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Firefly has really lead the way in terms of anodizing designs on their frames and in the past, we’ve seen many examples of their topography anodizing but never as expansive as this one! If you’d like to see more details of this wild piece of work, head to the Firefly Tumblr.
These bikes have always strummed a heart chord with us. Merlin has brought a version of the Newsboy to various bike expos over the years. The one pictured here is from the 2018 Philly Bike Expo.
Due to popular demand, Merlin will be offering eight limited-edition Newsboys in November 2020. Each and every Newsboy will be custom made specifically for the customer. These bikes are inspired by the 1950’s cruisers that later inspired the first American mountain bikes.
A frame and fork will run ya $4,800 and there are build kits available from Merlin direct! Head over to Merlin to contact them if you’re interested. You can also order a custom Merlin Newsboy titanium fork!
Wheel Size: 26”, 27.5″, 29″,
Fork Optional: Custom Merlin Titanium Newsboy
Bottom Bracket: BSA 68/73 English, PF 30, T47
Rear Hub Spacing: 142 x 12m drops – 44m
Cable Routing: External or Internal
Front Derailleur: 31.8 mm or 34.9mm Clamp-On
Derailleur Pull: Bottom, Top, or Forward Pull.
Brake Type: Disc
Seatpost Diameter: 27.2 mm ( 31.6m Optional )
Seat Collar: Thomson
Recommended Use: Road, Gravel, Mountain
Manufacturer Warranty: Lifetime
With new pricing beginning at $2,250.00, the Chumba titanium Terlingua gravel bike is closer to reality than you might expect. Of course, as with any frame made by Chumba, you can select various options like pump pegs, Di2 routing, rack mounts, fender eyelets, and so on. These frames use oversized Aerospace Titanium 3/2.5 tubing, 6/4 on the yoke, and dropouts with Paragon Sliding Inserts. Singlespeed, geared, whatever. It just works. With post-mount, flat-mount options, cerakote finishing, and color customizations, you can literally get your dream bike made for less than you’d think, all on a chassis that clears up to a 700c x 50mm or 650b x 2.1” wheel/tire combo.
Specs:
-Made in USA quality
-Oversized Aerospace Titanium 3/2.5 Grade Tubing, 6/4 on the yoke and dropouts w/ Paragon Sliding Inserts
-Clean thoughtful cable routing
-Maximum tire and drivetrain clearances for a wide range of options and mud clearance
-All tubes are heat sunk and argon purged when welded to prevent distortion and material thinning
2020 Terlingua Titanium Model Refinements:
-removed Di2 ports standard (why pay for it unless you need it, we can add this on request.)
-removed lower rack mounts standard (why pay for it unless you need it, we can add this on request.)
-Lowered MSRP
-No other changes, this bike is dialed!
See more at Chumba.
While we’re on the subject, Mark from Chumba wrote a blog piece about framebuilding on their website, don’t miss this one!
Last year, ENVE opened its doors to the public for an Open House event. Once inside, visitors took a tour of its Ogden, Utah facilities and were greeted by two-dozen custom bikes from builders across the globe. This year the pandemic forced ENVE to pivot a bit, holding a virtual tour and framebuilder showcase they’re calling the Builder Round-Up. We’re pleased to once again host this showcase, with two-part coverage, so read on below for a full breakdown on these Beautiful Bicycles along with a few teasers of new ENVE product…
We’re big fans of rigid bikes over here at the Radavist, especially made with titanium. Chris Corona, aka Dirt Drops, has one slick custom Caletti titanium MTB frame, best served neat with Chris King Bourbon.
Moots first introduced the Routt in 2014. Do you remember what gravel bikes were like back then? 15mm TA forks, 1x drivetrain had just picked up steam, 40mm tires were commonplace, and gravel races were just starting to catch on. Now in 2020, Moots has revamped the Routt family of their gravel bikes to fit the modern sensibilities of gravel riding and racing.
The ROUTT RSL will now fit a 45mm tire, has 3 bottle locations, and has been upgraded to the 3-D printed dropouts. The ROUTT 45 & ROUTT YBB now fits a 50mm tire, comes spec’d with shorter stems and wider bars.
Read all about these exciting updates at Moots.
When I decided I wanted a custom bike there was only one person I really wanted to make it a reality. I’ve worked with Mike DeSalvo before, back when I was living in Portland, painting the first run of Speedvagen cyclocross bikes. I knew since this bike would be a once in a lifetime bike I wanted to go with titanium, and Mike is one of the best in the industry.
This bike is a real stunner and one that I was hoping to document before I left Los Angles for Santa Fe but never got around to it. It was one of those “I’ll document it the next time it’s in the shop” moments. Carson‘s Funk La Ruta+ is a real gem of a bike and the dude puts in work on it, maintaining trails for the Mount Wilson Bicycling Association. Let’s check it out with Carson’s own words describing this idiosyncratic steed…
Hydraulic shifting? 13 speeds? What in tarnation?
That’s what was going through my head when I first saw Rotor’s 13-speed drivetrain kit at Sea Otter last year. The 1×13 kit is a follow up to Rotor’s Uno 2x groupset from four years ago. Like the Uno, the 1×13 uses hydraulically-actuated shifting for a groundbreaking industry first. As you might imagine, this tech is pricey, and probably not for everyone, myself included, but over the past few months, I’ve enjoyed riding it on this beautiful titanium chassis by none other than Merlin Bikes. Check out a full review of Rotor’s 1×13 and the Merlin Sandstone Gravel bike below.
