{"id":17498,"date":"2016-10-17T13:05:00","date_gmt":"2016-10-17T12:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/2016\/10\/17\/review-pyga-stage-max-r5689\/"},"modified":"2023-02-08T07:34:15","modified_gmt":"2023-02-08T07:34:15","slug":"review-pyga-stage-max-r5689","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/review-pyga-stage-max-r5689\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Pyga Stage Max"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Pyga Stage Max is the bigger brother of the Stage marathon\/ cross-country bike<\/a>. With the Stage already adding some spice to the race bike category, we were keen to put the Stage Max to the test to see what it has up its sleeve.<\/p>\n

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The Frame<\/h2>\n

The biggest deviation from conventional design is what Pyga are calling Plus Five. A re-engineering of the rear end to correct what they believe is a huge flaw in bikes, the chainline offset. What they have done is offset the whole rear end of the Stage Max by 5mm on the drive side and in doing so reducing the chainline offset from 49mm to 44mm.<\/p>\n

Why the change? Patrick Morewood explained that when the 49mm chainline offset was introduced mountain bikes were using 8-speed cassettes. The measurements then meant that the chainline was centred but as 9, 10 and 11-speed cassettes were introduced the centre chainline has shifted. The result on an 11-speed drivetrain with a 49mm offset is that the centre chainline is out by two gears. No need to worry about a new standard though, Pyga have emphasized that Plus Five is not a new standard, as all they have changed is their frames. The hubs, axle width, and wheels (aside from a change to the dishing) all remain unchanged.<\/p>\n

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What are the advantages of the Plus Five <\/strong>chainline<\/strong> offset?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Better shifting: <\/strong>The centred chainline and less harsh chain angles improve shifting. Poor shifting is often blamed on the drive train manufacturers, when Pyga feel that as frame designers and engineers they should take responsibility by improving the frame design.<\/p>\n

Less component wear: <\/strong>They were also concerned about excessive wear when riding on the 11th gear (the \u201cgranny\u201d) on a 1×11 system. When riding the Stage Max in your 11th gear the chainline is equivalent to being in your 9th gear on other bikes sporting a 49mm chainline. This significantly decreases the angle at which the chain engages the front ring in the top gear.<\/p>\n

Improved rear wheel strength:<\/strong> Plus Five also means that the rear wheel is no longer dished, with spoke length being equal on either side of the wheel leading to improved wheel strength.<\/p>\n

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Heading out on my first ride, I was a surprised by how well the medium frame fit me. I couldn’t find any markings and thought the guys must have made a mistake and sent us a large instead. It was only when I got home and looked at the bike’s geometry online that I realized that the medium Stage Max has a healthy reach of 430mm, putting it closer to some large frames out there.<\/p>\n

The only thing I would like to see tidied up is the routing of the cables on the underside of the bottom bracket. They seem to be quite exposed and it looks a bit untidy, especially considering the clean lines of the rest of the bike.<\/p>\n

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Specifications<\/h2>\n

Full Carbon fiber frame and rocker
29″ wheels
126mm rear travel \/ 140mm fork
Can take 2 water bottles inside frame
+FIVE chain line concept
Sizes: M, L, XL
Internal and external routing for all cables including a shock lock-out.<\/p>\n

Components<\/h2>\n

Pyga have really nailed the component choice of the Stage Max “GX PIKE RC” build on our test bike. It features a full SRAM GX 11-speed drivetrain with a 32T chainring. The only personal change I would make is to swap out the fairly thin Race Face Half Nelson grips for something with a bit more squish. Other than that, every piece of kit deserves its place on the bike. Shifting was good and the impact of the Pyga’s +FIVE chainline offset was noticeable, with less cross chain when in granny gear. The fork is a Rockshox Pike RC with a 140mm travel and, as one would expect from a Pike, its performance was top notch.<\/p>\n

Full Specification List:<\/strong><\/p>\n