Dan’s Gravel Bike Gets The ULTIMATE World Champs Makeover

Dan Lloyd’s gravel bike gets a massive, high-end upgrade before the Gravel World Championships! We’ve installed serious performance upgrades: CeramicSpeed’s new Alpha bottom bracket and a one-off OSPW system, a flashy rainbow chain, and a fresh tire setup. Will this epic build give Dan the motivation and speed he needs for the 180km race?

Chapters: ⏱️
0:00 – Intro: Dan’s Unprepped Bike
0:46 – Unboxing and Cleaning the Bike
1:15 – The Ultimate Upgrade Parts Revealed
2:38 – CeramicSpeed OSPW Installation and Tech
3:50 – Sizing and Waxing the Rainbow Chain
5:08 – Bottom Bracket Bling
6:41 – Contact Points: Saddle and Bar Tape
8:26 – Genius Saddle Fix and New Tire Setup
09:45 – Full Bike Summary

Useful Links:
GCN Tech Uploader 👉 https://gcn.eu/techuploader
Subscribe so you don’t miss a thing 👉 https://gcntech.co/subscribe
Insurance: Viewers in the USA and UK can explore GCN Insurance products 👉 https://gcn.eu/GCNinsurance
Sign Up To The GCN Newsletter 👉 https://gcn.eu/Newsletter
Visit the GCN Shop 👉 https://gcn.eu/gcnshop
GCN WhatsApp Channel 👉 https://gcn.eu/GCNwhatsapp
GCN Instagram Broadcast Channel 👉 https://gcn.eu/instagrambroadcast
Join the GCN Club on Zwift and ride with us! 👉 https://gcn.eu/GCNClubRides

We think the white saddle and bar tape look ‘off the charts’ but will they be a disaster if it’s wet on race day? Let us know what you think of the ultimate gravel bike makeover! 👇

Watch more on GCN Tech…
📹 https://youtu.be/lkW7ytdvNwI
📹 Watch our Editor’s Choice Playlist 👉 https://gcntech.co/EditorsChoice
📹 Watch the latest GCN Tech Show 👉 https://gcntech.co/GCNTechShow

🎵 Music – licensed by Epidemic Sound 🎵
What the Dogs Cant Have (Instrumental Version)
Hitting Apex – Aiyo.
tip toe – baegel
Wanna Kno – Felix Johansson Carne

#gcntech #gcn #cycling #roadcycling #roadbike #bike #bikes #bikelife #biketech #worldchampionship #gravelbike #gravel #makeover

📸 Photos – © Velo Collection (TDW) / Getty Images & © Sprint Cycling Agency

Brought to you by the world’s biggest cycling channel, the Global Cycling Network (GCN), GCN Tech is the only channel you need for all things bike tech – past, present and future.

Simply put, we’re obsessed with tech: we seek out and showcase the best in bikes, components, tech, accessories, upgrades and more from races and events, tech shows and product launches across the globe to bring you the best in road bike technology.

We’ve got great maintenance videos to help you get the most from your bike; pro-bike tours from all the biggest races; special features and the weekly GCN Tech Show!

Thanks to our sponsors:
Canyon Bikes: http://gcn.eu/-Canyon
Orbea Bikes: http://gcn.eu/Orbea
Pinarello Bikes: https://gcn.eu/Pinarello
Topeak Tools: http://gcn.eu/Topeak
CamelBak: https://gcn.eu/Camelbak
Pirelli Tyres: https://gcn.eu/Pirelli
Vision Wheels: http://gcn.eu/Vision
Wahoo Fitness: http://gcn.eu/Wahoo-Fitness
Park Tool: http://gcn.eu/-parktool
Selle Italia: https://gcn.eu/SelleItalia
Zwift: https://gcn.eu/Zwift
Silca: https://gcn.eu/Silca
MET Helmets: https://gcn.eu/methelmets
Core Body Temperature: https://gcn.eu/corebodytemp
Precision Fuel & Hydration: https://gcn.eu/precisionhydration
Elitewheels: https://gcn.eu/Elitewheels
CeramicSpeed: https://gcn.eu/GCNCeramicSpeed

Watch our sister channels:
Global Cycling Network – https://www.youtube.com/@gcn
GCN Racing – https://www.youtube.com/@gcnracing
Global Triathlon Network – https://www.youtube.com/@gtn
GCN Italia – https://www.youtube.com/@gcnitalia
GCN en Español – https://www.youtube.com/@gcnenespanol
GCN auf Deutsch – https://www.youtube.com/@gcnaufdeutsch
GCN en Français – https://www.youtube.com/@gcnenfrancais
GCN Training – https://www.youtube.com/@GCNTraining
Global Mountain Bike Network – https://youtube.com/@gmbn
GMBN Racing – https://youtube.com/@gmbnracing
GMBN Tech – https://www.youtube.com/@gmbntech
Electric Mountain Bike Network – https://www.youtube.com/@embn

