ORBO Staff Gravel bike build

The crew at ORBO are self confessed gear nerds and so when one of the team decided recently to build a do it all gravel bike they went deep! With a solid range of gear to choose from it wasn’t easy. Read more on the journey below and hit the store to see the gravel range we have in stock, including Genesis and Revel Bikes.

The first step is working out exactly what type of riding this bike was going to be used for. At the time their fleet had a road bike in it, a hardtail mountain bike, and a steel framed commuter style bike with a belt drive and internal geared hub. One of the goals was to try and reduce the total number of bikes (sacrilege!) - mainly due to limited space. This meant any bike needed to be fast and efficient on the road and footpath, able to ride gravel roads and some easy single track, and also low maintenance. Lastly, we had some big plans for this bike so it needed to be a solid base for upgrading.

With these requirements in mind, we boiled it down to two option - the Genesis Fugio 20, or the Genesis CDF 40. Both had slight differences - the Fugio has a single ring on the front and has a carbon fork and SRAM drivetrain. The CDF a 2x front chainring configuration, steel fork and Shimano drivetrain. In the end we selected the Genesis CDF40 as the base - the key deciding factors being that the drivetrain would suit a broader range of uses than a single ring, and that the rider has a little more experience working on Shimano drivetrains - useful for keeping maintenance to a minimum.

Once the base was selected, it was time to think about some tweaking and upgrades. First thing first, we wanted to put the Spank gravel range onto the contact points. The Spank gravel range has great ergonomics and design to keep you comfortable for longer, plus they look great. We think the Vibrocore parts really make a difference in vibration reduction - pretty important when riding endless corrugations! Spank Flare Vibrocore drop bars were selected, as well as Spank bar tape. We like low profile, relatively flat saddles and the Spank Spike 160 saddle is one of our favourites - so that was an easy choice. As the bike will be used around town and commuting, flat pedals are the default - Spank Ozzys due to their low profile and durability…and colour matching!

After a few test rides the bike was feeling pretty comfortable, however the pace on the pavement wasn't there…so we decided to swap out the tyres to a set of Panaracer Gravelking Slicks in 38mm. These tyres have just enough texture and size to be able to cope with some off road and gravel - and are fast enough to ride on the pavement. The original tyres are kept for gravel races or longer off road rides. To keep swapping fast, we have left tubes in for the time being.

The last couple of touches for the time being are a Granite bell, and Lelumia light set, now that winter is fast approaching. And soon enough, a fender from Ass Saver or Mucky Nutz will appear on the front and rear.