It first launched in 2006 with 26inch wheels and a burly alloy frame. Over the years and various incarnations, it’s taken many an athlete to victory, including a World Championship title, victory at Red Bull Rampage and multiple World Cup podiums. Now, ready to race at the UCI DH MTB World Cup at Lenzerheide, Giant has unveiled the Glory Advanced, a full carbon composite bike with adjustability to suit the pickiest of riders.

Need to know:

• Run 29er or mixed wheel, comes MX as standard
• Carbon composite frameset
• 3 geometry flip chips to alter ride feel and performance
• 200mm rear travel, 203mm front travel
• First time the composite model has been available to consumers

And lest you be concerned that this ground-up redesign messes with a winning design, then you should know that it’s already won a national title, taking Luke Meier-Smith to the top of the podium at the Australian DH National Champs this year on a pre-production model.

Luke Meier-Smith pilots his Giant Glory Advanced to victory in Australia

Meier-Smith isn’t the only athlete that’s been involved in the many-year redevelopment of Giant’s downhill bike. Assisting the engineers at Giant have been the members of the Giant Factory Off-Road Team, with Remi Thirion putting in two years on the downhill circuit on prototypes, gaining several top-10 finishes along the way.

Frame design and adjustable geometry

The carbon composite frame of the Giant Glory Advanced features three – THREE – independent geometry flip chips which means riders and racers have a huge amount of tweak-ability on offer to allow them to adapt the bike to suit terrain, track, conditions and personal preferences.

Flip chip one is located on the upper rocker arm, and is a three-position chip that controls handling by adjusting the bottom bracket drop in 5mm increments (13mm, 8mm and 3mm) and the head tube ( 61.6 , 62 , and 63) and seat tube (78.4 , 78.8 , 79.1) angles.

The high position increases ground clearance and steepness, making handline more responsive and the bike better suited to smooth and fast tracks, and the mixed wheel setup. Low slackens things off, making it more suited for steep and technical tracks, and a full 29er wheel set up. Medium is the most versatile, and according to Giant is the setting that the Giant Factory Off-Road Team use the most in downhill.

Rear flip chip

Chip two is a 2-position flip chip in the rear drop out that allows riders to change the wheelbase and rear centre by shifting the axle forwards or backwards. Shortening it gives a more agile ride feel for twisty trails and maximum flickability, while long increases the wheelbase and rear centre for icreased stability and control at high speeds.

Geometry flip chip at the headset

The third and final flip chip is another three-position flip chip located at the headset which allows reach adjustment in 5mm increments. The short at -5mm brings the cockpit closer to the rider for better control on tight and technical terrain, while the long at +5mm is further away for a more planted feel.

Suspension

The Glory Advanced uses Giant’s Maestro suspension system, which uses four pivot points and two linkages to produce a single floating pivot point. This system, Giant says, has total braking independence and will stay active even under full braking force.

Maestro offers 200mm of rear travel in the form of a 225mm Trunnion-mounted shock with a 75mm stroke. Trunnion shocks produce a lower leverage ratio on compression for better pedal and braking efficiency and also allows for shorter chainstays which gives the bike a more agile fee. The linear curve of the shock spring gives impressive sensitivity and traction, without packing up on repeated hits or bottoming out on big ones.

203mm of chunky front travel

The upper rocker arm is forged carbon composite, which is – according to Giant – stiffer, lighter and stronger than aluminium. Pivot bearings are double-sealed for durability while a single piece rear swingarm provides a reliable stiff system at the back for greater precision.

Up front, beefy forks offer 203mm of travel.

Wheels: go big or mix it up

The Giant Glory can roll with either a full 29er set up or mixed, with 27.5 at the back and 29 at the front. It retails with a mixed wheel set up though, so you’ll have to fork out for a new back wheel if you do decide to go full 29er.

The Legends Edition Frameset

Giant has a grand history within mountain biking and downhill. From the heady early days when Rob Warner raced Giant bicycles in the 1990s to Myles Rockwell in 2000 and Danny Hart in 2011, big names have ridden Giant with big stories and results to match.

The Giant Glory Legends Edition Frameset

Capturing the essence of the heady vintage days of downhill is the new Legends Edition Frameset. Retro-bright in yellow, red and blue, it harks back to the classics while offering the very latest bike tech under that eyepopping paint job.

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