Upcountry X-Road

[Upcountry]

You can read it as "Cross Road" or "X Road", as a nod to the model of the frame... but really it'll be at home on AnyRoad

Mosaic GT 2-X
A drop bar bike with clearance for a true 29x2.25" tire....

With my eyes on a few dirt focused bikepacking races in 2023 and beyond, the roadie in me wanted an option other than my hardtail 29er. Don't get me wrong, I've actually been spending a lot of time on flat bars, and I do enjoy them, but for some of the less singletrack focused races I much prefer a bit different geometry and setup. My Crux is capable of a lot, and with clearance for a 45mm tire, it'll get me a lot of places, but certainly isn't the "right tool" either... and I like my tools.

I reached out to Mosaic on a whim on September 26th. Their GT 2-x was built with the Tour Divide type races in mind, and was largely what I was looking for. After a few back and forth with one of their guys he quickly grasped what I was after, and offered to tweak the geometry a bit to get me what I wanted... at no charge. Deposit was paid and the communication was great. I was given a lead time of 10-12 weeks, which was no issue to me, and still seemed pretty impressive given the state of things. Less than 30 days later he shoots me an invoice for the balance, and had the frame in the mail that day! I can't speak highly enough of the entire process and the product. I know that these "large scale" custom builders don't provide the same experience as hours of discussions with a one man shop type builder, and look forward to the next one of those builds as well, but I couldn't be more happy with this transaction and experience.

I started ordering parts nearly the day that I put down the deposit, with no real fire under me, as I was thinking I had a couple months to get it together, so I'm actually waiting quite a few bits, so I'll update this thread as it comes together. With 12mm thru axle front and rear, it'll allow for me to swap any of my existing wheel sets, including my dynamo setup, but it does deserve its own set, so I've got some pretty rad "aero gravel" type hoops on the way, that I'll be lacing to some tried and true DT350 hubs. They're super wide, at 30mm internal and hookless, so I'm going to run some Vittoria Mezcal 2.1's which will probably plump up to a 2.25" size, and still allow for plenty of clearance all round.

Drivetrain will be a 1x Di2 setup, and will consist of GRX levers and crankset with power meter(cause I'm a roadie), with a XT rear derailleur and XT(or Garbaruk) cassette for a wider range. This frame isn't compatible with 2x drivetrain, but I can definitely see myself testing the possibility down the road. With that said, the 1x setup is simple, and I do appreciate how simple it is to swap front chainrings to accommodate the course, and with that I've got 34t, 38t, and 40t options on hand.

[Andy sti]

This is going to be rad!

[IJWS]

I love all the Upcountry builds. Each one is super-specific and makes a case for having a whole quiver of bikes (if one had the same range of riding conditions to match!). Good luck with the build that turnaround from Mosaic is a Christmas miracle!

[robt57]

You can read it as "Cross Road" or "X Road", as a nod to the model of the frame... but really it'll be at home on AnyRoad

1st, nice. Enjoy build and rolling that beast.

Isn't this a flat bar 29er essentially? Curious what geometry tweaks you incorporated to make it more 'all road'.

I gotta ask to help me understand, who's language is the top of the OP I've quoted? That is so far past the force hand "not the droids' wave as it gets.

A GT-X 58 Stock geometry reads a 29er with 1100mm wheelbase and a long flat bar TT. Home on any road, please.

I like it, don't get me wrong.

[Upcountry]

Originally Posted by robt57

1st, nice. Enjoy build and rolling that beast.

Isn't this a flat bar 29er essentially? Curious what geometry tweaks you incorporated to make it more 'all road'.

I gotta ask to help me understand, who's language is the top of the OP I've quoted? That is so far past the force hand "not the droids' wave as it gets.

A GT-X 58 Stock geometry reads a 29er with 1100mm wheelbase and a long flat bar TT. Home on any road, please.

I like it, don't get me wrong.

I'm not sure if you're looking at the right geometry chart...
I'll elaborate a bit.
Compared to any "standard 29ers" out there its completely different. If you compare it to Mosaic's own pretty normal(by todays standards) MT-2 hardtail 29er, the GT-X has a 3 degree steeper head tube, 70mm shorter top tube, 30mm less stack with a 90mm shorter axle to crown fork length, 80mm shorter front center, and nearly 90mm shorter wheelbase. So if I were to run flat bars on it, as Mosaic does show in some builds, I'd have to run something like a 130mm stem to get the bars remotely close to where there are on my true MTB's.

While the stock GT 2-X geometry is pretty close to what I was looking for, I was able to get a shorter head tube and seat tube, which equals less stack. Essentially I kind of ended up with their Size 54 in length, but with the height of a 52. It really should be perfect for me, as I'm often sizing down on bikes lately to get the front end low enough, but as a tradeoff I have to run a longer stem(130mm in the case of the SL7). As you can see by the bottom geo chart comparison, when I did these tweaks, I truly almost ended up mirroring the Crux, but with true MTB tire clearance, which is pretty rad...

The Mosaic MT-2 isn't on BikeInsights, but here's a pretty standard Specialized Epic for comparison. This is the stock GT 2-X geometry, haven't entered my build on BikeInsights yet.


Now lets look at it compared to a pretty standard Gravel bike...

