The Unicorn
“I used to ride Bo Ridge on my trusty _____. It was fun with 700c X 42mm rubber, but I had to slow down to a crawl on the backside descent, which is rutted out double-track best suited for a hardtail. Even taking it slow, this part of ride always left me feeling like a jackpot ball in a pinball machine. I wanted a bike that could make the ride comfortable but also efficiently cover the 20 miles of pavement at the end of the loop.
Thinking through this was how my Unicorn was born. I sold my ____ last summer to fund the build. The Wolverine takes everything I liked about the ____ and does it better: bigger tire clearance, slacker geometry and disc brakes are the highlights. To maximize the level of rad, I asked Oakland-based frame builder Erik Billings to drill the seat tube for a dropper post and installed the Redshift ShockStop suspension stem, which takes the sting out of mistakes on the trail.
For me, the Wolverine is all the cross-country mountain bike I need. What makes it unusual in this crowded genre is that it can run 2X compact cranks on a standard 68mm bottom bracket shell while *unofficially* clearing 2.1″ tires in the rear. I have tight, narrow hips that are much happier on narrow q-factor road cranks. Unfortunately, most drop-bar 29ers rely on a 73mm shell to clear fat tires and assume the rider will be happy with a 1X setup. I dig 1X for my mountain bike, but I feel a mixed terrain bike is best served with the closer spacing you get with an old-fashioned wide-step double.” -- Matt, SF, CA
the favorite
“If you were to ask me what’s my favourite bike from my collection I would definitely answer “The one I’m Riding on!” In all reality this bike is the most versatile. We’ve conquered dirt, mud, steep black diamond descents, climbs of all kinds and 1000’s of km of dirt/paved roads, fully loaded. I might love my Wolverine a little more but don’t you dare tell the rest of the fleet, I don’t want them to get jealous.”
Blunt Objeckt
1 year review
I enjoy the ride quality of the bike. My experience is limited to this bike and my previous aluminum frame commuter that ran 700x28 tires. The ride of the Wolverine with Hutchinson or Schwalbe tires is much softer and smoother than my old bike. Partly due to the steel frame and partly due to the tires. I would ride over rough concrete roads and feel shook apart on the old bike if I did not ride out of the saddle. That same road just feels a little bumpy now and I can ride through on the saddle. It rides just as fast if not faster than my old bike...the Wolverine is fairly flexible. Nothing wrong with it, but again it just feels weird. When you brake hard, you can see the fork flexing back. It frame also twists a bit if you hold the brakes and load the pedals. -- Odachiman, Reddit
With 650b tires
I set mine up on 650b wheels with the IRD carbon fork.
Such a great bike. I take it on single track, gravel and road missions, it really holds it own. The new geometry is really stable and with the 650b wheels I get good clearance for technical trail riding although the bb is a bit lower so I get some pedal strike with my 175 cranks.
Running 2.2 in the front and 1.9 in the back with lots of clearance -- swiaq, Reddit
Night and Day
I just did my first longer ride on my Wolverine. By far the most comfortable bike ride I’ve ever been on. I’ve owned a few carbon, aluminum, and steel bikes but the amount of flex in the tubing was a night and day difference. Why this bike is not hyped more in the cycling world is beyond me. My only concern with the bike now, which has nothing to do with the frame, is my fork choice.
-- Mikel32, Reddit
