REEB SST Review
Radically Engineered Exceptional Bikes. Also REEB is BEER spelled backwards!
If you’re looking for a new bike right now, you’re in a good place. You can definitely find some great deals if you are willing to shop around. What is harder to find is an exceptional bike that does not look exactly like every other bike on the trail. Case and Point, Ibis just released their newest iteration of the Ripmo and when the ads first started rolling out, I thought I was looking at an ad for the New Yeti. This is not a swipe at Ibis, it is just an example of the trend within the mainstream MTB industry. Most of the top brands are looking remarkably similar nowadays.
REEB is a refreshing departure from the rest of the pack. In terms of looks, materials, build process and philosophy the divide grows even wider. Every Bike from REEB is designed, built and assembled right here in Colorado, USA. Another unique aspect of the REEB brand is their indestructible nature. Unlike most bike manufacturers today, REEB has chosen to use a proprietary Chromoly Steel tubing and 3D printed 316L stainless Steel for their materials of choice. Throw in some truly ingenious engineering VooDoo and they have managed to build a bike that is both strong and lightweight.
REEB was founded by Dale Katechis, the world famous brewmaster and founder of Oscar Blues Brewing Company. The story goes something like this. Around 10 years ago Dale had his bike stollen and rather than buying a new bike he decided to build his own bike. Out of this effort, REEB was born
The guys at REEB are daring to build something different and that becomes even more apparent when you walk through the door of their shop. But first let me back up a little and explain where all of my interest and obsession with the REEB brand started.
My first introduction to REEB was several years ago, through Professional Mountain Bike Rider and REEB Ambassador, Jeff Lenosky. I stumbled across his YouTube channel, in search of technical riding videos and I was hooked. I was eager to learn as much as I could about the sport but more importantly to become a better rider. Jeff’s instructional content was just what I was looking for. Initially I didn’t even notice what bike Jeff was riding. It wasn’t until he introduced his new bike, the Sqweeb that I became interested in learning more about REEB Cycles.
check out Jeff at www.jefflenosky.com for more info on the Trail Boss Academy
Fast forward to OuterBike MOAB this past September (2023) and I finally got on a REEB STEEZL for one of the most amazing rides of my life. Over the three days at OuterBike we rode some of the most iconic trails Moab has to offer. Captain AHAB (lower), HyMasa and Cliff Hanger just to name a few. It was also one of the toughest rides I have even been on, it left me with a strange feeling that was both exhilarating and exhausting. One of the biggest Impressions I had on this bike was how agile and balanced it felt.
Thumbnail from my review of the REEB STEEZL last September at OuterBike Moab
For weeks after my adventure in Moab, I kept thinking about how well the STEEZL rode in such challenging conditions and how, contrary to the fact the bike is made of steel, it felt light and agile. The STEEZL has a front Triangle made of Steel and a rear Triangle made of Aluminium. Despite being made of steel, it was still lighter than my Ibis Ripmo AF.
Fast forward once again to this past April (2024), I decided I needed to get back out on a REEB STEEZL and SST. I hopped on a plane and flew out to Lyons Colorado to visit REEB’s Headquarters to tour the barn and to Ride the SST and Steezl again.
It was this visit that really helped everything come into focus about REEB, the Company, the people behind the brand and the contagious passion among everyone who rides a REEB.
The build process for these bikes is different from any of the big bike manufacturing company.
To begin, the uncomplicated look of the bike design is a very clever deception, despite the simple look of this bike, it is actually a complex design that incorporates a great deal of engineering. This includes the use of proprietary Chromoly Steel and 3D printed Stainless Steel. These pieces are manually TIG welded together to create what looks like a single seamless tube. Those pieces are then welded together to create a complete bike. The build process of these bikes is labor intense, this not a high-volume production of thousands of bikes per month. Instead, the focus here is on quality and customization for their customers.
Observing REEB’s bike building process is impressive. Aside from the 3D printed components, each bike is hand-built and assembled with detailed attention to each weld and the custom preferences for the customer.
JUST SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
As I admired the efficiency of the REEB shop and the tremendous efforts that goes into building these amazing steel bikes, some thought-provoking questions popped into my head. When comparing the amount of effort, attention and energy a bike company puts into building and creating bikes, how do enormous companies like GIANT, TREK and SPECIALIZED measure up to a smaller company like REEB? Can they even come close to the individualized custom detail and preferences for your personal bike? How much of their company resources are focused on Mountain biking? Last year GIANT Bike, which is a part of GIANT Group, claims in their 2023 financial report to have assets totaling in excess of 65 million dollars. A small percentage of this comes from mountain bike sales.
