The next chapter in my adventures as a bicycle journalist puts me astride a Basswood carbon gravel bike from our amigos at Framed Bikes! The Basswood that we’re testing is also equipped with a set of Pub carbon wheels. The whole build is festooned with name brand components and the bike is a gorgeous gloss black with Kawasaki Green graphics. You should all know by now, how much I love las bicis negras. The Basswood weighs in at a svelt – 19 lbs. Let’s take a look at the spec’s.
The Spec’s
- DT SWISS 350 REAR HUB 12x142mm TA 11 SPD ROAD 28H CL (NW)
- EASTON EA50 AX HANDLEBAR 42 x 31.8mm (NW)
- FRAMED BASSWOOD FRONT THRU AXLE 100mm x 15mm (NW)
- FRAMED BASSWOOD CARBON BIKE FRAME/FORK 56cm BLACK/GREEN
- FRAMED BASSWOOD REAR THRU AXLE 142mm x 12mm (NW)
- FSA STEERER COMPRESSION CAP 1 1/8in (NW)
- FRAMED CROWN RACE 1 1/2IN
- FRAMED ROAD BIKE SEAT POST 27.2mm x 350mm
- FSA CORK HANDLEBAR TAPE BLACK
- FSA ORBIT C-40-ACB INTEGRATED HEADSET (NW)
- FSA TEAM ISSUE 11 SPEED BIKE CHAIN (NW)
- MAXXIS 700 X 35C/43C BIKE TUBE
- MAXXIS RAMBLER BIKE TIRE 700 x 40C
- PUB PCG 700RD-29-28 CARBON BIKE RIM BLACK 700cc (NW)
- FRAMED ROAD BIKE STEM 100mm
- SHIMANO SM-RT70 SS W/LOCK RING ROTOR 140mm (NW)
- SHIMANO XT M8010 CENTER LOCK DISC ROTOR LOCKRING (NW)
- SELLE ITALIA X1 FLOW MEN’S BIKE SADDLE BLACK (NW)
- SRAM APEX-1 1725 X-SYNC 42 CRANKSET 172.5mm (NW)
- SRAM APEX DOUBLE-TAP 11-SPEED RIGHT LEVER HOOD BLACK (NW)
- SRAM APEX DOUBLE-TAP LEFT LEVER HOOD BLACK (NW)
- SRAM APEX-1 LONG CAGE REAR DERAILLEUR BLACK (NW)
- SRAM GXP BIKE BOTTOM BRACKET 73mm (NW)
- SUNLITE ALLOY SEAT CLAMP BLACK 31.8cm
- TRP FLAT MOUNT FOR REAR CALIPER MOUNTING BOLT 37mm (NW)
- TRP FLAT MOUNT FORK TO FLAT MOUNT CALIPER BRAKE ADAPTORS 140
- TRP SPYRE FLAT MOUNT BIKE BRAKE (NW)
I’ve got plans for this gravel horse over the next few weeks. To start with, I’ve been shifting some of our library of frame and accessory bags onto the bike for local gravel and mixed-surface rides.
We also purchased an OneUp Components EDC Pump with their integrated EDC Tools and CO2 inflator that I’ll be running on the Basswood and as we pile up some miles. We’ve tested a few of the clever new integrated tool systems from Industry Nine and Wolf Tooth Components and I think that the OneUp Components EDC might be the best of them all. We also have plans to run a series of Blackburn Designs‘ racks, bags, and cages for review as part of our summer focus on gravel bikes on the Basswood and a litany of bikes new and (not so new) like my Surly Krampus and Crosscheck. (There’s a story brewing about the Crosscheck’s new rider cockpit that features the new Ritchey Verturmax 46cm Wide Drop Bar and a Velo Orange Happy Stem #bonerstem)
We’ll also have some new gravel tires running through the test lab that’ll potentially get the review treatment on the Basswood. Hopefully, things will calm down enough with the Covid-19 situation to get out and bikepack locally, but I always have the option to load the bike up and ride a loop that ends at camp in my rather ample and sometimes rustic back yard! So check back in a couple of fortnights for my full review of the Framed Basswood and the ever-popular more – #funwithbikes
For more about Framed Bike visit – framedbikes.com
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