Naming with a wink: "Twisted Sisters" from ChezVelo

Bikes without limits
Should it be a hardtail or a cross bike, which bike size is best? With Christian Berra and Andreas Schabbach from the ChezVelo specialist bike shop in Basel, you don't have to decide exactly. With the "Twisted Sisters", the bike wizards present several concepts with the GT Xizang 29er frame as the basis: Once as a - classic hardtail in terms of look only. However, the 29er frame is fitted with 650b wheels to improve agility. With the sibling pair with cross/race handlebars, the variety then goes into full swing: Wheels with 29er and 650b Dugast Collés or with standard 650b tires from Schwalbe are used.

"GT 650b Tubeless Race"

Christian Berra from ChezVelo explains what is behind the custom-made builds: "We deliberately don't think in terms of marketing niches or sales segments and mix and match where it suits us and take what comes out well. A few years ago, together with Erwin Wildhaber, I let the then Swiss junior champion and junior world champion David Rusch compete with converted 26-inch MTBs on Quervelo with narrow tires. At that time, the whole thing was then curbed again by all the regulations in and by the association and the UCI in cycling."

"GT 28 inch Cross"

The fat bike in race trim
Berra reports on the "Twisted Sisters", the aforementioned GT Xizang variants: "One variant results in the Supercrosser, which is very agile and maneuverable to ride with 650B and 2.1 tires. The effect is further enhanced by some wheels with tubeless or Collée tires. In addition, the Xizang classic with 29er and 2.0 tubeless tires is more on the fast side, the fork corrects the installation height slightly at the front so that the steering angle becomes steeper. Then with 650B and 2.4 tires, you almost get the feeling of a fat bike in race trim - something we are currently pursuing with a different setup where it will be 2.8 tires.

"GT 29er Collee"

For the MTB version, we've toned down the Xizang racing file a little, added a little more travel at the front (120mm) and lowered the dropper post so that the thing can easily go through a dirt jump course. The current setup with 650B and 2.35 Maxxis Ikon suits me best, it has it all: maneuverability, grip, easy handling and enormous capacity to swallow."

"GT 650b Collée"

Velos like a Swiss army knife
When it comes to wheel sizes and tire choice, Berra sees great potential in this variety: "In the future it will be great if, for example, I can ride a 28-inch x 32/35mm bike on a cross course, or race around in the forest on a 29er x 50/55mm, or go really outdoors and mount a 650B with 70mm tires.

"GT 650b standard tire with inner tube"

Of course an extreme thought, but we think it's fantastic if someone buys one with 3 wheelsets for a budget of CHF 8000 to 10000 instead of 3 bikes at CHF 2000 to 3000 each - that's added value. The GT Xizang already has clearance for tire widths of up to 650B x 2.6 (65mm), so it only needs a little more."

"Genesis Fugio Cross to Road"

"Van Nicholas 26-650b converted"

And at Chez Velo, the joy of experimentation truly knows no bounds: The Genesis Fugio bike turns a cross bike into a road bike, or a 26er Van Nicholas bike into a 650b supercrosser.

www.chezvelo.com