Launching the new U.P.PER. 2.0 (UDH)
The first full production model following the U.P.PER. CONCE.PT
When we released the U.P.PER. CONCE.PT., it was to show the design direction of our future models. And here is the first of those, the U.P.PER. 2.0. As you can imagine from the name, its overall look stays very true to the CONCE.PT.
The deep, aero headtube dominates the shape, and the further back you go, the thinner the tubes become. The seattube transitions from square at the BB to round at the top, allowing you complete flexibility to spec any seatpost you want (regular, suspension, dropper).
Seatstays are minimalistic for comfort and aerodynamics, chainstays are straight for efficiency, and all of these features you can fine 1:1 on the CONCE.PT. You can read all about these features on the product page.
Despite this, the U.P.PER. 2.0 actually uses completely new molds, with particular updates in the BB area, tweaks in the tire clearance and more attachment points.
The bottom bracket area
The bottom bracket was reshaped to create smoother transitions, and three rivnuts were added to the seattube instead of the usual two. This may seem odd at first, but there's a method behind the madness.
- If you run your U.P.PER. 2.0 with a 2x groupset, you use the top-2 rivnuts for the front derailleur mount. The lowest rivnut is either closed off with a rubber plug, or if you use a wired (Shimano) drivetrain, you can run the connector through this rivnut (and then close it off with the plug)
- If you run your bike with a 1x groupset, you can get a special WolfTooth chain catcher to complement the frame. This chain catcher is fixed by two bolts, and depending on if you run a small (36-42T) or large (44-50T) chainring, you would use the lower-2 respectively the top-2 rivnuts. And the remaining rivnut is covered by the catcher. The advantage of this design is that we cover a huge range of chainring sizes while the catcher remains relatively short (and thus stiff), increasing its effectiveness.
Tire clearance & other details
The U.P.PER. 2.0 offers 46mm real width tire clearance. That means an honest 45mm tire on a normal size rim will fit. As on any frame/rim/tire combination, if the rim gets wider, you need a narrower labeled tire to get the same real width.
Tires like the Schwalbe G-One RS 700x45c (which we include with our parts kits) are perfect for this new frame, and we believe that this 40-45mm tire range is perfect for the U.P.PER. and flexible for a wide range of terrain. It's fast for racing gravel, still aero enough for road-oriented rides (with the right aero rim) and it can carry you though tough stuff on bike packing adventures.
The U.P.PER. 2.0 also includes some extra rivnuts to attach our new ROTOBLOC fender to the frame. This OPEN fender does not use the common fender stays with an eyelet at the end, which is then bolted to the frame. Although this is a simple solution to attach fenders on a variety of frames, it doesn't give the fender stay a lot of rotational rigidity.
Instead, the U.P.PER. 2.0 has its threads on the back of the dropouts (frame and fork) instead of the sides, and the fender stays are threaded (similar to a spoke) and thread directly into the frame/fork. This means they can resist rotation much better, creating a stiffer setup and less rattling or slapping of the fender onto the tire - especially over rough terrain. Further rivnut attachment points are hidden under the seatstay and chainstay bridges.
The ROTOBLOC fenders will be available by October.
Great news indeed and an enticing option for building my next bike! As OPEN has rightly been promoting Campagnolo quite a bit, I do note the lack of reference to the Italian brand though, especially considering it embraces a similar Made in Europe philosophy and is a boutique rather than a mass market brand, much like OPEN and unlike American or Asian alternatives. Any thoughts on what the recent announcement of a new electronic wireless 13-speed group-set platform means for those of us looking to build a new bike?
A great bike aesthetically and technically > perfect great innovations!! Unfortunately, it may have to remain a dream, because the price has now reached a level that makes this bike a dream.
Frames from a boutique brand such as Open deserve a groupset with a similar appeal of uniqueness and quality. What about compatibility with recently announced Campagnolo groupsets, which like Open frames are made in Europe? 1x and 2x gravel versions of the brand new Super Record 13 are said to be in the works. And I love my current U.P.P.E.R. with Campy Ekar!
When is the new u.p. model available?
The U.P.PER. 2.0 is a magnificent looking bike, reminiscent of the 3T Exploro Racemax / Ultra, but a little more slender. I’m intrigued by OPEN’s philosophy on tyre clearance… on the one hand, it seems that the global capitulation to 700c only in the gravel / all-road world is generating a strange battle between 45mm and 2.2” tyres, yet OPEN has resolutely held at max 46mm clearance. …Is there a 650b revival in the wind to enable 50mm+ tyre capability? Or will it all come back to the 45mm sweet spot on 700c for gravel? …I like 650b with supple tyres, but it seems I’m in the minority. Perhaps it’s the speed / suppleness of gravel tyres that needs to improve to bring riders back to 650b? …The new Cervelo Aspero 5 gravel race bike is another interesting case in point (and another relative of OPEN & 3T), 45mm clearance and launching with seemingly unreleased Vittoria Corsa Pro Control TLR G2.0 700x42c slicks! It’s an intriguing discussion… a penny for your thoughts Gerard? Cheers. …ps: if I didn’t already love my 3T Ultra and / or a bigger budget I’d be keen on an U.P.PER. 2.0 or WI.DE.
I think it's a normal trend that preferences first follow a "bigger is always better" approach and then it overshoots the mark and then it will come back down a bit and settle on a reasonable number. also depends a lot on the use case. I think 40-45mm will turn out to be a nice allrounder size, for people who want to go fast on gravel and maybe also sometimes ride on the road with it. And then the really tough bikes will go wider than that. This is also a bit the thinking behind the new models, that we will create some more space between the UP(PER) and the WIDE. 650b I fear will be dead (for a while at least). No further predictions there.
Absolutely LOVE this newest version of the UP and all the tweaks and improvements. I can't wait to add one to my stable.
Hi Brian, glad you like it. We can't wait to add it to your stable!
Very intriguing and looks awesome and really excited to see new UP with frame storage! Good to see a T47 BB standard but why go away from the dropped chainstays (assuming the WIDE will keep them)? And looking at pics is that an Escape Collective special edition?
No dropped chainstays because we didn't need them to achieve the tire clearance (mostly because cranks have gotten wider in recent years). There is no connection with the Escape Collective, we just have something on teh back of the seatstays, it will change from time to time.
Are there any options / plans to add aero bars to the new open cockpit? As an ultra-racer this would be my dream bike, but no aero bar option is a deal breaker unfortunately.
Not for this particular cockpit, but there is another solution coming specifically for that.
Is there in-frame storage on this frame?
Not on the UPPER (focused on a lightweight paired down approach). But it wil be on the UP.
When will we get the new U.P.? 😍
Similar questions as others! Frame storage? Timing for U.P. 2.0? RTP? Any issues running 650b’s? Thanks for making bikes to be passionate about TR
Super excited! Will a RTP Version come soon too?
A little later in the production runs, we will no doubt add RTP as well.
Super stoked for this! Looks rad and luv the tech!
Thanks Steven, onwards and upwards!
Congratulations on getting these out. Is there in-frame storage? Can you pick between race and adventure fork?
Hi Jason, The UPPER model for us is always focused on a paired down approach and the lowest weight, so no internal storage. That's something for the UP. Right now the frame is only available with the aero fork, the adventure fork will be released later (the frame is compatible with it, but it's just not available yet).
Same questions here, plus: Raw option later on?