The original performance gravel bike, combining a performance-oriented road geometry & parts with clearance for mountain bike tires up to 2.1". Start on asphalt, hit the gravel, switch to single track. Its geometry makes you fast; its tires unstoppable.
In the box: Frame, U-Turn fork, headset, seattube collar, front & rear Carbon-Ti thru-axle, 2 derailleur hangers, 1 front derailleur mount, 3 MultiStops (2x, 1x, Di2), chainstay cable exit, BB guide, cable liners, noise-reduction foam sleeves, manual.
The first U.P. combined road bike speed plus go-anywhere capabilities to start a whole new category. Now original U.P. features such as dual wheel size compatibility and a dropped chainstay are the standard for performance gravel bikes.
The third generation U.P. & U.P.P.E.R. frames are lighter, nimbler and more fun than ever. They also still pass our ultimate test: We only offer frames we want to ride ourselves.
- With road tires, it is a very fast road bike
- With big road/cross/gravel tires (32-40mm), it’s a go-anywhere bike perfect for mixed surface rides and most gravel routes
- With 650b mountain bike tires, it's unstoppable on very tough terrain yet much faster on pavement than you'd expect thanks to the road position
So the position lets you get out of town and reach the gravel/dirt/trails quickly (unlike a mountain bike). Space for big tires lets you tackle any route (unlike a road bike). And you can do that with one type of tire for everything or finetune your ride with multiple wheelsets or tires.
The differences between the U.P. and U.P.P.E.R. are weight and color:
- U.P.P.E.R. frameset saves approx. 180g over the U.P.
- U.P.P.E.R. is available in matte black, the U.P. in green and blue. Both are available in RTP (Ready-To-Paint) so you can have it custom-painted.
There is no difference between the U.P. and U.P.P.E.R. in geometry, durability, stiffness, tire clearance or capability.
TIRE CLEARANCE
The U.P. fits mountain bike and gravel tires up to 2.1” (54mm) in 650b. It also fits 700c gravel, cross and road tires from 28-40mm wide (exact tire sizes depend on manufacturing tolerances and rim width, so always check and make sure you have 6mm clearance between tire and frame).
More importantly, and more difficult to achieve, the U.P. handles well in all these configurations, as customers, media and award judges confirm time and again. So whether you ride it with road or mountainbike tires, on pavement or off-road, you always have nimble, responsive and confidence-inspiring handling.
DROPPED CHAINSTAY
Probably the most copied feature of the original U.P., but still few fully understand why and how to optimize this.
Chainring(s), frame and tire all fight for space just behind the bottom bracket. Mountain (and some gravel) bikes solve this with a wider crank, but that hurts your pedal stance (Q-factor) and thus your pedaling efficiency.
Instead we drop the right chainstay to move it out of this crowded area, allowing it to be wider and therefore stiffer (twice the width will give you eight times the stiffness!)
TRCinTRS™ TECHNOLOGY
Forget “100% hi-modulus aero-space carbon”. It’s not about high- or low-modulus, it’s about the right carbon in the right spot (or TRCinTRS™ as we mockingly call it).
Fact: stiffer carbon is more brittle. So it's great for stiffness (on the sides of the downtube) but bad for impact loads (for example around the headtube).
Hence the best lay-up is a blend. We strategically place the ultra-high modulus (very stiff) carbon where we can, and tougher grades of carbon where we must. That’s how our frames are both light and durable.
U-TURN
The U-Turn is the first fork truly optimized for flatmount brakes. Standard flatmount front brakes include an adaptor to switch between 140mm and 160mm disc rotors. But nobody should ride 140mm rotors in the front, so it’s a feature without a benefit at the cost of weight, stiffness and complexity.
The U-Turn’s Smartmount is a direct-mount with thru-bolts without adaptors, just like the rear brake. The position of the mount is adjusted to perfectly match 160mm rotors. Lighter, cleaner and safer.
