Project BLACK: Part 2 – The Racer

Radical bike builds are not dissimilar from concept cars at motor shows. Last week’s Project BLACK build was a dream ‘weight weenie’ creation from the Momsen Bikes geeks, showing off the potential of the Momsen Bikes VIPA frame. This week’s bike is one for the out-and-out racers: if you’re aiming to be on the start line of a World Cup race or one of South Africa’s prestigious stage races, you’ll want to take notice of this special race build…

The difference between the Momsen VIPA’s Project BLACK series and the Paris Auto Show, is that one is just a pie in the sky with technology to one day filter down to our C-Class and 3-Series cars while the other is one you could potentially ride tomorrow. As “show stopping” as the concept of last week’s build was, it is available to Joe Public (at a hefty price, we’ll add). This VIPA build we’ll nickname “the racer” as it is as close to a Porsche 911 GT3 as is possible in bicycle terms we reckon.

It weighs in at a more worldly 9.60kg, and that is reportedly on par with the Kargo Pro MTB Team riders’ race rigs. As with the “weight weenie” build, this VIPA frame is a murdered out and offers a 40g weight saving thanks to sporting no paint or decals. It has been dressed with Momsen Design’s DOWNer 90mm carbon stem, UP/DOWN carbon 715mm wide handlebar, headset, seatclamp and Race Silicone grips.

A Rockshox SID World Cup fork and Fox CTD rear shock tame the trails with the VIPA’s low leverage ratio suspension and race-bred frame geometry. Adding even more racing edge to the package are Stan’s NoTubes impressive Valor carbon hoops and an almost full SRAM XX1 groupset with a lightweight KMC X11SL chain. A trusted Fizik saddle offers more weight saving punch and comfort, allowing you to focus on pounding the pedals to place your power to the Arisun/Momsen Tubeless Ready (TLR) tyres to bite into the gravel.

A real world race weapon? Yes. Real-world pace? You bet. A real South African flavour? Bonus. But, what is most appealing? The versatility of this South African “superbike.” That is one aspect of Project BLACK that cannot be bemoaned. Long live Proudly South African!