Bombtrack Bicycle Co. is a small bike company based in
Cologne, Germany. They have gained an almost cult following
with some benchmark adventurous bikepacking and gravel bikes
and have become known for their functional design savvy that
bike explorers who spend a lot of time in the saddle will
appreciate. Steering clear of hype and over the top
advertising, they instead rely on a dedicated band of riders
and creators (the Bombtrack ‘family’) to get the message
out.
The Bombtrack Beyond 2 is the
expedition wagon of the Bombtrack lineup. Based on the
popular and well tested Beyond model, the Beyond 2 ups the
ante through the addition of expedition-ready parts and
accessories – namely a dynamo lighting system with high
performance Supernova lights, and steel porteur
rack.
Frame & Fork
Being
built to take the abuses of long distance adventuring, the
Beyond 2 is ‘keeping it real’ with a full steel frame
and fork. No-nonsense 4130 Chromoly steel is dependable and
with a good balance between weight and the compliance that
gives steel its comfortable ride
characteristics.
The frame is decked out with
ample mounting points for bags, bottles and racks with
triple cage mounts on the forks, 3 bottle cage mounts (one
under the downtube), top tube mount for a… top-tube bag
(surprise, surprise), front and rear rack mounts and
mounting points for fenders.
While there is internal
routing for dynamo cables (a smart move, as these
lightweight wires definitely benefit from extra protection),
brake and gear cables have full length housing and are
externally routed. This is a practical solution that works
great for this type of bike. Dealing with a broken
internally routed gear cable in the middle of a storm on a
high plateau would NOT make for good times!
Thru-axles
and a tapered headtube keep the bike on point with modern
standards while the ‘root beer’ paint finish with
attractive orange flashes is nicely subtle for a bit of
style without being shouty. Five sizes are available, with
the larger 3 sizes running 29” and the smaller two,
27.5” wheelsets, which retains the balance and geometry of
the bike by scaling it to the rider. Again, a thoughtful
design decision.
The Beyond 2 stands tall – a high
front end and long steerer tube makes for a comfortable long
range cockpit and provides ample room for a humongous
framebag, although this would need to be a custom made
affair to take best advantage of that expansive frame
triangle.
The bike comes with a front ‘porteur’
style rack as standard – a nice touch with real adventuring
in mind. These wide format racks have gathered many fans
lately as a support for a rando style bag – easier to access
than a handlebar roll with oodles of volume, ideal for
longer tours or on your daily commuter rig. It’s common to
see these bigger front racks used in conjunction with more
‘standard’ bikepacking seatpacks which is likely the
reason Bombtrack didn’t spec a rear rack as
standard.
Components
Bombtrack
have opted for a sensible and reliable drivechain in the
form of SRAM’s Apex rear derailleur and drop bar shifter
in a 1X setup. Gear range is decent enough with a 36t ring
up front and an 11-42t standard HG splined cassette in the
rear, making for readily available replacements when the
time comes. For truly loaded touring in mountainous
landscapes you might be looking for another low gear –
dropping the front ring to 34 would be the easiest way, but
if you wanted to go more ‘trad’, the Beyond 2 will
happily run a double chainset and front derailleur
too.
Stopping duties are taken care of by TRP Spyre C
cable disc brakes, again a sensible choice for a bike that
may find itself in some far flung places. Remedying a broken
hydraulic brake in the back of beyond is likely impossible,
whereas a cable brake fix is within reach of your travel
toolkit. While cable brakes don’t have the grunt of
hydraulics, these are worthy bits of kit with good feel and
power, although very long descents may tire the fingers!
Crucially, they are a dual piston design – easy to adjust on
the fly.
The Beyond 2 rolls on a tough set of
WTB rims, shod in Panaracer Gravel King tyres in a
terrain-smoothing 50c width. It’s a great combo and the
Gravel King’s tread pattern works very well across a wide
range of surfaces – the sort of mixed conditions you’ll
encounter on a tour. The small block design keeps up to
speed on the tarmac while providing enough bite to keep
things rubber-side-down on the trail.
The rear
hub is Bombtrack’s own, while the front hub is a KT dynamo
hub. This neat bit of tech powers front and rear Supernova
(another German manufacturer) dynamo lights. Dynamo
technology has come a long way in recent years and modern
hub dynamo systems are efficient with little drag. The rider
will be expending 3W of input energy to power the lights
(which are always on, unless you unplug the cable). Not a
high price to pay – you won’t notice the extra. The light
set is plenty bright for general use (the rear is very
visible from a long distance, even in daytime). You may
still want to add a ‘booster’ light for technical riding
in the dark. The dynamo hub can also be used to charge
devices, such as a phone, GPS or battery charging, (although
this will require a USB converter such as the Sinewave Revolution
or Reactor)
– a fantastic addition for autonomous
adventuring.
The Ride
As you
would expect from a frame and fork of good quality steel,
the ride is comfortable with the frame material, seatpost
and wide tyres working in unison to deliver the cush needed
for days that might involve more pedalling than not
pedalling.
It’s stable, mannered, but
certainly not stale. More like an old school rigid mountain
bike in its capabilities. In short, fun times to be
had!
The angled stem (you can flip it if you want to
get more aero, but hey, this is not a race bike!), combined
with the radically flared but not-too-wide (30 degree)
gravel drops give plenty of positions, from upright uphill
grinding to a decent tuck on the downs, and plenty more
options in between the
two.
Overall
The Beyond 2 is
a solid performer. If you are planning a long distance
loaded adventure by bike, the Beyond 2 would make a fine
companion, with practical, well thought out features that
would be easy to live with in remote locales. It’s great
ride manners will keep you happy over the long haul. It also
makes for a fantastic day to day vehicle, with its built-in
lighting and carrying capacity.
Other
Bombtrack models
Bombtrack
has an ever growing range of models, all slanted towards
adventurous riding, from plus-tyred mountain bikes, through
gravel and cyclocross to all-road.
Not all models make
it to New Zealand, but the most popular bikes here in NZ are
the steel Hook
EXT and carbon Hook
EXT-C – gravel bikes with an appetite for rough trails,
the Beyond
2 discussed here, and the Beyond+
ADV, a sure footed plus-tyred bikepacking mountain
bike.
Where to buy Bombtrack bikes in New
Zealand
The Beyond 2 retails for $3990 and
can be found at goodrotations.co
– your dedicated online bikepacking outfitter, based in
Wanaka. If you are quick you might pick one up at the winter
discount price of $3389!
If you are looking for
a worthy adventure or bikepacking bicycle and all the gear
to go with it, don’t miss Bombtrack bikes at Good
Rotations.
Check out this
other great review of the Beyond 2 on The
Radavist.
