Home > Biking

Ellsworth Custom Mountain Bike For Team YogaSlackers/GearJunkie Racer

Support us! GearJunkie may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article. Learn More

Our athlete team is currently training for the 2014 race season. For mountain biking, YogaSlackers/GearJunkie athlete Chelsey Magness has a hot new bike.

Her Ellsworth hardtail 29er, based off the company’s Enlightenment 27.5 frame, was custom-built with input and collaboration with company founder Tony Ellsworth.

“We modified the Enlightenment 27.5 small frame to take the 29-inch wheels,” Ellsworth explained. “Time was spent to get those bigger wheels in a frame size that was designed to accommodate the smaller-diameter 27.5-inch wheels.”

By custom making the rear triangle, and with some modifications to the front end, the company was able to fit Chelsey, who is 5-feet, 1-inch tall, on the 29-inch wheels.

Chelsey Magness on the custom bike

The carbon-frame bike got a custom look, which Ellsworth calls the “Namaste” paintjob. It fades from purple to pink and has YogaSlackers logos ghosted into the paint.

The company does these custom paintjobs for $750. Noted Ellsworth, “it’s done by hand, and each stage has to be hand-mixed.”

Chelsey’s bike has Stan’s Race Gold wheels and Racing Ralph tires. Pedals are from Crank Brothers, the company’s Eggbeater 11 model, which weigh just 174 grams/pair.

The component set is SRAM XX1, which saves weight and has performed without a hitch, Magness noted, including in the mud of Central American jungles where the team raced (and took first place!) in an event last month.

The end result is a completely original bike, both in look and build. The “Namaste” bike weighs just under 20 pounds and was created specifically for fast cross-country singletrack, gravel roads, and the kind of double-track routes often encountered on adventure races. —Stephen Regenold

Subscribe Now

Get adventure news and gear reviews in your inbox!

Join Our GearJunkie Newsletter

Get adventure news and gear reviews in your inbox!