Racing apart, Unbound Gravel is the place bike tech earns its stripes. It’s as a lot a take a look at of the gear as it’s of the rider’s health and bike dealing with expertise. Not like highway racing, every bit of drugs at Unbound displays the rider’s private preferences, sensible setup decisions, and the necessity for gear powerful sufficient to outlive lots of of punishing miles.
From the 200-mile Elite race to the gruelling 350-mile XL, listed here are the battle-tested rigs that crossed the road first. See in the event you can spot the commonalities.
Cameron Jones’ Scott Addict Gravel RC
(Picture credit score: Scott)
New Zealander Cameron Jones received the lads’s elite race after a 150-mile / 240-km breakaway along with Simon Pellaud (Tudor Professional Biking). The unlikely duo broke free after simply 50 miles of racing and consequently spent nearly all of the day working collectively as teammates. However because the gravel turned to pavement within the last miles of the race, Jones took management of the end result, using Pellaud off his wheel and powering to victory on his personal.
His bike setup is a little bit of a hodgepodge of elements. He constructed up a typical (however very cool) colourway Scott Addict Gravel RC body with a deda stem and Enve SES Aero bars, Syncros Capitol 1.0S wheels and a drivetrain consisting of Ultegra, Dura Ace and GRX elements. Even his tyres are mix-matched (extra on that later) with a 50mm Schwalbe G-One RS within the entrance and a 45mm G-One RX Professional within the rear.
How about that inventory paint job?
(Picture credit score: Anne-Marije Rook)
- Frameset: Scott Addict Gravel RC HMX
- Groupset: Shimano Di2 Ultegra levers, Dura Ace crankset with 4iii powermeter, GRX Di2 rear derailleur
- Wheelset: Syncros Capitol 1.0S wheels
- Stem: Deda
- Bar: Enve SES AR Aero
- Tyres: 50mm Schwalbe G-One RS within the entrance and 45mm Schwalbe G-One RX Professional within the again
Word his tyre selection. Whereas it is more and more frequent to see riders go for a much bigger, knobbier tyre within the entrance, Jones opted to have extra tread within the again.
Karolina Migoń’s Rose Backroad FF
(Picture credit score: Anne-Marije Rook)
Again-to-back Traka 360 champion Karolina Migoń (PAS Racing) has been making fairly a reputation for herself on the European gravel circuit, however till this season, we hadn’t seen a lot of the Polish rider on US soil. At her Unbound debut final 12 months, she suffered mechanicals that saved her from the sharp finish of the race. This 12 months, nevertheless, no flat tyre might maintain her again.
Migoń launched a daring transfer early within the race, forming a choose trio with PAS teammate Cecily Decker and U.S. nationwide gravel champion Lauren Stephens. The trio labored properly collectively at first, however when Stephens stopped taking turns and Decker, too, began to fatigue, Migoń determined to go it alone, even supposing 130 miles had been nonetheless to go.
Migoń’s victory marks back-to-back Unbound wins for German bike producer Rose within the ladies’s elite race, with Rosa Kloser profitable aboard a Rose Backroad FF final 12 months. Right here’s the machine that carried her by means of a dominating solo efficiency.
(Picture credit score: Anne-Marije Rook)
- Frameset: Rose Backroad FF
- Groupset: SRAM Crimson XPLR AXS
- Wheelset: DT Swiss GRC 1100.
- Saddle: Fizik Vento Argo R1 Adaptive.
- Stem: Enve IN-Route Aero Highway Stem.
- Bar: Enve SES AR Highway IN-Route Handlebar in 35 cm.
- Tyres: Schwalbe Thunder Burt 2.10 entrance and 45mm Schwalbe G-One RS within the again. (Pre experience: G-One RX within the entrance)
Migoń instructed Biking Weekly that after her tyre fiasco in 2024, she opted to run her tubless tyres with out inserts this time round. Whereas she nurses a slowly leaking puncture throughout her lengthy solo, the sealant finally did its job, permitting her to forgo a wheel swap and proceed motoring on.
Rob Britton’s Issue Ostro Gravel
(Picture credit score: Anne-Marije Rook)
In a duel with Lachlan Morton (EF Professional Biking-EasyPost), Canadian Rob Britton (Castelli SOG) obliterated the Unbound XL report, blazing by means of the gruelling 358-mile (576 km) course in 17 hours and 49 minutes.
Whereas Morton took the lead early, Britton, a former Canadian nationwide time trial champion, was by no means far behind. The 2 entered the ultimate 60 kilometres collectively, with a margin so skinny that it remained anybody’s race to win. However Morton ran out of steam and in the end, it was the 40-year-old Canadian who rolled into Emporia first, with Morton arriving six minutes later.
As a substitute of the brand-new Issue gravel bike that broke cowl at Unbound, Britton rode the identical bike he’s been using for greater than a 12 months: a custom-painted Issue Ostro Gravel with a Fox 32 TC suspension fork swapped out for the common, inflexible, fork. That 40mm of cushioning did an excellent job ‘taking the sting off,’ mentioned Britton.
Britton was sporting a prototype Castelli skinsuit with a built-in hydration bladder pocket, three full-size pockets on the again of the jersey and pockets additionally on the thighs of every leg – presumably for gels.
(Picture credit score: Anne-Marije Rook)
Prototype skinsuit:
Britton was sporting a prototype Castelli skinsuit with a built-in hydration bladder pocket, three full-size pockets on the again of the jersey and pockets additionally on the thighs of every leg – presumably for gels.
Heather Jackson’s Canyon Grail
(Picture credit score: Anne-Marije Rook)
Heather Jackson’s previous life as among the best American triathletes of her time paid dividends at Unbound XL on Could 31. The 41-year-old New Hampshire native took to the entrance of the XL peloton, settled into her tri bars, and easily stayed there, motoring alongside at greater than 17 miles per hour. Whereas she led the race for almost 21 relentless hours, it was removed from clean crusing. She crashed. She feared her bike had been damaged. The mud clogged her derailleur, and he or she couldn’t shift. Her headlamp died. However she persevered, and her dedication paid off.
Going into the race, she leaned on her time trialling experience and set her bike up accordingly, telling Biking Weekly: “I’d say I’m a TTer at coronary heart. We set my Canyon Grail up similar to my TT bike and I used to be simply TTing all day. It was superior.”
(Picture credit score: Anne-Marije Rook)
- Frameset: Canyon Grail
- Groupset: 2x Shimano GRX Di2 with a Dura Ace crankset
- Wheelset: Shimano WH-RX880
- Stem/Bar: Canyon
- Aerobars: Canyon GEAR GROOVE Aero Extension
- Tyres: 47mm IRC Boken Doublecross
- Lights: Publicity
The Clear Winners:
(Picture credit score: Anne-Marije Rook)
Gravel may love 1x groupsets, however this 12 months’s Unbound outcomes instructed a unique story: Shimano and 2x drivetrains dominated the highest step. When it got here to rubber, Schwalbe led the pack, with the G-One RX and RS combo being the popular selection.
In our opinions, these merchandise impressed as properly. Discover out why 2x is much from useless, and what we predict of Schwalbe tyres right here.
