Cypher XC Test: 100mm Vs. 120mm Bike | Which Is Faster?

Myles Kelsey from set out to answer a question: On typical South African XC and marathon terrain, like in Jonkershoek Stellenbosch where the Cape Epic and Origin of Trails events pass-through is a 100mm or a 120mm bike faster? We set him up with our new 100mm Cypher RS and our 120mm Cypher so he could find the answer. With various Strava segments setup around a lap to time the climb, descent, traverse and full laps we set out to answer that question. Now, we never used a power meter for the comparison but went old school – heart rate zone 5 with ‘blood in the back of the throat’ and one rider going absolutely as fast as possible for two laps on each bike. Yes there are many variables to these kinds of tests and we want to reiterate here that these are real world conditions and not a science lab. Although the section of singletrack on the test loop may look very technical, it is an actual piece that the Cape Epic uses and is as such a real race course. The test track is long and two flying laps were done on each bike. Per lap the climbing portion is , the flat section is 750m and the descent is 900m of 100% singletrack. The total elevation gain per lap is 115m. The average heart rate on both bikes is within 2%. If any brands want to come forward and offer us a power meter for future testing please feel free to reach out to us. Enjoy!