Velo City: Bicycle Culture and City Life

REEB Cycles TyDonk

REEB Cycles TyDonk

Fat bikes really do look out of place when photographed in a studio setting, all pristine and minty-fresh. Rest assured, after the REEB Cycles TyDonk made its debut at the 2015 North American Handmade Bicycle Show in Louisville, Kentucky, it headed straight for the trails.

REEB Cycles TyDonk

REEB Cycles is the propriety bike brand of Colorado’s Oskar Blues Brewery — purveyors and creators of hand-canned craft beer and Creole grub. REEB, ironically, is BEER spelt backwards, but their US-made frames and parts are anything but backward.

REEB Cycles TyDonk

The TyDonk is the titanium-tubed version of their Donkadonk fat bike, which itself is built from a personalized series of True Temper Sports 100% American-made tubes. The REEB ABT tubeset is designed to allow the fattest 2.5″ 29er and 4.8″ fat bike-specific tires on the market today.

REEB Cycles TyDonk

Chris ‘Soultrain’ Sulfrian is the framebuilder at REEB, who makes the TyDonk frames out of 3/2.5 titanium, finished with a fine glass bead blast to achieve that iconic ti sheen. The dropouts are by Paragon Machine Works, leaving the frame with an even weight of 4lb.

REEB Cycles TyDonk

The focal point of the TyDonk’s drivetrain is the red belt of a Gates Carbon Drive System, delivering power to a Rohloff 500/14 XL hub — a low-maintenance and reliable setup for endurance off-road duties. Race Face Turbine Cinch fat bike cranks keep it moving.

REEB Cycles TyDonk

A Snowpack fork by fellow Coloradans MRP handles the steering duties, riding atop Surly Clown Shoes rims clad with Bud and Lou 4.8″ tires. It’s all crowned with a Thomson dropper seatpost and internal seat tube cable routing.

REEB Cycles TyDonk