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NAHBS 2019: No22 Drifter X gravel race bike gets aggressive, No6 carbon forks debut

custom anodized and painted No22 Aurora all road bike for Best Campagnolo Bike contest at NAHBS 2019
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No22 was showing off a new, more race-oriented gravel bike and their new lineup of carbon forks that will not just be on their bikes, but also available aftermarket for other builders, riders, even you. But those are not the beautiful bike you see above…that would be their disc brake road bike, the Aurora. Each year, Campagnolo hosts a “best Campy bike” contest, and builders go all out to dress up a bike. No22 combined their rainbow anodizing talents with the paint expertise of Hot Tubes to create this stunning finish.

custom anodized and painted No22 Aurora all road bike for Best Campagnolo Bike contest at NAHBS 2019

The combination of extremely clean color blends and sharp lines and contrasts was amazing.

custom anodized and painted No22 Aurora all road bike for Best Campagnolo Bike contest at NAHBS 2019

The fenders are custom made titanium, which they say are as light as plastic, but stronger like metal.

custom anodized and painted No22 Aurora all road bike for Best Campagnolo Bike contest at NAHBS 2019

Simply gorgeous.

No22 Divide X gravel bike with race geometry

What’s new is the Drifter X, which is based off their Drifter gravel bike, but aimed at those seeking a faster, racier version.

No22 Divide X gravel bike with race geometry

Tire clearance is a little tighter, more for 700×40, with shorter stays and more aggressive geometry. It’s intended as a gravel race bike rather than an all around fun bike. Head tube is tapered rather than their standard straight 44mm tube. And that tapered HT has to be machined from a solid rod of titanium, which means it’s the most expensive part of that frame.

No22 Divide X gravel bike with race geometry

It’s launching as a made-to-order model with custom everything, but the regular Drifter comes as custom or ready-made with stock geometry, so we suspect this one might end up in the ready-made program eventually.

No22 Divide X gravel bike with race geometry

Extra fancy polishing and graphics or anodizing like what’s on these bikes is definitely an upcharge. As are the frame-matched Silca frame pumps.

No22 Divide X gravel bike with race geometry

No22 Divide X gravel bike with race geometry

And the custom polished/brushed Cane Creek eeCranks are a big upcharge. But hey, it’s NAHBS!

No22 bikes adds No6 carbon fiber forks for road and gravel bikes

They’ve also just launched their own fork line, called No.6, which lets them design it to fit their head tube perfectly for an extremely tidy look…like on the photo of the Drifter X’s headtube.

They have five different versions of the fork, all their own design that’s gone through all the structure testing and everything. The designs are somewhat unique in that the road disc fork has tore clearance for up to 700×38, plus fender mounts, etc.

No22 bikes adds No6 carbon fiber forks for road and gravel bikes

Retail is $450, weight is 440g for the gravel fork, which has a 382mm axle-to-crown height…a little lower than normal. They could do this without giving up tire clearance by using an integrated carbon crown race, which adds structure to the crown that means the external part you see can be slimmer. Check their website for all the fork options.

22bicycles.com

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MTB4ME
MTB4ME
5 years ago

Looking good, 22!

Fred DDBG
Fred DDBG
5 years ago

I thought anodizing Ti welds was not a very good idea (check Firefly’s, they avoid it carefully)

Mike
5 years ago
Reply to  Fred DDBG

Hi Fred, anodizing over a weld can be difficult and needs to be done carefully in order to avoid inconsistency in the finish, as the weld bead is a different grade of titanium than the main tubes. It’s also very hard to mask well over a weld. With a bit of care the results can be nice and consistent though, and many builders (including the talented folks at Firefly) will often anodize over welds.

AK_Ben
AK_Ben
5 years ago
Reply to  Fred DDBG

Huh, interesting, I wonder why? That said, I looked again, and didn’t see any anodized welds on the bike frame in the pictures for this article. Maybe the fender? Possibly it’s ok on a part that won’t be subjected to forces like the frame itself would be. All conjecture on my part.

Brycycle
Brycycle
5 years ago
Fred ddbg
Fred ddbg
5 years ago
Reply to  Brycycle

Good find, on the second pic, the top tube seat tube junction looks to be gold anodized I read this awhile ago “If there is one drawback associated with anodising titanium, it is the brittleness of titanium dioxide. If it is forced to flex a lot, then it may crack, giving rise to stress risers for the material underneath. This may be enough to have an effect on the fatigue resistance of the frame, which is why Seven Cycles refuses to use the technique.” coming from this article https://cyclingtips.com/2018/10/masterclass-anodising-titanium-with-mooro-cycles/ but I will never be able to afford it, so whatever!

Bryce Gracey
5 years ago

Small clarification, the Drifter X can definitely clear 43mmx700, and likely 45mmx700 (looks good on the drawings, didn’t have a chance to toss one on before the show).

Christoph Buomberger
Christoph Buomberger
5 years ago

Are those absoluteblack chainrings on the eeWings Etap AXS compatible or just for the show?

roadstain
5 years ago

So, the “Titanium fenders are light as plastic and tough like metal”….huh, I wonder how that is…..

MotoPete
MotoPete
5 years ago

Info on forks not up on the website. Maybe it’s hidden for only cool people to see. – Shucks!

Celest Greene
Celest Greene
5 years ago
Reply to  MotoPete
Christoph Buomberger
Christoph Buomberger
5 years ago
Reply to  MotoPete

It’s a bit hidden unfortunately, but try this: https://6composites.com/

Heffe
Heffe
5 years ago

The forks are under their own website: 6composites.com

Anthony
Anthony
5 years ago

Sounds awesome. My OPEN UP may be replaced

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