Purple people eater: Gravel Monster

A classic Gravel Monster with some custom details. I ended up getting so nice photos infornt of our tractor shed, so i thought i would share what makes this bike a bit different the stock.

This bike is built for Matt Maloone down in Philidephia and from what i hear he is pretty quick. I’m better at building bikes than going fast so its always a pleasure to know a horse is going to see som speed.

Matt added a slew of upgrades, lest of which is a tubing upgrade to complete Columbus life, adding a bit of stifness and a more favorable ride quality as well as shaving a few grams.

He went with a tapered head tube wich utilizes a 38mm down tube rather than stock 42. both head and down tube are also a weight savings over stock. He opted for under warter bottle mounts on the underside of the down tube and frame bag mounts on the underside of the top tube.

Matt will run external mechanical 13 speed Campy Ekar and upgraded to internal Hydraulic brake cable routing through the frame.

Matt made some interesting choices with paint. including opting for a 1997 Porshe 911 turbo color Veolla Metalic We complimented the deep purple with a copper / rust metalic for the logos and finished with a final coat of Matte Clear. We also painted the Enve stem and slapped on a white industries tapered heaset to compleat the frameset.

It was a super fun bike to build and i really enjoyed taking shots against the tractor shed right next the workshop. I love The horseshoe hung on the door handles in the background. The texture of the rough sawn wood siding on this moody, rainy day sets it apart from the normal afternoon light the bikes are usually photographed in.

Thanks for checking out this frame. Happy trails

Thomas

MURAZU'S DI2 GRAVEL MONSTER - GODZILLA

Photos by Murazu

When Murazu first contacted me about making a bike, not that I don’t love all my US customers (you’re all great!), and found out Murazu was Japanese and that we would be shipping the bike over to him, I was extremely stoked. I have tremendous respect for Japan and Japanese craft, perhaps because I have been making knives for so long and Japan has such a strong history in crafting some of the most capable blades known.

The bike Murazu ordered was the Gravel Monster, no doubt my most favorite bike to build. We upgraded the bike with internal DI2 and brake routing and a custom CNC’d tapered head tube.

Murazu recently sent me some photos of the bike being built. It was so great to see a Horse frame being assembled on the other side of the world, and you could tell the EFFECT workshop, where he took it, was a place oozing with talent and a love for craft. The coolest parts are definitely the DI2 shifting points integrated into the TRP shifters and the HOPE RX cranks. Honorable mention goes to the Philwood seat post collar and readhead shrink on the brake and shipping cables making it all nice and neat upfront :).

I’ve affectionately named this the Godzilla build. And though it may be cliché and a bit warn out, Godzilla was a force and could roll anywhere he liked and was also pretty awesome.

Photos by Murazu

A few words from Murazu:

“I live in Tokyo. And was in Monokusa Racing. Now I cut people's hair for a living.

I like to ride a bike and ride any surfaces. I especially like dirt riding in the past few years.

If you live in Tokyo, you have to ride 50 kilometers to the mountains. So I needed a fast bike. I decided to ride the Horse cycle where I visited the workshop when I went Brooklyn. It's a beautiful bike. (Thomas wasn't there 😆)

The bicycle was assembled with EFFECT. I trust his skills. He did a great job this time too.

Recently, I often go to dirt in Odawara and Hakone. There are seas and mountains, and the great view. I would like to ride on a Catskill in the summer someday.”

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JOHN'S DUSTY APPALUSA

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John has been riding his Speedvagen Road bike all around the Texas as he’s been held up, like most of us during this time, close to family. John wanted a gravel bike that could handle anything that came his way. He also wanted something he could ride on trails where he could bring his best dude, Hank the Dog. From what i understand hank is a little ripper, cattle dog mix. John, with his love for both his dog and horses, wanted a paint job that would resemble a bit of both. Hank is a dusty mix of gray and light brown with spots of white all over. we tried to capture the essence of both hank and the Roan and Appaloosa horse breads in the paint scheme by layering color and sanding away top coats with aggressive sandpaper leaving course hair-like markings. The paint is set off with the matching Enve stem and the Chris King Matte Bourbon headset (hubs to match once built.)

Johns 650B GRAVEL MONSTER is just what he was looking for to take advantage of the amazing terrain offered in the American west. From the single track in the mountains of steamboat springs Co to rolling gravel roads of Montana. This steed will let him limitlessly explore the opportunities that lay in front of him giving him time to clear his mind and spend his best days with his best pal, Hank the dog

The GRAVEL MONSTER comes standard with a custom 3D printed stainless steel dropout now with a brushed logo for a bit of added bling. Also standard are the custom Dedda s bend seat stays. Check out the GM page for more details.

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All thee photos here were taken down at Rockaway beach at sunset.

