[Closed] Giant Reign or On One Codeine

Probably not much to pick over here, but. Am on my second Giant f/s bike in 7 years. Happy with both. Never had any manufacturing based issues with them and size wise they work for me .
I've only ever purchased from On One, once. There was an issue with the helmet I had bought in as much as an adjuster failed on about my fourth ride in it. Phoned them up, posted it back as asked and a new one rolled up within a week. Good service I'd say.

I thought Marzocchi had gone bust?

The Reign is a great frame, the Maestro suspension system is excellent and it comes with reliable and very capable dampers. Even the base model's Monarch is pretty damn good (yes, I do have one).

The Codeine has good geometry (though the seat tube seems high) and the Marz suspension could be amazing, but nobody really knows. Going on the reputation of the 29er and the frame's no-frills appearance, I'd expect it to be a hefty lump.

Where are you gonna be riding it though? The Reign will excel at all mountain riding and enduro, but I would choose my other bike for trail centres and more XC-style outings.

I have a Marzocchi 350 NCR on my Stumpy and it's a great fork. Small bump sensitivity is excellent. The only thing I have had a bit of trouble with is some stiction.

Windwave have already told me to send it to them and they'll sort it FOC.

Reign will be lighter, pedal better, have better warranty and backup. No ay I'd choose a Codeine over it.

Chakaping, got four codeine 29s round our way, 2 being ridden by Clydesdales 1 by a lightweight and 1 by a girl, not heard any complaints about 'heft'. Had issues with my Cane Creek but easily sorted on warranty.

Reign will be lighter, pedal better, have better warranty and backup.

Yep.

2015 Reign 2 in medium ~£1500

http://www.destock-cycle.fr/vtt-giant-reign-275-2-ltd-charcoal-c2x17492235

Personally wouldn't touch a P-X/O-O bike ever again after the London Road seatpost debacle (in short: shocking QC followed by poor CS). If I actually rode MTB enough to justify it I'd have snapped up one of those reduced Reigns up months ago.

So, you're choosing between this:

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And this

[img] [/img]

Have you *seen* both bikes?!

It looks like someone half finished the paint job with a can of £10.99 emulsion on the Codiene.

The Reign is a great bike, ignore all the comments about 'its a DH bike, it doesn't corner, it hates to climb.. Blah blah blah, that's all nonsense.

Having seen a Codeine in the flesh I'd say the above comment is a little harsh. It looked quite tidy actually.

Having not ridden a codeine but owning a anthem for 7 years, I can't really compare them but out of the two bikes I'd take the giant without a second thought...

The Giant is even better looking in the flesh. The blue is a bit more greeny-blue than it appears in that picture. Subtle, lovely looking bike.

Annoyingly, my LBS have one of these with £1000 off at the moment. In my size. 😐
[img] [/img]
It's really rather lovely, and I can hear it calling me....

The Reign is a great bike, ignore all the comments about 'its a DH bike, it doesn't corner, it hates to climb.. Blah blah blah, that's all nonsense.

That reign 2 for 1500 is amazing value. Its a bit heavy but an xt casette and expander to make it 1x10 would take off a fair bit. I have owned 2 maestro equiped bikes and both have been excellent (trance and anthem)

It's never going to be the codeine over the reign in the cold light of day, on paper - no one's going to tell you that. But we don't ride em on paper, the codeine might feel special once you're on it - giants lack panache IME, they have a tediously awesome quality that's not everyone's cup of tea

I ride an anthem X and it's an absolute boss - cost me 700 quid new which sounds like the end of mountain bike history, because where do you go from that? Still lacks a certain something, is ugly, and I find the reign to be similar.

That being said, if you ride both and it's 50/50 then get the giant. The codeine has to clearly feel better to get the nod here.

Thanks for the advice folks, it's appreciated. The Reign definitely coming out as the more popular bike.

