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Who is Jefe Branham?
Jefe moved to Colorado on a whim way back in 1992 and in short time the sage covered hills, the small town living and cold AF winters won his heart over. Moving through the mountains, breathing in the fresh air and feeling small in the immense landscape began to creep deeper into his blood. After hiking the north half of the Colorado Trail back in 1994, there was no turning back. Being outside and pushing the limits of what the mind and body could do became a lifestyle and eventually an obsession.
In 2001, hiking and skiing were replaced by mountain biking. Jefe started by spending a summer touring with a BOB trailer and his dog all around the Gunnison Valley, culminating with a trip up the Colorado Trail from Durango to Gunnison. Next, he spent a few years racing 24 hour races and 100 milers. Then in 2006, Jefe started and finished the infamous Grand Loop outside of Grand Junction, CO. He went right on to the Colorado Trail Race (CTR), the Arizona Trail Race, and the Tour Divide. Self-supported bikepack racing was right up his alley and the results were telling. He has racked up 4 Colorado Trail Race wins with 8 finishes, 1 Arizona Trail Race 300 win with two finishes, 1 Tour Divide win and another finish. After the 2014 Tour Divide win, Jefe took a small step back from racing, had hand surgery, fell in love, got married and had a daughter.
Now Jefe is back at it. In his first event on a Why Cycles bike, Jefe rode a Big Iron to victory in the inaugural Drift 100, an ITI qualifier. Most recently, on April 1st, Jefe rode his signature frame to the fastest known time of any singlespeeder on the Arizona Trail 300 course. Plans to race in 2021 are somewhat up in the air until the world is not fighting a pandemic, but the dream is very much alive!
Why Cycles Wayward V.2
Availability: Why Cycles are generally available for Special Order. Delivery time ranges from 2-8 weeks but we often have some stock in and ready for immediate dispatch. Please contact us to enquire and to pay a 50% deposit on your new Why to get the ball rolling.
Want a complete bike? We offer SLX, XT and XTR build kits with rigid or suspension fork options. Please contact us for a quote.
The Wayward V.2
From the Baja Divide to the Colorado Trail and thousands of miles of singletrack all over the world, the Wayward sure has made a name for itself. With so many amazing adventurers spending time on this bike we heard a lot of great feedback. So we decided to listen and make some changes.
The Wayward V2 is still the same 29+ adventure mobile but now with a few refinements. We start with the same butted 3/2.5 titanium tubing uniquely cold formed for an enhanced ride feel and titanium sliding dropouts. The geometry has been corrected to fit a 120mm fork (instead of 100mm). This slight adjustment gives it a noticeably more balanced feel. We then lowered the top tube to allow for a dropper post with more travel. Although this sacrifices a smidge of frame bag space, we feel that being able to get rowdy with the seat down is a little more important.
Rear tire clearance has been increased to fit a 29×3.0 plus ample mud clearance.
This will make Why riders in wetter climates very happy! We also added an 8mm extension to the head tube to get the front end a little less “slammed” and allow riders to use less headset spacers to get that upright position for the long haul. We also added a lot more baze-ons including 3 on both the top and bottom of the downtube. We also added accessory mounts under the top tube. This is great for mounting another bottle or custom frame bag mounting.
Frame Specs:
Geometry
The Wayward has a few unique geometry features. Mainly, the bottom bracket drop and the chainstay length. The BB drop affects how a bike corners and, combined with chainstay length, affects it’s stability.
On the Wayward, the BB drop is just slightly more than similar bikes out there, giving it a more stable, comfortable feel, yet making cornering feel more precise when initiated by the rider. This is especially important with the big 29+ tires- if the BB is too high, the rider can feel unstable and too “on top” of the bike.
The chainstay length is not as short as possible- at 440mm (adjustable to 455mm), we’ve found this optimises stability with the large wheels and makes the bike feel much more playful and predictable than other 29+ bikes out there.
Because Titanium is Magic
We make our bikes form the best materials possible for the terrain we ride. For now, that means titanium, but we’re not stopping there stay posted. We use the highest quality Grade 9 3/2.5 titanium for our frames’ tubing, and 6/4 titanium for the head tube, bottom bracket shell, and machined bits all over the frame.