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John Montesi is writer and photographer for an active outdoor company (Steamboat Springs, CO)

JAKE'S BABY BLUE BROOKS GRAVEL MONSTER FOR NAHBS

This baby blue Beauty was headed for NAHBS. Brooks and i are sharing a booth in Dallas. With all the goodies equipped I had to snap a few shots. Brooks sent me some fiery Cambium bar tape and a matching saddle which really popped against the matte blue paint. Needless to say this Gravel Monster for Jake came out great. Brooks also visited the shop in preparation for the show and hung out for a few days. They posted a great STORY on their site. Here are a few shots of the days spent with Jason Norton.

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Jake decked this build out! He opted for the custom tapered head tube and double internal cable routing on the frame, finishing it off with a dusty matte blue paint scheme. For components we have a Full Enve cockpit, Enve G-27 wheels, sram force drive train. White industries crank and headset, Brooks saddle and rap and some slick Switch back Hill tires from Rene Herse. Check out the full photo set of this build below.

GREEN MACHINE - 3D PRINTED DROPOUT - GRAVEL MONSTER

After 12 months of design and testing we are now using 3D printed 5-15 on all gravel monster frames. This allows a super strong connection that is corrosion free. It allows the shop to continue to stay at the forefront of the industry pushing the limits of technology and performance. Even though it is a large cost, It saves time on the overall build which means I can build more bikes and get your bike out to you faster. Big thanks to Steven Bukowski for his help with prototyping and printing. One of the best parts of working in Brooklyn is being able to collaborate with such talented people who also love bikes. Check out some of the process photos below and a few glam shots of this new Gavel Monster in Land Rover Green.

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DEAN'S "OC" GRAVEL MONSTER: HOT ON YOUR TRAIL

Shiny now… not for long. Dean grew up riding with his dad and soon got deep into the roots of the road racing scene in Orange County. After years on the road and with a passion to expand his riding pallet, he turned to the growing mountain bike circuits of Southern CA. Racing primarily cross country, Dean grew an affinity for what the dirt had to offer.

Enter the GRAVEL MONSTER. “A true race machine.” Not built for the peloton or the technical rock garden and NOT a cross over. From fire roads to single track, built for speed and for the likes of Grinduro and the Dirty K. The Monster is the purest gravel rig.

This is what Dean was looking for, starting with above platform: the lightest selection of tubes available, optimized power transfer, hand turned tapered head tube, T47 bb, and ENVE-G fork. Dean added both internal hydro cable routing, custom paint and deducted weight by dropping cable routing and opting for SRAM’S newest wireless electronic shifting, AXS etap. Top it off with Enve AR hoops and cockpit and this is one light machine.

As well as a seasoned racer, Dean also works in the bike industry and I was super stoked when he got in touch for a build. It’s certainly an honor to build bikes for people who clearly love to ride, and this build truly came out lovely. A shiny lady only once, calling for dirt and speed. A visual from the old westerns I grew up on comes to mind - a dusty plume only seen in the wind above the trees, created by a man on his horse. A single rider, maybe hot on your trail. Better giddy-up.

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LOST AND FOUND + KEVIN'S GRAVEL MONSTER

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Sierra Trails puts on a number of events every year. This past weekend was the 2019 Lost and Found Gravel race, where they do a great job of hosting an event that is across-the-board a super fun time. It focuses on the natural beauty of the NorCal wilderness while putting emphasis on supporting the maintenance, creation and restoration of trail systems we love to ride and hike.

One of the entries this year was Kevin McClelland riding his Custom Gravel Monster. Kevin is a good friend and avid rider, and I was super stoked knowing he was pushing his limits entering the 106 mile category. No small feat.

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Starting and finishing this year in the town of Portola allowed more of a community vibe. Camping in the town park along the lazy river and immersing in the community is part of what gravel races are about. A lax environment geared toward getting out in the woods and putting miles on your rig. Take it as fast or slow as you want, hang with friends or push your limits.

Out side of Portola the race takes you deep into the the wilderness of the Sierras where you can find your self riding isolated miles through a mountainous pine tree landscape on some amazing trails. This year with the rains the night before and combined with the snowmelt of the late spring season made for mixed conditions and challenging wet terrain.

Kevin said his rig performed beautifully and made for an amazing race. For this ride Kevin slapped on a set of 27.5 x 2.25 Continental Speed Kings. The higher volume fast rolling mountain tire proved to be a great choice for the mixed surface gravel race. The light, plush characteristics at 22psi made for a more enjoyable 106 miles. “From the wet and wiled climbs through the eroding and rutted single track to the high speed descents on slippery kitty litter gravel, the bike rode like a dream. The tire choice for the day worked out great too, and I’m super happy with the extra tire clearance this rig allows,” says Kevin.

