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Bear bikes introduces new carbon road bike designed for NorCal riding

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bear-bikes-pantoll-1-complete-woods

Fresh new bike maker Bear Bikes have just unveiled their first offering. Tailored to the type of hilly NorCal riding on offer in their backyard, they’re even calling the new carbon road bike the Pantoll, anmed after one of the Bay Area’s iconic climbs. Jump past the break to get a closer look and see what makes this bear one you might want to ride into the hills…

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Bear Bikes set out to build a bike that was ideally suited to their mountainous Northern Californian environs.  Accordingly, the new bike needed to climb well, corner well, and be very stable on the long, fast descents found there. Cue the Pantoll, a full carbon road bike thats intended to excel at all those things, without sacrificing comfort for speed. Available in 5 sizes ranging from 50cm to 61cm, the Pantoll is built around a stout BB30 bottom bracket shell for a wide variety of crank compatibilities. Up front, a tapered steerer fork is sure to keep the front end stiff for stable descending and cornering. Offered complete with an Ultegra build or separately as a frameset, Bear Bikes is partnering with Bay-are bike shop chain Mikes Bikes to offer an in-store pickup option for customers looking to save on shipping charges.

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The Pantoll sticks with rim brakes and standard quick release axles front and rear. Knowing many riders these days are starting to opt for 1x drivetrains, the front derailleur hanger is removable, giving a little cleaner aesthetic for those running a single chainring.  All cables are routed internally, and interchangeable cable ports mean Di2 routing is simple and clean. Bear has a full table of weights listed for complete bikes and frame sets, with a 55cm bike tipping the scales at 18.3lb/8.3kg, and the same frame weighing in at 3.24lb (1470g). In addition to Ultegra 6800 components, the full build is rounded out with Mavic Aksium wheels and a Ritchey alloy cockpit.

Interestingly, full bikes come equipped with a compact crankset and a surprisingly narrow 11-25 spread cassette, but also feature a mid-length GS derailleur cage (which will handle up to a 32t low gear.) Of note is the option to get a frame unfinished, to be painted how ever its new owner sees fit. MSRP for a Pantoll is $2800 for a complet build and $1400 for a frame/fork/headset, with introductory promo pricing of $2500/$1100, respectively.

BearCycling.com

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33 Comments
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brettrobinson
7 years ago

that sure is pretty.

mudrock
mudrock
7 years ago

Cool looking bike. I have no comment on BB30s, never owning one personally. Hope the disc-equipped allroad/cross bike is not far behind. That weight is for the frameset, I hope.

mudrock
mudrock
7 years ago

And for a climbing bike, you’d think they wouldn’t skimp on the wheels. Aksium claimed weight: 1880 grams.

Sam
Sam
7 years ago
Reply to  mudrock

It’s only $2500

rideifbikes
rideifbikes
7 years ago

I was about to order one, but don’t live in NorCal, so probably won’t work for me.

Tom
Tom
7 years ago
Reply to  rideifbikes

Nice!

Hong (@Quan)
7 years ago
Reply to  rideifbikes

I live here and it still doesn’t work for me.

gringo
gringo
7 years ago

”Designed for Nor Cal riding”….because no other road bike is designed to be pedalled on pavement, or dirt, uphill or down, and then parked in the garage during business hours from Monday till friday.

On the other hand BB30 with QR’s front and rear and rim brakes makes me wish these guys the best of luck.

pTymnWolfe
pTymnWolfe
7 years ago
Reply to  gringo

Don’t forget the part about endlessly posting on social media how every 20 mile ride completed is so Epic and Rad.

anon
anon
7 years ago
Reply to  pTymnWolfe

And the only road worth riding is Old La Honda.

joby
joby
7 years ago
Reply to  gringo

If it had been designed for NorCal riding, it would have had disc brakes and fender mounts. Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, discs will actually allow you to slow down to avoid clueless tourists on the foggy mornings…

Dave
Dave
7 years ago

No stack and reach numbers on their Geo chart. What is this, 1992??

