Giant Glory

While enduro bikes like the Giant Reign are getting more capable by the month, there’s still nothing quite like the flat-out brawniness of a dedicated downhill bike. The Glory is Giant’s flagship downhill race bike, and it’s been in the line up since the Maestro suspension design was first introduced in 2006. Thanks to its development alongside the Giant World Cup DH team, the latest Glory is the fastest and most capable rig that the Taiwanese brand has ever built. Featuring dual crown RockShoxBoxxer forks up front, powerful 4-piston brake callipers and heavy duty dual-ply tyres, the Glory is ready to take to the gnarliest trails you can imagine. As a purpose built downhill bike, the Glory isn’t really designed for anything but riding steep downhill trails. Want something you can pedal uphill too? Then check out the Reign. Want to go stupid fast downhill with a full-face helmet and reckless abandon? Then it doesn’t get much faster than being aboard a bike like the Glory.

As with the Reign and Trance, the Glory utilises the Maestro suspension design, albeit a long-travel version of the platform that offers a very supple feel throughout the 200mm of travel. The suspension platform is designed to ramp up towards the end of the stroke, which offers support for hard landings. The frame itself is overbuilt for the rigours of lift-assisted riding, and it features raked-out geometry that is designed to give you confidence and stability when the trail around you begins to get blurry.

There are two Glory models available with an alloy frame, and both bikes are equipped with RockShox suspension, SRAM shifting and a fully enclosed chain device to prevent your chain from dropping. For those chasing the ultimate performance gravity machine, check out the Glory Advanced 0, with its high-tech carbon frame and SRAM X0-1 drivetrain.