Titan Cypher RS Ultimate - A bike I want to try!

[Jewbacca]

Spez do work really hard on their R&D and their bikes are awesome.

 

They have been on the forefront of pushing geo and bike progression for years. I would have loved an Epic Evo but I couldn't afford one.

 

Instead I own a Carbon Titan Cypher which I built up as a 120mm 'trail' bike.

 

The geometry is way more modern than the much loved Pyga Stage, the leverage ratio feels bottomless while still keeping you glued to the ground in corners with super good small bump sensitivity.

 

I feel way more confident and capable than I did on my Jeffsy despite having 20mm less travel front and rear. It also climbs better.

 

As a 1 bike quiver, it ticks all the boxes. I will see how it goes in April at the upcoming XCO series. 

[Hairy]

Spez do work really hard on their R&D and their bikes are awesome.

 

They have been on the forefront of pushing geo and bike progression for years. I would have loved an Epic Evo but I couldn't afford one.

 

Instead I own a Carbon Titan Cypher which I built up as a 120mm 'trail' bike.

 

The geometry is way more modern than the much loved Pyga Stage, the leverage ratio feels bottomless while still keeping you glued to the ground in corners with super good small bump sensitivity.

 

I feel way more confident and capable than I did on my Jeffsy despite having 20mm less travel front and rear. It also climbs better.

 

As a 1 bike quiver, it ticks all the boxes. I will see how it goes in April at the upcoming XCO series. 

BE SILENT YOU HEATHEN!

[Furbz]

Spez do work really hard on their R&D and their bikes are awesome.

 

They have been on the forefront of pushing geo and bike progression for years. I would have loved an Epic Evo but I couldn't afford one.

 

Instead I own a Carbon Titan Cypher which I built up as a 120mm 'trail' bike.

 

The geometry is way more modern than the much loved Pyga Stage, the leverage ratio feels bottomless while still keeping you glued to the ground in corners with super good small bump sensitivity.

 

I feel way more confident and capable than I did on my Jeffsy despite having 20mm less travel front and rear. It also climbs better.

 

As a 1 bike quiver, it ticks all the boxes. I will see how it goes in April at the upcoming XCO series. 

 

i'm picking up a Titan Cypher Empire Carbon today...

[dave303e]

Here is an idea- may not work 100% in reality but here goes the theory-

 

Titan Cypher for R107k

Buy an epic frame for R60k

https://www.specialized.com/za/en/s-works-epic-frameset/p/171230?color=264112-171230&searchText=70320-0004 

 

Move everything across and have a pretty much comparable 180k bike

 

Sell the Cypher frame for 20k and you are R147k for R180k bike Chances are you can sell it for closer to 30k making it an even better deal...

[Furbz]

So i currently have a Titan Cypher Empire Carbon in my garage to test.

It is the 120mm model

 

Some Info:

Size Medium

2x Specialized Plastic Bottle Cages Fitted - this bike fits 2x big bottles people! yes please!

XT Shimano Pedals fitted.

the bike is still setup with tubes (its a test bike).

total weight 12.31kgs

 

considering my 2014 cannondale scalpel is 11.7kgs and is 100mm of travel rear and 120mm up front i'd say not bad but not great.

 

a tubeless conversion should get this bike to 12kgs or so.

if you really want you could drop a further 50grams by removing the bottom bash plate. but i see no reason for doing so.

there are plenty other areas you could look at to get this bike down to 11.5kgs. the wheels are slightly porky at 1590grams so theres a good place to start if you wished to go down that road.

 

i'll be giving this a good ride on Saturday and will give some feedback here.

 

side note: the bike is brand new. i was given the bike to test. i fully plan on purchasing the bike if i enjoy it.

i have setup the shocks to 25% sag and the tires are pumped to slightly higher than ENVE recommendations for a 25mm rim with 2.35mm tires ( i have to be careful of pinch flats here) 

i have ridden it up and down my driveway bedding in the brakes.