I've been to the O-O showroom in Rotherham and thought the Codeine looked really quite good in the flesh. The bike also didn't seem that heavy (compared to my current 2013 Commencal Meta AM 29) but then I've never lifted a Reign to compare. Also, when it comes to weight, I'm definitely the limiting factor.

chakaping

Where are you gonna be riding it though? The Reign will excel at all mountain riding and enduro, but I would choose my other bike for trail centres and more XC-style outings.

Most of my riding is Surrey Hills so the Reign/Codeine would be over kill there so it would be used mainly for BPW/Antur Stiniog. We're also planning a trip to the Alps later this year.

wrecker - Member

Looking at the geometry, the codiene and the reign are very different bikes.

Really?

Head Angle - Codeine is 65.5 against Reign's 65
Chainstays - Codeine is 430 against Reign's 434
Top Tube - Codeine is 616 against Reign's 620
Reach - Codeine is 440 against Reign's 444

They seem remarkably similar but I'm certainly not in the know.

Obviously there are more numbers to consider but I'd have thought the ones above the most relevant. 🙂

Ah, I appear to have been looking at the 29er geo! 😳

I understand what Gary Lager is saying about Giant. I had a couple of Honda motorcycles who's efficiency and perfection were incredibly dull. But the new Reign does have a bit of sparkle and is quite a looker. I've had an old Reign before and an AC and an Anthem that I thought was a noodly piece of crap (fast mind).

On both bikes I would look at the detail and quality of the welding, fit, finish and how the various pivots and their hardware.

I like my Reign. It works for me in the Lakes very nicely - up, down and along. Here it is lent on a gate up Iron Keld last Wednesday.
[img] ?oh=e8cf7bece864f5e35cdb9bad36d85dee&oe=57196FAF[/img]

Are you saying you'll have another bike for your local riding OP?

If so, the reign will be spot on for your needs. It'll also be fun on some of the Surrey hills trails I'm sure.

The reign climbs well... I rarely saw much bob on mine and I did look down a lot to see how it was behaving. It was superb on the steep tight twisty terrain that I ride, and it let you get away with point and shoots way above your comfortable speed. Perfectly good on all day epics - I did everything from 65km cairngorm mountain epics, to 2500m climb enduro days and uplifts, short xc blasts round the woods and days messing about on jumps. It did everything well. I changed it for a new 650b bike because it was 5 years old and I wanted some new bling and got a Rallon, which is even better to be honest!

Get the Giant it is a no brainer when compared to an On-One.

What's the warranty like on the On One? Is it two years the same as their hardtail frames? That alone would sway me towards the Giant who IME have an excellent warranty service.

Not the main reason to buy a bike granted, but I actually prefer the looks of the Codeine. To my mind it looks more function over form, a bit more industrial looking than the Reign.

chakaping - Member

Are you saying you'll have another bike for your local riding OP?

If so, the reign will be spot on for your needs. It'll also be fun on some of the Surrey hills trails I'm sure.

Yep, I've got a Commencal Meta AM 29er and a BMC Fourstroke FS03 so I'm quite spoiled for choice. In fairness, I'd probably look to off load the BMC.

dragon - Member

Get the Giant it is a no brainer when compared to an On-One.

Any particular reason(s)? 🙂

Roter Stern - Member

What's the warranty like on the On One? Is it two years the same as their hardtail frames? That alone would sway me towards the Giant who IME have an excellent warranty service.

Good point. No idea tbh but it's something I'll make a note of.

Thanks again to other posters' contributions. 🙂

To my mind it looks more function over form, a bit more industrial looking than the Reign.

Trust me, the Giant hasn't compromised function over form at all! It's a bruiser that can take a beating and skip up the hill and across the pedally flats very well.

glasgowdan - Member

Trust me, the Giant hasn't compromised function over form at all! It's a bruiser that can take a beating and skip up the hill and across the pedally flats very well.

Sorry, didn't mean that the Reign was incapable, just that the designer was obviously a bit more creative. 🙂

Popped into the local Evans at lunchtime, they had a Norco Range Carbon 7.3 for £2,100. It looked good in the graphite/yellow but I know nothing about Norco - are they any good?

