Think we were done with the unreleased tech from Unbound? Absolutely not. The more we perused and talked with the top athletes of Unbound Gravel, the more unreleased, prototype, and new gear we were able to track down.
Yes, there’s a range of athletes and unreleased bikes here. Factor brought a duo of prototype gravel bikes, and we caught Ivar Slik on a prototype Wilier gravel bike. Ramon Sinkeldam popped up on an unlabeled Pinarello gravel bike that was completely different from the Pinarello we found from Axelle Dubau-Prévot. And with some sleuthing, we spotted more details about that Specialized Diverge.
There’s also new gear around the corner on display from the Unbound Expo. That includes a new No. 22 Drifter gravel bike, a duo of new Hed Cycling wheels, the Reeb Sam’s Pants, Pirelli’s new Cinturato Evo road tires, and more.
Factor’s duo of prototype gravel bikes
Factor Bikes owner Rob Gitelis and brand manager David Millar brought two gravel bikes to Unbound, neither of which are quite ready for sale.
The first bike – called the Aluto – can best be considered an ultralight version of the existing Factor Ostro Gravel, similar to how the Ostro VAM road bike has the O2 VAM as an ultralightweight counterpart. There’s a lot to like here, with its small tubesets, tighter tire clearances, downtube storage, and the classically good looks. Frankly, the room for 48 mm tires (47 mm clearance is claimed) and road bike-like silhouette make me think this could be the ultralight all-road bike with big tire clearance that Factor hasn’t quite made yet.
While we weren’t able to weigh the bike, I was surprised by just how light it felt. There’s a lot to like here if ride quality is your first objective.
The second bike appears to feature suspension-corrected geometry, even bigger tire clearance, and a greater focus on comfort. Unlike the first Factor bike here, this one has a bigger 30.9 mm seat post, which could theoretically be used for something like a dropper post. As mentioned, tire clearance is big: it seemingly fits that 45 mm rear tire with lots of room on either side of the stays.
While it’s not clear that either bike will be available soon, we suspect Millar’s bike is closer to production simply based on him giving us a name. We’re eager to see what Factor does in this space, and if either (or both) of these bikes replace the Ostro Gravel or Factor LS bikes.
Ivar Slik rode a prototype Wilier gravel bike
We stopped by the Schwalbe booth, where Ivar Slik was hanging out next to an all-black, aero-focused gravel bike he was set to race in the Unbound 200. This one seems to easily fit a 50 mm tire front and rear, despite the aero tube profiles. There’s not much here to see besides that, however.
Key thing to note here, besides the tire clearance, is that the wheels also appear to be prototypes of some kind. There’s a particularly deep head tube, which paired with the low-profile headset top cap cover, should mean riders can get as low as they please on the bike.
This prototype gravel bike is set up with a mechanical 1×12 speed Shimano GRX drivetrain, a combination rarely seen anymore on these top-end bikes simply because they aren’t set up for mechanical shifting anymore. Slik told Velo that he went with the drivetrain because he prefers 1x for Unbound; the 10-45t cassette with a 48T chainring is a nice pairing.
Glad to see you’re back on the bike, Ivar!
Ramon Sinkeldam rode ANOTHER prototype Pinarello gravel bike
We checked out the Pinarello that Axelle Dubau-Prevot rode in the Unbound 200 women’s race, and we were impressed by the bike’s big time tire clearance, added mounts, and seemingly improved ride comfort via a shrunk-down seat post. Ramon Sinkeldam’s bike might be a whole lot bigger, but this frame looks completely different.
No, it’s not just the frame. I’d say this one is the racier gravel bike, as it lacks the mounting points of Dubau-Prevot’s bike. Tire clearances are also tighter, as this bike doesn’t look like it can fit much more than a 45 mm Schwalbe G-One RS Pro tires shown here. I’d also say that while the touch points were pretty similar between these two Pinarello bikes, the fit geometry of this bike appears to be more aggressive.
Is Ribble set to release a new gravel bike themselves?