The wonder material has so many excellent ride quality attributes: 43% lighter than steel, higher strength-weight ratio than aluminium, significantly more resistant to crash-damage than carbon, and the best vibration damping properties of all three listed here.
We think you’ll agree that we achieved our goal of creating titanium frames with a modern twist by engineering guided internal cable routing, stealth dropper post routing, integrated headsets, and threaded bottom brackets. For riders who want a high-end, comfortable, fast bike built to last a lifetime, we believe a properly made titanium frame is the best option.
Why Cycles R+ V.3
Availability: Why Cycles are generally available via Special Order. But stock levels are correct on our site, so check what we have in stock right now.
Delivery time ranges from 2-8 weeks, but we do usually have some in stock for immediate delivery. Please contact us to inquire and to pay a 50% deposit on your new Why to get the ball rolling.
Want a complete bike? We offer Shimano build kit options to suit the style of bike you're looking to build. Contact us to discuss options.
The R+ extends the limits of what other drop bar bikes can do. The Why engineers optimised this bike for use with 700x40c tires, but gifted it with clearance for 700×46 or 27.5×2.1” wheels. The R+ is extremely versatile: it’s at home on gravel roads and long pavement rides where comfort is paramount. However, don’t let that deter you, speed demons. This bike can hold its own on the cyclocross race track and rides like a jaguar for those of you that want to slap some slick road tires on for super-fast fun.
Really want versatility and comfort? Order your R+ with the optional Lauf Grit gravel fork. The combined 30mm of lightweight suspension travel up front and oh-so-supple titanium frame will have you powering through ultra-endurance events and bike-packing epics like you were resting on a memory foam mattress floating on a cloud. Pair the option to run an internally routed, common size 31.6mm dropper post on this two-wheeled beast, and you’ll be blown away by where the R+ takes you.
Frame Spec:
Geometry:
The R+ has a few unique geometry features. Mainly, the bottom bracket drop and the reach. The BB drop affects how a bike corners and, combined with chainstay length, affects its stability. On the R+ the BB drop is just slightly more than other similar bikes out there, giving it a more stable, comfortable feel, yet making cornering feel more precise when initiated by the rider. The reach is slightly longer than similar bikes, which eliminates some toe-overlap (hitting the toe on the front tire in tight corners) and also optimises handling by stealing some tactics from the mountain bike world- wider bars and shorter stems.
Why Cycles Big Iron v2
Availability: Why Cycles are generally available by special order, but we do have some frames in stock most of the time. Delivery time ranges from 2-8 weeks. Please contact us to enquire and to pay a 50% deposit on your new Why to get the ball rolling.
Want a complete bike? We offer SLX, XT and XTR build kits with rigid or suspension fork options, pending availability of parts. Please contact us for a quote.
Geometry
The Big Iron uses truly modern mountain bike geometry adapted for use with super-huge 27.5 fat bike tires. The reach is longer than most other fat bikes, which allows for the same body position using a wider bar and short stem. The handling benefits of this setup are magnified in snow riding with a sometimes unstable front tire at low pressures. The chain stays are adjustable from 445mm to 460mm so you can really dial in the rear-end snappiness of this bike based on the tire size you choose. A lower seat tube and curved top tube allow for excellent standover height while allowing for the use of a longer than normal dropper seatpost, and still keep a nice big front triangle if you choose to use a frame bag for gear storage.
Because titanium is magic
We make our bikes form the best materials possible for the terrain we ride. For now, that means titanium, but we’re not stopping there stay posted. We use the highest quality Grade 9 3/2.5 titanium for our frames’ tubing, and 6/4 titanium for the head tube, bottom bracket shell, and machined bits all over the frame. The wonder material has so many excellent ride quality attributes: 43% lighter than steel, higher strength-weight ratio than aluminium, significantly more resistant to crash-damage than carbon, and the best vibration damping properties of all three listed here. We think you’ll agree that we achieved our goal of creating titanium frames with a modern twist by engineering guided internal cable routing, stealth dropper post routing, integrated headsets, and threaded bottom brackets. For riders who want a high-end, comfortable, fast bike built to last a lifetime, we believe a properly made titanium frame is the best option.