REEB

Hilldweller

SE Expedition Society
The SEES got together over the long 4th of July weekend at Mt Pisgah Campground. We accepted an invitation to tour the Oskar Blues Brewery in Brevard, makers of such fine potables as Old Chub, Dales, & Ten-Fidy, and then a quick demo ride on their line of mountain bikes.
Holy moly.

I haven't had a bike in a long time and have been thinking of getting one again. I'm due to have my knee fixed next week and it seems like a good time to start shopping.
But jeez. Did this thing have to be so light, so smooth, so finished?

I tried a search on REEBs on here and came up empty. Just wanted to share this with the forum.
My favorite beer and now my favorite bikes.

They're opening The Bike Farm soon. Part farm, part resort, part bike trail, all fun.

Really really neat company. Wish I could afford the bike...
Wonder if they'll have a contest to win one?
 

libarata

Expedition Leader
Thanks for the write-up. My bike is coming up 10 years old, and will probably have to be replaced in the next 5 :D
 

Hilldweller

SE Expedition Society
It's the first bike I've ever ridden with a drive belt.
I honestly didn't know anything could feel that fluid, that smooth.
I guess that best bike I had ever been on was a Cannondale and I don't really know anything about what's new and "best in class" these days.
Blew my mind.

I got the bike jones bad now.
 

libarata

Expedition Leader
I have yet to experience the belt. Mainly, because the price for that set-up is more then what I can afford. There is a reason I have a 9 year old bike! Those look like sweet bikes though. I will keep them in my mind as I get poorer and poorer haha.
 

Christophe Noel

Expedition Leader
A few of my friends have Reebs. Very nice bikes, but not too unlike many bikes made in small boutique batches. You wanna see sweet on another level? Todd Invermanson at Black Cat is a bike genius. Not that my Form Cycles is anything to sneeze at.

http://www.blackcatbicycles.com
 

Hilldweller

SE Expedition Society
The Black Cat oozes quality too.

Now for the Lotto. :)

I don't think I can get the REEB drive belt out of my head though.
It's like when I first started to shop for home theater/audio for the house I was building when we moved to GA. I went to a pretty nice shop and they demo'd a B&W Nautilus pair on a Mac pre-amp and Mac amp. 1500 watt Velodyne sub. It was an Itzhak Perlman solo (no relation to me) ----- it was so perfect that you'd swear he was in the room doing it live.
I couldn't afford that sort of system. Probably not ever. And I bought a pro level JBL package ---- but I'll always keep that B&W experience at the edge of my sensory memory, the best I've ever heard.
That's how the REEB felt.

sigh
 

Christophe Noel

Expedition Leader
The belt is indeed a cool feature, and when they came out several years ago, they were going to quickly replace the century old chain. However, they still have yet to wiggle out of niche status. Belts have largely been relegated to the commuter segment as paired to internal geared hubs, which in themselves have struggled to grab much market share. So, the mountain bike as driven by a belt is largely left to singlespeeds.

I love nothing more than a singlespeed. I live in one of the most revered SS mountain towns in the US. I climbed on more podiums as a SS rider than any other platform. But...it destroyed my knees. So, while the belt may not have many negatives (and there are a couple considerable negatives), riding singlespeed certainly does. Hurts me inside to admit that.

Cycling is full of ebbs and flows with regard to innovations and trends. The current rise is with 1x11 systems. Many refer to it as "the other singlespeed." Here in singlespeed Mecca (Prescott) where most of the stronger SS riders are in our 40s, we also call it, "Knee Rehab."
 

Hilldweller

SE Expedition Society
Yeah, my knees are held together with duct tape and bailing wire.
The REEB I rode had internal gears; it was slick.
But, like I said, Lotto bike. I'll probably get a DB or Trek until my numbers come in.
...the more gears the better...
 

Christophe Noel

Expedition Leader
Yeah, my knees are held together with duct tape and bailing wire.
The REEB I rode had internal gears; it was slick.
But, like I said, Lotto bike. I'll probably get a DB or Trek until my numbers come in.
...the more gears the better...
Brian at the office just bought a Salsa Mariache. In many ways it has lots of the attributes of a boutique custom steel bike but at a fraction of the cost. With the Alternator dropouts it has lots of potential including the ability to run an internally geared hub.

http://salsacycles.com/bikes/2014_el_mariachi_3
 

Co-opski

Expedition Leader
The belt is indeed a cool feature, and when they came out several years ago, they were going to quickly replace the century old chain. However, they still have yet to wiggle out of niche status. Belts have largely been relegated to the commuter segment as paired to internal geared hubs, which in themselves have struggled to grab much market share. So, the mountain bike as driven by a belt is largely left to singlespeeds.

I love nothing more than a singlespeed. I live in one of the most revered SS mountain towns in the US. I climbed on more podiums as a SS rider than any other platform. But...it destroyed my knees. So, while the belt may not have many negatives (and there are a couple considerable negatives), riding singlespeed certainly does. Hurts me inside to admit that.

Cycling is full of ebbs and flows with regard to innovations and trends. The current rise is with 1x11 systems. Many refer to it as "the other singlespeed." Here in singlespeed Mecca (Prescott) where most of the stronger SS riders are in our 40s, we also call it, "Knee Rehab."

The Gates Belt Drive system would be a good topic for the human powered section. These interest me because I’ve heard that the belt is superior for fat bike costal beach riding. Now just a 170-190 spaced internal geared hub and a 135-150 dynamo front hub needs to come to the market.
 

Christophe Noel

Expedition Leader
....and they have an XL....
How much is a "fraction of the cost"?
Well, considering many boutique frames start around $1800 for steel, and as much as $3500+ for titanium, Salsa's complete bike at $1600 is a bargain. I splurged for one boutique bike when I turned 40 in 2012. I won't admit to its retail value here, but lets say it could have paid for a size run of Salsa El Mariaches. Money well spent? Not even close, but it was an itch that had to be scratched.
 

Christophe Noel

Expedition Leader
The Gates Belt Drive system would be a good topic for the human powered section. These interest me because I've heard that the belt is superior for fat bike costal beach riding. Now just a 170-190 spaced internal geared hub and a 135-150 dynamo front hub needs to come to the market.
It's on my list for Interbike this year.
 

Hilldweller

SE Expedition Society
Well, considering many boutique frames start around $1800 for steel, and as much as $3500+ for titanium, Salsa's complete bike at $1600 is a bargain. I splurged for one boutique bike when I turned 40 in 2012. I won't admit to its retail value here, but lets say it could have paid for a size run of Salsa El Mariaches. Money well spent? Not even close, but it was an itch that had to be scratched.
I found a 2013 soft-tail close-out for ~$1200 shipped.
....dang you, Flounder....

Gotta wait 'til my knee is rehabbed. It's making me nuts though.
 

Christophe Noel

Expedition Leader
....dang you, Flounder....
My two greatest skills in life are convincing people they need a new bike, and then telling them that the ride I'm taking them on is all downhill...which it never is. :)

When it comes time to rehab your knee, regular easy rides around your neighborhood might be on or PT's agenda. See how easy it is for me to justify spending your money.
 

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