Reviews

“The Gin and Trombones has been Van Dessel’s flagship bike for many years, only this season being dethroned by the full carbon Full Tilt Boogie. Over the seasons, the frame has undergone many minor adjustments as pro racers such as Adam Myerson and Adam McGrath gave race-tested feedback. “We work with a lot of riders, and take their input very seriously,” said Edwin. “Adam Myerson had a lot to do with the original geometry and design, and it has just evolved from there. Geometry is mostly unchanged, but things such as the tapered headtube, tube shapes, etc. continue to be tweaked.” What we have today is a frame whose geometry has been fairly solidified over the past few seasons, with new additions – such as last year’s switch to BB30 – continuing to add improvements.”

Read more at Cyclocross Magazine >

“Van Dessel have a cult following, especially when it comes to American cyclo-cross. Proprietor Edwin Bull has Belgian ancestry, and he calls on this to successfully meld an old-world aesthetic with a new-school ‘cross geometry that works well on US courses.

The Full Tilt Boogie is the brand’s latest cyclo-cross flagship, notable for its tube-to-tube carbon construction. It proved fast, comfortable, light (17.08lb) and durable, and we enjoyed our time on it. ”

Read more on cyclingnews.com >

From the VeloNews
Cyclocross Buyer’s Guide:
Van Dessel Full Tilt Boogie – $1,999 frameset, $3,999 with SRAM Force build
The Full Tilt Boogie takes a number of design cues from its metallic brother, the Gin & Trombones, rehashing them into a full-carbon, no compromise ‘cross racing machine. The Boogie is race-focused, leaving off pleasure-riding niceties like bottle cage mounts, and including a BB30 bottom bracket, tapered 1-1/8” to 1.5” head tube, and reinforced top tube to prevent handlebar induced cracking when things go awry. The Boogie Rival build includes a matching set of yellow TRP EuroX brakes, Vittoria XM tubulars, and an FSA cockpit.

Cyclocross Magazine: Full Tilt Boogie, First Impresions

Every once in a while a new bike comes along that really stands out from the crowd. With cyclocross growing in popularity, it seems new cyclocross bikes are introduced every quarter, making it hard to stand out. Cyclocross Magazine has one of the first production all-carbon Full Tilt Boogie’s from Van Dessel, and it’s one of the true show stoppers.

After two years in development with input from Van Dessel’s sponsored riders Adam Myerson and Jeff Bahnson, the Full Tilt Boogie has all the industry buzz items: tapered tall headtube with a 1.5 inch bottom race, low 7cm bottom bracket drop and BB30. The frame weight is reported to be 1250 grams with tube walls reinforced for durability in areas that may receive impact and tube diameters designed to tune the ride to achieve the dichotomy of stiffness and compliance. The Full Tilt Boogie is conceived and designed as an all-out race bike, with no water bottle bosses (a minor point of contention for me) and full cable housing from the top tube to the rear derailleur to maintain shift performance despite wet or gritty conditions.

In our full review, we will cover all the details, but suffice it to say, my initial impression is that the total package, including the carbon frame, equipped with SRAM Force, come together to form a really nice ride. Relatively light out of the box with a curb weight around 17.5 pounds, this bike squirts forward with every pedal stroke and corners hard without a quirk, yet has a nice smoothness and is without fork chatter.

The front derailleur cable pass-through is a straight shot lined with a metal tube © Cliff Lee
The attention to detail is evident with a front derailleur cable route run very close along the downtube, so when the frame is lifted, fingers don’t snag the cable. That same front derailleur cable passes through the frame just behind the large BB30. The pass-through is a straight shot lined with a metal tube. The large fork crown is pierced and again lined with a metal sleeve so you can mount a crown mounted cable hanger if you like that sort of thing – a long bolt will be required since it is 6cm from the front to the back of the crown.

Tire clearance is adequate for up to a (nominal) 35C tire, not a problem in this age of 32C maximum UCI limits! The Full Tilt Boogie comes as a frameset or as a complete bike with your choice of Shimano, SRAM or Campagnolo and a set of tubular wheels with Vittoria XM tires. As a complete bike, a set of custom-painted “Flanders yellow” TRP EuroX brakes is included.

After only a couple of weeks’ worth of riding, it’s apparent to me that the Full Tilt Boogie deserves to be on the short list of must-ride bikes – it has all the elements of the perfect ’cross bike. We’ll see as the season begins and the miles pile on. Stay tuned for our full review.

RBA: Van Dessel Rivet: It’s not just a crit bike anymore

The 2010 Rivet is the latest race-ready model in Van Dessel’s growing pantheon of cool bikes. From the Hellafaster to the Country Road Bob, to the Drag Strip Courage and the ever-popular Gin & Trombones cross bike, Edwin Bull of Van Dessel continues to keep New Jersey at the forefront of East Coast cycling and racing. In fact, Edwin Bull, a former racer, recently returned to the pro 1-2 ranks in Somerville, finishing an impressive seventh place. Not bad for a guy who works 12-hours days running a bike company.

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