What is the cyclist to when the white stuff starts falling? Hang up the bike and grab the skis, or grind out the miles on an indoor trainer? With the newer breed of snow or ‘fat’ bikes hitting the market, the cycling season does not have to stop in the winter. The folks behind Twenty2 Cycles of Vail, Colorado agree with this idea and have introduced their own line of snow bikes, the Bully and Big Fat Bully (BFB).
These snow bikes utilize over sized tires to help the rider and bike float over the packed snow or even sand and other loose terrain with ease. This means that once the snow melts, these fat bikes can be taken to your favorite sand dune in the summer – a true four season bike! However, making a snow bike is not as easy as slapping on a set of fat tires, it requires a specific bike frame.
There are about a half of a dozen companies currently making snow bikes, all small to mid-size organizations. Each one builds frames that fit an over sized tire ranging in size from 3.7-inches to 4.7-inches, almost 1.5-inches wider than the standard mountain bike tire!
Twenty2 Cycles differentiates from the competition in that they are offering their customers a wider selection of options. Not only are they offering both titanium and steel frames, but both material options are available in either the original fat bike standard tire width of 3.7-inches or the newer mongo 4.7-inch tire. Additionally, Twenty2 Cycles is one of just a few manufacturers that are producing its frames in America with U.S.A. made raw materials.
httpv://youtu.be/AXPbhtDrsKs
The Bully frame is Twenty2 Cycles’s original snow bike. It accommodates a tire width up to 4.0-inches and can be run as a single speed or up to 30 gears without a customization. The newer Big Fat Bully is designed with a 1×10 drivetrain in mind and to run the larger 4.7-inch wide tires. Both the titanium Bully and BFB feature a 44mm inner diameter head tube, 100mm bottom bracket and symmetrical 170mm spaced dropouts. The soon to be released, steel versions of the Bully and BFB frames will also feature the 44mm head tube, 100mm bottom bracket and a bi-ovalized shaped down tube; but the steel versions will come in at a price point that may make a snow bike a more affordable option for some people. The 44mm head tube that is standard with all of the Twenty2 Cycles snow bikes and allows the flexibility of using a tapered or straight steerer tube fork as well as a variable head angle angleset headset.
Just like other snow bikes on the market, Twenty2 Cycles have designed the Bully and BFB to run a rigid fork if you choose to go with a complete bike; but instead of choosing a steel Surly fork, they have chosen to go with another Colorado company’s fork, the Snowpack from White Brothers. This is a carbon fiber, snow bike specific fork that is designed to clear the wider tires and accommodate a 135mm front disc hub that is standard on almost all snow bikes. It should be noted that even though the Snowpack has the axle spacing of 135mm, it is currently not compatible with rear 135mm disc hubs. White Brothers is working on a solution and should have a disc brake adapter to accommodate 135mm rear hubs in the near future.
If the titanium version of the Bully or BFB are chosen, Twenty2 Cycles offers several options to cosmetically finish the frame. They do not use decals on their frame, but instead each of the frames is satin bead blasted or hand brushed. All logos are a combination of bead blast and full mirror polish, and frames can be customized we a rider’s name or design. Upfront, Twenty2 Cycles offers three different head badges: pewter, bronze and silver, a nice touch to finish the frame.
Twenty2 Cycles has competitively priced their standard frames with others on the market. The titanium versions of the Bully and the Big Fat Bully have a suggested retail price of $2,599 while the steel versions have a suggested retail price of $1,250. The Bully and BFB are offered in four standard sizes, but customization is available. For singlespeed riders, Twenty2 Cycles offers slider or rocker dropout options on all of our frame designs for an additional cost.
Orders are currently being taken for all of the different versions of Bully and BFB with an estimated delivery date of approximately 30 days. Unlike other manufacturers, the Twenty2 Cycles snow bikes can be ordered year round. They are currently finalizing their component packages offered with the Bully and BFB, but expect them to be in the range of SRAM X9/X0/XX or Shimano XT/XTR.
Having personally seen a Bully titanium up close, I can attest to the build quality of these frames. The welds are small, clean and evenly spaced – certainly on par with any other domestically produced titanium frame by the bigger names in the business. Also the graphics are quite possibly the most eye-catching of any current titanium frame builder. The mirror finish really stands out against the bead blasted background, but without being too flashy.
With their home in Vail, Twenty2 Cycles knows snow. On average, that part of Colorado receives 350 inches or just over 29 feet of snow a year! So if you have been dreaming of riding fresh tracks over a white Christmas snowfall, you just may want to ask Santa for a Bully this year.