Splash Salmon Nigiri Sushi, the GRX Edition

An important part of the appeal of gravel is the freedom to take a detour down a dusty road and venture into the unknown. Those are the moments that put a spark in any rider's eye. That's what has inspired this salmon-colored custom build, a design project led by Gravel Alliance rider Ibai Fradejas along with his good friend and frame builder RS Cycles and the XPLORE Experiences series.

“We really wanted to make this a special build,” explains Ibai, who has just returned from racing the Traka 200km in Girona, “so we opted for the full GRX line with some select components to make a bike that is equal parts comfortable, equal parts fast.” This sub-20lb/9kg custom bike equipped with GRX represents an approach to adventure that is accessible, versatile and ready to take on a full schedule of gravel events that may or may not feature some or all of the following: packed dirt, loose rocks, washed out river beds, endless climbs, muddy singletrack, back roads, ultra-endurance rides with paved transfers, alpine meadows and more. Yes, if it sounds like a build that can do it all, that's the idea.

Heavily influenced by past gravel experiences, Ibai and his teammates had a clear vision: combine a comfortable Columbus Spirit steel custom frame with wide, fast-rolling tires, a stiff carbon fork, and a PRO Carbon seatpost for an agile and responsive ride. Clean-looking, capable and fast, this sushi-inspired bike features a GRX Di2 setup with a 48/31 2X up front and an 11–34T cassette, so Ibai never has to compromise on shifting. "Sometimes I explore with a 1x setting, but I'll always want 2x on race day," he adds. Get off on steep and loose things? Highly unlikely. This 2x setup gives you the flexibility of a ratio that's capable of dealing with the unknown. With 48-11 being a pretty big gear, Ibai’s always first to regroup on a quick descent.

With precise line choice counting more than ever these days, there's a conservative 30° rake on the PRO Discover carbon handlebar for control. And while Ibai explicitly doesn't ride to go slow, he's equipped with what he describes as "the best gravel brakes in the game" with 160mm rotors front and rear from the GRX/Dura-Ace line. He is quick to point out that he has gone tubeless for the GRX 700c wheels, and deliberately wide, even though there is built-in compliance through the frame and seatpost.

Just as the gravel segment defies definition, it's exciting to see how this "brusca" bike melds traditional frame construction with state-of-the-art components to kick up some dust on the scene.