The Allroads bike is exactly what it is named after. We designed this bike to ride on all road conditions=paved, broken, carriage trails, and even singletrack. We have spent the last year testing the bike in the most extreme conditions imaginable. What started out as a "do everything" bike is quickly replacing all our other bikes for the types of riding we love to do the most. You can easily transform the bike to adapt to the type of ride you will be doing with a simple tire change. It is very hard to clearly define what "type" of bike the Allroads is. It really is what ever you want it to be. With 28 slicks it is a great road bike, with 33 file treads it is a fantastic CX/Gravel bike, and with 40 mm tires it becomes a very capable woods and singletrack shredding machine.
What makes it so capable at so many different types of riding?
• Disc brakes enable us to open up the rear triangle to accommodate tires ranging from 23-41mm. This means you don't have to be limited in tire selection and can easily fit studded winter tires for all year riding.
• Hand-picked, custom-drawn and size-specific tube selection creates a bike with a stiff drivetrain as well as plenty of vertical compliance keeping the wheels on the ground.
• A low bottom bracket provides rail like handling in corners on the road and confidence inspiring stability through tight turns and off cambers off road.
• A long front center provides more toe clearance for big tires and more stability on descents similar to a classics road frame.
• There is generous room in the rear end for fenders. We know that the Allroads will be ridden in all conditions so the bike comes standard with fender mounts.
• The bike is probably one of the most versatile bikes available. It not only can accommodate a wide range of tires but can be used with either 700c or 650b wheel sizes.
The bike pictured is a limited edition Allroads called the Hammer and Cycle and was inspired by the Rasputitsa gravel road race held this past April in Northern Vermont. Rasputitsa means "mud season or quagmire" in Russian. The bikes was designed specifically for the mud, snow and ice that we knew would be awaiting us.
After riding and racing the bike for 6 weeks it lives up to its namesake. Riding it back to back weekends in rain, mud and snow at both the Rasputitsa and Diverged ride it passed its test with flying colors. Both rides shared a similar brutality but could not have been more different. The fact that the All Roads shined at both events is a testament to its versatility. I knew the All Roads would be great in Vermont. I was most impressed by its ability to descend 35 mph sketchy dirt roads with absolute confidence.
Two moments stand out for me from the Rasputitsa. One was the descent after cresting Cyberia. Cyberia was a 2 mile stretch of rocky "road" disguised as a stream bed that was still frozen in snow and ice. The downhill sector of Cyberia was snow, mud and ruts. I saw so many people hit a rut and go flying into a ditch. Even riders on mtn bikes were riding it tentatively. We were able to get back off the saddle and fly down this mud roller coaster ride with smiles on our faces.
The second moment that will be forever in my memory was following a rider into a covered wood bridge a little too hot. Actually I was going in way too fast as it was dark under the bridge and I couldn't see that the surface of the bridge was a bunch of uneven raised wooden planks. This could have ended horribly. Instead I trusted the bike and hopped one plank and got in between the next plank and rode out through the groove. You need a very nimble yet stable bike to pull that off without crashing.
The Diverged ride on the other hand was truly a mixed terrain ride. Wet wood bridges, slick roots, mud bogs, real singletrack, boulders everything you could imagine. Parts of this ride would push a cyclocross bike way beyond its comfort zone. The Allroads shined. I never felt out of control or in any way in danger. A lot of this goes to the disc brakes and ability to run big tires but the geometry played a big part in this as well.
As the Spring mud season begins to end I am looking forward to putting 28 slicks on the Allroads and taking it on dry dusty dirt roads for more adventure. Western Mass, NH and Vermont are all calling my name. We have a long list of dirt rides on our calendar I am looking forward to all of them!