Following a two-year development project, the new�Glory Advanced�was unveiled midway through the 2023 racing season. It features a totally reengineered chassis that represents the first full-composite Glory ever available for consumers. The frame is paired with a new�Maestro rear suspension�system that delivers 200mm of smooth, active travel, along with a 203mm suspension fork.
Since its introduction, the Glory Advanced has already collected multiple national championships and a World Cup podium. The media has taken notice, praising its advancements over the previous generation and its performance out on the trails.
Mountain Biking UK published a group test including the Glory Advanced, which beat out the Nukeproof Dissent and Propain Rage to take top honors.
�With the latest Glory, Giant have taken the best of both the Nukeproof and the Propain and blended it all together,� editors wrote.��It�s incredibly light-handling and easy to ride, with good support and a lively character. Yet, when things get rowdy, it has enough composure and stability to truck through the toughest trails without causing you to break a sweat. This is the bike we felt the most confident on and could ride the fastest with the least input.�
BikeRadar gave the Glory Advanced a near-perfect 4.5-star ranking, claiming: �Giant�s new Glory maintains its impressive reputation and performance.� Reviewer Luke Marshall detailed its key features including a mixed wheel setup with a 29-inch front and 27.5-inch rear, and its adjustability that allows you to change the geometry and switch to a 29-inch rear wheel.
�While it�s sure-footed and capable at speed, it still has an eagerness when riding slow, more technical trails,� Marshall wrote. �The Glory will be equally at home being ridden between the tapes of a world cup track as it will being thrashed at local downhill trails.�
Mountain Bike Action also reported on the introduction of the new Glory Advanced, detailing new features including its multiple flip chips. �The new Glory model stands out with its remarkable adjustability, allowing for modifications in angles, dimensions, and wheel sizes,� editors wrote. �This flexibility is achieved through the utilization of three flip chips.�
In Germany, bike magazin tested the Glory Advanced head-to-head against the Ribisu Psychopath, putting them both through their paces at several bike parks in Europe. �No surprise, the new Giant Glory clearly wins,� wrote one of the testers, Laurin Lehner, editor of bike�s sister publication Freeride. �It is modern, can [ride] park and downhill, and has clever features such as the versatile geo-adjustment. Victory for Giant.��
The Slovakia-based website Biker also gave the Glory Advanced a 4.5-star review, writing that it �rides phenomenally.�
�It�s excellent on virtually any track, in both experienced and amateur hands,� reviewers wrote. �The limits of this bike probably go much further than your own. However, that does not mean that the average rider will not enjoy it. It�s an extremely capable downhill bike, and yet it never feels lazy or heavy-handed.�
For more on the new Glory Advanced, click here for all the technical details.
And to read all the coverage, check out the full reviews below.