Open u.p.p.e.r.

[v531xc]

I bought this off Dan just a month ago and went on a bit of splurge spree to buy parts.

My goal was to do my first actual weight-weenie build - not a starbike or Fairwheel build - but something accessibly low weight without going with crazy specialty parts. So maybe its more of a gram-counting build rather than true weight weenie, but I'm pleasantly surprised with the final weight. It's a little over 1kg more than this Gran Fondo build that would be unaffordable for me.

Well, I think I did it and I even have a spreadsheet. Just a tad over 16.8 lbs as seen here. Still some room for dropping grams if I want (pedals, stem, seat post, cut the steerer eventually, maybe fancy rotors, ). This is certainly the lightest bike I've ever owned and a good 5 pounds less than my next lightest, which I didn't feel was too heavy to begin with.

Took it out on its first ride this weekend and it felt really good. This is my first carbon road bike in about 9 years and that was a generic open mold thing, so not much of a comparison point.

The Open feels very familiar, actually. I think overall it's close to my Bruce Gordon cross bike, which is a good thing. I felt a bit more confident on it riding up a big road climb. I think I’ll definitely need some adjustment when riding more sketchy trails on it compared to the BG. Likely it will be more getting used to the Open rather than anything to do with its handling. But it really does feel more like a road bike than a progressive gravel bike. It’s what I wanted, so I’m good with that.

I do want to play with some fit adjustments - increase stack and reach with a longer stem. I'll see how I sit after that, but I might need to find a 10mm offset seat post to get a little more scooched back. Finding one in Ti or Silver alloy that isn't super heavy will be a challenge.

I also plan to build up a 650b wheel set for it with some Juniper Ridge tires. I might use a GX AXS rear derailleur with an eagle cassette for that wheel set to have more range for long gravel and single track climbs. I'd like to under bike it for a while to be sure I want to use this bike that way.

Build list:

• Frame/Fork: Open UPPER / U Turn
• Headset: Cane Creek Forty
• Thru Axles: CarbonTi TAs
• seat clamp: Open (18g is pretty light, but I might beef up to one with a better bolt)
  
• Wheels and Tires:
• Bontrager Aeolus XXX 2
• Panaracer GK Smooth 35 - set up tubeless with Orange Seal
  
• Crank and chaining: Force GXP, WolfTooth 38t DM
• BB: Wheels Mfg BB386evo
• Shifters: Force AXS D1 mech brake
• Rear Derailleur: Force AXS XPLR
• Brakes: Juin Tech F1
• Rotors:Shimano Ice Tech SM-RT800 180/160mm
• Cassette: Rival AXS XPLR 10-44
• Chain: Red AXS
  
• Stem: Nitto UI-87 CNC stem 100mm
• Bars: Enve Gravel 46cm
• Seatpost: Syncros Ti 330
• Saddle: Specialized S works Romin 155mm
• Pedals: Crank Bros Eggbeater 2, temporarily using old Candys
• Cages: King Cage Ti
• and a custom top cap with mine and my wife's first initials that was a wedding gift from a close friend

A couple of build notes:

Internal cable routing for the rear brake with compressionless housing is so annoying and I'm not totally happy with the curves the housing has to make upon exit. I need to adjust the brakes a bit and it will take some time to fiddle with the cable and pad adjustment to get it right, particularly for the rear.

I kind of built this how I'd build a steel bike, in that I didn't mind mixing and matching parts to get things to work. And going with mechanical calipers was a choice to make potentially traveling with the frame easier. I also just don't like working with Dot fluid at home for one specific task. It was different when I worked on my cars at home more.

Also, the U-Turn fork is designed around 160mm rotors. I knew this but didn't realize that Juin Tech brakes are also designed around 160mm rotors without an adapter. So I ended up with 20mm offset for the front rotor and took a risk in trying a 180mm rotor. All of Open's docs say this shouldn't work but don't explicitly say its not recommended... well, it works fine. There's plenty of clearance for the rotor. Maybe I'm missing something, but it stops as expected.

Pics!

[lavi]

Looks so good! Keep the thoughts and ride reports coming.

I'm with you in that I like mech discs on these bikes. I'm also like you in that DO NOT like what the housing has to do. It makes setting the brakes up a pain. This outboard routing is why I got ride of my Klampers.

You may consider the Growtac brakes. I just bought a set to replace my Sypres. The housing routes on the inside...so no more tight bends for the housing.

[hummus_aquinas]

Yeehaw! Congrats on the new whip, can't wait to throw a leg over it heh

[d_douglas]

Wow, very elegant. I love the silver Nitto stem!

[v531xc]

Originally Posted by lavi

Looks so good! Keep the thoughts and ride reports coming.

I'm with you in that I like mech discs on these bikes. I'm also like you in that DO NOT like what the housing has to do. It makes setting the brakes up a pain. This outboard routing is why I got ride of my Klampers.

You may consider the Growtac brakes.

I nearly bought Growtacs for this bike. I think I will once VO does another sale. I really messed up by not leveraging the 20% off sale they had right after Thanksgiving. Are you using these on your Hampsten?

Originally Posted by hummus_aquinas

Yeehaw! Congrats on the new whip, can't wait to throw a leg over it heh

yo! thanks!! let's ride soon. I'd love to try your Clem. would be an odd couple ride for sure

Originally Posted by d_douglas

Wow, very elegant. I love the silver Nitto stem!

Thanks! The stem might be something I have to change soon. I really like the industrial but simple look of the Nitto but I unfortunately might need something longer than this (100mm) and likely need more reach.

[lavi]

Originally Posted by v531xc

I nearly bought Growtacs for this bike. I think I will once VO does another sale. I really messed up by not leveraging the 20% off sale they had right after Thanksgiving. Are you using these on your Hampsten?

I just opened the box today. The pics were from today. Yup. Gonna mount them up on the Hamspten. I'll post ride thoughts in the Growtac thread.

Sale you say? I'm best at missing sales. Who wants to save $70 anyway.

[ryanisinallofus]

The housing looks good all things considered and you pulled off the not-carbon carbon look perfectly. So good.


Do you mind if I share the apple photos link on another bike forum?

[owly]

Thomson Masterpiece alu comes in a 15mm-setback silver at two diff lengths.

[v531xc]

Originally Posted by ryanisinallofus

The housing looks good all things considered and you pulled off the not-carbon carbon look perfectly. So good.


Do you mind if I share the apple photos link on another bike forum?

Thank you! and yes, go ahead. Mind DMing me the link to that forum?

Originally Posted by owly

Thomson Masterpiece alu comes in a 15mm-setback silver at two diff lengths.

Good point. I forgot that the Masterpiece is decently light compared to the Elite. If only their Ti post was similarly light, but maybe a Thomson setback is *the way* to go for this build...

[crownjewelwl]

that looks great

mine is sub-16 without the dropper and with skinnier tires! but mine is also a large

but i like the dropper and fat tires

[cgolvin]

Nice.

Trying (and failing) to place the gate … top of Lachman in the Palisades?

[v531xc]

Originally Posted by cgolvin

Nice.

Trying (and failing) to place the gate … top of Lachman in the Palisades?

Oh good guess! But it's top of Topanga at Summit to Summit. It's just (up the hill) behind my house :-)

[belopsky]

Very nice build. if you wanted to spend more money then the Red crankset along with the Red shifters would be the way to shave off some more grams

I'd guess growtac brakes are heavier, but if that nets you better routing and a 160mm rotor in the front you too save weight