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Last weekend’s visit to Why Cycles and Revel Bikes brought with it a veritable overload of Beautiful Bicycles but one, in particular, stood out to me. Matt’s El Jefe build was one of the last bikes I shot on the trip but had such a wild build kit that I wanted to reserve it for its own gallery, so let’s check it out in detail below.
It’s not often that I have to buy a fishing permit to do a Shop Visit but when Why Cycles and Revel Bikes offered up a good time riding and fishing in and around the Western Slope city of Carbondale, Colorado, I couldn’t resist the offer. The collision of outdoor activities is my favorite and knowing a whole weekend of mountain biking and fly fishing awaited me, I was eager to see how it would play out, all while learning about the brands the entire bike industry seemed to be talking about…
3D printed titanium parts have ushered in a new wave of bicycle design and fabrication. From the UK’s Sturdy Cycles to Australia’s Prova Cycles and the US’ Firefly, each of these brands uses 3D printing technologies to make their bikes stronger, lighter weight, and more modern. Silca recently launched their Mensola Computer Mount, which retails at $175, and bolts directly to your stem’s faceplate.
Due to the 3D modeling and fabrication technologies, they could produce a number of designs by simply 3D modeling and printing them. This is the future of componentry design and yeah, it’s expensive, but it’s mostly just cool that it exists.
The titanium Morse cages Wolf Tooth has been having a hard time keeping in stock is now back and they’re now making these cages in-house. Named after the dash-dot-dash design found on the backing of the cage, which allows for 32mm of vertical adjustment, these titanium cages weigh only 33g and will probably outlive you! They retail for $69.95 and are in stock now, so head on over to Wolf Tooth to see more.
We rolled back into Kayenta from an overnighter with Jon Yazzie from Dzil Ta’ah Adventures and I reminded him that I wanted to shoot his bike. “Yeah! Leave the bags on it. As is…” I said to him. Jon took a few moments to tidy up the straps and make sure the bags were tight and neat before handing it off to me. He loves this bike and so I took it as an honor to photograph it. For me, there’s nothing better than riding with the person whose bike you’re documenting. It feels less transactional and more personal. You get to see how they treat their ride. Are they crashers or thrashers? In doing so, there’s a real connection that’s established. For Jon and I, we’ve spent a few years communicating over email when projects arise. Josh has done an exceptional job documenting Dzil Ta’ah Adventures’ trips in Arizona in the past and this trip was the first time I met Jon in person. It felt like a no-brainer to shoot his titanium Vassago Optimus 29+ tourer, so check it out in detail below.
Cotic, the makers of steel mountain frames, just announced their new Tonic, a titanium gravel bike, compatible with 650bx50 or 700cx44 wheels, built with multiple cable management options, and in a variety of build kits (GRX shown). With pricing starting at £3449 for SRAM Apex 1, the Tonic’s pricing is competitive with similarly-specced carbon frames. Each Tonic comes with a 5 year warranty for the original owner and if you don’t like it when you receive it, Cotic will take it back, no questions. See more at Cotic.
Thomson is launching a Titanium hardtail MTB called the Hooch in conjunction with their brand new website. The “Hooch” is the namesake of the Chattahoochee in north Georgia, home to some of the most epic trails in the country.
This limited Ti frame is equipped with a Thomson Dropper post (your choice of travel), then the customer selects from Thomson’s entire collection of Thomson components, starting at $3,295.00.
From their Elite or Masterpiece series, Ti or carbon fiber, the customer can pick and choose from all of Thomson’s parts, for the ultimate build kit. Then, to sweeten the deal, customers receive a generous discount on upgrade parts as a perk of buying the frameset.
The Hooch is a backwoods hardtail, built from 3al 2.5v aircraft grade Titanium, custom formed stays, Boost (148×12) through axle, internal routing with an extra line for your Thomson dropper, 150mm fork travel, 30.9 seat tube diameter, and clearance for 27.5 x 2.4 tires.
See the full specs at Thomson and poke around on their new website!
With the pandemic causing severe delays and stock shortages, building up a new bike in 2020 and into 2021 is proving to be quite the ordeal. Erik is a local here in Santa Fe and a customer at Sincere Cycles. I first rode with him a few years back when we shuttled Winsor while I was visiting. At the time, he had a Santa Cruz Chameleon, which proved to be a capable ally in our mountains. Jump forward a few years and Erik was looking for a new bike. The aforementioned delays due to the pandemic had him looking at other options outside of the brands offering titanium frame models. He had his sights set on a custom titanium hardtail from Waltly in China…
The El Jefe is the latest model to land in the Why Cycles titanium catalog. Think of it as the more serious sibling to the S7 and the Wayward. It’s less swoopy, more serious, lighter, and faster-pedaling, yet it has clearance for a 29×2.6″ tire.
This bike is Why’s first “pro-model”, akin to skateboarding, surfing, and snowboarding. Jefe Branham is an ultra-endurance legend based in Gunnison, CO, and has been a friend and team rider for Why for two seasons. His feedback as to what his dream bike would be for going fast in the backcountry informed every decision in the El Jefe design. Jefe’s personal mantra is “Fast or Slow Just Go,” so with his input, Why turned it into a sandblasted graphic on the raw titanium. The lily flower in the graphics is a nod to his two-year-old daughter, Lillian.
With a 73.3º seat angle, a 67.5º head angle, and a 120mm fork, the El Jefe is a nimble, fast, and capable hardtail with pricing beginning at $2,349 for a frame only at Why Cycles.
