News from NAHBS: Twenty2 Cycles to Launch new MTB team with Jake Wells

Jake Wells piloted this Twenty2 Cycles MTB to victory at 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo. When Twenty2 paints Ti, they leave a portion of the stays unpainted to preserve the titanium identity.

[updated 3/12/2013]

Vail-based Twenty2 Cycles plans to launch a new mountain bike team this summer with Jake Wells as its anchor rider.

Todd Robison of Twenty2 Cycles in Vail after the Winter Mountain Games snow-crit

The custom bike maker’s co-founder, Todd Robison, shared this development during the North American Handmade Bicycle Show in Denver. Two titanium machines on which Wells rode recently to first place results were among the brand’s models displayed at the show.

Wells, an Avon, Colorado resident and previous mountain bike national champion, propelled a Twenty2 Cycles Bully fatbike to two wins at the recent Winter Mountain Games where he rode in the colors of his Stan’s NoTubes team. He subsequently raced a Twenty2 Cycles 29er mountain bike as part of a co-ed five person team that earned a title at 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo. Robison indicated the new team will race on that mountain bike design.

Wells wrote in an email that in addition to riding for the Twenty2 Cycles team, he will continue to have support from Stan’s NoTubes during the mountain bike season. He will also race for Stan’s NoTubes p/b Proferrin road team this summer.

Both Wells and Robison hope Stan’s NoTubes will sign-on as a sponsor of the new mountain bike team. Wells also mentioned that he wants to foster a connection between NoTubes and Twenty2 Cycles. “Helping to grow these kinds of relationships can be truly valuable down the road, and is one aspect of being a sponsored rider that I enjoy and take a lot of pride in,” Wells wrote.

Many aspects are to be determined as the team’s early development stages unfold. The results of ongoing conversations with potential co-sponsors will decide the team’s official name. Robison wasn’t ready to announce other team members, though he did say the roster will likely include local Colorado riders. Kit design is underway.

While schedules haven’t been finalized, Robison said the squad will focus on endurance races as well as Colorado events. Robison named the Trans-Sylvania Epic and the Breck Epic as examples, two events Wells looks forward to.

Jake Wells after winning the 2013 Winter Mountain Games snow-crit. The aero shell cover on his Lazer helmet keeps moisture out and heat in.

“I am really excited about having this opportunity to work with Twenty2. With my current commitments on the road and with ‘cross this gives me some flexibility to pick and choose some really cool events this summer, like the Transylvania Epic, and the Breck Epic,” Wells wrote.

“I also appreciate the opportunity to be involved with a small, local brand that I believe in. It is a chance to help grow the brand and to give some feedback on frame design and product development.”

At NAHBS, Robison buzzed with excitement as he talked about his plans for the team. “I think we will have a fun time doing it,” he said, “hopefully get our brand out there, let people see what we do, and get more people on our bikes.”

Twenty2 Cycles has experienced good results in its two-and-a-half year history, especially with its fatbike line which Robison described as more agile than others on the market, in part due to shorter chainstays and head tube. The company also manufactures an expedition-style bike; the Rohloff hub with an internal gearing mechanism, Gates Carbon Drive belt, and no external derailleurs together deliver a reliable ride under harsh conditions.

Robison plans to open a Twenty2 Cycles shop with his partners Ryan Van Ness, Alan Christie, and Jerry Oliver in the Vail Valley area.