 

my initial thoughts are that the suspension is super plush - better than my current 2014 carbon 120mm lefty coupled with a kashima rear shock.

and thats an exciting news.

 

the bike positioning feels right at home.

i am looking forward to see how it behaves on the trails.

 

the ride i have planned out is kyalami(home) to broadacres to Cradlemoon, Yellow loop and return. 

that trail and route will have a good variation and should give me a really good idea on what this bike is about.

Edited February 17, 2021 by Furbz

[AllAboutRides]

So i currently have a Titan Cypher Empire Carbon in my garage to test.

It is the 120mm model

 

Some Info:

Size Medium

2x Specialized Plastic Bottle Cages Fitted - this bike fits 2x big bottles people! yes please!

XT Shimano Pedals fitted.

the bike is still setup with tubes (its a test bike).

total weight 12.31kgs

 

considering my 2014 cannondale scalpel is 11.7kgs and is 100mm of travel rear and 120mm up front i'd say not bad but not great.

 

a tubeless conversion should get this bike to 12kgs or so.

if you really want you could drop a further 50grams by removing the bottom bash plate. but i see no reason for doing so.

there are plenty other areas you could look at to get this bike down to 11.5kgs. the wheels are slightly porky at 1590grams so theres a good place to start if you wished to go down that road.

 

i'll be giving this a good ride on Saturday and will give some feedback here.

 

side note: the bike is brand new. i was given the bike to test. i fully plan on purchasing the bike if i enjoy it.

i have setup the shocks to 25% sag and the tires are pumped to slightly higher than ENVE recommendations for a 25mm rim with 2.35mm tires ( i have to be careful of pinch flats here) 

i have ridden it up and down my driveway bedding in the brakes.

 

my initial thoughts are that the suspension is super plush - better than my current 2014 carbon 120mm lefty coupled with a kashima rear shock.

and thats an exciting news.

 

the bike positioning feels right at home.

i am looking forward to see how it behaves on the trails.

 

the ride i have planned out is kyalami(home) to broadacres to Cradlemoon, Yellow loop and return. 

that trail and route will have a good variation and should give me a really good idea on what this bike is about.

 

 Awesome! Please share your thought and ride!

[OVERDRIVE]

More like:

 

Merida/ Specialized

 

VW Golf / Audi A3

Polo / A1

 

Comparing a polo to an Aventador is akin to comparing a budget hardtail to an Sworks Epic.

 

So i currently have a Titan Cypher Empire Carbon in my garage to test.

It is the 120mm model

 

Some Info:

Size Medium

2x Specialized Plastic Bottle Cages Fitted - this bike fits 2x big bottles people! yes please!

XT Shimano Pedals fitted.

the bike is still setup with tubes (its a test bike).

total weight 12.31kgs

 

considering my 2014 cannondale scalpel is 11.7kgs and is 100mm of travel rear and 120mm up front i'd say not bad but not great.

 

a tubeless conversion should get this bike to 12kgs or so.

if you really want you could drop a further 50grams by removing the bottom bash plate. but i see no reason for doing so.

there are plenty other areas you could look at to get this bike down to 11.5kgs. the wheels are slightly porky at 1590grams so theres a good place to start if you wished to go down that road.

 

i'll be giving this a good ride on Saturday and will give some feedback here.

 

side note: the bike is brand new. i was given the bike to test. i fully plan on purchasing the bike if i enjoy it.

i have setup the shocks to 25% sag and the tires are pumped to slightly higher than ENVE recommendations for a 25mm rim with 2.35mm tires ( i have to be careful of pinch flats here) 

i have ridden it up and down my driveway bedding in the brakes.

 

my initial thoughts are that the suspension is super plush - better than my current 2014 carbon 120mm lefty coupled with a kashima rear shock.

and thats an exciting news.

 

the bike positioning feels right at home.

i am looking forward to see how it behaves on the trails.

