Giant Bicycles Glory 1 2010
Reviews / DH Bikes
1,950,529
At a glance
The Glory 1 is a truly stunning bike to look at with clean, simple lines and a very well thought out colour scheme. The frame is white with blue graphics and almost every component in a matching shade of blue.
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Gear cables, brake hoses, even the brakes themselves are all blue. RockShox have helped continue the theme with matching white and blue graphics on the forks and rear shock. A lot of effort has gone into making the Glory 1 look as good as possible and it has paid off.
Tech Heads
Our test model was the 17” medium version and weighed in at a very impressive sub 38lbs (17kgs), even with pedals. This is thanks to Giant’s AluXX SL aluminium technology, which gives you the most effective strength to weight ratio.
Brakes are provided by the ever-popular Avid Elixir R’s with a matchmaker clamp attaching them to a Sram X7 shifter and X9 rear mech. The drivetrain is finished off with a 38tooth Race Face chainring, Race Face Atlas cranks and a lightweight MRP G2SL guide.
A custom coloured RockShox Boxxer RC2C2 gives you 8” of travel at the front and is matched by a RockShox Vivid Coil R2 on the rear, with 8” of travel using Giant’s Maestro Suspension Technology.
DT Swiss EX500 rims, with custom blue graphics, are laced onto a DT Swiss 350 rear hub, while Giant supply their own front hub. Giant also supply the Glory with their own Direct mount stem and 750mm wide handlebars.
On paper the Glory does have quite a steep head angle of 65.5˚ and quite a small top tube length of only 60.5cm’s in the medium.
On the trail
When you first sit on the Glory you do feel a little bit hunched up. But the moment you get moving and start riding it feels absolutely spot on. This is one quick bike.
After just a few runs the Avid brakes had bedded in and we felt at home on the bike. Giant’s Maestro platform and the Vivid rear shock work really well together. The bike is really pedal efficient and it soaks up big impacts just as well as it does smaller hits.
The Glory exudes confidence. It’s hard not to push yourself and ride flat out on this bike. After all, that’s what it was designed for.
In the wet the Minion 3C tyres didn’t offer much grip, but then they are more suited to summer riding. In the dry though, they really came into their own, providing plenty of grip and traction except for on the most hard packed clay sections.
The 750mm wide bars feel just right, although some riders may prefer a wider bar they do add to the sense of stability when riding the Glory. Being so light it’s easy to get the bike up to speed and control it through the corners.
For
Everyone who rode the Glory stepped off it with a smile on their face and only had positive things to say about it.
Against
Some riders might be put off by the steeper than usual head angle. However, we’ve heard stories of riders finding ways around this, not that Giant or ourselves can recommend it.
Overall
The Glory is a real out the box race ready DH bike. The spec is absolutely perfect and the bike can take every bit of abuse thrown at it. It’s a joy to ride and makes you want to go as fast as you can.
Buy DH Bikes onThis review was in Issue 8 of IMB.
For more information visit Giant BicyclesRelated
By George Woodward
