I was looking forward to the review in the mag this month as it included two “nu skool” 29ers (longer top tubes, slacker head angles, lower bottom bracket but short travel): the Orange Segment and the Kona Process 111

I expected the third one to be the Whyte T129 Works SCR as this has almost identical geometry to the Kona. I was a bit surprised they went for the Pyga One-Ten instead. Maybe the Whyte wasn’t available or maybe it was just too close the the Kona to be worth testing, but the Pyga isn’t really “nu skool” in my book. Standard length top tubes, 69.5 degree head angle etc.

However, having read the review I reckon the Pyga would be a better choice for the sort of riding (mincing) that I do than the other two. Guess I’m just old skool.

2 things.

1) 69.5 degrees is fine, it really is. we think we like slack head angles, but really we like that the front wheel is a little further away – you can get the same thing with a steep/not-slack head angle and a long front centre.

2) is it possible that the top-tube is a ‘standard’ length because of a steep seat-tube?

edit: yes, 74.5degree seat-angle. and i’ve looked at the reach measurements, it’s a long bike. Mixed with an unfashionably steep head angle, it’s the future.

Did you see the weight of the Segment?

I try not to get overly hung up on bike weights (32.5 lbs, for those who haven’t read it), but I’ll admit that made me wince a bit.

Thanks awhiles I hadn’t spotted that. Maybe the PYGA isn’t quite as “conventional” as I thought. I’m not sure about head angles at all, but you may well be right. At least for those of us who don’t travel at warp speed (so don’t need the stability from the extra trail), maybe all we really want is for the front wheel to be a long way out in front.

Yes arrpee I winced a bit at that Segment weight. They did say that it rode a lot lighter (whatever that means), but 32.5 lb for a 1×11 setup without pedals is a bit chunky. Guess it can take some abuse though.

I generally imagine that it’s down to fairly light wheel weight when bikes are said to ride lighter than they weigh.

I have quite a heavy old school road bike (bought from a family friend) which is very stiff, and it now ‘rides lighter’ having had lighter wheels put on it.

To be fair my 5 29 S did not feel as heavy as it’s heft would suggest, except on fire road or grass climbs. Tested a Santa Cruz Tallboy carbon thing and that felt no lighter to ride then the 5 RS I also tested. More to it then actual weight of the complete bike by the look of things.

Doubt it’s light wheels on the Orange 🙂 I’m a fan, but the wheels/tyres on the standard builds generally weigh a ton.

slap a 140 mm Pike on the Pyga (like ST suggest, like wot WMB did when they tested theirs (they loved it in this confuiguration), and wot I have done with mine) and it slackens if off a degree or so and turns you into a bit of a nucking futter (even at age 49 3/4…….)

If any one is after a demo on the PYGA 110 please get in contact.
info@r53sport.com

Do these demos extend to Aberdeen 🙂

Yes defiantly, please contact your LB and we can organise the demo from there!