We caught Harry Tanfield talking at the Precision Fuel & Hydration booth at the Unbound Expo with what appears to be a yet-released Ribble race-focused gravel bike. It looks different from the recently-discontinued Gravel SL bike, losing the angled seat stays, three-pack mounts on the fork blades, and fully internal cable routing. Tire clearance looks bigger than the 45 mm of the Gravel SL.
Even with that additional tire clearance, Ribble Outliers rider Harry Tanfield stuck to a 45 mm Schwalbe G-One RX Pro tire duo going into the dryer-than-anticipated terrain of Unbound 200. It also takes advantage of this bike’s new SRAM UDH (Universal Derailleur Hanger) mount to use a SRAM Red XPLR AXS drivetrain with a 46T chainring and 10-46t cassette. Zipp 303 XPLR SW wheels stuck around, while the bar bag up front got ditched for race day.
Updates on the spotted Specialized Diverge
While we broke the Specialized Diverge from Annika Langvad’s Instagram Stories, athletes were surprisingly coy about talking about photos or video being recorded about the bike — at least to a point. We’ve spotted them under Specialized athletes all Unbound long, however. Tire clearances seem far bigger than the 47 mm clearances of the existing Diverge, and we’re able to confirm the three pack mounts we found in the Instagram stories.
Perhaps most interestingly, our claim that Specialized is developing a one-piece handlebar and stem combo for the Diverge seems absolutely real. What’s unclear, however, is whether or not that handlebar is new or if its just the Roval Rapide Cockpit. The current Diverge features a Future Shock, which prevents the Diverge from using anything that uses a 1 1/8-inch steerer.
There’s a lot of figuring out to do here, but we expect there to be a new Specialized Diverge soon to come.
No. 22 Drifter
No. 22 Bikes showed off a new Drifter gravel bike that they say belongs to a trio of new Drifter models from the Johnstown, New York-based No. 22. This one is the Drifter X, which features a massive 700c x 56 mm tire clearance (claimed), a suspension corrected fork from its own No. 6 Composites components brand, and these gorgeous 3D-printed seat stays that allow for that massive tire clearance.
Geometry has changed slightly according to No. 22 Bikes from the current Drifter gravel bike, but you’ll still be able to get the slew of custom colorways from No. 22. As for when this bike launches? Unclear, but it definitely seems that it’s right around the corner.
Hed wheel launch
Hed Cycling brought a duo of new gravel disc wheels named after different key cities in the history of gravel cycling. The two wheels – called the Lincoln and the Stillwater – come in addition to the alloy Hed Emporia wheels, but these are both offered in alloy rims.
The Hed Stillwater might be the more interesting of the two wheels, as it comes awfully close to the dimensions of the Zipp 303 XPLR wheels released last year, as it offers a 50 mm rim depth, a 28.5 mm internal rim width, and a 36 mm external width.
Both rims offer a hooked rim design and use Hed Sonic SP and R36 rear hub. The price of each? $1984, or the year that Hed launched its wheel company.
Pirelli’s new long-wearing slick tires go big, really big
Pirelli has quickly grown its road tire lineup to include a slew of road-centric tires. The latest tire is the Pirelli Cinturato Evo, which replaces the previous Cinturato road tires. While we covered the tire’s launch earlier this year, this is our first time being able to take photos of it and check it out.
While the improved puncture protection and claimed improved durability are good to see, we’re most excited to see a road tire in a 55 mm width.
Reeb Cycles brought the Sam’s Pants, a big tire gravel bike
Reeb Cycles recently dropped its latest gravel bike called the Reeb Sam’s Pants. Reeb Cycles tells Velo that the Sam’s Pants features Columbus Zona double and triple-butted steel tubing throughout, SRAM UDH, and clearance for a 700c x 55 mm tire.
This specific Sam’s Pants was found at the Cane Creek booth, sporting special edition 30th anniversary colors for Invert suspension fork, stem, bottom bracket, and more. Cane Creek tells us this specific bike will be auctioned off as part of its most recent Pisgah Project efforts to help the Conservancy.
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