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Ridden and Reviewed: Dean Titanium Team Edition Cyclocross Bike

Dean Bikes is one of the older titanium brands still around, and the Boulder-based company continues to evolve both its product offerings and company structure to meet consumer demands.

With NAHBS coming up this weekend, we can look back on a titanium cyclocross bike we saw in 2017 and custom gravel builds we saw at Sea Otter last year for a look at how the company’s offerings have changed.

A few years ago we reviewed the Dean Bikes Antero cyclocross/gravel bike and found it to be a high-value, versatile titanium ride with good tire clearance and a comfortable ride. The model has since been given a new, longer geometry, and its production has moved to Boulder. The Made-in-the-USA approach has raised the bike’s price tag, but the more-affordable Asia-built titanium frame is still available under the Wily Cycles brand.

Dean Bikes’ flagship cyclocross/gravel bike has been the Torrey’s Cross bike, and this week, the company unveils its new top-shelf Team Edition.

Dean Bikes Team Edition titanium cyclocross bike features a curved, ovalized top tube, and represents Dean’s top-shelf cyclocross option. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine

Over the last few months, in wet winter riding, I’ve had a chance to put the new top-of-the-line option from welder Ari Leon to the test. Find out how the Team Edition handled late-season muddy cyclocross races and damp, mixed-terrain adventures.

The Dean Bikes Team Edition Frame

For many of us, just throwing a leg over a titanium frame is a moment of privilege. We’ve long lusted after the wonder rust-proof material and lumped all forms of the material into one seamless material associated with dream bikes to last a lifetime.

The Dean Bikes Team Edition titanium cyclocross, with retro four-color graphics. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine

Whether it’s a frame made pure titanium or an aerospace alloy built in Russia, China, Europe or the U.S., moving to a titanium frame can feel like the difference between dating and marriage—you’re making a commitment to a bike that will last a lifetime.

Builders will be the first to tell you that not all titanium is the same, and Dean Bikes builds its flagship $2,950 Team Edition frame from 3/2.5 seamless cold-worked stress-relieved titanium.

The Dean Bikes Team Edition titanium cyclocross is electronic wire-ready. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine

For the Team Edition and Torrey’s Cross frames, the straight gauge tubeset is picked to suit the rider’s weight and style, compared to the “standard,” size-specific tubing used on the Antero gravel frame. The Antero frame, with stock geometry, retails for $1,150 less than the Team Edition, or $600 less than the Torrey’s Cross.

For $2,950, with the Team Edition, you not only get everything the $2,400 Torrey’s Cross offers, but also a curved, ovalized top tube and custom graphics package. That’s on top of a custom tubeset, with your choice from a plethora of options to ensure your Team Edition is the bike or your dreams.

You can pick your preferred dropout (Breezer, sliding or standard thru), bottom bracket shell (BSA, PF30 or T47), internal or external cable/hose routing, seat post diameter and even between pick between stock and custom geometry, without any upcharges.

Welded in Boulder, Co. Dean Bikes Team Edition titanium cyclocross. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine

Focus more on cyclocross? Dean offers six sizes with its cyclocross geometry. If gravel is more your thing, there are also six stock gravel configurations offered under the Torey’s Cross model, which are also available with the same Team Edition features.

As you might imagine, the cyclocross options feature less bottom bracket drop (3-4mm less), shorter chainstays (5-8mm shorter) and slightly steeper head angles than the gravel options. Find neither stock option to meet your body or riding needs? You can send Dean your measurements or specify your own geo.

Our stock frame featured a 56.5cm effective top tube, 72-degree head tube, 73-degree seat tube, 42.5cm chainstays and 65mm bottom bracket drop.

Etched graphics and an ovalized top tube differentiate the Dean Bikes Team Edition titanium cyclocross from the more-affordable stock options. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine

Satin finish is standard but a brushed finish and etched graphics are optional for $300. Our Team Edition test frame featured an eye-catching checkerboard etching on the top tube and down tube.

The Build

The Alchemist Z40 carbon wheels came dressed with non-tubeless Challenge open tubulars, but offered an airtight platform for Specialized Terra 38mm tires. Dean Bikes Team Edition titanium cyclocross. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine

Our test bike’s build kit featured a few selections from Dean founder John Siegrist’s Janus Cycle Group, including made-in-Italy 1,390g Alchemist Z30 carbon hoops and a Selle San Marco Mantra saddle.

