Silverback Siablo GR - for bikepacking

If you've ever felt torn between a 'traditional' road bike and a dedicated touring rig, you're not alone. Now, though, the Sequoia Elite gives you both by combining the two into one genre-bending bike. It has everything you need to hit the road and never look back. The Sequoia's path to adventure starts at the frame, which we constructed from Premium Cr-Mo tubing. This material is coveted for its strength, respectable weight, and tuned ride quality. And we took this a step further by selecting tubes that are specific to each frame size, further ensuring that every frame rides exactly as we intended. Of course, this is only a piece of the equation, with the next being its dedicated Adventure Geometry. This geometry is unique in that it skews the line between a traditional road bike and a dedicated touring rig. You'll find an ample wheelbase and low bottom bracket for control, but the chainstays and tube angles ensure that you'll be able to travel efficiently and quickly, regardless of whether or not your rig is loaded. Digging into the details, the frame is outfitted with an ample number of mounts for water, racks, and fenders. And for the build, we included a carbon fork and reliable parts, like a mix of Shimano 105 and RS505 shift levers, powerful hydraulic disc brakes, and hand-built Hayfield wheels that are cased in wide, 2Bliss Ready tires. READ LESSThe Sequoia is built from our Premium Cr-Mo, size-specific tubing. This ensures that every frame is strong, light, and capable, while every frame size rides exactly as we intended. This philosophy is furthered with our Adventure Geometry that provides ample confidence over rough and smooth terrain, alike. And lastly, we equipped this frame with fender & rack mounts to make sure you'll be well equipped whenever adventure strikes.A beefy FACT carbon fiber fork is sure to take the sting out of harsh roads. And when you're deep into said roads, you'll be thankful for the extra water bottle mount found on its fork leg. The Sawtooth is THE adventure tire of choice, developed to handle any road surface and to be tough enough to withstand the rigors of exploration. The tread offers sharp angles and edges to hook onto any surface, while the Endurant casing reinforces the sidewall for added protection and high carrying loads. The Sequoia is available here in South Africa with limited stock and is not likely to remain as a permanent sales item in selected stores. So if you can get your hands on one consider yourself lucky. The initial price point for the base model was around 20,000 ZAR but pricing has now been reduced to only 11,000 ZAR I suspect to clear current stock that are not selling. This in my opinion makes for a very capable bikepacking bike at a great price point.

Here is what Merida has to say about the Silex: "SILEX – EVERY ROAD IS YOURS There’s a certain beauty in just riding without watching the time, heading wherever you feel the urge. For those rides, our new SILEX makes total sense; our most comfortable and versatile road bike ever. With its modern MTB inspired geometry; long top and head tube and short stem it offers nimble and confidence inspiring handling. Our SILEX is a new and exciting concept at MERIDA, creating a bike that is at home in a variety of environments and talks to a broad range of riders. From bikepacking, via commuting all the way to joining the odd chain gang and from pristine tarmac, via gravel tracks all the way to the occasional bit of off-road single track. Our SILEX is at home pretty much everywhere you can imagine riding your bike. The key feature of our SILEX concept is the frame and with that the geometry which makes this bike what it is. A very long head tube and long reach combined with a short stem (80/90 mm) and relatively low stand-over-height give a unique riding experience. This leads to a very upright position on the bike which creates less tension in the back and neck area. There are many bikes out there with a so called ‘endurance’ geometry , but the actual difference is very small. Usually, the difference is just a longer head tube and a shorter reach. We have noticed that many customers still put a significant amount of spacers underneath the stem to bring up their position on the bike. This reduces the stiffness noticeably as well as having a negative effect on the clean appearance of the bike. With our new concept, we’ll have a long tapered head tube which makes the use of several spacers obsolete. Not only will the bike look much sportier, but it will have a substantial increase in front end stiffness which is quite important if you take it off-road . Furthermore, the rider has the opportunity to ride safe and comfortable in the drops which is not that easy on many road bikes. Riding comfortably in the drops provides additional safety on descents (especially on ‘trails’) because you can have better braking control while the centre of gravity is still in a central position on the bike." There are 8 bikes in the Silex range with 2 aluminium build options to choose from and the rest carbon. For now here in South Africa we only have the two aluminium models available in limited stock. My guess is that the gravel and bikepacking are not main stream enough for importers to bring in whole ranges but rather they are playing it save with the bare minimum on offer for gravel and adventure cyclists � �.. . The two bikes are priced from 14,500 and 19,500 ZAR respectively, the latter have some stiff competition as shown in this forum as far as price is concerned. The Silex 200 is my choice between the two aluminium options. It is priced right for someone looking to buy their " do it al l" bike at a budget but also not to expensive for someone looking to buy a second bike dedicated to bikepacking. The spec is just right with loads of upgrade potential when the current components are due for replacement. However in my opinion aluminium is the best and the Silex 200 ticks all the boxes for a competent all rounder that you can bikepack with. Share your thoughts on the Silex...

The Cannondale CAADX SE 105 is a great specification bike and good value for money priced at 20,100 ZAR The CAADX SE features 105 front and rear derailleurs and shifters. Tire size is 700 x 37 standard but 700 x 40 will also fit. The CAAD is a proven platform and has lightweight aluminium only slightly more heavy than carbon bikes of the same intent. The CAADX is aimed at the gravel enthusiasts looking for adventure off and on the road. The slightly but not overly aggressive geometry speaks to the bike's intended use. Carbon rigid forks with internal break cable routing make for an neat looking bike. Shifter cables are routed externally under the down tube, the drawback being that a third bottle cage is absent on the down tube that is less ideal for longer bikepacking adventures. The mechanical disk brakes are however ideal and easy to repair in the middle of nowhere. The Cannondale CAADX SE 105 proved itself on a recent mountain bike night ride with trails one up from grave,l with a sketchy downhill section. The CAADX handled the terrain with ease and it did not miss a beat with the exception of the light coming undone under the rough conditions. Share your ideas of the perfect bikepacking bike.