ENVE’s 3rd annual Builder Round-Up and Open House took place recently at ENVE HQ in Ogden, Utah, with over 30 renowned custom builders joining for a mini-NAHBS (North American Handbuilt Bicycle Show).
Unwind and relax with a handful of handsome hardtails. Here’s a round-up of the best-looking mountain bike hardtails from the recent ENVE Builder Round-Up and Open House. Pics and info courtesy of Chris Lyman/ENVE.
Read more: Best hardtail mountain bikes – classic trail shredding machines
Alliance – Hailey, Idaho:
One of the handful of hardtail mountain bikes as part of the show, Alliance’s titanium trail bike is designed around the Rockshox Pike 130 fork and tire clearance up to 2.6 tyres. It’s built up with ENVE’s M6 bar and stem in addition to ENVE AM30 rims on Onyx hubs. The paint is a real head-turner with a bass boat glitter flake for all the flash in the sunlight.
Breadwinner – Portland, Oregon:
Breadwinner came with their Bad Otis, an aggressive all-mountain hardtail that is designed to handle the roots and rocks of the Pacific Northwest trails—built with Columbus steel tubing along with all the ENVE and Chris King bits.
Retrotec – Napa, California:
Curtis Inglis went with the look and feel of the Twin Funduro and a new material, titanium. Carrying the same smooth lines throughout the bike that Retrotec is renowned for, the Twin Funduro achieves clearance for up to a 2.6” tyre. The mismatched component colors are thanks to the bike industry’s lack of availability, which provided Curtis the opportunity to have some fun with the mix-and-match approach.
Sycip – Santa Rosa, California:
For the person who simply needs another bike in the garage, Sycip delivered the ultimate trail-side party bike with their electric assist, or an e-packing, cargo bike that features a Shimano Steps motor. With the ENVE Mountain Fork, it can clear 29 x 2.6” tyres and haul a BBQ grill in the Ortlieb bags.
44 Bikes – Lyndeboro, New Hampshire:
44 Bikes comes in with a prototype for what will be their first stock bike option after two seasons of development. It’s designed with options to run it single speed or with gears. Chainstays, seat stays, and seat tubes are all shaped in-house using Reynolds 853 tubing. The finishing build includes ENVE’s M6 Bar, Mountain Fork, and M630 wheels.
Moots Cycles – Steamboat Springs, Colorado:
2021 marks the 40th year Moots has been building frames in Steamboat Springs, and to celebrate, each bike comes with their Anniversary head badge this year. This particular bike is the Womble hardtail that’s named after a trail in Arkansas. Moots says it’s their version of the modern-day mountain bike designed around a large diameter, double-butted tube set and 140mm fork.