Description
We say-
The most highly regarded gravel bike on the market, insanely fast, comfortable, light, and with clearance for 2.1 tyres, what more could you want?
They Say-
The New U.P. retains the performance-oriented road geometry & parts with clearance for mountain bike tyres from the original. Start on asphalt, hit the gravel, switch to single track. Its geometry makes you fast; its tires unstoppable. The New U.P. differs in that it accepts flat-mount brakes (which are lighter, making for a stiffer braking system, and better looking) and ships with the new OPEN U-turn fork – as well as the fantastic new colours!
Classic U.P. vs New U.P. vs U.P.P.E.R.
The 3 members of the U.P. (Unbeaten Path) family all combine a road riding position with clearance for mountain bike tires. Get out of town on asphalt, hit the gravel roads or switch to singletrack. Your position gets you there fast; the big tires make you unstoppable.
Every U.P. and U.P.P.E.R. shares the same shape, geometry, intended use and most importantly: tire clearance. But they differ in layup, weight, fork, disc brake mounts, thru-axles and colour.
Disc brake mounts
One of the key differences between the Classic U.P. on the one hand and the new U.P. and U.P.P.E.R. on the other is the disc mount standard. The Classic U.P. uses post-mount, the other two are designed for flat-mount.
To use the lightest possible brakes from both Shimano and SRAM, you need their flat-mount brakes. And thanks to the U-turn fork, you can make those set-ups even lighter by removing the normally required adapter. A win-win.
U-turn Fork
The new U-turn fork doesn’t just save you weight on the flat-mount brake, it is also extremely light itself. At 375 grams, it is by far the lightest fork that fits GravelPlus tires. And to save even more weight, it comes with an extremely light 12mm Carbon-Ti custom axle.
Tyre clearance
The U.P. fits mountain bike tires up to 2.1” wide. But you can also fit a 40mm cross tire, or a 28mm road tire, or anything else in-between (exact tire sizes depend on manufacturing tolerances and rim width, so this is a guideline. Always make sure you have 6mm clearance between tire and frame).
Fully-internal cables/hoses
External cables & hoses collect dirt, risk getting stuck behind objects (particularly expensive with electronic shifting) and frankly, they are ugly. So the U.P. runs them internally.
With OPEN’s proven MultiStop design, you can customize the frame for 2×10/11, 1×10/11 and Di2 shifting. Just pick the right insert. In case you run a single chainring, you can also remove the front derailleur hanger to further clean up the frame.
In the box: Frame, fork, headset, seat tube collar, front & rear thru-axle, 2 derailleur hangers, 1 front derailleur mount, 3 MultiStops (2x, 1x, Di2), chainstay cable exit, BB guide, cable liners, noise-reduction foam sleeves.
