New gravel bike for 85% road

The spirit of Grav-lo-cross. No but seriously, cyclocross and gravel go here!

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Brokenladder
Posts: 13
Joined: Sun Mar 21, 2021 11:24 pm

by Brokenladder

Errant thought: Does anyone here have any experience riding an OPEN Upper? As I mentioned earlier in the thread, I'm riding an OPEN Up since late last summer... I would be particularly interested to hear from anyone that has spent significant time on both; did the Upper ride differently?

As I understand it, they're largely the same bike coming from the same mold.I thought that the big difference was in the finish and the headset that yielded a weight savings. However, I don't pay that close attention to gear so I could be wildly off-base.

I haven't given up on the all-road type bike. Moreover, I'm trying to stay with OPEN as my local shop is both a dealer and an absolute pleasure to work with. Like many of you, though, I just really would like to confine drop-bar bike use-cases to one bike. This is particularly practical in my case as I am not racing on the road and much prefer to mtb more (living next to great trails while still in an urban area)....

by Weenie


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bikewithnoname
Posts: 1736
Joined: Tue Sep 22, 2009 1:29 pm
Location: Paris

by bikewithnoname

I haven't ridden either the UP or UPPER but my brother has. He rode almost exact same spec bikes for a couple of weeks each, said he couldn't honestly tell the difference between the 2 other than the colours, he went for the cheaper UP in the end

Rides of Japan on youtube has some postive views on the UP
"We live in an age when unnecessary things are our only necessities." Oscar Wilde

yinzerniner
Posts: 206
Joined: Tue Jun 13, 2017 8:54 pm

by yinzerniner

Brokenladder wrote:
Tue Apr 27, 2021 9:53 pm
Errant thought: Does anyone here have any experience riding an OPEN Upper? As I mentioned earlier in the thread, I'm riding an OPEN Up since late last summer... I would be particularly interested to hear from anyone that has spent significant time on both; did the Upper ride differently?

As I understand it, they're largely the same bike coming from the same mold.I thought that the big difference was in the finish and the headset that yielded a weight savings. However, I don't pay that close attention to gear so I could be wildly off-base.

I haven't given up on the all-road type bike. Moreover, I'm trying to stay with OPEN as my local shop is both a dealer and an absolute pleasure to work with. Like many of you, though, I just really would like to confine drop-bar bike use-cases to one bike. This is particularly practical in my case as I am not racing on the road and much prefer to mtb more (living next to great trails while still in an urban area)....
I had the first gen UP (orange with 3T fork, 15x100 front, 12x100 back, post mount discs) and currently ride the UPPER. As far as I could tell there's no difference in ride quality between the two. The only difference is the weight.

That being said, if you're more into MTB then the WIDE might be the better choice. As great as the UPPER is even with flexy carbon bits it's not the best in taking bigger hits in my experience, even with 2.1" knobbies at 25-27psi or so. With the WIDE you can run the big, big tires for that extra bit of cushioning that's invaluable for both comfort and traction.

Brokenladder
Posts: 13
Joined: Sun Mar 21, 2021 11:24 pm

by Brokenladder

Thanks @yinzerniner...I really only need a dropped bar bike for the tarmac and the mild mixed-ride. I have a hardtail mtb and full-suspension. I think that eventually I'll just buy another road bike. I will admit to being a bit seduced by tire clearance. It is nice to be able to throw in a larger wheel-set and ride something with some dirt and/or not sweat all the road crud from a mid-atlantic winter.... Right now I ride my OPEN UP as little more than a road bike down to the Time road pedals :-)

siwong1210
Posts: 32
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2020 8:48 pm

by siwong1210

I've seen people climb the Marin/Mt. Tam (Bay area) trails and fire roads on 25s and more recently a guy riding a venge pro. Depends how hard core you're looking to get on the 15% gravel riding and if you need that extra clearance.

