In late April PYGA INDUSTRIES announced the launch of their first carbon fibre, full suspension marathon bike at the opening of their new Cape Town offices. Dubbed the Stage, the 29″ bike is designed as an out and out race machine, with Pyga’s signature twist on geometry.
Says founding partner Pat Morewood: “Longer travel bikes have seen a big change in geometry, driven by the Downhill scene. These changes have trickled down into the enduro and trail market, but marathon and XC bikes have been relatively stagnant in this regard. We felt that the marathon category could really benefit from this new way of thinking”
The Stage features a slacker head angle counter acted with a longer reach; so that shorter stems can be fitted. The slacker head angle (compared to the marathon norm of 70-71 degrees) creates a more stable ride, while the longer reach/short stem combo keeps the steering direct and inspires confidence – resulting in a ride with precise steering, without the twitchy feel of many other bikes the marathon category. This updated geometry gives the bike maximum stability at speed, cornering and steep technical descents yet climbs among the best in its class.
Pyga will also be offering a longer travel trail bike called the Stage MAX. This versatile bike has longer travel at the rear (126mm) and can accommodate up to a 140mm fork and will be perfect for guys looking for a 29er trail bike with contemporary geometry.
Along with their progressive geometry, the Stage and Stage MAX will be the first bikes to debut Plus 5; a correction to chain line issues that have been overlooked by bike designers since the onset of 10 and 11 speed drive trains. This is achieved by shifting the complete rear drive (wheel axle and cassette – NOT the chain ring position) 5mm towards the drive side, which alters the effective chain line from 49mm to 44mm, while maintaining the same chain ring position relative to the centre-line of the frame. Simply put, the chain line on the 11th gear (easiest gear, largest cog) on a Plus 5 frame is equivalent to the chain line on the 9th gear of a regular frame.
In essence, Plus 5 offers better shifting performance and reduced wear on the drive train. Interestingly, this is achieved without the need for proprietary parts – all that is required is an adjustment of the wheel dish. This has the added bonus of a stiffer, stronger wheel; as the wheel dish adjusted for Plus 5 has a more even spoke tension between drive side and non drive side spokes.
Both bikes offer the ability of carrying 2 water bottles within the main frame, while still maintaining a low stand over height. A removable derailleur mount keeps the lines looking clean when not using dual chain ring crank sets.
The Stage already has one big race under its belt – Nico Pfitzenmaier raced it to 2nd place, with 4 stage wins at this year’s 9 day, 934km stage race, the Joberg2C. Pyga will be offering a limited number of bikes for early pre order release, exclusively for customers based in South Africa. These bikes will be available from October this year in size LRG, followed by MED then XL.
Pre order frames will be individually numbered in series, and pre order customers will be able to specify their own serial number on a custom alloy badge. Contact a Pyga dealer for more info or contact Pyga directly and they can put you on the list. Each model will have 2 colour options, as well as two build options, as seen below.
Stage Geometry
Bright colour scheme: Blue matte frame // Orange gloss decals
Covert colour scheme: White gloss frame // Charcoal matte decals
Rear travel: 95mm
Onza Canis 2.25
Stage MAX Geometry
Bright colour scheme: Orange matte frame // Blue gloss decals
Covert colour scheme: Charcoal matte frame // White gloss decals
Rear travel: 126mm
Onza Ibex 2.25
Stage Build Specification
Stage XX RS-1 Build R94 900 *RRP – Price and build spec may change without notice
Stage XO1 Sid build R76 500 *RRP – Price and build spec may change without notice
Stage MAX Build Specification
Stage MAX XX1 Pike RCT3 R92 500 * RRP – Price and build spec may change without notice
Stage MAX XO1 Pike RC R79 950 * RRP – Price and build spec may change without notice
Just to clarify: the rear travel on the Stage is 95mm and the Stage MAX is 126mm.
These specs have now been added to the article.