Pyga’s Slackline Straddles The Enduro/DH Fence, Spotted at Eurobike 2018

The Pyga Slackline from South Africa is a long enduro bike with 160mm of travel in the rear, and 170mm up front.

170mm nose, 160mm tail, four-bar Horst link mountain party

Well known in South Africa for their race-winning XC/Marathon bikes, Pyga has a staunch dedication to designing bikes that they would love to ride all day. At the long travel end of their current line, the Slackline includes all the best parts of the modern long-low-slack mountain bike geometry paradigm. Without jumping off the cliff into any of those three geometry elements, it appears Pyga has created a legitimate enduro-ready bike that their engineers say is “where we feel the sweet spot between speed and maneuverability lies.” Check the numbers below.

Slackline Geometry (Based on 170mm fork)

 
Medium Large XLarge
SEATTUBE A 430mm 470mm 510mm
TOPTUBE B 597mm 624mm 651mm
HEADTUBE ANGLE (High) C 65.3deg 65.3deg 65.3deg
HEADTUBE ANGLE (Low) C 64.8deg 64.8deg 64.8deg
CHAINSTAY (low) D 434mm 434mm 434mm
CHAINSTAY (high) D 432mm 432mm 432mm
WHEELBASE E 1195mm 1222mm 1251mm
ACTUAL SEATTUBE ANGLE F 69.9deg 69.9deg 69.9deg
VIRTUAL SEATTUBE ANGLE G 76.5deg 76.5deg 76.5deg
BB HEIGHT (High) I 345mm 345mm 345mm
BB HEIGHT (Low) I 337mm 337mm 337mm
HEADTUBE LENGTH J 110mm 120mm 130mm
REACH K 454mm 477mm 501mm

I was fortunate to catch the only Slackline at Eurobike, found at the Mountain Racing Products booth, and had a chance to talk with the owner about how it rides. He said that after a month on the bike the length is still taking a little getting used to. He is about 5’9″, and with the 454mm reach on his size medium frame, I can see why that would feel a bit stretched out. He also mentioned being surprised by how well the bike climbs for its otherwise very DH specs. This particular bike is fitted with a MRP 170mm Ribbon Coil fork, a Rockshox Super Deluxe RCT air shock, and some robust-looking Deed Surge carbon hoops. He couldn’t recall the bike’s exact weight, but when I picked it up it felt similar to most carbon bikes of its ilk.

Ample room for a large water bottle

The Slackline’s Boost rear triangle makes room for 27.5″ tires, up to a whopping 2.8″ wide. A flip-chip, located at the lower shock mount, gives riders the option of a 64.8° or 65.3° headtube angle. Frames are available in two colorways including this black-on-black version, and a neon-blood combination that you can ogle on their website. With an external BB and fairly simple cable routing, the bike looks like a good option for folks who like to do their own wrenching.

Clean and accessible internal routing.

Size guides for the Slackline begin with a minimum rider height of 165cm (5’4″) for the medium frame, and with a bike this long you may want to compare it to others you have ridden to determine the proper size to order. Pyga has a 27.5+/29″ trail bike called the Hyrax, with a 150mm fork, 140mm rear end, and a slightly shorter 447mm reach, if that is more your style.

Pyga Slackline models start at around $3,100 (based on today’s exchange rate) and are available through their registered dealers. Or, you can contact the company directly to inquire about ordering a bike.