Mirco
Posts: 142
Joined: Thu Jul 12, 2018 7:09 pm

by Mirco

The Venge is capable to be used with 32mm Gravelking Semi Slick tires. So no problem for 15% Gravel.

sigma
Posts: 696
Joined: Mon Apr 02, 2018 4:12 am

by sigma

Brokenladder wrote:
Fri Apr 30, 2021 3:49 am
Thanks @yinzerniner...I really only need a dropped bar bike for the tarmac and the mild mixed-ride. I have a hardtail mtb and full-suspension. I think that eventually I'll just buy another road bike. I will admit to being a bit seduced by tire clearance. It is nice to be able to throw in a larger wheel-set and ride something with some dirt and/or not sweat all the road crud from a mid-atlantic winter.... Right now I ride my OPEN UP as little more than a road bike down to the Time road pedals :-)
I got to try the Allied Echo recently (the new one) with both 700 wheelsets in the road and gravel configuration and then managed to slap on a pair of 650b to 2.0 clearance or so. Highly impressed with the ability to actually change the config easily. Think they actually realized that most bikes like the Aspero will rarely ever swap wheelsets because it's a PITA. Funny enough, the next time I buy a bike for something like the mix of terrain you are talking about, I will either go for this or just a regular road bike which can handle 34s. Lastly, I own the UP but test rode the Upper. I could not tell a difference whatsoever.
Lots of bikes: currently riding Enve Melee, Krypton Pro, S Works Crux, S Works Epic Evo, SL7.
In build: SW SL8

tritiltheend
Posts: 83
Joined: Sat Jun 02, 2012 2:42 am

by tritiltheend

sigma wrote:
Mon Jun 14, 2021 3:51 pm

I got to try the Allied Echo recently (the new one) with both 700 wheelsets in the road and gravel configuration and then managed to slap on a pair of 650b to 2.0 clearance or so. Highly impressed with the ability to actually change the config easily. Think they actually realized that most bikes like the Aspero will rarely ever swap wheelsets because it's a PITA. Funny enough, the next time I buy a bike for something like the mix of terrain you are talking about, I will either go for this or just a regular road bike which can handle 34s. Lastly, I own the UP but test rode the Upper. I could not tell a difference whatsoever.
Did you mean to say "swap the chip" instead of "swap wheelsets"? I think indeed very few Aspero owners swap the chip but lots of us swap wheelsets all the time. Keeping the chip in the forward position prioritizes the handling for 38-40C gravel tires, and if you keep it in the same position, it becomes more agile with smaller road tires, which is actually fine with me and apparently most other Aspero owners. But 32C is my "road" width so not that dramatic a difference, I'd imagine if I wanted to run 25C it might be a different story and the handling might get too quick. I've been meaning to swap the chip for my road wheelset to see how I like the more stable handling but haven't gotten around to it. But certainly I have no interest in swapping it on a regular basis, too much of a PITA.

I was looking at the Echo for a friend of mine and wondering how long it takes to swap the chip, it may be a lot easier than the Aspero but it wouldn't take much additional fiddling over a quick wheel swap to rule it out for her. How long would it take a reasonably handy individual? The other option is to just leave the chip in the gravel position when you swap to road wheels but the angle of the front chip makes me wonder about what happens to the handling if you do that. I'm hoping one of the reviewers tests that option.

sigma
Posts: 696
Joined: Mon Apr 02, 2018 4:12 am

by sigma

tritiltheend wrote:
Mon Jun 14, 2021 10:52 pm
sigma wrote:
Mon Jun 14, 2021 3:51 pm

I got to try the Allied Echo recently (the new one) with both 700 wheelsets in the road and gravel configuration and then managed to slap on a pair of 650b to 2.0 clearance or so. Highly impressed with the ability to actually change the config easily. Think they actually realized that most bikes like the Aspero will rarely ever swap wheelsets because it's a PITA. Funny enough, the next time I buy a bike for something like the mix of terrain you are talking about, I will either go for this or just a regular road bike which can handle 34s. Lastly, I own the UP but test rode the Upper. I could not tell a difference whatsoever.
Did you mean to say "swap the chip" instead of "swap wheelsets"? I think indeed very few Aspero owners swap the chip but lots of us swap wheelsets all the time. Keeping the chip in the forward position prioritizes the handling for 38-40C gravel tires, and if you keep it in the same position, it becomes more agile with smaller road tires, which is actually fine with me and apparently most other Aspero owners. But 32C is my "road" width so not that dramatic a difference, I'd imagine if I wanted to run 25C it might be a different story and the handling might get too quick. I've been meaning to swap the chip for my road wheelset to see how I like the more stable handling but haven't gotten around to it. But certainly I have no interest in swapping it on a regular basis, too much of a PITA.