 

the ride i have planned out is kyalami(home) to broadacres to Cradlemoon, Yellow loop and return. 

that trail and route will have a good variation and should give me a really good idea on what this bike is about.

 

Please keep us updated on the ride! 

[Danger Dassie]

So i currently have a Titan Cypher Empire Carbon in my garage to test.

It is the 120mm model

 

Some Info:

Size Medium

2x Specialized Plastic Bottle Cages Fitted - this bike fits 2x big bottles people! yes please!

XT Shimano Pedals fitted.

the bike is still setup with tubes (its a test bike).

total weight 12.31kgs

 

considering my 2014 cannondale scalpel is 11.7kgs and is 100mm of travel rear and 120mm up front i'd say not bad but not great.

 

a tubeless conversion should get this bike to 12kgs or so.

if you really want you could drop a further 50grams by removing the bottom bash plate. but i see no reason for doing so.

there are plenty other areas you could look at to get this bike down to 11.5kgs. the wheels are slightly porky at 1590grams so theres a good place to start if you wished to go down that road.

 

i'll be giving this a good ride on Saturday and will give some feedback here.

 

side note: the bike is brand new. i was given the bike to test. i fully plan on purchasing the bike if i enjoy it.

i have setup the shocks to 25% sag and the tires are pumped to slightly higher than ENVE recommendations for a 25mm rim with 2.35mm tires ( i have to be careful of pinch flats here) 

i have ridden it up and down my driveway bedding in the brakes.

 

my initial thoughts are that the suspension is super plush - better than my current 2014 carbon 120mm lefty coupled with a kashima rear shock.

and thats an exciting news.

 

the bike positioning feels right at home.

i am looking forward to see how it behaves on the trails.

 

the ride i have planned out is kyalami(home) to broadacres to Cradlemoon, Yellow loop and return. 

that trail and route will have a good variation and should give me a really good idea on what this bike is about.

 

Nice feedback, also own a Cypher 120mm. Feelings are moew or less in line with this.

[Danger Dassie]

Spez do work really hard on their R&D and their bikes are awesome.

 

They have been on the forefront of pushing geo and bike progression for years. I would have loved an Epic Evo but I couldn't afford one.

 

Instead I own a Carbon Titan Cypher which I built up as a 120mm 'trail' bike.

 

The geometry is way more modern than the much loved Pyga Stage, the leverage ratio feels bottomless while still keeping you glued to the ground in corners with super good small bump sensitivity.

 

I feel way more confident and capable than I did on my Jeffsy despite having 20mm less travel front and rear. It also climbs better.

 

As a 1 bike quiver, it ticks all the boxes. I will see how it goes in April at the upcoming XCO series. 

More or less the same circumstance's, although I was involved in a retail operation where we dealt a lot with Titan directly.

Thoroughly enjoying the Cypher and ito of lateral stiffness it's far stiffer than the Yeti ARC I previously owned. In fact I realised how squirelly the rear end could be on the ARC. That said the ARC frameset and build was about a half kg lighter and acceleration was quicker.

In an ideal world I would have held onto the ARC and built it into a proper race sled or converted to a monster gravel bike with drop barrs and 90mm RS1 forks.

[OVERDRIVE]

Have you guys seen their Latest offerings on road bikes, Carbon rims for 41k, saying it has 105 11 speed with disc brakes but still very good value.

Had some time and was looking at this: 

 

https://www.titanracingbikes.com/product/vanquish-pro-carbon/

 

What is the specialized equivalent to this you think? 

[thehoof]

Here is an idea- may not work 100% in reality but here goes the theory-

 

Titan Cypher for R107k

Buy an epic frame for R60k

https://www.specialized.com/za/en/s-works-epic-frameset/p/171230?color=264112-171230&searchText=70320-0004 

 

Move everything across and have a pretty much comparable 180k bike

 

Sell the Cypher frame for 20k and you are R147k for R180k bike Chances are you can sell it for closer to 30k making it an even better deal...

I'll take the frame.

