So I just started gravel riding summer of 2025. A bit late to the party perhaps. This is the second gravel frame/fork/bars I've built for myself based on my eclectic riding/racing history and what I like to experience on a bike. It's a steel frame/fork & bars with what one might call "gravel" geometry (70 degree HT / 73 degree ST / 420mm chain stay length / fork offset of 50 / 80mm trail). It has a 46×24 gear and 175mm crank arms (just switched out from 180's). Yeah, I hate gears, sorry, they just aren't nearly as fun. It's comprised of all MTB components including boost hub spacing. It's designed for gravel & single track riding vs. gravel and road riding. I've built a few sets of bars for it and finally landed with what I think are the perfect design for the riding character I'm after: 720mm wide and the centers of the "aero nubs" as I call them are 320mm spacing with an upward slant. Numerous hand positions and extremely comfortable. I've put maybe 800 miles on it and feel it's finally dialed in the way I want it.
I realize it's a bit unorthodox but so am I as a rider. I went from road cycling to racing triathlon at an elite level then switched to single speed mountain bike racing and when I ride this I can feel the influence of two of those completely different cycling influences. You can get into the praying mantis position with arms out in front and somewhat close together on the flats with the feeling of being on a TT/Tri bike (but more comfortable) and then get onto the flat bars when you need to stand & mash up a hill or need full control on the single track. It's a completely crazy experience to be able to pull off both of those opposing feelings on a single bike on a single ride. As for comfort, I dropped the seat stays to add compliance to the rear and went with a smaller diameter but beefier wall thickness for the curved handlebar portion to add a lot more compliance to the front end, which is very noticeable when riding. The bars without the nubs weighed in slightly less than a high end aluminum flat bar with 80mm Thomson stem. The fork is the second fork I built for it. The first truss fork I put the legs really close together but it was way too stiff. This one is perfect even if complete overkill for a gravel bike but it sure is good on the single track.
I panted it with a three stage Lambo green pearl and just broke it down to put on a matte clear coat over the gloss clear I had on and I'm very happy with that. I'm not a fan of how the logo's turned out. At all. I'll break it down and do them differently as soon as we get some winter weather here in BOCO, though I'm not complaining at the 60 degree temps in January we seem to keep experiencing.
For those curious, my frame building is a hobby, not a biz. I have zero interest in ever changing that. I just want to be able to build for myself what isn't offered on the market.
by Rabid-Frameworks