I was looking at the Echo for a friend of mine and wondering how long it takes to swap the chip, it may be a lot easier than the Aspero but it wouldn't take much additional fiddling over a quick wheel swap to rule it out for her. How long would it take a reasonably handy individual? The other option is to just leave the chip in the gravel position when you swap to road wheels but the angle of the front chip makes me wonder about what happens to the handling if you do that. I'm hoping one of the reviewers tests that option.
Yes sorry - I meant swap the chips not the wheelsets. My wife has the Aspero and she does exactly what you say but she doubles the bike as regular road bike now and her road tires are 26 Turbo Cottons. It takes around 15 minutes to swap the chips on the Echo - I timed myself and this was for the first time with no sense of familiarity. I found it suprisingly easy but I do a fair amount of my own wrenching too.
Lots of bikes: currently riding Enve Melee, Krypton Pro, S Works Crux, S Works Epic Evo, SL7.
In build: SW SL8

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wheelsONfire
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Location: NorthEU

by wheelsONfire

Miles253 wrote:
Fri Jan 17, 2020 6:58 pm
Hi guys,

I got knocked off by a car pre-Christmas and wrote off my Rose Backroad. Though I'm not totally against just buying another, it's got me thinking about whether there are other options in the category.

For full disclosure, the Rose was my do-it-all winter bike first and foremost and I really didn't ride too much off-road on it. The replacement will need to fit a similar bill, with the capability to ride well for road use and gravel use with different wheels.

What bikes should I be looking at ? I'm thinking Open UP and Rondo HVRT/ Ruut at the moment, or of course going for another Backroad, which was a nice bike, if a bit low at the front.

Cheers
What did you buy?
I also thought about having just one bike. But i have UP and Ax Lightness. The Ax bike is much more nimble and fun on the road.
The weight difference is hefty and that is really noticed.
For gravel i would go for 650b wheelset/ tires.
Bikes:

Ax Lightness Vial EVO Race (2019.01.03)
Open *UP* (2016.04.14)
Paduano Racing Fidia (kind of shelved)


Ex bike; Vial EVO D, Vial EVO Ultra, Scott Foil, Paduano ti bike.

jayjay
Posts: 395
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Location: Germany
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by jayjay

If it still matters: How about the new Scott Addict Gravel?

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cerro
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by cerro

Sigma: 15min, is it really worth it? I really like the idea as I use my Factor LS both for road and gravel but swapping wheels takes 2min and even that got me thinking of a roadbike after 3months ;)

tritiltheend
Posts: 83
Joined: Sat Jun 02, 2012 2:42 am

by tritiltheend

cerro wrote:
Tue Jul 27, 2021 3:20 pm
Sigma: 15min, is it really worth it? I really like the idea as I use my Factor LS both for road and gravel but swapping wheels takes 2min and even that got me thinking of a roadbike after 3months ;)
I'd agree that 15 minutes is more than most of us would want to bother with except on a rare basis, unless you really enjoy messing with your bike. Although the Cyclingtips review mentioned about half that for the Echo but that's presumably best case with a very tech saavy individual. It does sound that if you don't mind stable handling you can just leave the chips in the gravel posistion all the time. But can't say I feel the same about wheel swaps, I mean really, no big deal, unless you're extremely time limited and every minute you train counts. And most of us don't swap between gravel & road every day. YMMV.

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cerro
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by cerro

Think I switch between gravel and road wheels 2-3 times a week on my Factor.

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ryanw
in the industry
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by ryanw

I'm building up my own UPPER after working on a few recently and being really impressed with their versatility and weight.

This will be a proper gravel bike, 1x, 11-40, DA/XTR Di2, 40c tyres etc, but hoping still to come in under 7kg fully built with heavy XTR pedals.

I've opted for just one set of wheels, 24mm ID and shall run big semi slicks for the majority of the year and switch over to something more aggressive when the weather gets worse.
SL8 S-Works Project Black - 6.29kg
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