Our Dean Bikes Team Edition titanium cyclocross featured a 31.6mm post, but 27.2mm is also an option. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine

A Ritchey WCS cockpit and TRP fork handled steering duties. A SRAM Force 1 drivetrain, with a Force 22 derailleur instead of the clutch-based rear derailleur, helped get the ensemble rolling on Challenge Dune open tubulars.

Dean offers your pick of rear dropouts. Ours featured Breezer-style thru-axle dropouts for more rear-end stiffness. Dean Bikes Team Edition titanium cyclocross. The non-clutch Force 22 rear derailleur was an odd pick, but you get to pick your own build with a Dean Bikes frame. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine

It’s an eclectic build that partially represents what the Janus Cycle Group has on offer and partially what Dean had available at the time. The company stresses the unusual non-clutch Force derailleur on the 1x drivetrain is not a standard build choice and emphasizes that customers pick their own build kit. While a clutch might help with chain security and noise, it’s worth noting that in all my riding, I dropped the chain once, while racing in heavy mud.

The wide-narrow X-Sync ring offered chain security in muddy conditions. Dean will build your dream bike with your own dream parts package. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine

The wheels are definitely a highlight of the parts package. Although a tad narrow at 18.7mm internal, they’re quite light and hold tubeless tires very well.

The Alchemist Z30 wheels were burp free and did their best to shed mud. The sharper edge accumulates less material than bullet-shape profiles. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine

The narrow V-shape seems a bit old school than the common bullet profile we see on most carbon rims nowadays, but the sharper edge seems to shed mud and organic material quite well.

The Dean Team Edition Ride

Titanium as a frame material inherits plenty of superlatives and many of them are well-deserved. Yet any skilled builder can create a stereotype-busting frame, and the only consistent trait among titanium frames I’ve found is that they’ve been dent resistant, rustproof and relatively lightweight.

You have your options of BB shell, but our test Dean Bikes Team Edition titanium cyclocross featured a BSA threaded shell. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine

As for ride quality, while tires and tire pressure will make a bigger difference in your cyclocross and gravel comfort, on bumpy terrain, the Team Edition really shines.

While I’ve ridden carbon frames that do a better job of absorbing road vibration, the titanium Team Edition is less punishing than most carbon frames with bigger hits. It offers a bit of flex in the rough stuff—think bumpy cyclocross courses or long rides on rutted gravel roads. The flex is not enough to get you off-track in a corner, but enough to help prevent permanent reminders of a bad line. That’s a nice trait, whether you are racing for 45 minutes or for 12 hours through Kansas.

The Dean Bikes Team Edition titanium cyclocross features a chainstay bridge but enough room for mud or 40mm tires. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine

While the stock Antero has been stretched out since its Asia-built days, the Team Edition/Torrey’s Cross geo leans a few degrees towards more traditional cyclocross geometry, prioritizing pedal clearance and quick steering over adventure riding.

This stock cyclocross geometry should please most cyclocross racers. It’s not so low that you’re clipping pedals on every root or off-camber section, and it offers great agility to ride tape-to-tape while looking for harder surfaces in the mud and carving through hairpins. There’s also ample mud clearance around cyclocross tires, and adequate clearance around high-volume 38mm rubber.

The underside of the rear flat mount disc brake mount. Dean Bikes Team Edition titanium cyclocross. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine

Those looking for more versatility (think riding most of the year on fat tires) might lean towards the gravel geometry. Personally, because I spend much of the year riding 38mm or bigger tires, I’d split the difference, pairing the shorter chainstays of the ’cross geometry with the lower bottom bracket and slacker head angle of the gravel geometry. With this setup, I’d offset the increased toe overlap and higher ride height that comes with higher-volume rubber.

The Dean Bikes Team Edition titanium cyclocross featured the retro, four-color graphics. The stock cyclocross geometry serves up a little toe overlap with size 46 feet. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine

Could I tell the difference in ride quality between the top-shelf Team Edition and the more affordable, made-in-Asia Antero (now Wily Cycle’s Wily Cross) that’s half the price? It’s been almost two years since we’ve tested that model, and while it had similar geometry, it featured quite a different build.

While we didn’t test the two bikes side-by-side, I’d be lying if I said the bikes felt dramatically different. The Team Edition might be a few ounces lighter, boasts an impressive etched finish and of course, has a domestic pedigree. Both feature fine workmanship and harness the best of what titanium have to offer.