The Norco seems from reviews to be carbon for carbons sake ie. No lighter, no stiffer. Evans have a few in the range (see what I did there) cheap, but I'd ignore the carbon fairy dust and look at everything else.

Personally I'd still get the Reign.

I don't think the Codeine or the Reign are gonna win any beauty contests, I picked the Reign 'cos it ticked the most boxes for my needs.

The Norcos seem a bit shorter than your original two options, have you got a good grip on what geometry you want?

crashtestmonkey - Member

Personally I'd still get the Reign.

I'm putting the Norco down to a moment of low blood sugar - it was before lunch so I wasn't thinking straight.

chakaping - Member

The Norcos seem a bit shorter than your original two options,[b] have you got a good grip on what geometry you want?[/b]

TBH, not specifically. I want something more confidence inspiring on steep descents and something not too similar to my Meta which has the following angles:

Head Angle - 68
Chainstays - 458mm
Top Tube - 615mm (large - I really need a medium)

No idea on the reach but I've put a 50mm stem on it to pull it in a bit and it made a world of difference.

The Meta is probably all the bike I'll ever need but whilst I'm in a fortunate position to get another (especially with a generous Cyclescheme employer) I may as well make the most of it. 🙂

Another Reign pictured with a gate...
[img] ?oh=182d23eae945f016f4a3fdec47222f5f&oe=56FB4D49[/img]

Head Angle - 68
Chainstays - 458mm

You'll be spending a long time looking at 29ers then 😉

Most 27.5 enduro bikes come with sub-440mm chainstays, and will come with sub-66 degree head angles.

A slacker head angle will make the bike feel more planted, and additional wheelbase will do the same. As will a lower Bb height.

The Reign has all of those things, 65 ha, very low Bb, long wheelbase. But short stays to keep the cornering in check.

I would not class the Reign's chain stays as short. My 29er Enduro has 430mm chain stays vs 434mm on the Reign. They aren't long but you get the picture.

There are a whole heap of others options out there - Commencal Meta V4, Mondraker Dune, Vitus Sommet, Nukeproof Mega, Whyte G150 or G160.

rickon - Member

sofabear
Head Angle - 68
Chainstays - 458mm

You'll be spending a long time looking at 29ers then

Most 27.5 enduro bikes come with sub-440mm chainstays, and will come with sub-66 degree head angles.

A slacker head angle will make the bike feel more planted, and additional wheelbase will do the same. As will a lower Bb height.

The Reign has all of those things, 65 ha, very low Bb, long wheelbase. But short stays to keep the cornering in check.

The angles I posted were from my current bike, which as you point out is a 29er. 😉 So something slacker and lower would be my choice as my BMC is more cross country oriented and feels flighty by comparison. 🙂

tomaso - Member

There are a whole heap of others options out there - Commencal Meta V4, Mondraker Dune, Vitus Sommet, Nukeproof Mega, Whyte G150 or G160.

To be fair, I hadn't even considered those options so thanks for pointing them out. 🙂

What don't you like about the feel of the Commie? Does it feel precarious on steep descents? That could be a high BB, because the 68deg head angle should be capable enough and it's nice and long.

How tall are you, out of interest? I'd ask your inside leg too, but we've only just met.

looking at new bikes because you're not happy with the 'feel' of yours is perfectly sensible.

but choosing the new bike on the basis of internet suggestions is a bit daft, especially considering the main reason you're looking.

yes, i'm talking about test rides.

(by all means, ask the internet for a short-list)

fwiw, i demo'd a Codeine, and my wallet spontaneously exploded.

I only ever get compliments about how my codeine rides, including how light it and poppy it feels but then it is the *better* 29er version 😉

chakaping - Member

What don't you like about the feel of the Commie? Does it feel precarious on steep descents? That could be a high BB, because the 68deg head angle should be capable enough and it's nice and long.

