First Look: Pyga Stage

The Pyga Stage is the most recent addition to our ever-growing long term test bike fleet. The Stage (not to be confused with the more trail capable Stage Max) is a 100 mm travel carbon cross country and marathon race bike.

While the Stage might sport an efficient 100 mm of rear travel, the rest of the bike is not exactly a traditional XC machine. In designing the Stage, Pyga looked to make a bike that can be raced competitively at the sharp end, but still provide the average man and woman with a comfortable and confidence inspiring platform from which to push their endurance limits.

It’s largely the geometry that makes the Stage so versatile – a slacker head angle and longer reach with a shorter stem. Something that the major manufacturers have only just starting delivering on their XC race bikes. Our test bike is fitted with a 100 mm SID although the bike is equally at home with a 120 mm fork. With this set up, the head angle is around 69 degrees with a healthy 475mm reach.

+Five

A standout feature on the Stage is the Pyga’s +Five chain line concept. 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 by 5mm on the drive side and in doing so reducing the chainline offset from 49mm to 44mm.

Why the change? 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.

If that a bit confusing, all you really need to know is that +Five promises better gear shifting, less component wear, and a stiff, stronger rear wheel.

Build kit

This bike represents the “GX Build” specification level with (you guessed it) a SRAM GX drivetrain. A RockShox SID RLC with the Charger Damper (very excited to try this out) pairs a Monarch RT3 shock on the rear. The SRAM theme continues with Guide RS brakes and the excellent Roam 40 wheelset wrapped in Onza Canis tyres. It is a solid selection of components with no one part likely to underperform.

With the Stage, Pyga say their focus was on stiffness, even at the cost of a few grams here and there but they have not done badly with weight. Even with the robust GX specification level on an extra large frame, the full bike (excluding pedals) comes in at 11.77 kg. It would be interesting to see how low that figure can go with a smaller frame, lighter drivetrain, wheels and tyres, and some carbon cockpit components.

I will be putting the Pyga Stage through its paces at the remainder of the WP XCO Series, the odd 100 miler, and hopefully a stage race or two. But most importantly, after many years of envy, I can finally participate in the “Post your Pyga” thread

Specification list:

• FramePyga Stage with 100 mm rear travel (Extra Large)
• Rear ShockRockShox Monarch RT3
• ForkRockShox SID RLC with OneLoc remote 100mm
• HeadsetCane Creek Forty Series
• StemKore 70 mm
• HandlebarKORE Mega 760 mm
• GripsRaceFace Half Nelson
• SaddleKORE Faze
• SeatpostKORE Torsion
• Seatpost clampDeed
• BrakesSRAM Guide RS
• RotorsSRAM Centreline (180mm front; 160mm rear)
• ShifterSRAM GX
• Rear DerailleurSRAM GX
• CassetteSRAM GX
• ChainSRAM GX
• CrankSRAM GX
• CrankSRAM GX
• WheelsetSRAM Roam 40
• TyresOnza Canis 2.25
• Retail priceR74 999