[Eli Bingham]

Fantastic. This looks perfect. As a former Mosaic owner, I have to say Aaron Barcheck runs one of the best titanium operations out there. Personally I’d put them above Moots, though they don’t have the same resale value as Moots for some reason. You certainly get what you pay for. And the stock sized / straight gauge “2” line is competitive price-wise with the likes of Spesh, and you don’t even have to wait that long.

I’m kind of surprised to see the internal routing on this frame. Aaron’s philosophy is dead set against internal routing on titanium mountain bikes - he says it’s a durability issue, given the stresses that mountain bikes are put under, and refuses to build MT frames with internal routing (other than a dropper routing port that exits the seat tube near the BB and then routes externally under the down tube). The GT-X is made to go to some pretty rough places, so I’d think he would be similarly cautious.

[Upcountry]

Originally Posted by Eli Bingham

I’m kind of surprised to see the internal routing on this frame. Aaron’s philosophy is dead set against internal routing on titanium mountain bikes - he says it’s a durability issue, given the stresses that mountain bikes are put under, and refuses to build MT frames with internal routing (other than a dropper routing port that exits the seat tube near the BB and then routes externally under the down tube). The GT-X is made to go to some pretty rough places, so I’d think he would be similarly cautious.

Haha... honestly one of my first questions was as to whether or not I could get fully internal routing(as in through the non-drive side chainstay to the rear caliper). I inquired about a T47 shell to allow for this. They don't offer either options... But I can't imagine that it has to due with structural integrity, as there are dozens of other builders routing internally, and the forces on the tubing isn't greatly impacted by a couple strategically placed 5mm holes.

[Eli Bingham]

Originally Posted by Upcountry

Haha... honestly one of my first questions was as to whether or not I could get fully internal routing(as in through the non-drive side chainstay to the rear caliper). I inquired about a T47 shell to allow for this. They don't offer either options... But I can't imagine that it has to due with structural integrity, as there are dozens of other builders routing internally, and the forces on the tubing isn't greatly impacted by a couple strategically placed 5mm holes.

To be honest I was a little surprised as well when I was ordering my MT-1, but that’s what they told me. They went so far as to tell me that other builders are simply wrong about this!

And it isn’t for lack of expertise as they do offer internal routing on their road bikes.

[robt57]

Originally Posted by Upcountry

I'm not sure if you're looking at the right geometry chart...

GT2-X base.

Thanks for the thoughtful reply BTW.

I'd pile on a bit saying if you put an Epic Spesh into the conversation my Allroad critique stands. But I think my 'road' prejudice/propensity is showing.

As far as Crux geometry goes, for me I went Boone when I saw the HTA and Trail on the Crux. As much as the initial 'AllRoad' angle had me highly attracted.

Now 30 years back in my dual susp MTB days I'd take 69^ HTA and 7+ trail all day for my riding style and wheel/tire trashing propensities..

[Upcountry]

A GT-X 58 Stock geometry reads a 29er with 1100mm wheelbase and a long flat bar TT. Home on any road, please.

Originally Posted by robt57

I'd pile on a bit saying if you put an Epic Spesh into the conversation my Allroad critique stands. But I think my 'road' prejudice/propensity is showing.

I'm really confused, and I don't think I'm following along... Help me understand.

Initially you thought it looked like "essentially a flat bar 29er", but when I then elaborated on the giant differences, including a relatively short wheelbase compared to a 29er, you are now saying that it reinforces that its an "Allroad"(you introduced that word into this thread) bike not a flat bar 29er?
I didn't state it was either of those things, nor were either what I was looking for. So is your critique that its too "Allroad-y" or too "Mtb-y"?

As stated, I wanted a drop bar race bike that fit MTB tires, and there are really only so many effective ways to accomplish that. Inherently most bikes built around drop handlebars are going to end up in a similar place.
Sorry if this comes across as defensive, but genuinely I'm not sure where you're coming from or your stance.

[scoobydrew]

As with your other bikes, I'm looking forward to this build. Reminds me a lot of my old custom GT-2 I had a couple years ago.

[robt57]

I tried to say it reinforced my position it is not an allroad. Or maybe it is by other's definition, just not mine.

[Upcountry]

Originally Posted by robt57

I tried to say it reinforced my position it is not an allroad. Or maybe it is by other's definition, just not mine.

Ahhh... Got it.
I agree with that statement, it's not an "Allroad" bike in my eyes either.
I playfully used the term "Anyroad" as this bike could literally be ridden on any road, but perhaps you interpreted that as Allroad and thats where the confusion originated.

[Upcountry]

To bring us back on track...

I pulled the wheels off the Cielo SS, and with a quick endcap swap on the front wheel(15mm to 12mm) I was able to test fit some big rubber. The wheels are BTLOS 27mm internal hookless rims, with a Vittoria Mezcal 2.25" on the rear, and a Barzo 2.35" on the front.
To my surprise, there was room to spare on both ends! The fork has about 7mm clearance on the side knobs, and 10mm height wise. The rear tire allows a 6mm hex key all around, which would be more than adequate in dry conditions. I'm happy that I have the 2.1" Mezcals inbound, as I think they'll work nicely on the 30mm rims, but I can say that I'm pleased that there's so much room up front, as I could see running staggered sizes to help smooth out the front end.

[Overshot]

Looks great. Very similar concept to my Bingham Built, except I went with the Enve Mnt fork that is suspension corrected. I’ve had Thunderburt 2.25” on it and it has proven very versatile in a variety of settings so far.