Dan Lloyd is about to race the gravel world championships, but instead of spending hours training on his bike and getting meticulously prepped and ready, well, it’s just sat here in the box. Exactly how it was after he finished his last gravel race at Sea Otter Europe, which didn’t exactly go to plan. I will need Coke and water at the finish, please. I’m absolutely. So, I’m going to do what any good friend and bike nerd would do, and I’m going to pimp out his bike. So, he’s got all of the extra motivation and no excuses. This is kind of going to be like MTV’s Pimp My Ride, but instead of American Rap Legend Exhibit, we’ve got me. Now, I’ll talk you through my plans for the bike shortly because right now, first thing we need to do is get it out of the box and cleaned. [Music] Okay, with that out of the way, it’s on to the best bit now, which is fitting all of the new parts onto Dan’s bike. Now, Dan might not yet be gravel world champion, but that isn’t going to stop me planning ahead in case we have a miracle come race day. And I mean, he’s got a mega platform to start with because, well, he’s got the same bike that Matthew Vanderpole used when he rode to Victory in the Elite Race in last year’s edition. Anyway, the parts in front of me. Let’s have a quick fire run through. So, we’ve got a white saddle, obviously, just in case Dan wins. We’ve got some white handlebar tape to go with our white saddle. We’ve got a rainbow chain. See what I did there? Yeah. I’ve also got some Uber bling parts from Ceramic Speed. We’ve got their new Alpha bottom bracket and also got the OSPWX Alpha. Now, these have got a couple of unique features on them and I’ll talk you through those later on cuz these are oneoff special editions just for Dan. Now, these parts alone, whilst they are going to help Dan go just a little bit extra fast, it’s all going to be down to his legs to do most of the talking. And I think Dan would probably be the first person to say that’s potentially the weakest part in the system. Anyway, before I get on to fitting all these parts, the next thing I’m going to do is well, I’m going to turn the wax pot heater on so I can get warm. Um, because, you know, wax chain obviously. Right. Now, the first thing I’m going to do is fit this absolutely bling OSPW. Now, inside here, you’ve got handbuilt hybrid ceramic bearings by Ceramic Speed. Now, this has got some really cool technology going on in here. Now, one of the cool things is called ADR, active debris removal, and it’s designed so that through the angles when it’s rotating the pulley wheels, it’s literally designed to shed dirt out of the way rather than getting into the delicate areas of the bearings. Possibly the coolest bit because I said I’ve got some special designs here for Dan. Um, the kind people at Ceramic Speed have laser etched in Dan Lloyd 2025 gravel world champion brackets ships. Just so I’ve covered both bases there in case Dan happens to win or just finishes. Um, first thing we need to do is actually get this one off. They’re not sounding that great anyway. And to do that, we’ve got two security hex bits on the back. And um should be pretty simple. [Music] So, pulley wheel system fitted. Now, the cool thing about this is that you can just continue to use the chain you already had on your bike, provided it was sized correctly in the first place. But, as I mentioned, well, Dan’s going to the world champs. So, he’s a rainbow chain. So, this one is going to be a bit long. So, I’m going to size it the same as the one coming off his bike. Then, we’re going to wax it. Then, we’re going to get on the bike. Let’s do that next. Okay. Okay, so I’ve got the chain sized correctly to length based off of the old chain, which was obviously at the correct size cuz it used to be my bike. And I’ve got it fitted onto the little chain hanger here. So, this pot is filled up with Silka’s wax, but Silka advised me that the the best thing for the Gravel World Championships cuz it’s 180 km long, is to use their normal wax blend plus one of the speed chips added in for that extra speed. It’s not going to be much, but every little helps, especially when you’re at the World Champs. So, this has been warming up. We’re at 75°. And in we go. While that’s cooking, let’s get on to the bottom bracket. First job, remove the old one. [Music] Having [Music] done the hard part of removing the bottom bracket, now we can install what is quite possibly one of the most bling bottom brackets in existence. So, this the new Alpha BB from Ceramic Speed. And it’s basically the lightest, most durable, robust bottom bracket that they currently make. And um just like the oversized pulley wheel system, I got laser etched for Dan. I’ve also um got him some laser etching on his bottom bracket. Slightly harsh, I know, but it made me smile nonetheless. So, just on the side here, it says, “Is that all you’ve got?” Perhaps Dan’s never even going to see this once it’s fitted onto his bikes and the cranks cover it up. But it warms my heart up knowing that it’s there. Well, of course, he might watch this video as well, but who knows, right, let’s get the bottom bracket into the bike. Heat. Heat. [Music] After the bottom bracket, it was on to the contact