OPEN Cycle Announces WI.DE. (Winding Detours)

Although OPEN Cycle takes pride in “working hard to stay small,” focusing on product development and the customer experience, their newest gravel bike has a focus on big clearance for big tires. The OPEN WI.DE. (Winding Detours) is designed around 650B gravel or mountain bike tires up to 2.4″ wide and can also run 700c x 46mm rubber. OPEN claims dropping both chainstays not only offer up more tire clearance but also improves bottom bracket stiffness and reduces overall weight. A dropped drive-side chainstay is a familiar sight in the gravel bike world, which OPEN surely takes some credit for, but dropping both down is certainly something far less expected.

The frame is 1x specific and OPEN uses a super advanced system called TRCinTRS™ TECHNOLOGY (the right carbon in the right spot), using a stiff carbon layup where they can and tougher grades of carbon where they must. The end product is a frame that is both light and durable, providing a ride quality that is said to be efficient yet nimble. Due to the dropped chainstsays, the area behind the bottom bracket becomes prime real estate for extra storage, so the WI.DE. features a downtube bottle mount and BB mounts as well, a good spot for a small cage-mounted tool box. Plus, top tube mounts are designed to work with strapless top tube bags and internal routing keeps the entire bike looking clean. The OPEN WI.DE. uses a BB386 EVO pressfit bottom bracket, 12mm front and rear thu-axles, and both the front and rear brake calipers mount directly to the fork and frame to eliminate the need for spacers and adapters.

Features

• Updated Geometry: With slightly taller headtubes, the WI.DE. gives you even more control on the trickiest terrain, including rutted singletrack, loose rocks and “extreme gravel.”
• New Size: Due to popular demand, we’ve added an XS size to our line-up. This is one of the smallest gravel frames you will find. Be sure to check stack/reach for a fair comparison with other frames, not toptube length, which can be misleading.
• Nimble Handling: We have a reputation to “live U.P. to” as the original U.P. offered great handing regardless of the tire size used. The WI.DE. steering geometry was tweaked to offer the same feel but over a different range of tire sizes (35mm to 2.4”).
• Smartmount 160: The brake calipers are attached directly to the fork and frame without any adaptors. The mounts are positioned pre-set for 160mm discs for both front & rear (the only sensible choice for gravel bikes). Lighter, cleaner, stiffer and safer.
• Toolbox Mount: Under the bottom bracket, the new monostay offers a perfect location to attach a toolbox. Out of the way with a low center of gravity, this is the perfect spot for your tools. The mounts are offset to create extra clearance with the chainring.
• De-Fender-Ready: The WI.DE. frame and fork are prepared for OPEN’s upcoming De-Fender mudguard system (Dec 2019).

All together, the OPEN WI.DE. looks to be a super capable bike that will surely handle much more than your average gravel road, and it appears to be thoughtfully designed. Framesets are priced at $3,200 USD and are available to purchase through these bike shops. Read more about the WI.DE. at OpenCycle.com/wide.

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