Last month Why Cycles announced their line of Titanium Bikes, two of which certainly caught our eye – the S7 (27.5+) and the R+ (gravel/cross bike). Why sent us the R+ to test out for a bit and it came in fine style, like all of their bikes, in an Evoc bike luggage bag. This made setting up the bike really easy, and ensures that the bike got to our door safe and damage free.

Why Cycles R+The Why Cycles R+ Force Carbon Kit was shipped in a branded Why Cycles / Evoc Bike Travel Bag Pro case that comes with ample space for more than just a bike. The case has an MSRP of $590.00 and comes with any bike you purchase from Why Cycles.
why-cycles-r-05970After setting up the bike, I quickly got out on a ride last week in the fall foliage. The titanium frame comes with rear fender and rack mounts, two regular bottle cage mounts, and the triple cage mounts for the ever-growing aftermarket accessory mounts that are becoming available.  

Now we see you, now we don’t. The frame has fully internal routing. 

why-cycles-r-06630The fork is an ENVE Cross Disc with a bolt on thru axle. It has a max tire clearance of 48mm or 1.88″. The frame was built around a 700x40c tire, but it has the ability to run a 700×42 or 27.5×2.1” wheel. 

why-cycles-r-06750Knight Composites Gravel rims are laced up with Sapin CX-Ray to Project 321 hubs. The rims are 29″ in diameter and have an internal width of 22.5mm. Rounding out the wheels are the Maxxis Ramblers, their EXO TR gravel specific rubber. The consumer has the option to choose hub color and set up the bike tubeless or not. The test bike did come with sealant installed. 

why-cycles-r-06650The Force Carbon build undoubtedly comes with a Sram Force groupo. The brakes are paired with 160mm Sram rotors and some sexy brake mounts. The rear end is tied together with the Rock Shox Maxle.

why-cycles-r-06740The Sram Force is a 1×11 driver and Why Cycles stocked the R+ with a 42 tooth chainring with an 11-36 cassette range. why-cycles-r-05907

why-cycles-r-06743

why-cycles-r-06588Why spec’d the bike with Zipp SLC V2 31.8x440mm bars, but this bike came with some Easton EC70. They are covered with Lizardskins 3.2 bar tape, and If I can allow myself to say one opinion, these bars look sexy. The cockpit is rounded out with a Cane Creek 40-series headset and an Easton 100mm stem, but the bike is spec’d with a Zipp stem.

why-cycles-r-06677The little subtitles

why-cycles-r-06628The downtube is tapered towards the bottom bracket and more rounded towards the upper part of the tube, a unique look, and time will tell if it has performance benefits.

It’s clear that Why Cycles has created a gravel bike that is ready for casual day rides, the weekend cyclocross course, and everything in between. It is also clear that they spec’d the bike to share the wealth, which is something I think is super unique. The seatposts, bars, wheels, hubs, driver and fork all come from different companies. We will be testing this bike out for a month, both on day rides and bikepacking excursions. We will report back with our thoughts.why-cycles-r-06701
Why Cycles Launches New Brand of High-End Titanium Bicycles

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