Fed Ex truck brought this today. I usually like to do my own builds, but couldn't resist the full build that Twenty2 was offering. The whole process took just about 3 weeks. Proabaly could've done it quicker, but I was trying to hold out for Marge Lites (to no avail). Even with the RDs, it came in at 29 lbs and change, a loss of 8 lbs from my Pugs.
Build quality and welds are awesome, as were all of my dealings with the peeps at Twenty2 (Thanks again, Ben). They even documented my frame build on their FB page: Twenty2 Cycles | Facebook
Only had a few minutes of daylight after assembly, so just did a quick ride around the neighborhood and the local park. So far, so good.
what determined your decision with the Bully vs. the Big Bully ( BFLs)? the welds on twenty2 bikes are just perfect. would you mind telling us the cost?
+1 Along with a few other body parts even a few I might need yet. I've been drooling over Twenty 2 since I read about them on here. That is one sweeeeeet frame.
what determined your decision with the Bully vs. the Big Bully ( BFLs)? the welds on twenty2 bikes are just perfect. would you mind telling us the cost?
I likes my gears, all 27 of them. I found out about the Big Fat Bully after I put my order in, and briefly toyed with the idea. I was going for lightness. I wanted Marge Lites, but QBP pushed the delivery date into January. I feel like my Pugs was fat enough, so I'm not really compelled to go for the BFLs. Plus, so many tire choices right now in the 3.8 range.
Price was $4800. Pretty much the standard build they were (are?) offering on their website.
Now, if the torrential rains would stop, I could do a proper test ride...
Finally! After 4 days of torture (rain + work), I got in a proper test ride of the Bully at Hartshorne Woods, my local park here in central NJ. It ain't Moab, but it's got about 400' of elevation gain, lots of singletrack, rocks, roots and nice hardpacked dirt. No snow here yet. Twas a beautiful late fall day, sunny and about 52 degrees.
The first thing I noticed is the weight difference vs. my good old Pugs (29 vs 37 lbs). Easy to wheelie, lift the front wheel over logs and bunny hop. I was worried that because of the ti and the carbon fork, that it wouldn't have the rock solid feel of the Pugs. Not to worry, the main tubes on the Bully frame are pretty damn stout and I didn't feel any flex in the fork. Like others have said, it's hard to "feel" the frame when you're riding on all that big squishy rubber (2x Larry's @ 7 psi, in my case).
Handling is definitely improved, mostly due to the weight. The geometry is very similar to my Pugs, which is a good thing, and I'm running the same tires, stem length, saddle, etc., so theres not too many variables to mess up the comparison. Climbing is also improved, again because of the weight.
The guys at Twenty 2 did a great job on the build. No weird creaks, rattles, loose bolts. Didn't even have tighten the headset, which is unusual for a first ride. It's got an Angleset, which sounds good on paper cuz you can change the head angle. Haven't fully researched it yet, but it seems you have to replace the top cup to get a meaningful change in angle. I may or may not ever use this feature.
The components all work flawlessly. The only stuff that's new to me are the e13 cranks and the X0 brakes. Speaking of brakes, is it me, or are all modern disc brakes pretty good these days? I've spent big bucks on Hopes for my non-fat bikes over the last 7 or 8 years, but the X0's feel just as good. As do the BB7s on my Pugs, and I think I paid about $70 for a PAIR!
So, is it worth the coin? Hell yes! What else are you gonna blow your money on that will give you this much enjoyment? Again, I can't say enough good words about the people at Twenty 2. It's a little hairy sending a big wad of money (OK, it was a check, but still) off into the void, to a company you've barely heard of, but those guys made it painless. Especially Ben (that's him in the post above - Bewelnak - say Hi, everyone!). I've heard, and/or read here on MTBR, lots of horror stories about dealing with small bike companies that don't return calls/e-mails, give BS info about schedules, and mess up the specs or the delivery. Ben kept me in the loop the whole way (3 whole weeks!), sometimes responding to e-mails almost before I was even done typing them.
Good US-made product, good people, looks like lots of new options for frames being offered, too. Check 'em out!
Looks really nice. Would love to see some more detailed photos of the welds, tire clearance at the stays, etc.
See Post #1 in this thread. Twenty 2's Facebook page has a set of 23 photos of my frame being built in the album called "Small Bully Build".
To answer your question about tire clearance, I could take some closeups. But note that they have a version of the frame for Big Fat Larry tires, and a bunch of different rear configurations - single speed, 135mm, 170mm, etc.
Got my Bully today! I have many bikes and usually don't consider one a favorite (They all have serve a different purpose.) but this Bully is by far my favorite. Super clean, rides great, simply a bad ass bike! I blinged this sucker out with full XTR, e13 crank, White Bro fork, Enve cockpit. I added my favorite Ergon BioKork grips and a faithful Flite saddle. I'll get it on the scale for an exact weight later but it was lighter than I expected. I love that it was hand made right here in my great state of Colorado. Ben hooked me up with some custom bead blasting as well! Thanks Ben for the great service and a world class bike! You far exceeded my expectations!
-Les
Got my Bully today! I have many bikes and usually don't consider one a favorite (They all have serve a different purpose.) but this Bully is by far my favorite. Super clean, rides great, simply a bad ass bike! I blinged this sucker out with full XTR, e13 crank, White Bro fork, Enve cockpit. I added my favorite Ergon BioKork grips and a faithful Flite saddle. I'll get it on the scale for an exact weight later but it was lighter than I expected. I love that it was hand made right here in my great state of Colorado. Ben hooked me up with some custom bead blasting as well! Thanks Ben for the great service and a world class bike! You far exceeded my expectations!
-Les
Time to come back up to alaska Les. We have tons of snow to ride that beauty in.
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Originally Posted by Smallfurry
