Showtime

I'm 172cm and my medium Cypher feels like it could do with a touch more reach.

It's time for an upgrade and Apple have never given me cause to jump ship. I like having the choice of using the Apple or Google ecosystems as I want since both play nice with the iPhone. But the networks are forcing my hand. I have to pay R99 for 1Gig on my voice sim while R199 buys 20Gig on a data sim. 600MB is only good for checking the news and a few hub classifieds in 2020 so it seems the only way to actually use my phone is to get a dual sim phone. The chances of Vodacom enabling the esim on the iPhone and undermining their bizarre data pricing is pretty much zero. Maybe I will see if the EFF can do a peaceful protest at Vodaworld first.

I'm reasonably sure there are no more 2020 Elite models. I was sold one and it was a scraping together of parts in the end for them to give me a bike.

I bought a Lezyne overdrive pump a few weeks back because 4 Bar is plenty in 2020 and I wanted a higher resolution gauge. Never has inflating a tyre been such a chore. The chuck screws onto the valve but it's so tight it unscrews the valve from the rim in the process and when removing the chuck you're lucky if it doesn't bring the valve core with it. Very disappointed with this upgrade.

The carbon comp.

It's probably the name that is worth bringing up. You will find the Z2 on many bikes this year including the Titan Cypher Comp. It's based on the Fox 34 chassis with a simplified damper and it get's very good reviews.

I sure did. It's a cross country bike evolved to be a bit better at downhills so it's a good description even if some guy at Pinkbike decided he doesn't like the word.

For many of us a proper trail bike would just be a N+1. I almost bought a Norco Fluid because I loved the single mindedness of the thing. Pike fork and 2.6 wide minion tyres just have fun written all over it if you can find the right place to use it. But then a bit like that My Life vs GoPro video I know that for the riding I actually do 120mm down country is where it's at. The Epic Evo is the mainstream option for most people and I'm more surprised by the lack of Alu models there.

I finally see the light. Why is there not a more capable 120mm in the lineup to close the gap to the carbon comp model which has 34mm fork. They should really make that build kit in Alu.

Sorry if I'm coming across as argumentative. You have a good point. While I feel that 34mm forks are great we are discussing them in a context of a 2021 R33k bike and I'm seeing bikes up to R45k with 30mm Judy forks. 140kw is a nice baseline for a car but we can't demand it from a Figo

I'm sure it's better, it just doesn't make the 32 a 0/10 fork. My previous bike had a 100mm Reba and the new one a 120mm SID with Charger damper. When the going gets fun the SID also feels chalk and cheese compared to the Reba. So for now I'll gladly take the ignorance and enjoy the new SID. A few years back people were raving about 32mm 130/140 revelations. Then when that became 35 the old one was suddenly a useless noodle. I don't buy into this. I'm also 70kg for what it's worth.

When looking at 2021 models a Spark 960 costs R45k and weighs in at 14.5kg.

A 32mm 120mm fork is not a noodle no matter how popular that saying has become. I have a 120mm 32mm SID and I was open minded about changing to a 34mm version but the fork feels really good as is so I won't be bothering.

Very impressive. Titan aren't nearly as a big a player as Trek, Spez etc so if they can offer the build kits they do maybe people are allowed to call out a R90k Trek with NX. The question is now very much why not a Titan. I could find no reason and took my new Cypher (Carbon) for it's first ride this weekend and I'm very happy with my choice. There is no compromise on build quality or design, it simply offers much more for less.

It doesn't make sense to say people have to service their own bikes. Yes I can service my own bike right down to the dampers but a full service takes hours. Since being blessed with a little angel that just turned one my free time has been cut to zero. I have to be very selective how I spend my time and if I could have my bike serviced I would. I stay 200km from the nearest shop so it's not an option for me but people should be able to outsource this without being told to do it themselves.

What if we built a bike focused around the purest imaginable road riding experience? That experience will be 90% dependant on the road and 10% on the bike. These Spez press releases are just getting more ridiculous by the day.

I bought what might be the last 2020 Cypher Elite. I haven't been able to ride it yet but I'm super happy with what I received coming from a Spez. It ticked all the boxes for me (120mm with modern down country geometry, deluxe ultimate shock, XT 1x12 etc) for much much less than the competition. The quality and detail is first class. I also dealt with the Titan guys a bit and the service has been first class. If I need a new road or gravel bike chances are 90% it will be a Titan. The 2021 Cypher Comp for ~R50k is also a really solid bike and well specd by 2021 standards.

I've been cycling shopping for the first time in years and come to the conclusion that Evobikes is basically the only proper online store in SA and I'm done shopping around. Too many shops trying to have an online presence with no stock etc. Evobikes have good stock levels, I order and it arrives in the sticks two days later.

That is seriously impressive!

Was wondering why they haven't contacted me yet. I even bought the same bike in the meantime so that Murphy will choose me.

Some Ferrari drivers would like access to a Mercedes at the moment.

I still can't get my head around what I as a consumer can do on your website? If I look at a XM421 Rim for example it says login to see prices. It that login something anybody can register or is it a dealer login? EDIT I see the difference between getstoked.store and getstokeonline now.

Without really being in the market I enquired about a bike last week. The service and price was so good I pulled the trigger. They didn't have a medium but sourced a new front triangle to rebuild the small they had. I'm a happy customer.

Right now the hijackers know that on the balance of probability you are not armed. There is no need to kill you before trying to take your bike and / or valuables. If we are not armed hijacking a cyclist is also not an easy way to acquire a firearm. You are dealing with people that don't value human life so escalating the violence will be a much easier progression for them than for you.

I ordered one set after reading the good feedback on bike hub and after trying it immediately ordered more. I don't think I'll look at anything else again.