OPEN Cycle, if anything, is a company of continual refinement. Their two founders, honed by experience at Cervelo and BMC, know the value of improving on design, even if it's already best in class. They’ve worked to make the best bikes they could, and when they could go no further, they started OPEN. Perhaps their crown jewel, the OPEN UP frameset, is a triumph of technology that allows riders to simply go out and ride, regardless of terrain. Our OPEN U.P. Unbeaten Path Ultegra Di2 Bike build isn’t just the gold standard in gravel bikes today, but it's our purveyor of sheer fun on a bicycle, on or off-road.

The OPEN U.P. Unbeaten Path Shimano GRX Mechanical Shifting 2x11 Bike uses the New U.P. frameset as a starting point, with the option to build it in whatever way necessary. The New U.P. Frameset saves 60g at the frame thanks to flat mount disc brake mounts, and another 70g from the OPEN U-Turn carbon fork, shared with the luxe U.P.P.E.R. frameset. The U.P. fits up to 27.5 x 2.1” mountain bike tires, 700 x 40c gravel tires, or anything in between. Further, it's capable of this while using a road compact crankset, which normally restricts maximum tire clearance. How does it fit such a wide array of tires with a road bike chainline? The secret lies in superior design; dropping the right chainstay moves it out of this crowded area, allowing it to be wider and therefore stiffer. It also allows for short 420mm chainstays (shortest in class) and an overall responsive riding experience.

The Unbeaten Path (U.P) is all about versatility, so we’ve hand selected parts that offer awesome performance on road, cross, gravel, bike packing, or anything that may lie ahead. A GRX drivetrain is exceptionally smooth, reliable, offers wide gear range options. We use an Easton alloy cockpit and seatpost as a starting point, with a Fabric Scoop saddle alongside. Stan’s No Tubes is synonymous with light weight tubeless wheel and tire setups, and our two preferred wheelsets, the Stan’s Grail S1 wheelset for 700c or the Stan’s Crest S1 wheelset for 27.5”, provide an excellent combination of reliability, stiffness, and low weight. 700c wheels save weight and roll better on smoother surfaces, while the 27.5” mountain bike wheelset offer additional durability for rougher trails, and their extra width gives knobbies better bite and a plusher ride.

Whether you’re heading to Salt Lake City, or prefer we ship your OPEN U.P. Unbeaten Path Shimano GRX Mechanical Shifting 2x11 Bike bike to you, we’ll do a full, professional bike build, dialing in shifting and braking, truing wheels, etc. If you’re unsure about sizing, give us a call or email us at info@contenderbicycles.com to talk through geometry and fit. And although this is a “stock bike,” we are more than happy to discuss options of this build.