They say that steel frame bicycles are for kids or dead, just an echo of an industry’s past. That couldn’t be further from the truth as some manufacturer’s out there are still whipping up incredible beasts able to dominate gravel and tarmac paths as if they were one and the same.
One team doing some of the whipping up is America’s Reeb Cycles, a bicycle manufacturer out of Colorado that started out of a pretty negative experience, getting one’s bike stolen. So instead of going out and buying a boxed-up beast manufactured overseas, Dale Katechis decided he was going to build his own proud American bikes, all by hand might I add. Oh, this crew also has a liking for building bikes out of steel.
That’s what we’ll be looking at today, a steel gravel cruncher that can hold its own just as well on the tarmac, a bike meant for folks who like to live life with both tires planted firmly on the ground.
It’s called the Lickskillet, and as funny as the name may sound, it possibly does not make any sense either. There’s nothing funny about this bike, considering it can run you upwards of $9,080 (€7,747 at current exchange rates), depending on the drivetrain you select. In this case, the Force eTap AXS wireless groupset. If you choose to go with something like a GRX Comp, you’ll only drop $5,550 (€4,735 at current exchange rates), so there’s really a variation for everyone. Something in the middle, equipped with a GRX Pro group set, is somewhere in the middle at $7,670 (€6,544 at current exchange rates).
While some folks argue that steel isn’t a material to be building bikes anymore, some know that it can still be a good choice for bikes as the material tends to bend than break, unlike aluminum and carbon, which first break before any visible bending is noticed. For a gravel bike where rocks tend to smash into the frame, steel will handle those nicks and dents like a pro.
Photo: Reeb Cycles
Because steel is used, tubing remains rather slim and brings to light a sleek gravel bike. One part that tells you just how much abuse this bike is meant to handle is the head tube; just look at it. It appears to be the largest diameter tube on the entire bike; solid.
Even though the frame is completed from steel, Reeb still includes some carbon fiber on the bike as a fork. What, there’s no doubt that carbon absorbs vibrations better than steel, and Reeb knows this. Depending on the build you choose, manufacturers for the fork and other components will differ from bike to bike. But all three bikes include a carbon fork.
Another component of the Lickskillet that remains the same on all three bikes are the wheels. Each wheel is equipped with Industry Nine Tubeless ready rim strip holding onto Panaracer GravelKing SK tires. If you don’t like these tires, which might be rather hard to believe, you can easily switch them out for something else.
Photo: Reeb Cycles
Reeb also offers some options which to add to your build. Things like a powder coat, internal stealth dropper routing, seat stay splitter for belt drive, and a few more, help you turn this gravel-loving bike into one as unique as yourself.
As for the brakes on this puppy, all three bikes are equipped with 140 mm (5.5 in) rotors, but the GRX builds include Shimano RT70 and RT800 rotors, while the AXS version features Sram CenterLock XR. The same story holds true for the brakes themselves. The GRX build includes RX600 and RX810 hydraulic brakes, while AXS sports Sram Force eTap HRD.
When I first saw the Lickskillet, my first impression was that of a solid bike. Whether that’s true or not remains to be seen as I haven’t ridden one yet. But oh, how I want to. Just got to come up with at least $5.5K
A bit of a nomad at heart (being born in Europe and raised in several places in the USA), Cristian is enamored with travel trailers, campers and bikes. He also tests and writes about urban means of transportation like scooters, mopeds and e-bikes (when he's not busy hosting our video stories and guides). Full profile
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