When his trials bike & trail bike got stolen while touring with non-profit Can’d Aid last spring, Jeff Lenosky started putting in time on a stock trail hardtail – the steel REEB Dikyelous. And just as you might expect from a trialsin’ legend, he immediately started thinking how to redevelop the bike into an even more capable modern trail hardtail. The result is ReDikyelous, and watch Trail Boss Lenosky in name-appropriate fashion as he rode it to finally clean an ascent up the technical Horsethief Drop trail feature – something many normal rider struggle to ride down.
Beyond that in the land of 2020 REEB off-road bikes, their Hooptie klunker mixes old & new, the Destroyer is dirt jump ready & The Sam’s Pants is just itching for adventure…
2020 REEB ReDikyelous Lenosky-signature trail-ready hardtail
On Tuesday we saw what happened when REEB redevelop their American-made full-suspension bike into a modern, adjustable trail to enduro shredder – the REEB Sqweeb v3 – pairing the enduro race expertise of in-house fabricator Adam Prosise with a bit of shorter travel trail insight from a MTB legend. Now here is a bike that whole-heartedly got the full Lenosky treatment.
There had already been a REEB Dikyelous steel (or ti, even) hardtail that could go from trail riding to deep backcountry bikepacking, but bringing Jeff Lenosky on board meant stepping the ridiculous riding up another notch. With his custom 27.5″ REEB trials bike gone along with his early Can’d Aid custom Sqweeb, Lenosky set about tweaking the stock Dikyelous hardtail 29er into his own new project – an ultra long, low & slack 29er that he could huck around like a trials bike AND then still shred on his favorite technical singletrack.
The result is a “multi-tool 29er hardtail” designed around 140-150mm 29er enduro forks, with a compact 410mm rear end, but still enough room for a 2.5″ tire. The $1600 slammed low ReDikyelous frame comes in three stock sizes & 11 paint jobs, with a 73mm threaded BB, 31.6mm stealth dropper ready post, external routing & a 44mm headtube for tapered forks.
There’s a $4900 Lenosky’s Trail Boss Build complete available with an XT 1 x12 & i9 Hydra wheels, or a $3600 SLX complete. You can also get custom powder coat for an extra $250 or even a Gates belt drive version if that’s your deal.
Trail Boss Jeff Lenosky climbing Fruita, CO’s Horsethief Drop
OK, now watch Trail Boss Lenosky climb Horsethief Drop on the new ReDikyelous. He calls it one of the “premier, pinnacle technical climbs in the world” and says he wanted to make a clean ascent of this trail for more than 11 years…
Let me quote the TrailForks description of the DESCENT real quick… “The Horsetheif [sic] drop is a classic terror ride, if you choose to ride it- most don’t.” I think calling it a climb at all is pretty ridiculous. But, that’s why they call him the ‘Trail Boss’!
2020 REEB Hooptie modern steel klunker mountain bike hardtail
OK, so we don’t all need to be a Trail Boss, as some of the witty YouTube comments suggest, many of us would be happy to be lower Trail Regional Managers. So, why not take a spin on the REEB Hooptie. A no-frills 4130 klunker, REEB crafts a modern 29er single speed you can build up to hit all kinds of trails.
The steel Hooptie frame sells for $600 on its own and can be built up with a 100mm fork or a suspension corrected rigid fork (REEB suggests the Surly Krampus fork, if that’s your persuasion.) The frame has a straight 44mm headtube so you can use a straight 1.125″ or a tapered 1.5″ fork, then it gets classic standards: 27.2 post, 73mm threaded BB, 135x10mm rear spacing, external routing, but disc brakes & room for at a 29×2.5″ tire (or a bit more.)
A complete rigid fork Hoop de Ville SS build sells for $1200, and you can even get custom colors for just a hundred bucks more.
2020 REEB Destroyer steel dirt jump bike
Want something a little less versatile? How about a dirt jumper? 26″ wheels with up to 2.35″ tires, a 100mm DJ fork, even the ability to customize for a belt-drive setup. The Destroyer also sells for $600 for the also disc-specific & single speed only frame, again with a 44mm headtube, threaded BB, 27.2 post & laser cut track end dropouts, here with tensioners.
There’s also the option for a $2200 DJ build if you want REEB to spec you a ready-to-jump chromoly bike with a RockShox Pike DJ fork and indestructible kit just waiting to be tossed in the air.
The 2020 REEB Sam’s Pants steel or ti adventure gravel bikepacking bike
Seriously though, versatility is the hallmark of the modern gravel bike these days, right? Well, REEB is down with gravel and adventure riding, monster-crossing and bikepacking. Whatever the kids are calling it these days. The Sam’s Pants is there all-rounder mixed-surface adventure bike, available either in their premium multi-butted ‘vari-wall’ seamless Thermlx steel tubing or titanium.
The Sam’s Pants is of the fat-tire adventure gravel ilk, so it gets clearance for up to 29×2.1″ tires and designed around a suspension fork – build it with a short travel fork or suspension corrected rigid fork. The disc brake only bike features a 44mm headtube, three bottle cage mounts, a threaded BB, external cable routing, but stealth dropper compatibility with the 31.6mm post. Paragon slider drops mean it is easy to go 135x10mm QR, single speed, or more modern 142x12mm thru-axle.
The steel frame alone sells for $1600 without a fork, or for $3200 in brushed or bead blasted titanium. Complete steel bikes start at $2800 for a Gates belt-drive single speed commuter build or from $3600 with a Rival 1 group and alloy kit.
Pack it up or keep it simple, just get out and ride.
