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.