2007 Willits Trail King
Willits Brand Bicycles was an innovative company started by Wes Williams out of Crested Butte, CO. A talented and artistic frame builder, Wes was the first employee at Ibis Cycles and was responsible for frame construction there for many years. Wes was an early proponent of bicycles ridden off road in various forms with large, 700c road bike wheels. That included bikes such as the Ibis Scorcher as well as multi-purpose bikes that would come to be known as 28ers. Eventually Wes built half a dozen Willits bikes with 26 inch wheels called the Townie that would get converted to the 29 inch format when WTB first released the Nanoraptor 29 x 2.1 tire. From that point forward, Wes was one of the strongest champions of 29er mountain bikes and faced considerable resistance from the bike industry. In the end, the 29er concept prevailed and has become the preferred wheel format for cross-country and endurance riding and racing. This particular Willits example was created after the company moved to Austin, TX and features curvy "B2" stays that are reminiscent of a British Hetchins. The frame has seen the headtube replaced with a large 44 mm diameter and has been rebuilt with newer components and a 1x drivetrain.
The Build
Year: 2007
SN: N/A Frame: Trail King Titanium Fork: Fox 32 Talas 29 Stem: RaceFace Turbine Headset: Chris King Inset 7 Cartridge Bearing Bottom Bracket: Shimano Mountain EL Handlebar: Enve SWP Shifters: Shimano XTR M9000 Rear Derailleur: Shimano XTR M9000 Brake Levers: Shimano XTR M9000 Front Brake: XTR M9000 Disc 180 mm Rear Brake: XTR M9000 Disc 160 mm Crankset: Shimano XTR M9020 Chainrings: Shimano XTR M9000 30T Pedals: Shimano Deore XT M780 Hubs: Chris King Disc Rims: Stans Crest MK3 Tires: Schwalbe Racing Ralph 2.35 Schwalbe Rocket Ron 2.25 Seatpost: KS Lev Dropper Saddle: Selle Italia Flite Grips: WTB Trail Grips Cogs: Shimano Deore XT M8000 Chain: Shimano CN-HG901 Bottle Cage: King Stainless Steel |
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