I don’t take any issue with a bike manufacturer diversifying their brand. I think, if done well, it can lead to better designs all around. I do wonder however, how committed that company is, to develop and build the best bike for ME or you, an avid mountain biker.
I can say with confidence that for REEB, the answer is 100% of their resources and development go into making the SST and STEEZL. I’ve also watched as REEB has continued to collaborate with partners like Cane Creek, TRP, Industry Nine, Vittoria Tires and One Up to give back to the community. In North Carolina alone, REEB has been a major supporter of the Pisgah SORBA and has helped to raise over $100,000 over the past few years.
I’m sure that REEB will continue to grow and over time a broader offering will come out of their innovative efforts. Exactly what their next bike will look like is anyone’s guess but I’m certain it will be true to REEB’s vision to build the best bikes possible.
Currently REEB produces 2 World Class Mountain Bike models. The SST and the STEEZL.
The SST is a short travel All Steel Bike. It comes with a 185x50mm Trunnion, 120 Cane Creek shock, with the option to get the AIR IL or Coil IL Shock on the rear and the Cane Creek Helm MKII, 130-150mm Fork options.
The STEEZL is a Mid/Long Travel smasher. It comes with a Steel Front Triangle and an Aluminium Rear Triangle, Fork Options range from 160mm-170mm on the front and you have 2 options for your rear end travel, thanks to an ingenious adapter you can choose either 140mm or 155mm to dial in the ride you want. Thanks to a flip chip you can ride 29/29 or 29/27.5. Who doesn’t love options?
Both the SST and Steezl come with an impressive component lineup. From Industry Nine 1/1 Wheels, Vittoria Tires, Ergon Grips, Both SRAM and Shimano Transmission options as well as TRP Brakes and OneUp Droppers. For your suspension choices Cane Creek is the king but if you're looking for a Fox or Rock Shock set up, the guys at REEB can hook you up.
And the list goes on.
I chose to do a completely custom build on my SST. A list of all the components I chose are listed below.
SST Frame –Medium - Custom Color, Lite Illusion Blue
Cane Creek AIR IL Shock
Cane Creek HELM MKII – AIR 29-150mm
OneUp Carbon Handle Bars
ERGON EG2 Fat Grips
Industry Nine Stem
Cane Creek 110 Hellbender Head tube
Shimano XT 4 Piston Brakes
Shimano 180-200mm Routers
SRAM AXS “T” Type Transmission system
OneUP 210mm dropper
WTB VOLT Saddle
Industry Nine TR270 Wheels
Vittoria Mazza Tires
Crank works Flat Peddles
The Wrap Up
Usually at this point, an article will have a list of pros and cons at the bottom that spells out the good the bad and the ugly. I’ll spare you the boring pointless list. Instead I’ll leave you with these final thoughts.
I believe that companies like REEB are the Trail Blazers to our sports future. There is a saying “Necessity is the mother of invention” and in the sport of mountain biking this is true! This idea has been at the heart of the sport from the beginning and for this sport to continue to evolve and grow, we need to keep our eyes open for innovative start ups like REEB.
It is rare that a company ignores the hot shiny new thing, such as E-Bikes and Carbon Frames and sticks to what they know they do best. This focus allows a company to hone their product to perfection. I’m sure there must be some temptation to ship their designs to Korea, Mexico or China and let so nameless company produce higher volumes of bikes for them, like so many of the big bike brands do .
This mindset seems so far removed from the principles and values that make REEB special. While I hope to see REEB grow and become a bigger more successful company, Simultaneously I hope that REEB never loses that small company feel, it has served them well to this point.
SO here it is, you have reached the end of this article, now go get your butt in the seat of a SST or STEEZL! Find out for yourself if these bikes are as good as I say. It’s not just me either, PINK BIKE, VitalMTB, Single Track Mountain Bike News, Mountain Bike Review, Bikepaking & Bikemag, all give these bikes a big thumbs up.
You can demo a REEB at any of the OuterBike events through the USA. Visit REEB in Longmont Colorado or check out the REEB website for where else you can ride a REEB.
Visit www.reebcycles.com and check them out today!
Special thanks for Jeff Lenosky for helping bring this article to publication
Thanks to Charley Storm at Back to Dirt Bikes, Bike Shop in Sanford NC for helping put this dream bike together.
Check out www.backtodirtbikes.com