As you will have noticed from the previous blog and the one before that, we've been working hard on a new model for some time. And today is the day we are ready to unveil the new OPEN WI.DE. (Winding Detours). 

When we launched the U.P. (Unbeaten Path) in 2015, it created a new category of performance gravel bikes. Equally at home on-road and off, with 28mm or 2.1” tires, the U.P. allowed people to ride anywhere and get there fast.  

This category has since exploded (and may we say, sometimes with bikes a little too “inspired” by the original U.P.). Meanwhile, the U.P., U.P.P.E.R. and New U.P. have gone from strength to strength, winning awards, rave reviews and even a mountain bike race with Geoff Kabush (remember this photo, courtesy of Simon Kocemba):  


The WI.DE. (Winding Detours) will sit proudly next to the U.P. family. While the U.P. focuses on the road-allroad-gravel spectrum, the WI.DE. covers allroad-gravel-extreme rides thanks to its expanded tire clearance. U.P. riders cover plenty of extreme terrain already but the WI.DE. extends the possibilities even further.  
The WI.DE. fits up to 2.4” mountain bike tires. That’s big even compared to some XC mountain bikes. At the same time, it still offers a performance road position for the rider and fits narrow road cranks, so riding efficiency remains high. This means it can conquer almost any terrain, without slowing you down on the easier roads and trails.  

The WI.DE. achieves this by taking the most-copied feature of the U.P. – its dropped chainstays – and doubling down on it. The WI.DE. drops both chainstays, creating a very efficient box structure for the monostay behind the BB. This increases BB stiffness, reduces weight and squeezes even more tire clearance out of the frame.  
When you see it, it's so logical. And it makes you wonder why a few dozen bike companies copied the dropped single chainstay without ever thinking of dropping both. Let's just say that despite their habit of running off cliffs, lemmings won't go extinct anytime soon! (and yes, I know, this is a myth, lemmings don't do that. They only get thrown off cliffs by Disney directors to fake it and win an Oscar.) Anyway, let's go back to the bike that lets you ride up those cliffs!  
In addition, the WI.DE. is optimized for 1x drivetrains only, which further helps tire clearance (the U.P. also offers 2x, although most riders build their U.P. with 1x, so forgoing the 2x option on a bike focused on even more extreme terrain isn't really a limitation at all). There are some other interesting features:  

Updated geometry: With slightly taller headtubes, the WI.DE. gives you even more control on the trickiest terrain, including rutted singletrack, loose rocks and “extreme gravel”. It also gives the WI.DE. a different fit option to the U.P. For a true road race position the U.P. might be best, for a more endurance position the WI.DE. might more often be the better choice. Of course this all depends on your personal riding style and body dimensions.  

New size: Due to popular demand, we’ve added an XS size to our line-up. This is one of the smallest gravel frames you will find. Be sure to check stack/reach for a fair comparison with other frames, not toptube length, which can be misleading.  

Nimble handling: We have a reputation to "live U.P. to” as the original U.P. offered great handing regardless of the tire size used. The WI.DE. steering geometry was tweaked to offer the same feel but over a different range of tire sizes (35mm to 2.4”).  

Smartmount 160: The brake calipers are attached directly to the fork and frame, without any adaptors. The mounts are positioned pre-set for 160mm discs for both front & rear (the only sensible choice for gravel bikes). In the rear, pre-setting the brake caliper for 160 means angling it a bit relative to the chainstay. As a result, the rear post is a bit taller than the front, so it uses two different bolt lengths. A very elegant solution and one of those small details that seem so logical afterwards. My personal favorite. Overall, the Smartmount 160 setup for front & rear is lighter, cleaner, stiffer and safer.   

Toolbox mount: Under the bottom bracket, the new monostay offers a perfect location to attach a toolbox. Out of the way with a low center of gravity, this is the perfect spot for your tools. The mounts are offset to create extra clearance with the chainring.  

De-Fender-Ready: I know this will make a lot of people very happy: the WI.DE. frame and fork are prepared for OPEN's upcoming De-Fender mudguard system. It has fender mounts, sort of, except it doesn't, but it does have a few, but not all. It is the cleanest way to mount fenders I have ever seen, both with and without fenders it looks completely like it is completely natural. We're putting the final touches on the fenders themselves, and expect to have these available before the end of the year.  

I go over most of these points in more detail in this video:

So you may wonder, what are the main differences with the U.P./U.P.P.E.R.? Well, here is a short overview and a video to explain: 

Feature	WI.DE.	U.P./U.P.P.E.R.
Riding style	Allroad, Gravel, Extreme, Mixed surface (off-road dominant)	Road, Allroad, Gravel, Mixed surface (on/off-road)
Tire widths 700c*	35-46mm	28-40mm
Tire widths 27.5”*	1.9-2.4”	1.9-2.1”
Drivetrain	1x only	1x and 2x
Geometry	Tall Road	Standard Road

* Depends on tire & rim combination, always check for sufficient clearance


So that's it. The WI.DE. framesets will start to appear in stores later in June, and even more info can be found here. You'll also notice the website has been revamped, including a feature that might appear a bit odd: the choice between two website themes. I'll explain that in a later blog, this one is long enough as it is.

One quick note on why we launch today when the product still needs a few weeks to get to stores: a few months ago DT Swiss asked for our help in a media launch for some new products, and we used the WI.DE. media frames for that (yes, including "that one Large".) Their media embargo ends this week, and we thought it would be a bit strange if you learned about a new OPEN model via DT Swiss media stories.

Unfortunately, this means the launch coincides with a few days that Andy and I decided to take off, after a several months of working non-stop. So until next Monday, we're both relaxing a bit and answers may be a bit slow in coming. That said, we'll probably sneak a peak at the comments below this blog post in the next days and will try to answer them as we can.