Bossi Grit | Peter M's Custom Build
Titanium, gravel, and the thirst for adventure
The brief
Road riding is an awesome thing -- you get to explore beautiful backstreets, cycle along the waterfront, or whizz down hair-raising descents (sometimes all in one ride). However, there comes a time in many roadie's lives where you cruise past a dirt or gravel turn-off and wonder: what's at the end of that path? Your road bike won't tell you... but a gravel bike will.
Peter was one such cyclist, and was looking to expand his adventures into off-road territory. His new bike had to be capable of backstreets, waterfronts, descents, and all the dirt and gravel turn-offs he could find.
It had to be a Bossi Grit.
The bike
Peter's gear range had to match the terrain that he would mostly be riding: moderately steep hills. The answer was a hybrid: a Sram Force AXS mullet groupset with a mountain bike rear derailleur and cassette mated to a Garbaruk chain ring. As he has hamstrings of steel, he didn't need the extra-low gears offered by an 10-52 cassette, so a 10-44 in conjunction with a 46T chain ring would be just right.
To keep the weight down, we went for 30mm carbon Bossi rims, while the DT Swiss 350 hubs gave an excellent blend of performance and affordability. A set of Panaracer Gravel King SS Plus tyres offered low rolling resistance (#stravaKOM) as well as excellent grip.
On the touchpoint areas, a set of carbon EC70 AX gravel bars would be perfect for vibration absorption (aided by the Zipp Service Course CX bar tape), and their flared shape is perfect for extra control and manoeuvrability when off-road.
The saddle was the easiest part: Peter had enjoyed the Ergon SR Pro he purchased from us previously, so his new Bossi would have the same model.
Peter also requested to be upgraded to a Bossi titanium seat post and clamp, and his wish was our command.
Finally, we created a special customised black metallic sparkle paint for accent points on the frame. It's beautifully subtle (though in direct sunlight, it's an eye-catcher), and one of the fun things to do to ensure that each custom-built bicycle is unique to its owner.
This turned out to be an elegant and versatile build, and one that Peter is very happy with.
Want your own unique custom titanium bike? Get in touch.
