REEB SQUEEB V3 LONG TRAVEL REVIEW

THE LAB
The Sqweeb is an aluminum bike that’s “barn built” right in Lyon’s, Colorado, but doesn’t need to be emblazoned with Colorado flag decals to be proud of where it came from. The bike comes with a Horst Link suspension design that can be configured for 130 or 150 millimeters of travel with REEB’s modular shock mount system. The bike is built to suit the needs of anybody who wants to ride unruly terrain flat-out and fast, smashing rocks and roots all along the way.

Thanks to a modular shock mount, riders can adjust the travel and rear shock for terrain or riding style rider without changing geometry, which is a neat feature if you ride some groomed, flow trails but also love sending the chunk. The improved kinematics optimize anti-squat and leverage curves of high-volume air shocks and coil shocks so you’ve got a few quality options to choose from. The front triangle is redefined with an updated aluminum tubeset, hardware and a tapered head tube, increasing stiffness, strength and aesthetics. REEB designed the bike to work with 140mm to 170mm forks.

Due to the many combinations of front and rear travel, discussing geometry on the bike is a bit lengthy, but with the 150mm rear travel selected the bike has a 65.5-degree (150mm fork) or 64.6-degree (170mm fork) and 76 degree seat tube angle.

THE DIRT
Climbing the REEB is a double-edged sword. On one hand, the bike has an incredibly steep, almost 76º seat tube angle that puts the rider in an aggressive seated pedaling position that puts all the power directly into the pedals. It also gives the bike a confident agility that allows it to claw its way up steep and technical sections with ease. The work done to ensure weight distribution is dialed to make climbing easier is necessary, simply because our size extra large test bike tipped the scales at a whopping 36.7 pounds with pedals. It’s a big bike, and that’s as much as a Sqweeb will likely ever weigh, given our bike came with a burly parts kit and a CushCore liner in the rear wheel. Despite what our scale said, though, we found that, thanks to the geometry, the heft is manageable.

Cornering the Sqweeb is not quite the feeling you’d expect by simply eyeballing the geometry chart. High-speed turns and berms, whether technical or not, are no problem at all. This big and slack bike handles sweeping fast trails like a freight train, making ease of the turns and almost never slowing down in the process. Where it surprised us most however, is when the turns get tighter. The long wheelbase takes skill to pilot through a tight switchback, but it rarely forced us to put a foot down.

When the trail points downhill, the Sqweeb descends fast and with authority. The long stout aluminum tubes bring plenty of stiffness which translates to steering precision and confidence on even the roughest terrain. REEB originally built this bike for enduro racers who might not have a factory sponsorship, but want a bike that makes them feel like they do. The geometry of the Sqweeb is built to smooth out poor line choices as you plow straight up and over obstacles in the long travel mode, but can be tightened up for flatter tracks. While it’s not as plush and forgiving as a full on downhill bike, we’re still confident that this is the bike that would be the fastest weapon to descend nearly any trail out there.

TRICKS, UPGRADES AND TIPS
External cable routing may seems a faux pas these days, but any mechanic who’s experienced the hell that is fishing cable housing through dark frame tubes, or the incessant rattle from a poorly made internal cable that pings the tube every time you run over a pebble, will applaud this design. Especially if you’re doing your own cable changes in the parking lot.

Our test bike came equipped with Cane Creek suspension front and rear. While both the fork and shock felt reasonably easy to set up, the fork felt slightly harsh to some of our testers with several of the setups we tried. Ultimately, we decreased pressure and damping until it was usable, but it never provided the lively and plush feel we have enjoyed from other big 29er forks, including some other Helms.

The Wolf’s Last Word

The Sqweeb combines a seriously effective suspension design with relatively simple yet modern geometry and top-notch workmanship. Real trail riders will appreciate its bulletproof construction and no-frills utilitarian features. While it won’t win any gram counting contests, our test riders were consistently surprised how well this bike climbs and carries itself efficiently thanks to the well-designed cockpit and weight distribution. The Sqweeb comes alive on the descents, and gives a springy and playful feel that gobbles obstacles, yet comes off the ground more easily than some other enduro race bikes we’ve tested.

The Sqweeb would be well-suited as a dependable enduro race bike for a privateer. However, it feels best suited to handle the daily driver duties of an aggressive rider who just wants a badass bike that stands out from the crowd a little. The Sqweeb doesn’t have flashy graphics, but it catches eyes on the trail. It isn’t trying to be the flashiest carbon dream machine, it’s built for riders who want something a bit different. It’s built with tried and true materials and quality workmanship, which means it’s built to last many seasons. And if anything every goes wrong with your new Sqweeb, you know you can just call the REEB shop and Tim will answer to help you out. The obsessive gearhead culture that REEB pours into their bikes is genuine, and resulted in a big travel bike that’s just plain fun to ride. Cheers!

Price: $5,699
Website: Reebcycles.com

SPECIFICATIONS

CHASSIS
Frame: 7005 Aluminium / 150mm
Fork: Cane Creek Helm Air, 160mm
Shock: Cane Creek DBAir CS

COCKPIT
Brakes: TRP DH-R EVO, 4-Piston
Handlebar: RaceFace Aeffect-R Riser, 780mm
Stem: RaceFace Aeffect-R
Shifter: Shimano XT
Seatpost: OneUp Components Dropper
Saddle: Ergon SME3

WHEELS
Wheels: Industry Nine Enduro S, Hydra
Tires: Vittoria Mazza, Trail Casing, 29×2.6 F, 29×2.4 R

DRIVETRAIN
Cassette: Shimano XT CS-M8100, 10-51, 12 spd
Cranks: Shimano XT FC-M8120 Boost
Derailleur: Shimano XT RD-M8100-SGS, 12 spd