Recapture your youth
This Open UP GRXfter build is inspired by the Raleigh Grifter - the first blue all-roads bike; as happy doing jumps and riding through puddles in your back alley as it was getting you to school late taking the scenic route through the park.
The Open U.P. has been a sensation at Cyclefit with clients and staff alike. Jules has managed to race Cyclo-X, Road and Mountain Bike, all on one bike by swapping tyres and wheels. The Open U.P. has the performance-oriented road geometry & parts with clearance for mountain bike tires from the original. The New U.P. accepts flat-mount brakes and ships with an OPEN U-turn fork.
Shimano's new GRX Di2 gravel groupset that uses a smaller range on the chainrings (31/48) as opposed to the 34/50 on a standard compact bike and is combined with an 11-34 cassette. The rear mech is available in a long version to manage the wide range of gears. (GRX is also available as a 1 x 11 option and can be used with a 11-45 XT cassette). The levers are now a slightly different shape with a flatter platform and angles levers, they work particularly well with flared gravel bars.
We recommended the 2 x 11 build as this bike is mainly for road use and the odd light off-road foray. The Shimano GRX 1 x 11 option does give a wider range of gears but the jumps between cogs can often make finding a suitable gear on the road quite tricky; this is particularly noticeable when riding in groups and trying to maintain a comfortable speed and cadence. The light weight (7.5kg) and low gearing also means this bike is perfect for any mountainous rides when you get the chance!
The cockpit is our favourite Zipp Service Course alloy handlebar, stem and seatpost. The wheel's are Bontrager Aeolus Pro 3v carbon. 35mm deep with an internal width of 21mm. The owner of this bike didn't want to go too wide with his rims as he is planning to do mostly road riding and will fit 650b wheels when he requires some more tread.
The Raleigh Grifter
This may not have been Gerard and Andy's inspiration as they didn't live in the UK in the 1970's
Technical Spec
| Frameset | Open U.P. - Xlarge |
| Groupset | Shimano GRX Di2 - 48/31 chainset, 11-34 cassette. |
| Wheelset | Bontrager Aeolus Pro 3V |
| Handlebars | Zipp Service Course SL70 XPLR |
| Handlebar Tape | Zipp Service Course CX |
| Stem | Zipp Service Course |
| Seatpost | Zipp Service Course |
| Saddle | San Marco Shortfit Allroads |
| Tyres | Schwalbe G-One Speed Microskin 700 x 30 |
| Pedals | Shimano XT |
| Cages | Bontrager Elite |
| Price (in the region of) | £7,000.00 |