The older made-in-Asia Dean Antero we reviewed two years ago is now called the Wily Cycles Wily Cross, but offers an affordable gateway into titanium for less than half the price of the Team Edition. The current Dean Antero is made in Boulder and features longer, lower geometry. © Cyclocross Magazine

If you’re torn between models, for $450 less than the Team Edition, the Dean Bikes Torrey’s Cross option, without the upgraded graphics and ovalized, curved top tube, could help you supplement your component budget and perhaps splurge for the unique, reliable Alchemist wheels.

The Verdict

Dean Bikes and its cousins, Wily Cycles and Merlin Bikes, offer plenty of titanium options for every budget and terrain. Within the Dean line, for the drop-bar, offroad rider, the Team Edition and Torrey’s Cross are the obvious options if choice and domestic construction are what you’re after.

Team Edition and Torrey’s Cross owners can pick their dropout style, bottom bracket shell and seat post diameter. Flat mount SRAM Force HRD disc brakes are tucked in neatly between the chainstay and seatstay. Dean Bikes Team Edition titanium cyclocross. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine

The ability to pick your frame’s features and geometry is what makes it easier to justify the premium of these two models and doing so will increase your chances of being pleased with your investment once the new bike honeymoon is over.

A titanium frame should last a lifetime. Dean Bikes’ Team Edition is ready for the marriage.

Full photo gallery below the specs.

Dean Bike Team Edition Cyclocross Test Bike Spec Highlights:

Frame: Custom 3/2.5 titanium tubeset, rider-specific. BSA bottom bracket, 44mm head tube, 31.6mm seat post, flat mount disc brake.Fork: TRP cyclocross, thru axleHeadset: Chris KingWheelset: Alchemist Z30 tubeless disc, thru axleTires: Challenge DuneDrivetrain: SRAM Force 1, with SRAM Force 22 rear derailleurBrakes: SRAM Force HRDCockpit: Ritchey WCSSaddle: Selle San Marco MantraMore info: deanbikes.com

Dean Bike Team Edition Cyclocross Photo Gallery:

02

Calibre Sentry first ride review

Calibre Bikes, the GO Outdoors house brand, has dominated the sub-£1,000 market for a few years now, and for good reason. Up-to-date geometry and well-considered components packaged up at ridiculously competitive prices have made its bikes seriously tantalising — especially for riders on a budget.

After years scooping all the accolades for its cheaper bikes, Calibre has decided to up the ante and venture into the longer travel enduro/trail market.

Its latest offering, the Sentry, comes in two builds, but shares the same frame. The priciest bike will set you back £2,800 (with the £5 discount card) and is fitted with some seriously flash kit, but it’s the cheaper of the two (seen here) that we think is most exciting.

Calibre Sentry frame

The Sentry sports a slack 64-degree head angle which is paired with the short (42mm) offset Yari fork

People tend to think that cheaper bikes always lean towards the conservative end of the geometry spectrum, but that isn’t the case with the Sentry, which doesn’t just embrace but bear-hugs the current trend for long, low and slack.

The chassis is built around 29in wheels and, according to Mike Sanderson, the man behind the Calibre range, is “built to go fast”. After five prototypes, the final numbers will no doubt raise eyebrows.

A super-slack 63.8-degree head angle, low-slung 335mm bottom bracket and long 1,240mm wheelbase scream high-speed stability. Reach ranges from 445mm (S) to 506mm (XL). The medium tested here sports a reach of 465mm, which felt spot on for my 5ft 8in height. To keep climbing as efficient as possible, Calibre has opted for a steep 76-degree seat angle.

Calibre wants to ensure punters won't need to upgrade to burlier tyres from the get-go, so specs the Tough casing WTB Vigilante (front) and Trail Boss (rear). The meaty 2.6in Vigilante offers a decent amount of traction when the conditions become more challenging

At the rear, the Sentry boasts 150mm / 5.9in of travel, delivered via the linkage-actuated single pivot backend and controlled using a RockShox Deluxe shock, which is mounted to the subtly curved down tube.

All cables are externally routed, which makes maintenance that bit easier, and many will appreciate the use of a threaded bottom bracket. There’s not quite enough room in the front triangle to squeeze a water bottle cage in place though.

