NOW AVAILABLE: THE ALL-NEW OPEN UPPER CONCEPT

Editor’s Note: now that OPEN is starting to ship the all-new UPPER, its high-end concept bike for gravel racing and riding, Contender is refreshing this Journal post with new details and in-house photography. Interested in learning more about the OPEN UPPER CONCEPT? Feel free to drop by the shop, send us a message, or order your very own here.

In the nearly ten years since the release of the original and ground-breaking OPEN UP (Unbeaten Path), it has remained one of the premium gravel bikes in the market while also defining the gravel genre, which at that time was still in its upstart, early stages. And while it may not have the most distinct profile or the aero-aesthetic of other bikes, it has remained highly relevant–a favorite among in-the-know the gravel riders, along with cycling industry insiders. Soon after, OPEN released the UPPER, which has the same geometry and shape as the UP, but with a lighter carbon layup. 

With the original UP, OPEN co-founders Gerard Vroomen (who also co-founded Cervelo) and Andy Kessler (formerly the CEO of BMC) introduced features such as thru-axles threading into derailleur hangers, dropped chainstays (to accommodate wider tires), and top-tube mounts (for gear storage) to the world of gravel riders. Today, almost every bike brand in the gravel space has emulated or copied at least one of these features. 

If you’re a car guy or gal, you’re likely familiar with concept cars–which are usually shown  long before the release of the actual model, and are intended to showcase the company's innovation and creativity. And while concept bikes are fairly rare in the cycling world, OPEN brings us their latest version of the UPPER in this very form, in a highly limited production run. 

Aging Like a Fine Wine: Frame Design & New Technology

So what exactly is new or different about the UPPER CONCEPT? Let’s dive in. 

Since its inception, OPEN has developed a well-honed reputation for making bikes that tend to age exceptionally well, with a healthy dose of “future proofing” built into its designs. In Contender’s view, the UPPER CONCEPT appears to be following the same path, as this bike features a universal derailleur hanger (UDH), meaning it can take all SRAM T-Type drivetrains, as well as the new SRAM RED 13-speed group, which keeps it open to all future wireless drivetrain options. It’s also clear to us that this OPEN will fall into a similar category as the BMC Kaius or the Cerveo Aspero, leaning towards the more racy or speedy side of the gravel bike spectrum. Additional forward-looking design touches include a classic silhouette, and a T47 threaded bottom bracket, which leaves room for future crank and power meter development while helping to keep the bike more serviceable. In addition, a 27.2mm diameter, rounded seatpost supports additional customizations, such as dropper posts–a beloved customization for those who fall into the “go anywhere” camp of gravel riding. 

Also worth noting: the UPPER CONCEPT is only built for electronic groupsets, with no ports for mechanical housing, and is only available in 1x setups. While this may be an annoyance for some, OPEN maintains that this approach is market driven–that their customer is now primarily an electronic customer, with fewer and fewer seeking out mechanical builds (or reporting them back to OPEN via online uploads). Furthermore, with a design process and frame of this caliber, it makes sense for the drivetrain to be electronic only, as Shimano and Sram have more or less eliminated their middle to high-end mechanical groups. 

Deeper Dive: Additional Enhancements and Design Touches 

Aside from the future-proofing frame design, the following evolutions of the UPPER CONCEPT also caught our attention: 

• Cockpit: the UPPER CONCEPT features a one-piece cockpit, with a different size for each frame. Medium frames feature a 42cm bar, and large frames will come with a 43cm bar, with both options offering 15mm of fore/aft adjustment—without swapping any parts. 

• Aero Touches: in tandem with the one-piece cockpit, the frame has also been fine-tuned to be more aero, with a narrower head tube and wider downtube. Given Gerard’s reputation as one of the most influential pioneers of aerodynamic bicycle frames, this is what we’ve come to expect from him, but it’s great to see regardless. 

• Tire Clearance: has been updated from 42 to 44mm width (ISO), which keeps the bike consistent with the current genre of more racy or fast gravel bikes. Related, while OPEN still offers 650b tires on its WIDE gravel bike, the company has gone away from this offering on the UPPER, sticking with 700c wheels instead. Per OPEN, this has been a market driven response, as most riders and bike builders have coalesced around the 700c size, but in incrementally wider iterations, to accommodate more technical gravel riding. 

• Manufacturing: of the UPPER has also evolved, shifting gears from Asia to Portugal, underscored by the .PT naming convention of the UPPER CONCE.PT. As explained by co-founders Vroomen and Kessler in a recent interview with Bike Rumor, the decision to change production locations was made more than two years ago, and was driven by the brand’s ideals, including a desire to embody openness and freedom at every step in their bike building process. In Vroomen’s own words, 

  • “…gravel bikes to us, [are] really the ultimate sensation of freedom. And we thought, you see things in the world you don’t like, you can’t necessarily make any real influence on it. But the small influence we have is that we own a company. So we can put not only our own dollars, but also the company’s dollars, where we believe in it. And so that’s why we decided that, if we ride ‘in freedom’, we also want to produce these bikes ‘in freedom’. And so that was really the main reason to reshore.”

• Fun Fact--Even Lenny Pays: in the same interview with Bike Rumor, OPEN’s Kessler shared that when starting the company, one of their core principles was to forego a long-held industry norm, and to not sponsor any professional riders or teams. Conversely, they wanted the technology to stand or fall on its own merits, and not on the basis of an athlete or celebrity endorsement. The net? Even a legendary rocker like Lenny Kravitz has to buy his own OPEN. 

Limited Production Run and Frame Ordering

As a concept bike, OPEN is offering the UPPER in a highly limited production run, including just 250 models globally (125 medium, 125 large). After 6 months of waiting on pins and needles, like a kid on Christmas morning, we’re stoked this bike is finally available. Interested? Click here to learn more, or to order your very own.