Photo: Otso Voytek
Otso is a new bike brand from the same folks behind Wolf Tooth Components, and their two new bikes, including the Voytek, are as clever and well-conceived as their small parts. Otso engineer and brand manager Brendan Moore calls it a “plus bike that fits fat,” because the carbon frame can be equipped to accommodate both 27.5+ and 29+ wheels, as well as 26ers with up to 4.6 rubber. The versatility comes courtesy of a proprietary, three-way flip chip at the rear dropouts, which not only allows the wheel swaps but also makes it possible to change the rear chain stay length (between 430mm and 450mm in ten millimeter increments), thereby changing the bike’s entire feel and handling. The Voytek also has the narrowest Q-factor of any fat bike out there (thanks to a special Wolf Tooth chain ring), which will make it ride more like a standard hard tail than a fatty. It’s the bike I’ve been wanting for years because, at last, your year-round rig can double as a winter fattie without compromise in either format. Complete bikes start at $3,900.