We're up at Crankworx in beautiful Whistler, British Columbia where Giant Bicycles held a soft launch for their 2012 mountain bike line. From what we've seen thus far, the majority of the lineup stays the same with one major exception. Giant has partnered with various fork manufactures to release a new tapered steerer tube standard 1-1/2" to 1-1/4" which they dub OverDrive 2.


Giant was able to bring this design to market without changing the head tube diameters on their bikes. The secret is a low profile upper bearing.


Giant claims that this OverDrive 2 increases torsional steering stiffness by 30 percent. Giant seems very committed to this new standard as it is spec'ed across the majority of their mountain bikes including the following series: Anthem X, Trance X, Reign, Reign X, and Faith.


The ever popular Trance X family gets the OverDrive 2 treatment and remains relatively unchanged with the exception of spec changes.


With 6.7 inches of rear wheel travel, the Reign X is a burly bike designed to satisfy the most aggressive riders.


Some noteworthy spec changes to the Reign include a 2x10 drive train and Giant's new Contact Switch adjustable height seatpost.


Ready to take to the sky, the Faith's 7 inches of travel and new color scheme ensures that you will remain stealth while flying through the bike park.