It clicks for some people when they look at my new REEB Sqweeb. Curious bike lovers are drawn in by the shimmering rainbow metal flake paint. They tilt their heads, looking at the downtube logo and have a spark of realization — “REEB is beer spelled backward!”
REEB Cycles is a small local builder based out of Lyons, Colorado. Dale Katechis, the founder of Oskar Blues Brewery, started the company in 2011 with Chad Melis. After Dale’s mountain bike was stolen off the back of a car in Denver, he decided it was time to build his own bike rather than buy another. Thus, REEB was born.
REEB embodies the spirit of Oskar Blues and craft brewing. It’s about doing things yourself, bucking the system, and having fun rather than worrying about dollars and cents. REEB Cycles has grown alongside the Oskar Blues brand and now builds its handmade steel, aluminum, and titanium mountain bikes out of the historic barn where Oskar Blues originally did its canning.
Our relationship with REEB is close. Co-founder Chad Melis used to race against The Pro's Closet (TPC) founder and CEO Nick Martin. Welder Adam Prosise does custom metalwork for our shop and on TPC group rides, he’s usually dropping us on the downhills. The REEB barn is also located just down the street from one of our favorite local trails, Hall Ranch, where all the best post-work rides happen. 
Recently, REEB designed and built a new full-suspension mountain bike, something very few small bike builders attempt. Dubbed the Sqweeb (for “squishy REEB”), this new bike has become REEB’s best-selling bike to date. It has all the necessary features for a modern ripper: 29” wheels, a durable aluminum frame, and progressive geometry.
I took notice when Adam began scoring pro enduro podiums aboard this bike in 2018. Then in 2019, REEB signed one of my favorite riders, Jeff Lenosky, who praised the Sqweeb as the best bike he had ever ridden.
Keen to try it out for myself, I ordered a Sqweeb, and have been riding it for the past six months. Without gushing too much, I can say that it climbs, descends, corners, and jumps with absolute poise and confidence. It’s a bike I will definitely ride hard and fast for many years to come.
To learn more about REEB Cycles we took the opportunity to visit the barn where all its fabrication takes place. We met the people behind the bikes, watched them work on some new frames, and had them tell us the REEB story.
REEB continues to grow, and we’re excited to see what's in store for the future.
Do you have a handbuilt bike that you love? Tell us about it in the comments.