We’ve just got back from four days of riding Bombtrack Bicycle Co’s 2020 range of bikes in the woods near the company’s Cologne HQ. This is the third time that the tiny village of Breibach has been the destination for Bombtrack Groundwork – an informal meet up of dealers, press and friends of the company.
Unlike some press trips, the few days are packed full of riding, with minimal technical presentations. The focus is very much on having fun on the company’s new bikes. We’ll give a full run down of the new range in a future story, but first up, we thought we’d start with the one bike in the range that we weren’t able to ride…
Beyond Junior
The Bombtrack Beyond has been a mainstay in its lineup for a few years now, with a few build options tailored towards exploration and bikepacking. This year, there’s a new addition. Eschewing modern trends of bigger wheels, it controversially runs 24in hoops. There’s a few other unusual component choices in there too. First up, the own-brand Bombtrack Mach cranks come in a shorter than normal 152mm length. This is combined with a crazy-narrow 380mm width flared handlebar?! I hopped on the Beyond Junior and was frankly disappointed. While standover was excellent, it felt like the bike just hadn’t been designed for a six-foot tall adult.
If you happen not to be an adult, the bike begins making much more sense. Bombtrack has really thought things through for young riders. The Microshift Advent 1×9 rear mech has a lighter spring fitted to make shifting easier, and at the other end, the shifters have been adjusted to put them in the best position for smaller hands to reach. A low gear of 32t chainring x 42t rear should give ample spinning potential up the steepest hills.
Finally, Bombtrack has used a triple butted alloy frame and forks to try and keep weight as low as possible.
We loved the tailor fitted Apidura bags, which will also be made available with the bike and a couple of other clever touches. Even small adult bikes can struggle with getting enough tyre clearance for a bar bag. By adding fork bosses, young bike packers can take some of the load there, using anything cages.
Availability
We are checking on UK availability and pricing with Lyon Cycle – Bombtrack’s UK distributors, but expect limited numbers this year. We also had a chat with Bombtrack ambassador, Clem “Shovel”, who’s son has been riding this bike for a while. Both have loved the experience, and the adventures it’s taken them on. Check out his instagram feed for some inspiration. We’ll update the story with exact prices and shipping dates as we have them.
