In a relatively short period, South African brand, Zini, has progressed from creating great value-for-money kids bikes, to delivering a range of sleek 29-inch hardtail mountain bikes. Now, Zini has hit a market sweet spot with a well-specced sub-R40 000 full-suspension race bike. Here’s the lowdown on this new trail slayer.
Paid partnership with Zini Bicycles
Zini isn’t the first South African bicycle brand to design, build and deliver a full-suspension 29-inch mountain bike. Several brands have tackled the challenge of creating a bike that’s essentially the South African mountain bike market’s ‘bread & butter’ bike. But Zini has the benefit of not being a pioneer in this space and not facing unexpected challenges.
A two-year project, kicked off in 2023 with the backing and resources of Zini’s parent company, Omnico Pty Ltd, has resulted in the Zini Roam, a full-suspension aluminium-frame mountain bike that’s designed for comfort, control and efficiency over the majority of South African trails and race routes.
Designed by Francoin Visser, an industrial designer that’s worked on full-suspension bicycle design for the past five years, the Zini Roam’s frame is made from hydro-formed, heat-treated 6061 aluminium that’s light and durable. It incorporates the popular four-bar linkage suspension design with 120mm of travel, internal cable routing and a Universal Derailleur Hanger.
There’s a CNC machined alloy flipchip at the rear shock that allows you to increase the rear travel to 130mm, which opens up the bike for a wider range of riding should you want to add a bigger travel fork. The rear shock is the RockShox Delux Select, which includes a firm setting adjustment.
The Zini Roam comes specced with a Marzocchi Z2 fork, which is widely considered one of the best bang-for-buck air forks in this category. It has 120mm of travel with compression and rebound adjustment as well as a lockout option.
While some brands will skimp on wheels to keep pricing low, the Zini Roam comes with WTB’s ST i30 TCX wheelset that’s durable and from a brand that’s steeped in mountain biking credibility. The wheels are wrapped in WTB Trailboss 2.4-inch tubeless-ready tyres.
The 1×12 drivetrain comprises Shimano’s reliable Deore model (derailleur, cassette, BB, shifter and crankset), while the brakeset is TRP’s Slate Evo 4-piston hydraulic disc. The Zini Roam also comes standard with an EXA dropper seatpost with a Fabric Scoop saddle.
“With our more than 35 years of cycle industry experience and understanding of the South African market, especially in this distressed economy, we know how important value for money is, especially at the base level of full-suspension mountain bikes. With this in mind, we made sure to not only deliver a frame with modern geometry that’s durable, but we specced the Zini Roam with big-brand components,” said Lance Schneider, Zini Brand Manager.
“There are many component brands these days, but you can’t go wrong with brands that have delivered quality components for decades, including RockShox, Marzocchi, WTB, Shimano, TRP and Fabric. We wanted to ensure the credibility and reliability of these brands reinforces that of our new Roam model, which will, in time, build its own reputation too,” added Schneider.
The Zini Roam is available in Matte Black and in four sizes – Small, Medium, Large and Extra Large. Its current price is R39 995 (end August 2025) and it is available at Zini dealers throughout South Africa.
Find out more about the Zini Roam here.
Note: Pricing is subject to change.