Will be a nice upgrade from my Cypher alloy...

[Jewbacca]

More or less the same circumstance's, although I was involved in a retail operation where we dealt a lot with Titan directly.

Thoroughly enjoying the Cypher and ito of lateral stiffness it's far stiffer than the Yeti ARC I previously owned. In fact I realised how squirelly the rear end could be on the ARC. That said the ARC frameset and build was about a half kg lighter and acceleration was quicker.

In an ideal world I would have held onto the ARC and built it into a proper race sled or converted to a monster gravel bike with drop barrs and 90mm RS1 forks.

I went from a Lapierre XR929 with 120mm Revelation fork and a Push tuned Fox Float factory 100mm rear end.... I took the Frenchie for 1 last spin around Tokai before she sold and I was amazed how squirrely and less planted the bike felt compared to the Cypher.

 

Same trails at the same speeds became a fair bit sketchier.

 

Modern geometry is a real thing. As a 1 quiver bike I would probably still prefer the Evo, but this is a very passable close second. The fact that it's designed by a mate makes it just that bit special too

[DieselnDust]

I went from a Lapierre XR929 with 120mm Revelation fork and a Push tuned Fox Float factory 100mm rear end.... I took the Frenchie for 1 last spin around Tokai before she sold and I was amazed how squirrely and less planted the bike felt compared to the Cypher.

 

Same trails at the same speeds became a fair bit sketchier.

 

Modern geometry is a real thing. As a 1 quiver bike I would probably still prefer the Evo, but this is a very passable close second. The fact that it's designed by a mate makes it just that bit special too

 

 

I am going to challenge you on this one.

The two bikes geometry isn't that different, HTA and STA are similar BB drop on the XR929 is 3mm more.

What I think is delivering the better ride quality is a superior tuning of the carbon fibre layup and the control of the deflection in key areas of the frame. I'm not sure if they use a custom tuned shock like Specialized does but this could also be a contributor and plays a far bigger role than a head angle of X. IMO. Geometry is maybe a small contributor but the overwhelming contributor to the better ride quality is just that its a better engineered product. 

The big companies can afford to try a 1000 different layups and find one that works perfectly for the frame layout they've opted for in terms of packaging. What Titan has achieved is remarkable indeed and applaud them but its got very little to do with being progressive in the geometry department.

head angle of 69/68.5 STA 75/74.5 is middle of the road. Wheel base on the medium is a 113.4 compared to my Scalpels 112 or the new Scalpel 115. 

I'm keen to try out a 2021 Ghost Lektor FS because that thing has a long front end so I know its going to be a DH sled for XCO but I'd like to chuck it through the flow to test its mojo

 

 

PS: Looked at the Lektor again and all they've done is changed the size curve. The XS is like a S Scalpel or Epic, the Small is similar to the SPaz/Canny Medium.

Wheelbase is a slightly longer so its not as radically different. The WB of 116cm for the Small is 1cm longer than the Scalpel. All the bike manufactures are easing their way forward with the front centre and longer overall wheelbase. 

At the end of the day, the better bike is going to be the one that feels comfortable for you the rider and selected from a Geometry chart

Edited February 23, 2021 by DieselnDust

[BuffsVintageBikes]

This Cypher really appeals to me, in terms of value for money, geometry and looks. I think it's going to be the replacement to my aging Anthem. I wonder what there stock levels are like?

[DieselnDust]

This Cypher really appeals to me, in terms of value for money, geometry and looks. I think it's going to be the replacement to my aging Anthem. I wonder what there stock levels are like?

pal of mine bought one recently. The lbs had all models in stock. I assume from this that stock levels are healthy for now. He bought an Al version

[dseenya]

Throwing my 2 cents worth in as well. I have the alloy 120mm Cypher and it's a brilliant allrounder. I'm loving it. Bang for buck is amazing, I'll change the fork at some stage as the only thing missing in their massive cypher range is an alloy 120mm model with a decent fork.