NFZ prototype. Size Large. Not the final color.
June 27, 2026
The NFZ was born out of our friend Alex Wetmore's recent experiences riding an older rigid MTB and his re-discovery of how fun MTBs can be on all surfaces. With the NFZ, he fixed all of the annoyances of that old MTB while preserving its versatility and fun.
The NFZ is a bike that lives at the intersection of pavement, gravel, and trails, with its heart in the terrain of the Pacific NW. The NFZ is the bike that you pick when you want to do an all day ride on all of the surfaces, or the bike that you pick when you want to ride to the trails instead of drive. It can be loaded with basic camping gear for a S48O weekend or serve as a commuter that invites you to take the longer and more scenic ride home.
The NFZ isn't a pure-bred trail bike, but the geometry and optional suspension fork make it far more capable on the trails than a gravel bike. We improved on the trail bike for road and gravel use by dialing back the steep seat tube angle and slack head tube angle.
If this bike intrigues you, check out Alex's treatise where he discusses the design choices and trade-offs he made.
The tubing is a combination of tubing, some Columbus Zona, some Reynolds, some 4130. On the NFZ you’ll find a custom yoke that fits tires up to 29x2.6” along with chainrings up to 34t to provide all-round gearing. Alternatively, you can run narrower 2.2” tires with full fenders for commuting use.
We designed the bike around a 100-110mm suspension fork because this gives you the widest variety of rigid forks (anything with an axle to crown of 485-495mm). The NFZ is highly compatible with a swept handlebar like the Ritchey Kyote, but a standard MTB handlebar also works for more aggressive trail use.
The NFZ has enough braze-ons for bikepacking without excessive perforation of the tubes. You can run a rear rack or fenders using the custom-machined dropout slots with eyelets. You’ll find 3-pack mounts on the downtube for a large water bottle cage, a single bottle mount on the seat tube, and a bonus hidden single mount under the seat tube. Hydrate!
Lee's XL NFZ with an Esker steel fork.
There are three sizes: Medium, Large, XL. You can see geometry comparisons for the NFZ at Bike Insights.
| Specification | Dimension |
|---|---|
| Axle-to-Crown | 490mm |
| Head Tube Angle | 67° |
| Seat Tube Angle | M: 74° / Large and XL: 73.5° |
| ST Length | Designed to fit 150mm dropper for most riders. |
| Reach | Medium: 445mm / Large: 460mm / XL: 485mm |
| Stack | Medium: 620mm Large: 640mm / XL: 655mm |
| Chainstay Length | ~440mm |
| Wheel Size | 29x2.6" max / 29x2.2" with fenders |
| BB Drop | 60mm |
| dropouts: | Sliding dropouts (supports Boost TA, 148, Rohloff, SS). Sold with 148/TA. |
| headtube: | 44mm |
| seat tube: | 31.6mm diameter |
| dropper: | Internal port at seat tube. |
| water bosses: | Triple (3-pack) mounts on downtube; single bottle mounts on seat tube. Single bottle mount under downtube. |
| rack/fender: | Rear rack/fender eyelet in dropout insert; fender friendly for 2.3” tires. |
| cable routing: | Designed for 1x; external rear derailleur and brake; internal dropper port. |
| bottom bracket: | 73mm threaded. |
Alex's NFZ setup for a day ride with Revelate Cross framebag (containing a water bladder and tools) and Swift Burrito handlebar bag (containing snacks).
For the NFZ, we are selling the frame only. You must source the right fork for your riding.
The NFZ is designed for a 100-110mm (or 120mm with 25-30% sag) suspension fork, which makes for a wide variety of rigid forks (anything with an axle to crown of 485-495mm). If you prefer slightly slacker angles, you can run 120mm suspension fork with low sag.
As of Spring/Summer 2026 these are the forks that are available and will work well with the NFZ.
| Safety Orange | National Forest Green |
|---|---|
Please don't ask for custom color or bare-naked frame. We put a downtube and headbadge decal on all bikes.
We are building 10 of these frames.
Price (frame only): $1250 + Tax for Washington residents. Shipping via UPS + $20 box/wrapping.
Hold one with a $600 deposit.
Expect delivery in late summer.
To order:
The NFE is out of production. The archived NFE page is here.