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Van Dessel WTF Gets Makeover, All New Carbon Road, Cyclocross & MTB Bikes Coming Soon

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2014 Van Dessel Whiskey Tango Foxtrot monster crosser gravel road bike

This year’s Van Dessel WTF (Whiskey Tango Foxtrot) do-it-all bike gets a new raw steel finish but is still the same super capable, extremely versatile bike everyone loves. A corrosion resistant treatment coats the bare looking tubes, though, so it’ll remain rideable year after year.

Founder Edwin Bull has been working on more than just new colors – he’s been growing the carbon fiber line and just sent over renderings for a whopping three new/updated models. One for road, one for cyclocross and one for the trails. Check out the sneak peek, plus detail shots of the WTF, below…

2014 Van Dessel Whiskey Tango Foxtrot monster crosser gravel road bike

WTF framesets are just $699, and complete bikes are available in custom configurations. They’ll fit up to a 29×2.2 mountain bike tire and are ready for chains or belt drives.

2014 Van Dessel Whiskey Tango Foxtrot monster crosser gravel road bike 2015-Van-Dessel-whiskey-tango-foxtrot04

2014 Van Dessel Whiskey Tango Foxtrot monster crosser gravel road bike 2015-Van-Dessel-whiskey-tango-foxtrot02

We’ve got one of these headed our way for a long term test. Terrain, beware.

Van Dessel Motivus Maximus Renderings

The Motivus Maximus is a new carbon road bike that’s thru axle compatible and will take either rim or disc brakes.

Van Dessel Motivus Maximus Renderings Van Dessel Motivus Maximus Renderings

The axle set up will allow for standard QR or thru axle use, giving it a ton of compatibility with whatever wheels you already own. It’ll even space down to 130mm for traditional rim brake type wheels.

Van Dessel Full Tilt Boogie Renderings

The Full Tilt Boogie has been in the line for quite a while, but the 2015 is a major refresh. Looks like shapelier stays to take the edge off and new internal cable routing for the disc-brake-only frame.

Van Dessel Full Tilt Boogie Renderings Van Dessel Full Tilt Boogie Renderings Fork

It gets a new thru axle fork, and the rear end will work with both 135mm QR and 12×142 thru axles. Frameset retails for both the Maximus and Boogie will be $1,799. The FTB complete bike with SRAM CX1 and thru-axle wheels will be $3,999. A complete Maximus with 6800 Ultegra, Praxis BB and rim brakes will be $3,799.

Van Dessel Jersey Devil Hardtail Renderings

The Jersey Devil is an all-new carbon fiber 29er hardtail mountain bike. It shares the convertible rear axle option as the others.

Van Dessel Jersey Devil Hardtail Renderings

Internal routing is designed for both mechanical and electronic drivetrain systems. Frame and headset will be $1,199.

Look for the formal introduction of these three at Interbike, but Bull says they should be in stock and shipping before the show.

VanDesselSports.com

 

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Superstantial
Superstantial
9 years ago

Yay!

Ryan
Ryan
9 years ago

Damn, I hear the n+1 knocking.

Kovas
9 years ago

What’s the BB on the WTF? Is it still EBB? PF30? Same for the head tube – is it standard 1/1/8 or have they bumped it to 44mm?

Heffe
Heffe
9 years ago

sweet

pfs
pfs
9 years ago

Risky showing three bikes that aren’t even close to real for a while.

Rob
Rob
9 years ago

I second Kovas’ questions…it says belt drive compatible so that implies some sort of single speed friendly tensioning system…

Superstantial
Superstantial
9 years ago

Any idea when their new site will be up?

Andrew
Andrew
9 years ago

To be ridiculously critical of the WTF it would be nice to see a 15mm on a steel disc fork, particularly considering the massive tire clearance, brake rub from fork flex is super irritating! There is also a strange combination of the existence and non existence of Rack/Fender mounts… It is pretty badass to see full length housing runs to both the FD and RD though, and a super good price for a nicely crafted frame! I’d buy it, no question.

Jackson
Jackson
9 years ago

That bike is sorry copy of a Retrotec Twin.

Ben
Ben
9 years ago

Bring back the Country Road Bob!

Charles
Charles
9 years ago

Agree with pfs. Trying to sell vaporware. Nice looking bikes though.

satisFACTORYrider
satisFACTORYrider
9 years ago

inglis it ain’t but the price is nice

Fattylocks
Fattylocks
9 years ago

” Bring back the Country Road Bob! ”
I’ll second that.

velorider
velorider
9 years ago

BB details would be nice.

and Bring back the Country Road Bob! Make it an 8spd internal with discs….done.

onion
onion
9 years ago

Still silly to me that companies release CAD images to the press that use nothing but the default SolidWorks appearances and backgrounds. It takes a total of 15 extra seconds to make that stuff stunning and professionally presentable.

Ajax
Ajax
9 years ago

WTF is a bike called WTF for?

Ajax
Ajax
9 years ago

OMG! Wait a minute! Wait one minute! Check out those CAD images of the Motivus Maximus!

