Gravel bikes are the door openers for riding with racing handlebars in terrain where classic cyclocross bikes have to throw in the towel. The wider tires of gravel bikes - often in sizes around 700x40 or 27.5x2.25 - give the rider a lot of security even on rougher terrain. The custom-made specialists from ChezVelo have a completely different story beyond unpaved paths:

The monster crosser

"Oh, how fat is that" is probably one of the first thoughts when you see the Genesis Longitude in the Rheinknie body for the first time. The double-butted Longitude steel frame from British manufacturer Genesis rolls off the shelf as a simple hardtail in the popular 27.5 Plus format

The ChezVelo build features hand-spoked wheels with Stan's Hugo fat bike rims in a width of 52 millimetres, fitted with 27.5x3 inch Maxxis Chronicle tires. To complete the metamorphosis into a monster crosser, a Salsa Cowbell drop bar is fitted as well as a Sram 1x11 drivetrain with a wider bottom bracket and Sram's Force hydraulic disc brakes.

The story

Christian Berra from ChezVelo says about his Monstercrosser: "We have been offering guided CycloCross tours and training sessions in the Dreiländereck region for years. In doing so, we have found that classic cyclo-cross tires are definitely overtaxed on rough, uneven terrain. As the border roads in the border triangle are sometimes rocky and very rough and have nothing in common with the classic terrain of a cyclo-cross race, this gave rise to a desire and an idea for the Cross+ format or Monster or Supercrosser".

How this type of bike differs from a conventional mountain bike is explained by Berra: "In any case, at the core for us is the realization that a perfect and harmonious riding position with a drop bar offers many customers more performance and scope than a classic mountain bike with straight handlebars. Especially when you look at where our customers spend most of their time off-road."

How do you measure conversion?

When asked about the correct frame size when converting a hardtail to a plus bike with racing handlebars, Berra says: "When measuring, we normally take the approach that a frame size smaller compensates for the setup with a drop bar". In addition to the description Monstercrosser, Berra also provides other possible names for this category: "The result is a semi-fat bike in Explorer or Cross+ style".

www.chezvelo.com