Don’t we all just want to get away sometimes? Bombtrack is getting ready for it with their newest mountain bike – the rigid steel Beyond Plus – with its big 2.8″ tires giving you the cush and traction to go wherever your heart desires. It seems strange to call a bike with 27.5+ wheels, giant tires, and thru-axles a ‘back-to-the basics’ look at mountain biking, but that is really what this bike is all about. Get back to the roots of our still young sport and head out an adventure exploring forgotten trails, way off of the beaten track. That’s what Bombtrack’s friend Clem Shovel did recently, when he strapped a set of Apidura bikepacking bags to the Beyond Plus and headed out to tackle the unsupported Tuscany Trail race. Check out how he did and the bike that took him on the adventure…
The Beyond Plus is the bike that Bombtrack hopes will lead you on your next journey off the beaten track. Developed around a set of oversized 2.8” tires for an incredible amount of low pressure grip, the bike yearns to escape from civilization. The 4130 double butted chromoly frame gets paired with Bombtrack’s own tapered-steerer, matching butted chromoly fork. Both frame and fork get Boost spacing and thru-axles – 15x110mm up front, and 12x142148mm out back.
There also looks to be plenty of clearance at both ends for plenty of sloppy mud riding, or some even bigger tires. The frame also gets a small gusseted toptube/headtube connection for added strength, and includes a replaceable derailleur hanger.
Frame and fork also get all manner of braze-on mounts to haul just about anything. The frame gets rear rack and fender mounts (are 27.5+ fenders a thing yet?), plus 3 standard pairs of water bottle bosses and bolts to secure a frame bag inside the main triangle. The fork gets standard and low-rider rack mounts too, and adds more bottle mounting points with two positions on each leg to fit with whatever style gear you might be hauling.
Cable routing is all external, although there is a cable port in the seattube, so you can run a stealth dropper post if you want. That seatpost goes with the common 30.9 sizing to allow for a wide range of dropper options.
The frame gets IS mount and the fork post mount brakes with a 180mm rotor up front (160mm compatible as well), and 160mm out back. It also sticks with an easy-to-service, 73mm wide threaded bottom bracket.
Besides adding the lightweight bags to haul his gear for the unsupported Tuscany Trail adventure race, Clem bolted up a pair of clip-on aero bars and a couple more bottles on the fork. The one stage, 600km race took him across the heart of the Italian, Tuscan countryside, south and west of Florence.
The race in its 3rd year took more than 500 riders from the Mediterranean coast across the roads, gravel, dirt & singletrack through the hilly vineyards of the region before ending up back by the sea. Aboard the new Beyond Plus, Clem managed a 15th place finish and was pretty thrilled with the new bike.
The complete Beyond Plus gets kitted out with the affordable SRAM NX drivetrain with a 30t chainring paired to an 11-42 cassette, giving the bike enough gearing for most any trip. And as Bombtrack likes to say about the Beyond Plus “once your destination is reached, losing the bags will leave you with a super fun rigid trail bike ready to put a whole new smile on your face.”
The bike gets spec’d with 720mm bars with an ergo 5º of upsweep and 8º of backsweep, clamped on with short 55mm stems. It will be available in 4 sizes, from S-XL with a complete weight claimed at 13.5kg/29.8lb for a medium. The complete Beyond Plus will sell for 1900€/1690£/$1810.