I can’t believe what I am seeing! A road bike with interchangeability for QR, non-thru axle, and thru axle?! Am I dreaming?! Hallelujah! Oh dear god! Thank you lord jesus. OMG! Holy Mary! Mother of god!

Dear god, please please one more thing. Please let the Van Dessel powers that be see this. Please let the Van Dessel man know that the fork crown and seat stays need to have wide clearances so I can switch between 700x28mm tires and go super gravel riding with some 650b x 42mm balloons!

Please lord jesus. All they gotta do is keep the fork at a 367mm-ish axle-to-crown height, but made the fork crown wide enough. Then, get about 415mm-ish chainstays and make sure it’s wide enough for either a 700×28 tire or 650b x 42 tire.

Jake
9 years ago

Ajax, I can’t tell if you’re serious or not… All thing’s considered, though, Van Dessel’s bikes are beautiful. I just hope he can re-create the metallic red paint job of the old Holeshot. It’s the best looking bike I’ve seen, and definitely the best looking bike I own.

fast foreward freddie
fast foreward freddie
9 years ago

I’m pretty sure ajax isn’t using hyperbole, true goad geo with room for fattys would be a revolutionary bike for gran fondo. van dessel, if you’re listening, it would be a crime to make a frame like this without fender mounts.

emp
emp
9 years ago

Jersey Devil is just open mold china carbon is it not?

CeeJay
CeeJay
9 years ago

What is this? A fat-cyclocross-bike?

VanDessel
9 years ago

See there’s a few questions here. I’ll try and answer them all:

– WTF: whiskey tango foxtrot. Because what is it? road bike, mountain bike, cross country tourer, townie, monster cross? Yes. (it’s cross bike geometry with 2.2″ tire clearance.)

– WTF BB is now PF30, the drive side seat stay dropout has a split for belt, and we are using PF30EBBs for running single speed or internally geared hub (FSA or beer components). The change from EBB to PF30 dropped almost a full pound off frame weight, and we’ve found the PF30EBBs work very well over the long term, with several choices available over different price and quality levels.

– WTF headtube is for straight 1-1/8″ steerer with IS2 integrated headset.

– No WTF thru axle fork yet, but that could be a pretty good idea for next year. Although I have been riding mine a lot and haven’t had any issue with rub.

– WTF has eyelets for rack mounting, if using a rack we use a seat clamp with eyelets, and left the seat stays eyelet free for a cleaner look since most people won’t be using them.

– New carbon projects: road, cross, MTB – these are all in real life right now. They are 100% done, currently in production, to be in stock and shipping August 2014. We don’t want to release unfinished frame pics so are waiting until production frames are done, painted and finished, and shipping out.

– Country Road Bob…: I miss this bike also, we will bring it back, possibly 2015. It’s a work in progress – THIS would be showing off something that isn’t close to going into production. Everything else shown above is very real, in stock and shipping within 2 months.

Thanks,
Edwin

Shemp
9 years ago

@Jackson agreed, bikerumor & VanDessel…. where’s your integrity

Bryin
Bryin
9 years ago

I like the all around bike… but the only thing worse than disk brakes on a road bike is thru axle…

generalcuz in CO
generalcuz in CO
9 years ago

I have been riding my 2014 WTF for a month and I love it so much. As for the haters spouting off about a rip off retrotec, I could care less since I am 30 and of a generation which cant relate to the brand outside of the handbuilt realm where I cant afford to play anyway. The WTF replaced my commuter country road bob which I still ride and plan to race as an SS cross setup this coming year. With that being said, the WTF fits a 2.2 front and rear, gets tons of compliments from people, and is simply durable. It does a lot of things well but not great and that’s just fine with me. It’s not as fast as the Bob with my current setup but it gives me the freedom to ride singletrack on my lunch break and get home in all sorts of weather quite nicely. Heck, it even got backed into by a car and outside of a thrashed fork, it stayed straight and rides great.

I don’t have much experience with carbon coming out of Van Dessel but Edwin does something special with alloy and steel that just works so well. I have put upwards of 8,000 miles on my original root beer ramble tamble find myself in amazement over how it still looks so new. (Need to buy some of that paint from Van Dessel for my truck) I second Jake’s comment……. Edwin, if you’re reading this, bring back a CRB in the original Holeshot red and let me know when I can be customer #1.

Well, I better get back to work. Gonna need cash for when the CRB V2 comes around. My fiance does not thank you Edwin! (Though I do) 🙂

John Rider
9 years ago

Here’s what I hate about forums and postings… So here it goes… Quit whining and complaining about the WTF. It’s a sweet frame set that gives you lots of opportunities and options. If you don’t know what wtf stands for… Do your research before posting. This company has done a lot of research and design in their bikes, and listen to their consumers. Good luck getting that out if the big companies, unless they support you. So stop whining and complaining. Go buy what you want and if you don’t like the wtf go elsewhere and quit acting like little babies!

Marco
Marco
9 years ago

WTF stands for: Wow, That’s Fantastic.
At least that’s what my 16 year old daughter told me.

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