Note: For SRAM or Shimano, remove the adaptor and use bolts recommended for a 30mm “rear chainstay thickness”. For Campagnolo, use a “140mm REAR disc caliper” with bolts for a 30mm “rear chainstay thickness”.
Specifications:
| Frame-only weight size M, ±3% |
1,040g |
| Fork-only weight, ±3% |
390g |
| Sizes |
S/M/L/XL |
| Colors |
Orange
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| RTP( Ready-to-paint) |
A clearcoat is not needed for UV protection but recommended to protect against scratches and wear. Some customers leave the frame bare.
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| BB standard |
BB386EVO pressfit 86.5x46mm BB shell
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| Recommended groupsets |
For serious gravel and off-road (on any brand of bike), we recommend a rear derailleur with a clutch or cage damper (Shimano GRX (1x & 2x), SRAM Force AXS & Red AXS (1x & 2x), SRAM Apex1, Rival1, Force1, Campagnolo Ekar)
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| Shimano crank fit |
All road cranks
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| SRAM crank fit |
All DUB road, Force 1 BB30
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| Front derailleur mount |
Bolt-on, removable
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| Recommended ring shape |
Flat (for example Wolftooth)
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| Maximum 1x ring size |
General guidance: 50t (flat ring, not available in all sizes with all BCDs so check with your crank supplier), 46t (SRAM offset ring). Note: clearance depends on chainline & chainring. 2mm space is required so please verify.
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| Maximum 2x ring size |
Clearance depends on crank & chainring model. 2mm space is required. For most current generation cranks, the following applies:50t (outer ring), 36t (inner ring)
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| Rear thru-axle |
142x12mm superlight Carbon-Ti X-12
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| Front thru-axle |
100x12mm superlight Carbon-Ti X-12
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| Front disc rotor size |
160mm only
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| Front brake caliper mount |
Smartmount 160 system attaches flatmount caliper, without adaptor, for 160mm rotors
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| Front brake bolts SRAM |
37mm “REAR” brake bolts for 30mm “chainstay” (SRAM part# 00.5318.005.008)
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| Front brake bolts Shimano |
43.2mm “REAR” brake bolts for 30mm “chainstay” (Shimano part# Y8N208030)
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| Front brake set-up Campagnolo |
“140mm” (rear) caliper + 160mm rotor, no adaptors, 2x 39mm "screws for 30-34 mm rear mount thickness” (Campagnolo part# AC18-DBSC39)
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| Rear disc rotor size |
140mm or 160mm
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| Rear brake 140mm mount |
Direct mount
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| Rear brake 160mm mount |
Use adaptor for SRAM (00.5318.018.001) or Shimano (ISMMAR160DDA)
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| Rear brake bolts SRAM (140mm & 160mm disc) |
2x 27mm (SRAM part# 00.5318.005.004)
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| Rear brake bolts Shimano (140mm & 160mm disc) |
2x 33.2mm (Shimano part# Y8N208010)
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| Rear brake set-up Campagnolo |
“140mm” (rear) caliper + 140mm rotor (no adaptor) OR 160mm rotor + rear adaptor, 2x 29mm “screw for 20-24 mm rear mount thickness” (part# AC18-DBSC29)
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| MultiStop internal system |
1x & 2x mechanical, Di2, eTap (eTap only included in U.P.P.E.R. frameset)
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| Headset |
Integrated IS42/28.6 | IS52/40 with 45x45 degree lower bearing). For example Cane Creek BAA1161 + BAA1131, Chris King DropSet 2 or Token Omega A83
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| Seatpost |
27.2mm diameter, standard set-up zero-offset
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| Fenders |
Compatible with clip-on style fenders (we prefer the SKS Speedrocker)
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| Cage mounts |
Seattube, downtube, under downtube
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| TT bag mount system |
100mm front-post-to-headset-edge
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| Max. weight (total rider+luggage) |
120kg / 264 lbs (EN/ISO/internal test standard)
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