# Reign E+1 review



## wilks (Jan 15, 2004)

Picked it up a few days ago. For reference I'm 50 this year and have been mountain biking a long time. My other bikes are a Yeti SB5.5 and an Intense 951. I've had a few health issues over the last couple of years and never properly regained my fitness or got back to my "fighting" weight. I was getting frustrated with being at the back of the pack. I demoed an ebike and was sold...

I chose the +1 model because I think it offers the best bang for the buck. XT level components and fox performance fork etc.

The terrain we ride is pretty rocky, technical, generally slow rolling and littered with roots and steep punchy ups and downs. I've now put 45 miles on the bike (3 rides). The first thing I noticed was the torque, this thing really powers up and over anything. I'm obviously way quicker going up but the steep seat angle and long stays really keep the bike planted. Going down it's a plough! Really composed and stable. The low bottom bracket caused more pedal strikes than normal and makes it tough on big log overs - plus with the weight, manuals aren't as easy as with a regular bike. Super tight switchbacks took some getting used to as did when you ratchet the pedals the bike can shoot forward but the more I ride this thing the more I get used to it and like it. A quick word on battery life. I tend to leave it in auto mode and average just over 15 miles a charge.

Let me know if you have questions.










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## Jack7782 (Jan 1, 2009)

wilks said:


> A quick word on battery life. I tend to leave it in auto mode and average just over 15 miles a charge.


Please elaborate - 15 miles a charge seems low. What effect if any does auto mode have do you think?


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## matt4x4 (Dec 21, 2013)

Well distance will determine if its hills, head wind, how much pedaling you do. If you have steep long hills and you do very little assist then you get less distance per charge, its simple as that. Claiming distance without context is like sellers of ebikes stating you can go 100 miles on a charge, yeah sure down hill.

https://www.ebikes.ca/learn/batteries.html
Motor Type Rough energy usage 
Minimal Assist (using motor only on hills, slower ~30kph setup) 6-8 Wh/km
Typical Assist (~40 kph with pedaling, motor on all the time) 9-12 Wh/km
Power Hungry (either no pedaling, or hauling a load, or going really fast) 14-20 Wh/km

Remember VxAh=Wh so 36Vx10Ah=360Wh divide by say 10Wh/km=36km then convert to miles 1m=1.6km

Motor Simulator - https://www.ebikes.ca/tools/simulator.html
Trip Simulator using Google Maps - https://www.ebikes.ca/tools/trip-simulator.html


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## wilks (Jan 15, 2004)

Right, I'm saying 15 miles in auto - our trails are very chunky so when going down I'm rarely pedaling. Also, there is rarely if any fireroads to climb. I'm sure if I manually adjusted constantly I'd likely eek out a little more distance... 

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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

Congrats on the new bike. I got the same bike two weeks ago, for pretty much the same reason. I thought it was the best bang for your buck.

I can bunny hop the bike just fine, although I doubt I get as far off the ground than I would on my regular bike. I can't do a very good manual on the bike though. I think its long wheelbase and heavier weight make it really tough to manual. 

I got 16.5 miles on my first ride on the bike, and I used Auto mode the whole ride as well. However, since I've downloaded the giant app, I've realized that five lights showing on the controller doesn't necessarily mean the bike has a full charge. I'm planning on riding this weekend in Auto mode, starting with a 100% full charge (confirmed by the app), and seeing how many miles I can get on it before it goes dead.


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## honkinunit (Aug 6, 2004)

I have to say, that in orange looks awesome. 

Giant uses a custom version of the Yamaha motor, and it is known as the motor with the most usable torque. I'd love to test ride that bike.


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## mogulman1 (May 6, 2009)

I got a Giant Reign E+1 medium in red about 3 days ago. 

Really enjoying it so far. I'm a 52 year old with metal rods in my back and left leg nerve damage. I kind of gave up on mtb and went back to road biking a few years ago. For MTB, I just had a hard time maintaining speed up hills and keeping up with my friends due to my back/leg stuff. I'm also overweight. 

I've gone a couple of days on my own and once with a group of non emtb bikers and easily kept up. 

I tried out the auto setting but it seems to help out too much. Level 2 assist seems to work pretty well for me most of the time. Using this mode I've gone about 18 miles (1.5 hours) and still had about 70% charge left. 

I am looking for a decent water bottle solution. I've ordered the fidlock. Hopefully that will help.

Also, I can't get the Giant Ride Control app to log me in, on my phone (android). 

Finally, trying to figure out a good way of cleaning the bike without messing up the electronics.

This is my first full suspension and really liking it, the assist and the shifting/brakes are great. 

It does weigh quit a bit. I nicknamed my bike Beast master, but my wife calls it Radio Flyer.


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## mogulman1 (May 6, 2009)

Also. I'm using Shimano PD-EH500 pedals with clipin shoes. Seems like a lot of mtb riders don't use clipin anymore. Maybe I should switch to flats?

Also I have the Giant bike controller hooked to my Garmin 530 via ANT+. It's nice seeing some of the Ebike stats on my GPS.


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## wilks (Jan 15, 2004)

I use XT pedals - always have. XT trails on the DH bike. I'm getting more and more used to the ebike and when I go back to my Yeti it feels so light and maneuverable 

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