Named after the Pinhoti Trail, which extends between Snake Creek Gap and Dug Gap within the Chattahoochee Forest into north Georgia, Litspeed’s newest iteration of their hardtail, the Pinhoti III, received some modern updates. Now optimized for a 130mm suspension fork, the Pinhoti III also fits a 29×2.6″ or a 27.5×3″ tire, thanks to an asymmetric dropped chainstay and a new CNC-machined titanium chainstay yoke.
The Geometry has been tweaked as well, with a slacker head angle, longer reach, and a few other tweaks. Litespeed offers various builds (XTR shown here at a retail of $6,699) and finishing kits, and with all these new updates, the size medium frame comes in at just 1,649 grams (size medium)—a savings of 95 grams over our previous version of the Pinhoti. As with all Litespeed bikes, these are made in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
See more at Litespeed.
A little while back, Patrick from Bikes or Death reached out, saying he was going to be in Santa Fe and was hoping we could sit down for a podcast interview. Naturally, I obliged, and last night we hung out at our office here in Santa Fe and talked about bikes, photography, other randomness related to this website. I won’t give too much away but I was really stoked on how it went. Doing interviews is a great way to bond with a person and afterward, I just had to shoot Patrick’s Chumba Cycles Stella Ti. While the podcast episode won’t be out for a few weeks, I wanted to feature this rad build while it was all still fresh on my mind, so enjoy!
Ribble, the UK bicycle manufacturer, just announced their new gravel lineup which includes aluminum builds, carbon builds, and this titanium model. Each material comes in a few build tiers, ranging from GRX 400 to GRX 810 and Campagnolo Ekar on the higher end models.
The model shown here is the Titanium frame with GRX 600 and retails for $2,985.38. See the full gravel lineup at Ribble.
That feller up at Bearclaw Bicycle Co is doing some really amazing things. The whole catalog is composed of some paradigm-shifting designs and a crowd favorite is the Beaux Jaxon. If you dig drop bars and chonk tires, that’s the frame for you. Throw in a titanium segmented fork and you’ve got a dream machine. Kevin Hinton is a tattoo artist here in Santa Fe. He also runs his Adventure Bikepacking Instagram account as a side project, which hosts overnighters, and tours in the area.
Originally from Los Angeles, Kevin cut his chops touring all over California, specifically in the desert, taking on the Stagecoach 400 multiple times. This particular loop goes from high pine country down through Anza Borrego and into San Diego before climbing back up to the pines. The Anza section is particularly sandy, so when Kevin built up this dream bike, he had some specific requirements and took that list to Sincere Cycles for the build…
Last year, we posted Petor’s Shop Visit to UK-based Sturdy Cycles, and to supplement that coverage, we’re re-visiting their Fiadh disc all road bike, shot in a studio environment. These bikes blend modern tech with very subtle and classic proportions. Read on below for words by Tom Sturdy and more photos of these stunning 3D printed assemblage frames!
Wow. The titanium anodizing wizards at Firefly Bicycles just popped this beautiful ti and carbon road bike on their Tumblr and we had to share a glimpse. See much, much, more at the Firefly Tumblr.
A bike can be a liberating tool for a youngster. I got the first bike that I could travel distances on when I was 14. Granted it was a beach cruiser but hey, we lived at the beach. I’d carry my skateboard and even a surfboard to spots after school and on the weekends. It was a vessel of adolescent liberation.
For Jonah, a local of Santa Fe, and an employee at Mellow Velo, the bicycle has helped develop his independence as well as a vehicle to meander around his homeland. His family is one of the deeply embedded heritage households and have been in the area for hundreds of years. Just north of Santa Fe is the town of Chimayo where his family has been weaving for generations under the brand Ortega.
I don’t know about you all but personally, I miss seeing off-the-wall crazy custom bikes at the various tradeshows. With the pandemic canceling the 2020 and most likely 2021 dates for various open houses and NAHBS, I’ve just accepted the fact that those balleur bicycle gallery shoots will have to wait. That said, when projects like this fall into my lap, I’m more than excited to take some extra time documenting them.
ENVE launched their Foundation Gravel wheels last week and in a perfect world, a press-camp was supposed to happen in Arizona to test out those wheels. ENVE planned on pinging various builders to fabricate the chassis for their full gravel lineup. One of those builders was Retrotec and Curtis went overboard for the event, building a handful of titanium frames alongside Oscar Camarena of Simple Bike Company. When the press camp wasn’t happening, Curtis decided he’d send this bike out for me to document. He needed photos for his website and I won’t say no to content like this…
Everyone’s favorite pony from All-City just got a lot better. The ride quality of titanium is second to none. It’ll outlive carbon and won’t rust out like steel, plus it magically smooths out bumpy roads. Perfect for a bike like the Cosmic Stallion! This beautiful ti tubing is a new thing for All-City so they had to develop their own tubing, dubbed Oberon Titanium Tubing.
This frame also comes with the All-City Signature Details you’ve come to love with custom dropouts, reinforced bottle bosses, custom-designed Shot Collar. All-City paired this titanium chassis with a Columbus Futura Cross carbon fork, which comes with Di2 routing. The frame also has a rear rack and fender mounts.
To stick with the versatility of the steel Cosmic Stallion, All-City equipped the ti pony to fit either a 700x45mm or 650bx42mm (both with or without fenders).
Offered as a frameset only; $3,199 MSRP. Head over to All-City to see more and your local dealer for ordering.
