Sunday EX
vs. Cult Devotion
The main difference between these two bikes is that the Sunday EX comes in two different variations. One is a freecoaster version and one has a cassette. Because of this, it makes it pretty hard to accurately score this bike. The Cult Devotion was my favorite complete bike in 2020 however it did not live up to it in 2021. I’m going to compare the two bikes the price, the specs, the weight, and all of the Dougsterbob scores in each area of BMX. Let’s see which bike is better.
| Sunday EX | Cult Devotion | |
| Price | $509|$529 | $539 |
| Weight | 25.75 lbs 🏆 | 26.8 lbs |
| Frame Quality | Full Chromoly | Full Chromoly |
| Rim Quality | 1x Double Wall Rim | 2x Double Wall Rims 🏆 |
| Geometry | Snappy/Responsive Riding | Flowy/Controlled Riding |
| Look Score | 22 | 27 🏆 |
| Street Score | 24 🏆 | 19 |
| Park Score | 11 🏆 | 5 |
| Dirt Score | 9 | 11 🏆 |
| Quality Score | 20 | 25 🏆 |
| Dougsterbob Score | 99 | 108 🏆 |
Price
This year, the Cult Devotion had a price increase, which can greatly affect the decision when choosing between these two bikes. The Sunday EX also has two variants you can choose from, making it a more flexible option.
The Cult Devotion costs $539 (2021 updated price)
The Sunday EX costs $509/$529 (the pricier variant comes with a freecoaster)
Weight
The Sunday Ex is significantly lighter. Partially because it doesn’t come with pegs. Weight isn’t everything but it it pretty important.
The Sunday EX weighs 24.75lbs
The Cult Devotion which weighs 26.8lbs
Frame Quality
Both of these two bikes have full chromoly frames. Chromoly is a stronger and lighter alternative to high tensile steel which is on cheap complete bikes. Since both of these bikes have full chromoly frames you can be assured that they’re going to last a lot longer than a cheaper and weaker chromoly complete bike.
The 2021 Cult Devotion has a full chromoly frame
The 2021 Sunday EX L500 has a full chromoly frame
Rim Quality
For its price point, it’s disappointing that the Sunday EX doesn’t have two double-wall rims as the Cult devotion does. But having single-wall rims for the front wheels still makes it worth considering since it’s the back rim that takes most of the impact anyway.
The Cult Devotion has 2x double wall rims
The Sunday EX has one double wall rim in the back and a single wall rim in the front
Geometry
The Cult Devotion has a bigger geometry, which gives it a flowy feeling. It’s longer chainstay makes it very controllable compared to the Sunday EX which is more responsive because of its smaller geometry and chainstay..
The Cult Devotion has a 13.65 inch chainstay
The Sunday EX has a 12.75 inch chainstay
The Sunday EX is built for technical riding. See the Specs here
The Cult Devotion is build for flowy riding. See the Specs here
How are they scored?
Now we get to the single-handedly most important part of the Dougsterbob scoring system. This whole system is designed to give you great insight into how good each bike is for certain types of riding. To understand how these are scored you need to take a look at the Dougsterbob score page you can view that by clicking here. That’ll break down the curriculum for every single score so that there’s no question as to which bike is better in each section.
Look Score
In this section, both bikes did pretty well. The Sunday EX has 2 color options and the Cult Devotion has 3 color options. Although the Cult Devotion has more color options, the Sunday EX gives the option between a low-key bike and a flashy bike.
Street Score
Looking at the specifications of these two bikes, it’s easy to say that the Sunday EX (Erik Elstran version) is the more street-orientated BMX bike. Having the freecoaster gives the Sunday EX the advantage when riding street compared to the Cult Devotion, which doesn’t have a freecoaster.
If we look at the Sunday EX’s Julian Arteaga option vs. the Cult Devotion, it would be different since both of these bikes do not have a freecoaster. The Cult Devotion has two doublewall rims, while the Sunday EX’s front rims are only singlewall – making the Cult Devotion more reliable for jumps.
The Sunday EX is the better BMX Bike for Street
Park Score
These two BMX bikes weren’t made for park riding. Although it will work if you do it sometimes, it would be challenging. The Sunday EX is more responsive, which would make park-riding easier compared to the Cult Devotion, but it still is a long shot from being a good BMX to ride park. Both these bikes do not come with a gyro when you buy it, but the Sunday EX does have holes drilled for a gyro – so you can put a gyro if you decide to. On the Cult Devotion; it is impossible to put a gyro because of its hourglass-shaped head tube.
Neither of these bikes are for park specific riding. But if you had to pick one, go with the Sunday EX.
Dirt Score
In this section, the Cult Devotion is the clear winner. Generally, dirt-specific bikes have bigger geometry, and the Cult Devotion’s 13.65 inch chainstay does give it an advantage over the Sunday EX’s 12.75 inch chainstay. Another advantage is that the Cult Devotion is a cassette BMX bike, which makes it a better option for dirt-riding compared the Sunday EX’s freecoaster version. Not having a freecoaster makes it easier to execute dirt jumps with the Cult Devotion.
Neither are made for Dirt Jumping… But if you had to choose one, go with the Cult Devotion
Quality Score
Looking at the quality of these bikes, the Cult Devotion vs. the Sunday EX is pretty much the same, the only big difference is the Sunday EX’s front singlewall rims. For $529 (Erik Elstran version), the BMX bike should have come with two doublewall rims out of the box. It’s not that much of a deal-breaker, but at this price point, it’s disappointing not to have two doublewall rims.
The Cult Devotion has better Quality than the Sunday EX
Dougsterbob Score
The Dougsterbob Score is all of the other subscores added up to see which bike has the most amenities and the most amount of features. For the DougsterBob score, the Cult Devotion got a score of 108, while the Sunday EX got a score of 99.
Better Bike Overall
Both of these bikes are great, but the Sunday EX is the better BMX bike overall. Even if the Cult Devotion got a higher score on the DougsterBob section, its higher price just gives the Sunday EX the win. The only downside of the Sunday EX is that the front rim is singlewall, but it wouldn’t cost much to get a doublewall rim if it breaks. You can buy the 2021 Sunday EX from Danscomp by clicking here.
So what’s going to happen next is the Sunday EX is going on to the next round to face off against another bike. If you want to watch that video of the comparison click here. Otherwise, join my texting community by texting me at +1 (575) 213-5934 text me and let me know if you think the Cult Devotion should have won or if you agree with my decision that the Sunday EX is the better bike.
