GIANT REIGN E+ MX PRO RELEASE

Today, the embargo on the Reign E+ MX was lifted. And, everything has changed. The previous generation Reign E+ isn’t that old, but it looks like Giant has been learning and evolving.

Here is everything you need to know.

DEVELOPMENT

Australia Giant Factory-Off Road team rider, Josh Carlson, was key in the development process and helped improve upon the last generation Reign E.

“I want that to be a race weapon,” said Carlson.

The goal then was to make the ultimate Enduro mountain bike.

THE 4 CHANGES

ONE.

You’ll see the words MX alongside the name of the new 2022 Reign E+ Pro’s. This denotes a “mixed wheel” size setup - 29 front and 27.5 rear.

Why?

The 29-inch front wheels gives the 2022 Reign E+ better roll-over. More confidence on steep, fast and technical descents.

The 27.5 rear wheel sits more underneath the rider. It’s 16mm shorter than the previous generation Reign E+.

This reduces the overall wheelbase, and makes the Reign E+ MX feel agile and quicker to change direction, and snap around corners.

TWO.

The Flip-Chip was first introduced in the Trance X range in 2021.

It’s a small token that allows riders to choose from 2 positions - High and Low.

And it adjusts 2 things on the bike: Bottom Bracket (or pedal height) and Seat Tube Angle.

As you can see from row “J” above, changing the chip position into Low drops the bottom bracket by 10mm (pedals are 10mm lower to the ground) and slackens the Head Tube Angle “E” by 0.8-degrees.

That’s a lot.

So, you’d only use the Low position if you’re riding trails that need more stability such as Bright and Mount Buller.

THREE.

An all new electronic package.

For the Reign E+ MX to be used in the Low setting, the motor had to be re-worked.

It was crucial that Giant maintained placement of all pivot locations. Any deviation in this position results in different (and unwanted) suspension behaviour.

The new motor doesn’t compromise the position of these key pivot locations. This means the new Reign E+ MX rides exactly like Giant intended it too.

It also means those riders switching from their normal (analogue?) Giant to the Reign E+ will be instantly familiar with the new bike’s handling.

Better fitment resulted in the new SyncDrive Pro delivering 34-37mm of extra ground clearance, compared to the previous gen bike.

Torque has also increased from 80Nm to 85Nm.

Motor weight has also been reduced from 3.1kg to 2.7kg.

FOUR.

User Experience (UX) was also a key design element that had to be updated.

With brands like Specialized and Rocky Mountain, delivering less “E-Bike” interfaces and clutter, Giant had to play catchup and deliver a seamless and integrated ride feel.

And they delivered.

Ride Control GO is the integrated top tube module that controls the ON/OFF.

One press starts the bike and the default mode is Automatic Support or Smart Assist. This mode uses Giant’s sophisticated 6-sensor algorithm to deliver the right amount of power.

And there are a number of Manual Support modes - Power, Sport, Active, Basic and Eco.

The Manual modes are controlled via the new controlled, called Ride Control Ergo 3. It is the best integrated e-bike controller we’ve seen from Giant to date.

The new Ergo 3 can be mounted on either side of the handlebar. Inside the brake levers or outside. And it’s compatible with every type of brake.

Using the Ride Control App, you could configure the buttons to perform different duties.

You could run two Ergo 3’s on either side of the bar; one to control the assistance and the other to control your Garmin or Wahoo.

THE PRODUCT RANGE

The Reign E+ 0 MX Pro is the top-end build, and key highlights are:

• 750Wh battery
• Fox Factory suspension
• Giant e-TRX wheel set
• SRAM X01 Eagle drivetrain with Praxis carbon cranks
• RRP AUD$10,999.00

Then you get the Reign E+ 1 MX Pro. Key highlights include:

• 625Wh battery
• Fox Performance Elite suspension
• Giant e-TR wheel set
• Shimano Deore XT 12-speed drivetrain

And finally, the Reign E+ 2 MX Pro:

• 625Wh battery
• RockShox ZEB Select fork paired to a Fox DPX2 rear shock
• Giant AM wheel set
• SRAM NX and GX 12-speed drivetrain with Praxis aluminium cranks
• RRP AUD$8,499.00