Calibre Sentry kit

While the pricier Sentry gets the top-end Lyrik from RockShox, I was still really impressed with the feel of the cheaper Yari, complete with DebonAir spring

Considering the price, the kit on this, the cheaper of the two models in the range, is fantastic and really well considered. One of the highlights has to be the SRAM Guide RE brakes. It’s rare to see these impressive stoppers on a bike at this price but, considering this bike’s intentions, Calibre has made a wise choice speccing them.

SRAM also takes care of gearing in the shape of its 12-speed NX Eagle transmission — again, not regularly seen on bikes at this price, especially those bought through shops.

Calibre has opted to use a RockShox Yari RC fork with the shorter 42mm offset, which I felt paired nicely with the super-slack head angle. Compared with rear-wheel travel, the fork actually delivers a little more at 160mm / 6.3in.

There's 150mm of rear wheel travel controlled via a RockShox Deluxe shock

Aside from designing a bike that goes fast, Calibre also wanted to ensure it could be wheeled out of the shop and taken straight to a race, without the need to switch a single component. This is why it's opted to use WTB’s Tough casing High Grip compound tyres. A 2.6in Vigilante sits up front, while a 2.4in Trail Boss takes care of business at the rear.

If I was being picky, I’d argue Calibre could have gone for the Fast Rolling version of the Trail Boss, but I'm pleased to see a brand spec such solid, albeit heavy, tyres that should stay inflated no matter what you throw at them.

I was beyond impressed to see that Calibre has specced SRAM's powerful Guide RE brakes. Most bikes at this price, regardless of intended use, tend to get cheaper, less potent stoppers

Thanks to the 440mm seat tube, the medium works well with the 150mm Kore dropper post, which I had no reliability issues with throughout testing.

If you have an extra £800 in your pocket, I’d certainly recommend checking out the pricier Sentry. This bike gets the all-singing all-dancing RockShox Lyrik RC2 fork, plus a Super Deluxe coil shock complete with remote lockout, which is seriously impressive for the money.

Calibre Sentry first ride impressions

Rob giving the new enduro focused 29er from Calibre a good going over throughout testing

Although I was initially worried about the size of my medium test bike (the small offers a more compact wheelbase of 1,218mm and a reach of 445mm), the Sentry felt very comfortable and easy to ride. The back-end required almost no fettling after I’d set the sag, which is a real plus too.

There’s support where it counts and enough progression to handle things when you do start trucking on — something that this bike encourages as soon as it's pointed downhill.

It’s by no means a featherweight at 16.16kg, though. Combined with the slow-rolling tyres, I thought the Sentry was going to be a battle on the climbs, but thanks in part to that steep seat angle and wide gear range, it’ll winch up most trails with no real drama and less effort than you might expect.

The Sentry uses a single pivot, linkage actuated suspension system with a shock yoke connecting to the base of the rear damper

Drop into something with gravity on your side and the Sentry really comes into its own. The stability on tap encourages you to push the bike as hard as your nerves will allow, while the low-slung chassis and well-centred ride position bolsters confidence and control as you drift from turn to turn.

While the back-end isn’t the plushest out there, it deals with the hits in a composed fashion and offers enough support and feedback through the pedals to ensure you know what’s going on beneath the tyres.

As you might imagine, while it’s a bike capable of attacking trails at speed, its weight and size mean it’s not the liveliest or most playful of machines on flatter trails. That long back-end also means it takes more effort and a little more practice when it comes to lofting the front wheel up and over obstacles.

That said, I had no issues flicking and popping from line to line when I wanted to, even if it required a little more muscle.

The Sentry’s intentions are clear from the outset though, and it’s on the technical descents where it really shines.

The burly tyres offer plenty of traction, the Yari fork delivers its travel with enough control and comfort so you’re happy to pick those awkward off-camber lines and stick with them, while the SRAM Guide RE brakes are fantastic at killing speed in a split second.

Calibre Sentry early verdict

Overall, what Calibre has delivered here is pretty incredible when you consider the price. I’d have no qualms sending the Sentry headlong into a steep, root-riddled tech descent without swapping a single component, which says a lot about just how capable and well-considered this bike is.

