[leadin]Overbuilt, grit-hungry road bikes capable of steamrolling tarmac and conquering trails are flooding the marketplace. Our test drive of Open Cycles’ Unbeaten Path proves it to be near the top of the pack.[/leadin]
Seems most everyone with a bike brand is pitching some variety of the gravel bike these days. Just as you thought the ‘cross games have reached critical mass, the industry has oozed into new off-road territory with a breed of plus-size, adventure ready mountain-“ish” gravel bikes.
This fall, we got our hands on a deliciously plump, orange-cream bike by Open Cycles. Never heard of them? Well, you’ve likely heard of the founders’ other projects: Gerard Vroomen cofounded Cervélo Cycles and Andy Kessler was the CEO of Swiss juggernaut BMC bikes.
Review: Open Cycles’ Unbeaten Path Bike
Fastidious perfectionists, the pair’s Unbeaten Path (U.P.) bike is the second steed in Open Cycles’ stable in four years. (Open’s first bike was a lithe hardtail frame that barely tipped the scales at 900 grams; that’s lighter than most road frames, people! It earned a title of the lightest 29er on the market.)
The new U.P. is a transformer of adventure bikes. Clever engineering has managed to preserve its racy road geometry while affording plush mountain bike tire clearance.

The Space Race