points, the saddle and bar tape. This thing is going to be great. Clearly, white is better than black when it comes to saddles. You can argue with me in the comments section. Um, I’m going to do the saddle first before the bar tape because I hate doing bar tape. But before that, I’ve just remembered I should probably wash my hands, otherwise it’ll be grubby to start with. Um, BRB. See you in a second. [Music] Smooth. Okay, after that brilliant unboxing, uh we’ve come to a first hurdle. The bike saddle rail mount is for round rails. This saddle has oval rails. The two don’t go together. So, uh I’m going to have to go order the right saddle rail clamp to get the boss white saddle on there. So, um, delay that for now. Barame next. [Music] Okay, handlebar tape done. Actually wasn’t too bad, even though I absolutely hate fitting handlebar tape. Um, and once the white saddle is on there with the white handlebar tape, let’s just say it’s going to be quite to the statement piece. And I’m really hoping that it’s dry come race day cuz otherwise both of them are going to get trashed. Having let the chain cool down, that was next to be fitted before running through the gears to make sure all was well. [Music] Okay, then here we are just one day later because I didn’t need to wait for a new saddle rail clamp to arrive in the post cuz I had a genius plan and I simply stole it off Ollie’s bike. Thanks mate. Also, I’ve changed the tire setup on this bike because what Dan had previously wasn’t exactly to his liking and I’ve made some changes which I think are really going to help him out when it comes to race day. So, we’ll talk through the tire setup first and then we’ll have a quick summary of the bike. So, up front I’ve gone slightly wider on the tire. So, we’ve got a 45 Chinterato gravel RC. Now, the previous tires, they had the X casing was a little bit stiffer and is going to make life a little bit bumpier. So, we’ve still got a tire insert in the front, and I’m going to talk to Dan about getting his tire pressures dropped down because that extra volume is going to allow him to do so. Now on the rear, we’ve still got a 40 mm tire, but it’s the gravel H tire from Pirelli, which has got a far less aggressive tread pattern. Um, which is going to really help uh minimize rolling resistance, and in theory, speed down up. So, it’s like grip at the front, extra comfort at the front, max speed at the back. Fingers crossed that all works out. And they look absolutely boss on these new Vision SC 48 wheels, which have got 25 mil internal. and give a really nice profile to the rest of the tire. Um, so should we have a quick run through of the bike? I think why not? Well, we’ve all seen this bike before. I’ve been using it throughout the year and then I kindly donated it to Dan. I guess you could almost call it a handme-down. I mean, what a handme-down of a bike, eh? Set up with the latest Stram Red Explore. We’ve got a 42 to chain ring up front, a 46 to 10 to cassette at the back. Got this tricked out OSPW system and bottom bracket from Ceramic Speed. white handlebar tape and white saddle I’ve got to say looks absolutely off the charts in the sun on this bike and hopefully on race day is going to give down that extra little bit of morale. Um, of course he’s wahoo up out the front to peique bottle cages inside the frame. We’ve also got some spares stashed away. So this is the beauty of what the canyon grail and a number of different gravel bikes at the moment internal frame storage. So, inside there, he’s got a little mini carbon fiber pump, a little mini multi-tool, he’s got an inner tube, CO2 canister, tire lever, and the little adapter to go onto the valve. But because we’ve got fresh silk sealant in the tires, tire inserts, it should be good to go. Couple of other little details for you. So, in terms of brakes, well, I’ve left the brake setup stock how it was. So, 160 rotor on the front, 160 rotor on the back, and these beautifully machined Stram red calipers. I blew in love the look of those. Uh, in terms of the handlebar and bike setup, well, obviously it’s how Dan normally has his bike position and setup dialed in, but I changed the handlebars on this bike a while back to be the prospec version of Canyon’s one piece integrated cockpit, and it’s actually blooming cool. We’ve got a width of 400 mm, a big old flare, and a drop that’s actually relatively shallow, just 115 mm. Um, one thing I would like to point out though, Dan, I think it’s about time we invested in some new pedals. These ones look they’ve had a bit of a hard time just to be fussy. Mine are playing the bearings, but you know, can let it slide. Maybe if he wins the World Championships with some prize money, he might be able to afford some new ones. Okay, there we go. That is one bike tricked out, ready to rock and roll at the Grable World Championships. Now, it goes without saying, if you want to see how Dan gets on, well, subscribe to GCN because we’ll have a video coming out very shortly to show you his best efforts. And also, if you want to see more cool bike techreated content, well, subscribe to GCN Tech because I’m going to be making a hot tech at the Grav World Champs video. Right, we’re out of here. See you later.