When building this bike we wanted to create the ultimate exploration bike that has little limitaions & we may have succeeded!
We started with the Santa Cruz Stigmata CC frame which fuses MTB design features with the modern CX bike. A bike which has excelled across elite cyclocross races globaly always seems like a good place to start when you're looking for a bike that can take you on or off road with ease, comfort and ultimate control. The Stigmata's stiffness, handling and offroad feel was the cruicial ingredient and we built up from there, starting with the toughest gravel drive-train on the market, Shimano GRX. A drivetrain built with rugged reliability the GRX was designed with gravel specific ergonomics, 11speed gearing in a single chainring set-up. These add up to a phenomenal result which gives you maximum range with ultimate simplicity in a smooth and quite system which urges you onto the rough tracks and unexplored lanes where the GRX's powerful hydraulic brakes give you amazing stopping power and confidence exactly when you need it.
For where the rubber hits the dirt we wanted a setup that would be durable, smooth and offer a tonne of grip. We started with the DT Swiss GR 1600 Wheelset, an endurable and reliant design built specifically to offer endless miles of trouble free riding. This lightweight wheelset sits at a capable 28mm width, on which we have fitted the the Michelin Power Gravel tyre. A tubeless ready and exceptionally grippy tyre which features incredible traction with limited resistance, making it comfortable in the most demanding terrains whilst also feeling smooth on the road transitions you may encounter on your adventures. The exclusive Michelin X-Miles compound rubber increases the tyres lifespan whilst its Bead to Bead Protek system offers reinforcement around the whole tyre casing.
At your contact points with the bike we wanted to go off our own experience of what makes a amazing and comfortable ride, starting with the Easton EA50 AX handlebar. Designed with the same MCD Drop technology with has made Easton road bars a staple across the world but flared to 16 degrees to offer amazing comfort in the drops and unriveled control on gravel assaults and rugged terrain. Wrapped with Specialized's super grippy and luxury feel Cork S-Wrap tape, you'll barely be noticing the gnarly terrain your arms will be guiding you over. For pedals we were in no doubt about fitting Burgtec's Composite flat pedals which glue you to the bike with their wide platform and grippy pins. Not to mention that they come with certification from some of the most extreme & groundbreaking trail & downhill riders alive, a perfect pedal for a bike which needs to make you feel in control and oozing confidence on the roughest tracks,