My new ride

Over the holiday season I decided it was time for a serious upgrade to my mtb steed. My options were vast, I test rode lots of bikes and I liked all of them in different ways. In the end I decided to pick a frame and then go wild with the components.

I wanted to make the lightest dual suspension cross country machine possible - starting with a heavy frame... That's right, the Pyga stage is not the lightest frame you'll come across compared to the Scott Spark or Specialized Epic but it's very adaptable and is noted as being extremely talented on descents. It's also a local design so supporting local industry was a bonus.

From the frame I let my local bike shop owner (a mechanical oracle of sorts) pick and choose the components to my budget. He seemed to beam with excitement and came back with a dream team of parts that included a 1x12 Eagle drivetrain, 120mm DT Swiss ODL fork and Stans Valor carbon wheels.

It then started to get weird as the frame, went away and came back naked. The paint was removed back to bare carbon in order to save 270 grams (who knew paint was so heavy?). It didn't stop there either, the shock was put on the lathe to reduce a couple grams, bolts were all changed for titanium derivatives and the wheels built with super light but strong spokes.

Once completed it hit the scale at 10.1 kg (22.6lb) with the pedals on. Madness.

I thought I'd share the build with those interested as it's now a one-of-a-kind bike and I can't wait to clock up more miles on it. My initial impression is that it's going to make my riding even more rewarding as it's so light to climb with but even more direct and nimble on the descents.

Here's to a solid year of mtb riding.