Getting out in the wild, hanging with friends and giving back is what its all about. Sierra Trails does a great job of setting up a platform to accomplish all of these things. All the proceeds from the race go back into the community and into the wilderness. Connected to the race is a raffle called Builders for Builders. All the proceeds again go back to the community that continues to allow access to existing trail systems and fund the development of new trails. If you're interested in giving back and the opportunity to win one of five amazing handmade bikes follow this link and enter the raffle. Thanks to the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship, the builders for donating bikes, Kevin for ripping his Horse and Ian Matteson for these amazing photos.

LUCUS'S 18LB. GRAVEL MONSTER

18.2 lbs is pretty light for a steel bike for sure, and extra super duper light for a gravel bike. How did we get it so light? We use the very lightest and strongest tubes possible without compromising durability; the frame utilizes Columbus Life and Dedda heat-treated alloy tubing. We drill out the tube intersections to reduce weight wherever we can. This bike being around a 55cm frame also helps keep the weight down. We are able to chose lighter tubes for lighter riders and get the same end performance. The main reason for the weight savings are the components, namely the carbon components. The marriage between the ride quality and durability of steel and the beneficial characteristics of carbon is ideal.

If the frame and fork weigh 3lbs, then most of the total weight is the components. 15.2lbs in fact. Nothing special about the sram force group, and though the White Industries G-30 cranks are my choice over any other, they are not the lightest out there for sure.

The Enve Gravel fork, G-bar, stem and seatpost rule for performance and are a huge factor in keeping weight down.

The biggest advantage in weight savings and the one component that really adds to the performance of this Gravel Monster are the wheels. Keyed up with Enve G27 - 650-b front and rear really complete the picture and allow this bike to perform at the front of the pack wherever you may ride. The Wheels are the first and best upgrade I recommend when helping chose gravel components for customers. if those are out of the question, the G-bar is my 2nd.

If you can roll with the cost of carbon components i would highly recommend it. Lighter is better because you feel more connected to the road or lack there of. Most noticeably it offers an advantage while climbing. It’s pretty special to come out of the saddle and feel the acceleration as you rock back and forth; less poundage to hold you back, allowing you to float as you climb.

This custom Gravel Monster for Lucas Dowers (his 2nd Horse) is a gem. This rig pushing the boundaries of the modern steel machines made in the U.S. today and we couldn’t be more happy to be making rad bikes for amazing people.

GRAVEL MONSTER FOR ENVE

Kevin McCelland over at Enve asked us to Build him a gravel monster to help launch and hi-light their new Gravel bar and Fork. Ummmm yeah?!!. First, Kevin is a ripper. I love building bikes for a super strong rider who pushes the boundaries on two wheels. Kevin wanted a monster gravel ride that could handle most single track but also endure on longer gravel rides. Something that would be at home in Quincy, CA at Grinduro and also handle the DK 200.

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The bike was built around the New ENVE fork and Bars, the style of riding kevin would be doing and the tires he would be shredding on. In this case maximum clearance to show the capability of the new carbon fork. Using a 27.5 x 2.25” WTB Riddler tire makes this a MONSTER of a gravel bike. I think the spec on the site is 60mm width tire complicity but i’m pretty sure you can run a 2.5” on this fork and the rear end would be happy to see something that large.

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A hand stamped brass BB badge for a special touch. Horse X Enve.

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The new fork is super sick. Maximum clearance / clean lines / internal cable routing / fender mounts and offered in 50mm rake with a 47mm rake to be released in the near future.

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Fender mounts! YEAH!!

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The new Gravel Bar is a game changer. The added width creates stability in the drops and allows confidence at speed under the most challenging terrain. Also they are super comfy. I’m all about that comfy comfy!

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A few specs on the build: Tapered hand turned head tube, full Columbus Life and Zona Steel tubing, flat mount disc brakes front and rear, 1X drive train. We used a 73mm T47 Bottom bracket and an M30 White industries crank to achieve the rear clearances for a 2.5” tire. Three sets of Water bottle mounts, Enve bar, stem, seat post, fork and G27 rims laced to White hubs. Also a polished White ind Headset. We used the New Paul Klamper flat mount disc brakes and Paul thru axle skewers wich rule and really add to that bling.

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The Paint work from Horse Cycles Paint is simple but meaningful. Appropriating the minimal look of the Fast Boy Assless bike is a homage to Ezra. A New York builder who is no longer with us but lives on through his amazing spirit.

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All and All this was an amazing build for me. It allowed me to push the boundaries of building, work with wonderful people and do some great riding. Thanks so much to Kevin for his vision and trust in me as a builder. I hope to build many more MONSTER GAVEL bikes like this in the future, as always putting my heart and sole in to each frame. I’d also like to thank Ian Matteson who took these amazing photographs and everyone at Enve Composites who made this pretty rad stuff.