While most hardtails we feature here are long, slack, and low, we still love riding XC and that pleasant middle-ground an all-rounder hardtail offers. Titanium wizards MOOTS just launched their Womble 29er, which fits a 2.6″ tire, has a 67º head angle, and 57mm of BB drop. The geometry on this bike looks like an ideal all-rounder bike, perfect for XC trails, bikepacking, and a bit of all-mountain underbiking. Check out more of this beautiful steed at MOOTS.
Also, check out our Shop Visit to MOOTS from a while back for more titanium wizardry!
Named for the first -and most significant- pass in Kyrgyzstan’s 1,121-mile Silk Road ultra-endurance race, the Kegeti is the mixed-terrain, do-it-all adventure bike from Chiru Bicycles. This bike might look a little strange at first but it’s the product of its purpose. The Kegeti was designed with rough and rugged ultra-endurance racing in mind. The frame material, titanium, offers a smooth and supple ride on even the most jaw-jarring roads. Drop bars offer up multiple hand positions and when mated with clamp-on aero bars, the bike’s riding position gets even more aerodynamic. A suspension fork is there to eat up the washboard roads. There really is a number of details to unpack here and we’ll get to look at this in person at a later date, but for now, head to Lindarets to see more information.
Just announced on Friday, No22 is now offering all of their models at a discount. Expect percentages like 22% off, 60% down.
Here’s the word from No22:
“COVID-19 has affected all of our lives. For us at No. 22 this unprecedented time has lead to a hard hitting, state-ordered “pause” at our Johnstown, NY factory. While our machines sit idle and our talented and dedicated team waits on the sidelines, now is the time that we could truly use your support.
To earn that support, we’re offering the only discount we’ve run in more than seven years.
Take 22% off any No. 22 frameset or complete build, including 22% off finishes and custom geometry (accessories excluded). Then only pay 60% up front, and the remainder in eight weeks.
Please note that given the current closure of our factory, we can’t currently commit to our normal 12-week lead time.
Our sales team is still running full tilt so email us at sales@22bicycles.com or contact your local dealer so that we can set up your order and help with any questions.
Here’s to better days ahead.”
Head to No22 to browse their models. If you’d like to support them in other ways, they have a shirt pre-order live too!
How big of a sale? So big that this Pure Road frame, which usually retails for $2,600 is now on sale for $1,300. That’s half off. The sale applies to complete bikes as well, which have thousands off. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to add titanium to your bike stable, and to help out a small brand keep their lights on during these hard times. To top it off, Why is offering free shipping worldwide. Head to Why Cycles for more.
Are you ready for the next paradigm shift in drop bar bikes? In news that will come with little to zero surprise, this same shift began in the mountain bike world nearly a decade ago. It took a while for people to jump on the bandwagon, but once they were on, the entire industry figured it out. Now it’s drop bar’s turn. Here we go with the titanium Knolly Cache.
Curve Cycling, based out of Australia, has really taken off with innovative products that are the direct result of what their sponsored riders request during their grueling ultra-endurance races all over the world. With the GMX+, they threw all their preconceptions out the window. They’ve created an all-new touring platform, built around their super-wide Walmer Bars and completely redesigned fork. This GMX is now able to carry up to 10 x 1L bottles, has a bikepacking specific geometry, and clearance for 3.0″ tires. This is a limited release with 10 frames arriving just after Easter to pre-order customers.
Features:
-frame: 3Al – 2.5V Aerospace Grade 9 titanium
-7x cage mounts, rear rack mounts, Clearance max 3.0″ tires
-fork: lowest possible axle to crown height (430mm) allows for the best use of storage space within the front triangle.
-bars: The Walmer Bar – Curve’s ultra-wide drop-bar – available in 4 sizes – 46, 50, 55, 60cm on the hoods
GMX+ Frameset $4,499 AUD Titanium Frame, Carbon Fork, Headset, Seatclamp, Front & Rear Axles.
GMX+ Frameset + Walmer Bars $4,599 AUD
See more at Curve.
Otso’s Warakin is their titanium all road and gravel bike with versatility in mind. This bike can be built to suit your needs from bikepacking to gravel racing and has the ability to tackle any road, all with a light and lively feel thanks to the 3Al/2.5V B338 grade 9 titanium. It’s durable, lightweight, corrosion-resistant, and timeless. Keep this bike for decades to come.
Silca jumps on the bourbon anodizing wagon – or off the wagon? – with Chris King and announced today a limited edition bourbon pack which includes two Sicuro bottle cages, with matching hardware and two titanium straws. The catch is this pack will cost you about the same as a bottle of Van Winkle, $175 USD. See more at Silca.
When it comes to a hardtail, it’s hard to beat one made from titanium, especially with all the boxes checked. The new Sage Cycles Powerline 29er features all the modern accouterment you’d expect from a modern bike, with a head tube angle of 67.5º, a seat tube angle of 73.75º and 50mm of bottom bracket drop, the Powerline is meant to be a nimble race bike, a bikepacking rig, or just your daily go-to mountain bike. Other details include 2.5″ 29er tire clearance, a 1x specific design with a 34t chainring, internal dropper routing, and boost spacing. Each Powerline is made in Portland, Oregon, with a retail of $3,100 for a frame. See more at Sage Cycles and see more photos below.
