LBS. If you only want to provide catalog service, then charge catalog prices. I'm not intending to sound abrasive but this is the kind of stuff that should go with the territory. If Giant continues to send you product this way on a regular basis, then that is a situation that should be taken up with them, but I still dont think that it is a huge deal.
As far as shop hours go, that is why people buy from an LBS. If you only want to provide catalog service, then charge catalog prices. I'm not intending to sound abrasive but this is the kind of stuff that should go with the territory. If Giant continues to send you product this way on a regular basis, then that is a situation that should be taken up with them, but I still dont think that it is a huge deal.
Oh no! Now everybody knows! I am doomedThough to be honest I just like messing with Frango because he works for Giant
I confirm, assembling FSA Option headset is tricky. I had to do it 2,5 times