The new Sage Titanium Skyline disc brake road bike has been a long time coming. Or, rather, the original rim brake version has been out for a long time before it. We reviewed the original in 2014, and now, finally, there’s an all-new model designed specifically for disc brakes. And this Renault F1 paint scheme? Well, it was done to catch eyeballs and cameras (like ours) and it just so happens to be for sale. It also just so happens to be in the exact size needed by Sage’s founder Dave Rosen. How convenient…
Designed to be race-ready but approachable, the Skyline gets “racy” compact geometry, yet it makes attempts at being all-day comfortable, too. Thinner seatstays add compliance, but short chainstays keep handling snappy. Ovalized and shaped tubes keep the power transfer sections stiff and efficient, but there’s room for cushy 700x32mm tires. In other words, if you’re looking for a single bike to both race and train on, this could be it. And, at under $6k for an almost complete bike with Ultegra R8020, ENVE carbon fork, Chris King headset and 3T cockpit, it’s not a bad deal compared to other high end titanium bikes. That said, you’ll still have to add your own wheels and tires and saddle, but many of us already have our favorites for those anyway.
Up front is a 44mm headtube, which allows virtually any fork to be used.
Stock bikes will come as bare titanium, but custom paint is available through their relationship with Hot Tubes.
Being from Portland, even their race bikes have fender mounts. Big Breezer-style dropouts cover the 12×142 thru axle.
Custom flatmount rear brake mount sections and chainstay yokes help shape the rear end to fit everything inside a compact, sleek package while still fitting the largest road double chainring setups.
Want a paint scheme like this, with full custom auto-racing style with logos, masking and matching components? Get ready to pony up an additional $2,300 or so. But single color custom jobs can be had for much less.
Optimator custom XC race hardtail shapes up
The Sage Ti Flow Motion freeride hardtail was shown since Sea Otter last year, and then formally introduced as a production model last October for people wanting a 160mm freeride hardtail. Now, they’re adding a built-to-order XC race bike called the Optimator.
It’s a 3/2.5 titanium frame with double butted top- and down tubes designed for a 100-120mm fork…not the larger Fox 34 shown here (it’s all he had handy to build the bike for the show). There are a few tweaks he’s making to the design for the Small and Medium frames to improve the cable routing and access…likely in the form of a slightly taller headtube to increase the gap between the two tubes where they meet at the head tube.
The bike will go up on their website soon under the Custom section as they’ll be made in small batches, not full production mode. And geometry may be able to be tweaked, or, at least, it’s still being finalized based on feedback from some of the racers they have riding it now. Frames will run $3,400 as a one-off, but if you can get a team or shop’s worth of pre-orders so that they can do a batch of 5 or 6, they can drop it down to $2,900.
Lastly, they have their own branded saddles in two widths, with ti rails (naturally) and a modern short, stubby design with a cutout. The padding is a bit on the thicker side, making them a little more appropriate for gravel, cyclocross and mountain bikes. But endurance roadies may like it, too. But he’s working on a “pro” version that’ll have a denser foam that’s not as soft. Retail is $100.