Calibre Sentry specifications

The new Calibre Sentry is an absolute steal at £2,000 (with the £5 Go Outdoors discount card). Great geometry, well-considered kit and a balanced ride mean it's certainly not afraid to go fast

·  Frame: Aluminium with 150mm (5.9in) travel

·  Fork: RockShox Yari RC with 160mm (6.3in) travel

·  Shock: RockShox Deluxe

·  Drivetrain: SRAM NX Eagle 12-speed

·  Wheelset: WTB STi29 rims on Formula hubs

·  Tyres: WTB Vigilante High Grip Tough 29x2.6in (fr) and WTB Trail Boss High Grip Tough 29x2.4in (r)

·  Brakes: SRAM Guide RE (200/180mm rotors)

·  Bar: Kore Durox, 800mm

·  Stem: Calibre, 45mm

·  Seatpost: Kore, 150mm

·  Saddle: Calibre Sentry

·  Weight: 16.16kg / 35.6lb medium without pedals

·  Price: £2,000 (with £5 discount card)

03

Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR review

What sets the TCR apart from the standard Golf GTI?

Emerging this time, as a farewell to what we might call the GTI mk7.5, is an ode to the FIA’s now globally popular Touring Car Racing motorsport formula. The GTI TCR is also a clear attempt to keep VW’s evergreen hot hatchback competitive. In a field of increasingly powerful fast front-drivers, the regular GTI Performance version’s 242bhp (the 228bhp GTI having been removed from sale in the UK last year) doesn’t cut much Grey Poupon these days. So, here, power jumps to a peak 286bhp, and torque to 280lb ft, courtesy of a version of the 2017 GTI Clubsport Edition 40’s ‘EA888’ 2.0-litre turbo four pot that’s been updated with new software management, furnished with a couple of extra radiators, and made WLTP-emissions compliant. Unlike the pre-facelift GTI Clubsport 40, however, the GTI TCR only comes in two-pedal, DSG-gearbox form – and it uses the mk7.5’s seven-speed twin-clutch transmission rather than the Clubsport’s six-speed paddle-shifter.

Like the GTI Performance, the GTI TCR gets VW’s electronic locking ‘eDiff’ as standard, but it adds the sizable composite brake discs and 17in calipers of the old GTI Clubsport S, as well as forged 18in alloy wheels. It comes as standard with passive suspension developed from that of the GTI Performance, with revalved, firmed-up dampers, and with shortened, stiffened coil springs that drop the car 5mm closer still to the Tarmac.

“The Clubsport S was even stiffer again,” explained VW touring car racer Benny Leuchter (who had a hand in the development of the road-going GTI TCR), “but the bigger difference between them is how much more negative wheel camber the Clubsport S had. The TCR has been developed primarily for road use but also for more typical racing circuits. The Clubsport S was set up especially for the Nordschleife.” The Nordschleife – and just about any British B-road you cared to hurl it down, as it turned out.

On the GTI TCR, you can choose between two optional rolling chassis upgrade packages. The first adds forged 19in rims and beefed up adaptive dampers, the second a slightly different set of forged 19in rims, the same sports adaptive dampers and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres (the latter appeared as standard on the Clubsport S, you may remember). Both upgrade packages also see the car’s 155mph speed limiter removed. While UK prices on the GTI TCR and its options are to be confirmed, the more expensive of the two upgrade packages is likely to add about £3000 to your order.

Exploring the TCR's visual upgrades

Outwardly, the TCR is probably best distinguished from the lesser GTI by its matt black alloy wheels, and the extended front splitter, rear diffuser and roof spoiler that make up its new TCR racer-inspired aero kit. Well, those and the car’s motorsport-tastic hexagonal side decals (which are effectively a no-cost option – so you can dispense with them if you prefer). You can add carbonfibre door mirror caps, which make for a classier-looking extra identifying visual touch; or you can opt for ‘pure grey’ paint if you like, which is exclusive to the TCR – but, in this tester’s opinion, looks about as exciting as a pallbearer’s cravat.

On the inside of the car, meanwhile, a new pair of microfibre-and-cloth sports seats appear, as does a modified steering wheel with perforated leather grips and a competition-style dead-centre marker in red. VW insiders say the interior of the eighth-generation VW Golf, which is due for a public airing later this year, is a big step on from this car. But, while that’s an entirely believable claim, it’s not as if there’s much wrong with the cabin of the seventh-gen car. The TCR’s driving position is near-perfect for a hot hatchback. Its new sports seats are almost ideally, oh-so-comfortably clenching, and its interior fittings look and feel absolutely first class, showing very few signs of age. But most of that’s also true of a regular GTI, of course, and wouldn’t be a good reason for find an extra £5000. So what would be?