How tall are you, out of interest? I'd ask your inside leg too, but we've only just met.

The Commie is really quite fantastic to be honest (IMO). On steep descents it feels just a bit too big because I'm quite stretched out (despite the shorter stem).

I'm 5' 7" with an inseam of 31 inches - I'm a bit of a whore so happy to share. 😉

how light it and [b]poppy[/b] it feels

Don't worry, running appropriate amounts of rebound damping should be able to sort that out.

fizik - Member
I only ever get compliments about how my codeine rides, including how light it and poppy it feels but then it is the *better* 29er version

29er Codeine, especially in blue, is far nicer looking than that godawful 27.5 one

FWIW our recent MatesRace 'event' was won by a Codeine 29er.

Yes, the rider is fast/young/skillfull, but then so are many of the others. Mostly mounted on the usual Enduro 26/650B/29 bikes, with a few HT thrown in.

This was in the Tweed Valley, so not the Surrey Hills but more representative of other steeper/rockier you may ride.

[img] [/img]

another - albeit older Reign on fence!

when the time come, I'll be straight after another!

ahwiles - Member

looking at new bikes because you're not happy with the 'feel' of yours is perfectly sensible.

but choosing the new bike on the basis of internet suggestions is a bit daft, especially considering the main reason you're looking.

yes, i'm talking about test rides.

(by all means, ask the internet for a short-list)

fwiw, i demo'd a Codeine, and my wallet spontaneously exploded.

Agree wholeheartedly. I won't be buying without a test ride on this occasion but getting a short list together is tougher than it should be, #firstworldproblems. 🙂

honourablegeorge - Member

fizik - Member
I only ever get compliments about how my codeine rides, including how light it and poppy it feels but then it is the *better* 29er version

29er Codeine, especially in blue, is far nicer looking than that godawful 27.5 one

Nah, in the flesh the 27.5 in both Sea Foam green and graphite and black look waaaay better than the 29er. 😉

FWIW our recent MatesRace 'event' was won by a Codeine 29er.

To be fair, the reign has numerous top-10 EWS finishes!

Do you mean numerous top ten riders on reigns had top 10 ews finishes , pretty sure the bike couldn't get out the van on its own .

Bit picky?
What about this;

FWIW our recent MatesRace 'event' was won by a Codeine 29er.

I always thought a reign was overkill for S Hills and then I scratched an itch on a spesh demo day last year and rode an enduro for a laugh (yes, I know its not an giant!) - loved it 😉

Still reckon that a stumpy/camber evo/trance is a better call though but maybe you are a much more ballsy rider than yours truly!

teamhurtmore - Member

[b]I always thought a reign was overkill for S Hills [/b]and then I scratched an itch on a spesh demo day last year and rode an enduro for a laugh (yes, I know its not an giant!) - loved it

Surely you need a minimum of 160mm to properly enjoy BKB? 😉

Still reckon that a stumpy/camber evo/trance is a better call though [b]but maybe you are a much more ballsy rider than yours truly[/b]!

Only by accident. 😀 If my wheels are off the ground it usually means they've been replaced with my a*se. 😉

Most of the testing was actually on pitch! Its a slight digression but I was amazed at how easy climbing was on the enduro. I did push the descent a bit hard and had one scary moment though!!

on a serious note, have you ruled out a trance or a stumpy (evo!)?

My 29er Enduro has 430mm chain stays vs 434mm on the Reign.

Yep, Specialized have made incredibly short stays on the Enduro. The 650b is 422mm!

434mm is still short though. Have a look at 26ers.

teamhurtmore - Member

Most of the testing was actually on pitch! Its a slight digression but I was amazed at how easy climbing was on the enduro. I did push the descent a bit hard and had one scary moment though!!

[b]on a serious note, have you ruled out a trance or a stumpy (evo!)? [/b]

Pretty much, yes, but only because they're appear too similar to my Meta which I'll be keeping hold of. 🙂