Reader’s Rig: Sandro’s OPEN U.P.

Words by Sandro Gianella, photos by Sandro Gianella and The Gentle Jaunt

Hi, I’m Sandro. I’m based in Berlin, Germany, but I’m originally from a small town in the middle of the Swiss Alps (known mainly for being the place that invented and still produces the Victorinox Swiss Army Knife). I started to get into cycling more seriously just a couple of years ago. I first starting just riding around town and to work, but quickly got pulled into #lifebehindbars by hanging out with the right (or wrong?) people. It was riding the Torino-Nice Rally that got me totally hooked on all things bikepacking, cycle touring, gravel riding, whatever you want to call it. I’ve since ridden my rig on the inaugural Roam Scotland Rallye, put together by the fabulous Calum Munro, from Edinburgh up to Inverness, a few bikepacking trips in Bohemia, a family holiday with our two daughters in the Netherlands, as well as riding from Munich to Venice with my wife.

I’ve always been interested in the design of products that simplify things and make everything that came before look needlessly complicated and overdone. Think Bauhaus in architecture or Dieter Rams designs for Braun electronic products in the 1970s (or I guess the original iPhone too). Entire industries to this day are based on these ideas and form factors. Similarly, I was struck when I first saw what Andy and Gerard from OPEN had launched the original U.P. gravel bike and how unapologetic they were about 1x drivetrains being the future (again made me think of when Apple just decided to ditch the floppy disk forever) and making tires below 38mm just look weird.

My quest to find someone who sells the frames and could build up a bike for me let me to Ingo Urban (who now is Chief Wahooligan in Germany) who, because he had connections to the OPEN guys, literally sold the frames out of his co-working space full of graphic designers and digital marketing gurus. Next thing you know, I was selecting components (finding a 650b wheel wasn’t easy back then, with the Boyd Jocassee being one of the first “gravel-specific” wheelsets) and then spending the day in his workshop (the front of his apartment) together with wonder-mechanic Ken watching them assemble the bike and asking all sorts of questions in the process.

I also found Kristin from Gramm Tourpacking to make a set of custom bags for the frame, which are still going strong today! A few adventures and scratches later, I worked with the good folks at The Gentle Jaunt in Berlin to give my OPEN some much needed love, attention, and a few upgrades. When I decided to have it custom painted, it would have been rude not to use the opportunity to add a bit of bling to it. Enter the Bombtrack carbon fork (more mounting options!), the Praxis Zayante Carbon Crankset, and the 4-Caliper HOPE V4 brakes.

From long audax rides, to cyclocross in the nearby forests, to casual touring, to full-on bikepacking, I’ve yet to find something the OPEN can’t do. Plus, knowing the craftsmanship involved in the paint job, and the folks involved in selecting the components and assembling it puts a smile on my face every time I ride it.

• Frame/Fork OPEN U.P.
• Rims Boyd Jocassee 650b or Goldsprint 700c
• Hubs White Industries 650b or Acros 700c
• Tires Teravail Cannonball 47mm or Rampart 32mm
• Handlebars Zipp service Course SL
• Headset Cane Creek
• Crankset Praxis Works Zayante Carbon
• Cassette SRAM 10-42
• Derailleur SRAM
• Brakes Hope V4
• Shifter(s) SRAM Force
• Saddle Specialized Power Pro Elaston
• Seatpost Zipp Service Course SL All Blac
• Stem Zipp Service Course SL All Blac
• Front bags Salsa Anything Cradle with Gramm Drybag, Salsa Accessory Pouch
• Frame bags Gramm Tourpacking
• Rear bags Ortlieb Black Limited Edition
• Accessory bags Gramm Tourpacking bolt-on Top Tube bag, DOM Gorilla Fork-Bags

The color scheme is inspired by the Martini Racing livery, more specifically the Lancia Delta Integrale Rallye Car that I used to love watching as a kid with my brother. WRC-drivers are switching from tarmac to snow to gravel to sand and need to master all of these surfaces with the same car. Somehow, I thought it a fitting comparison to my OPEN. I ran into Robert from Velociao on the top of the Colle del Finestre where he was having a casual coffee with Nico Bonanno, a frame builder in Berlin, and Robert’s original Breezer MTB caught my eye. It was him who I turned to with the “Hey, do you think the Martini Racing colours could work on a bike frame?” question, and boy I think it does!

You can keep up with Sandro on Instagram @gianellasandro.

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