Tomir XC MTB Boasts All That a Titanium Frame Can and Won't Rip a Hole in Your Pocket

Folks, J.Guillem Bicycles. That's a name you need to burn into your cycling grey matter. Why? Well, that's what we're here for; to see what this bicycle manufacturer is all about and why you should even bother getting to know the work they achieve.

The name J.Guillem may not be a very familiar sound for most people, but for riders living in the Mallorca region of Spain, this brand is a common sight. After all, when founder Jan Willem Sintnicolaas moved to Spain, he brought his passion for building bicycle frames. Heck, his touch also won another brand their respect, Van Nicholas, the one and the same born in the Netherlands. Jan's passion for this sport ultimately gave birth to the J.Guillem brand.

I'm sure you've picked up that the bikes to come out of J.Guillem are built from titanium, but what exactly does that mean? If we're to judge this machine simply by the material used in its conception, then the €2,300 ($2,400 at current exchange rates) asking price is not too much. After all, titanium is lighter than steel, stronger than aluminum, and highly resistant to corrosion. Without trying to sound like I love this material (I do), such bikes average a lifespan of around 20 years, with some units reaching far beyond that number, hence that warranty I mentioned.

But, most of us will never go to J.Guillem for a warranty; we'll be going there for a bike, and one trinket that started making my grey matter tick is the Tomir, an XC-infused 29-inch machine with a price of €4,000 ($4,200 at current exchange rates) for a complete bike. Best of all, it's designed to take a beating with a smile, begging you for more afterward.

While the Tomir screams hardtail MTB action, the front of the bike doesn't include a suspension fork as standard, so you'll have to keep your tires on the ground at all times. However, you can simply add a suspension fork. Just make sure you abide by the frame's specs and get to work. If you do, it even appears as though the down tube is prepared to avoid the fork crown in case you ever wipe out.

Since most of the secondary components are handled by none other than Shimano, I'll just briefly point out that this bugger is tuned to the sounds of 12 speeds and features a 10-51T cassette. But the crucial features that J.Guillem mentions are the replaceable rear derailleur hanger, internal Di2 compatible cable routing, a one-piece cast chain stay yoke, and the thru-axle dropouts.

Sure, there is a tapered CNC-milled head tube too, and with all the other aspects of this bike, you should be ready for one heck of a ride every time you hop on.

At the end of the day, it's not the sort of bike that will cost you an arm and a leg to buy, but it still offers the unbeatable benefits of titanium as a base material. Heck, that 100-year warranty is something that I feel J.Guillem added just to help you understand exactly what it is you're getting yourself into.