Do you want to create a bicycle that’s chill, comfortable, and rugged? Look no further since the Traction Veer might be the right choice for you.

Traction is a local bike brand that offers different models. Although they are all suitable for commuting and touring, some models are more niche than others. After testing out a demo unit of the Traction Veer, I learned that it’s a prime example.

Frameset details

The Traction Veer is a mountain bike made of 4130 chromoly steel. The frameset was designed for 29-inch wheels with clearance for up to 2.5-inch wide tires (2.2-inch with fenders).

It comes with a rigid fork, but you can swap that out for a 120mm suspension fork for better cushioning. Interestingly, the frame has horizontal 135mm dropouts, allowing for a single-speed setup. According to Traction, you might need to tighten the QR skewer in case it slides under heavy load.

The frame and fork are adorned with mounts for racks, bottle cages, and other accessories you might want to attach on the bike. There’s also routing for a dropper post, in case you want to adjust the saddle height on the fly.

Build specs

Take one look at the demo bike, and you can see that this Traction Veer was made for chill rides, regardless of terrain. The wide, sweptback bars are from velovelo.love, another brand under Traction that sells alt bars.

Pedal power is sent to the rear wheel via the 38T Shimano Deore XT crank and the 10-speed Microshift Advent X with an 11-48T cassette.  Once you get moving, you can roll over practically anything with the knobby Schwalbe Rapid Robs (29-inch by 2.25-inch).

How does the bike fit?

The Traction Veer may look intimidating with its wide handlebars, big frame, and even larger wheels. However, riding it is easy, provided that you fit.

I was surprised to learn that the demo unit is Small, which happens to be the only size available for the Traction Veer. As expected of a mountain bike, the rear is tucked to make rolling over roots and rocks a breeze.

The reach is pretty far though. The handlebars are already sweptback, yet the stem length is minimal. It doesn’t get any shorter than that. Unlike the Compass and Atlas, the Traction Veer is for flat bars only.

Ride feel

Although the Traction Veer is overkill for Metro Manila, taking it around the city was fun in a unique way. The bike’s road presence was imposing, yet the ride was chill. It was more than capable of handling the rough pavement of C5 and the ahons of Kapitolyo. The bike feels surprisingly light, and it’s deceptively speedy with how quickly it can accelerate. However, it’s no gravel bike.

Personally, there would be a few things I’d change if I built my own Traction Veer. First, I’d go with narrower handlebars to make squeezing through traffic much easier. The mechanical disc brakes were fine, but I’d prefer hydraulic disc brakes like the Shimano MT200 for more confidence when stopping. Finally, I’d swap out the knobby tires for faster-rolling rubber since I don’t go trail riding often.

Now that I think about it, my hypothetical Traction Veer build sounds more like a bastardized Rivendell.

Who is the Traction Veer for?

The Traction Veer is available as a frameset only with an SRP of P11,600 at Tambay Cycing Hub and other Traction dealers. You can build it up to be a nice steel bike for off-road touring, but it isn’t for everybody due to its limited sizing. It’s also good a for a chill city cruiser, although you might find 29er wheels to be quite cumbersome when space is tight.

However, if you want a more versatile bike for city commuting, Traction has other models that would fit and suit your needs better, such as the Compass, Atlas, Roloo, and Gritt.