James.
James.
7 years ago
Reply to  Dave

And no BB Drop. Where did they get that idea, Giant? But I like the subtle showing of how new they are as a brand – even their promo pictures shows a guy having to tweak his saddle height.

Tom
Tom
7 years ago

rebranded Ritte? Oh what the hell, it’s all generic stuff anyway, not that there’s anything wrong with that.

steve
steve
7 years ago

I wonder what factory they’re outsourcing the frames from, BB30 just makes a lot of noise after 3 months of riding, also what’s the biggest tire you can run? Doesn’t look like much clearance.

Andrew
Andrew
7 years ago

I mean no offense to the guys at Bear; but just more as a general comment about the industry and these articles….
How often to bike manufacturers set out to design a bike that climbs fairly decent, descends poorly, and corners like a noodle? Don’t all frame builders set out to do these same things?

Its laterally stiff and vertically compliant! 😀

Sam
Sam
7 years ago
Reply to  Andrew

I literally just spit out a little bit of my salad. Was thinking the same thing. Lol

Mike
Mike
7 years ago

It’s just Mike’s Bikes house brand. Just a random frame from China. They didn’t engineer anything. It’s just a way for them to make huge margins.

the biz
the biz
7 years ago
Reply to  Mike

completely random

G
G
7 years ago
Reply to  the biz

It’s not random. Completely true comment that gives value to the actual story. This is a bike shop chain that purchased open mold frames, painted them pretty, and marks ’em up to $1400 for a frameset.

motarded
motarded
7 years ago
Reply to  G

P_lane flights to Taiwan and China are relatively inexpensive. You can literally start a brand on a 2week trip to Taiwan with a budget of 3k

Veganpotter
Veganpotter
7 years ago

1400g? I’d prefer a Cannondale CAAD12 to such a hefty carbon bike. It does look cool though

Greg
Greg
7 years ago
Reply to  Veganpotter

I thought the same thing. here’s hoping that’s a combined frame and fork weight, possibly with the headset, for their sake

Dave
Dave
7 years ago

Another triumph of Marketing over substance.

gringo
gringo
7 years ago
Reply to  Dave

don’t get ahead of yourself by using the word triumph when referring to this bike.

matt
matt
7 years ago

Soooo another off shore carbon bike thing with a brand specific colourway?

Wake me up when something interesting comes through here.

tyler
tyler
7 years ago

shoulda been t47 or 386
cant name a bike pantoll and spec an 11-25

Dolan Halbrook
Dolan Halbrook
7 years ago
Reply to  tyler

It should have been called Pantone (306) instead

typevertigo
typevertigo
7 years ago
Reply to  Dolan Halbrook

I see what you did there. Hahahaha

Antipodean_eleven
7 years ago

”Designed for Nor Cal riding”… oh dang. I don’t live there….

40mm to freedom
40mm to freedom
7 years ago

norcal style riding works best with 40c tires for road/singletrack combinations

scapecaster
7 years ago

This hilarious. I brought my Chinese carbon frame (same one as they are using) to Mikes Bikes rides and shops for years. I also talked to the shop guys and owner about it and about re-branding it. So I guess they finally took my advise.

Neri
Neri
5 years ago

Isn’t everything marketing though? Bikes are bikes and they all function similarly. Weight, compliance, aerodynamics, everything is all marketing. And you don’t think you’re “legit” bike is marked up and/or made in Asia. All that stuff plays to the consumer. Most of us probably aren’t even in tune enough to know the difference. Bike companies tell us things and make claims and we believe it. It’s all marketing so you can’t put Bear down for doing what all companies do but are maybe better at since they’re already established their reputation. Most likely your bike came from China in some way and it’s marked up based on the brand. You really think it’s a $10K bike? C’mon. Marketing!

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