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Twin Six rides out with new titanium road, randonneuring Standard bikes

Twin Six Standard Ti Rando road bike
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Adding to what is an impressively diverse bike lineup from a “clothing company”, the new Standard Ti Road and Ti Rando bicycles have more than a year of testing and development behind them.

Now, on top of cyclocross, 29er mountain and a fat bike, plus the steel rando bike introduced with them at Interbike 2014, these two fill in the line to offer wonder material frames for skinnier tires. Both will retail for $1,900 for the frame, with a pre-order special of $1,700 through February 16, 2016.

A basic carbon fork is available on both, with a choice of either QR or thru axle dropouts on the Rando, and QR only for the road but with the option to upgrade to a painted-to-match ENVE 2.0 road fork on the road bike.

Twin Six Standard Ti Rando road bike

The Rando’s geo is more all-day, super stable that’s good for gravel, fondo and basic endurance riding.

Twin Six Standard Ti Rando road bike

It clears up to 44mm tires and fits a whopping four bottle cages on some frame sizes.

Twin Six Standard Ti Rando road bike

It, along with the road frame, sticks with QR, so we asked why:

“We’ve been subjected to so many new standards, we thought sticking with the tried and true quick release was the best way to go on these bikes,” said Ryan at Twin Six. “With thru axles, you’re gaining a lot of stiffness when torquing the bike, but in a straight line it just didn’t make enough difference. And we still see people racing it in the pro peloton. But mainly, we all have so many wheelsets we’re trying to swap between bikes, so we wanted to keep it within reach of most people and let them use the wheels they already have.”

Twin Six Standard Ti Rando road bike

The frames are made in Asia, but in a different factory than their steel frames. Ryan says they worked for a year and a half to find a domestic builder, but just couldn’t find anyone able to meet their demands and keep costs in check.

So, why buy a road bike from Twin Six?

Twin Six’s designer and co-owner Brent Gale says the Standard Ti Road bike is a classic looking disc brake road bike at a great price with thoughtful details. Things like low mount disc brakes and internal brake runs for a sleeker appearance. On the Rando, you get external full length brake hose lines using their cable management system from the other bikes, and sleek little rack and fender mounts. Both get oversized head tubes.

Twin Six Standard Ti Road bike

The road bike’s geometry is crit and road race ready, or for fast centuries.

Twin Six Standard Ti Road bike

The rear triangle will fit up to 30mm tires, but they say most road disc forks max out at 28mm clearance, so that’s their recommendation.

Twin Six Standard Ti Road bike

Twin Six Standard Ti Road bike

No rack or fender tabs on the road frame.

Twin Six Standard Ti Road bike

Twin Six Standard Ti Road bike

Twin Six Standard Ti Road bike

Both frames will retail for $1,900 after February 16th, with delivery slated for April 2016. Add a carbon fork for $300, or $350 for the Rando’s thru axle option. Upgrade the road bike to the ENVE 2.0 custom painted by Spectrum to match the titanium finish for $700. All three come in 51/53/55/57/59 sizes.

The Rando’s fork does not come with fender or rack mounts, but other aftermarket forks do have them if that’s a necessity.

TwinSix.com

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22 Comments
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anonymous
anonymous
8 years ago

As someone who is still riding on rim brakes, it really irritates me when manufacturers continue to make QR discs. I don’t have any QR disc wheels, I don’t want to buy into and invest in this old in-between standard. I refuse to buy a bike with QR discs. At least for people like me, who are considering the switch to discs, sticking to an older in-between standard wheel standard for wheels I don’t have doesn’t encourage me to buy a new disc bike. It discourages me because I know I’ll be buying into someone that may soon become obsolete, and I’ll have to switch standards twice.

This only helps people who have invested in QR discs.

Kernel Flickitov
Kernel Flickitov
8 years ago
Reply to  anonymous

I’m sure you’ll find a road bike with through axles, there’s only a TON available now from just about every other mfg on the planet. Why the rant if one doesn’t?

anonymous
anonymous
8 years ago

There’s not a ton of options.

Road(ish) disc with thru axles is confined almost exclusively to carbon endurance road and CX bikes.

Kernel Flickitov
Kernel Flickitov
8 years ago
Reply to  anonymous

Forget about Ti and get a real deal carbon road race bike like a Norco Tactic SL disc and call it a day.

Ryan S
Ryan S
8 years ago

I would expect there to be support and demand for QR disc for a long time. I spent a small fortune on my frame, one that should last me a lifetime, and I’m sure I’m not alone.

Kernel Flickitov
Kernel Flickitov
8 years ago
Reply to  Ryan S

QR disc is in the process of being phased out. Doesn’t mean it won’t be supported for many years. Talk about a standard that didn’t hang around for a while; how about 130mm rear road disc?!? But you can still get those hubs, and that standard died almost a decade ago.

ABW
ABW
8 years ago
Reply to  Ryan S

Agree. So many wheels out there in the wild. People love to gripe about passing “standards” but it’s not like support product drops off the face of the earth as soon as something new comes along. I mean, I can still get 9 speed XT and Ultegra cassettes. How long ago did 9 speed die?

anonymous
anonymous
8 years ago
Reply to  ABW

That’s fine if you’re happy with 9 speeds.

If a company only put out a bike in Sora, I wouldn’t buy it if I wanted 11 speeds.

Dave
Dave
8 years ago

“This only helps people who have invested in QR discs.”

I was going to say it also helps those who want to stay with rim brakes but, looking at these frames, there are no mounting holes in the frame or fork for calipers. So, I agree, why not go to thru-axles for both frames?

yard dog
yard dog
8 years ago

Nice looking bikes.

Brian S
Brian S
8 years ago

I speced my disc wheels with hubs that are easily convertible between QR and TA by simply switching end caps (Hope Pro). Axle width standards are another matter. I’m sure Twin Six was trying to keep costs down when going with QR only. For future proof sake I would have preferred to see a frame that is as easily switched between QR and TA as my wheels.

will
will
8 years ago

Want that Ti Rando, must acquire funds…

John
John
8 years ago

No thru axle, no sale. It’s just that simple.

crackedframe
crackedframe
8 years ago

MOAR Rando/Gravel bikes with FOUR watter (wooter if you’re from DE or PA) bidon holders! YES! YES! YES! YES! (That’s FOUR YESSES)

Dave
Dave
8 years ago

Almost enough bottle cages for triathletes!!

McClain
McClain
8 years ago

Wow. Such bottles. Much Hydration

Andy
Andy
8 years ago

That cx bike is drop dead stunning. Want now. What kind of tires are those?

JR
JR
8 years ago

is this working?

crackedframe
crackedframe
8 years ago
Trevor
Trevor
8 years ago

I am definitely intrigued by these frames. Disappointed that the rando fork doesnt have provisions for anything other than disc brakes; dynamo light, fenders, rando style rack. All things that should have been considered with the bike. Additionally, both bikes fall short due to their lack of Di2 internal wiring/battery compatibility. I guess these are things that can come as “updates,” but they should have really been included from the get-go.

Yoda
Yoda
8 years ago

So much good work, Twin Six is doing.

Craig
Craig
8 years ago

Finally someone who fits 2 bottles on the down tube. Man these frames look nice. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a frame that fits my ideal of perfect, but these would be them. Clean design, great features, well balanced geometry. The designer has done a great job with these frames.

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