PYGA HYRAX

Pyga is shunning Far East manufacturing and offering high-end alloy frames welded on home turf in South Africa

- Alan Muldoon

NEED TO KNOW

• Hard-hitting trail bike designed around 29in wheels and 140mm travel

• 6066-T6 aluminium frame, welded and assembled in South Africa

• Stock frame finish is nardo grey or raw aluminium, but you can choose from 13 custom colours

• Billed as the little brother to the 160mm Slakline enduro bike

Pyga is a relatively young South African brand that’s building mountain bikes on its own terms. It currently has four models in the line-up, split evenly between two carbon XC/ marathon bikes and two alloy trail/ enduro models. And while Pyga has a brief history, its founder, Patrick Morewood, raced downhill in the 90s before starting Morewood bikes in the early 2000s. So Pyga has a depth of knowledge well beyond its years.

History lesson complete, let’s take a closer look at the Hyrax. Billed squarely as a 140mm travel trail bike that’s at home on the majority of enduro tracks, it certainly has lofty performance goals. Pretty much like every other trail bike then. Not quite.

What makes Pyga different is that its alloy frames are welded and assembled in South Africa. Yes, all the tubing and forgings are sourced in Asia, but by manufacturing the frames closer to home Pyga has more control, both in terms of the production cycle and prototyping. And the Pyga frame certainly is well finished with welds as neat as any we’ve seen.

The layout of the frame is every bit as modern as anything coming straight from Asia too, the four-bar suspension design and overall configuration reminiscent of the GT Force and Sensor, right down to the flip chip in the lower shock mount that gives high and low geometry settings.