I’ve been riding the Open One+ for about 6 months and many of you have asked how the bike rides. I thought it might be time to write a review. So how is it? Lets just say I rode mountain bike more than road bike this winter. I’ve been gobbling up as much Oz Trails as possible! This bike is fun and has a true XC race pedigree. The frame is sub-900 grams. Yes, I just typed that and you just read that. Sub-900 grams! But get this. It is the lightest frame to pass the EFBE durability test. BOOM! What you have here is a beyond capable race machine ready to tackle the toughest races. Leadville bike? ABSOLUTELY. In a world of squishy mountain bikes I still think the hardtail is not dead. In fact, I believe the hardtail still has a few lessons to teach.
The eagle has landed…I went with nothing but the best for this build. Sram’s XX1 Eagle group. I have not had a single issue the last 6 months. Simply put, it has worked flawlessly. And that gold chain just looks sick.
A massive pie plate. 50 tooth cog!
Enve M50 29 inch hoops. I’m not a believer in having race day wheels and training wheels. I am just a weekend warrior and I want performance every chance I get to ride. Besides that’s a lot of coin just sitting around in your garage waiting for race day. All that to say, the wheels took a beating from me the last 6 months. Many many rides on techie trails like Kessler, Lincoln Lake and Coler. Not a single issue. I am also convinced that Enve wheels improve ride quality.
Dropper seat post? Yes, the bike is so light I decided to throw on a dropper. Another experiment. I am almost sold on it.
Here is a feature I really love. Internal cable routing. I have not had to change the cables and housing in 6 months. That is after many miles in wet conditions and knee high creek crossings on the Upper Buffalo Trails. Still shifting perfectly.
Check out the seat stays. You’ll notice they are flat almost thin looking. This allows for some vertical flex. But actually stiffens up laterally. I like the ruler analogy. You can flex it one direction but can’t bend it in the other. Ride quality is improved with vertical flex making for a smother ride and lateral stiffness improves cornering and propulsion.
92mm bottom bracket standard.
Cockpit.
Rockshox SID fork with 100mm of travel. Compatible for 27.5 wheels as well. Many of you know I experimented for a couple weeks with a Lauf fork. I quickly found out our trails are too technical for that fork and went back to something more conventional. I needed that adjustable rebound! But it was nice to have a mind blowing 19lbs MTB for a few weeks.
Conclusion
If you want to go all out for a XC race machine this bike is for you. It goes uphill in a hurry and is super capable descending. I really appreciated the slightly longer reach of the size large frame. For whatever reason the bike just seems super stable which inspires my confidence in corners, which means going faster! The bike is solid from top to bottom. One thing to note. I can recall pedal tapping only one time in the last six months. Clearly the bottom bracket is higher up to accommodate two wheel sizes. I’m not complaining. Just means I could pedal through more corners! The only negative I have for this bike is I didn’t get to try it with with 27.5 wheels. Seriously folks, this is a race machine. I just wish it came with a better engine…
Head on over to the The Bike Route and test ride one today.
Thank you for your review of the Open One+. I’m considering having one built up for myself. I gather you’ve now owned this bike more than a year and I was hoping I could ask you some questions.
First, it looks like you got a size large. I’m 6’2″ with a fair amount of height in the torso, and a good reach. Do you think I could make a Large frame work without a 12cm or longer stem?
Next, how do you feel about the geometry? Lots of hardtails these days have a more slack headtube angle. Also the seat tube is supposed to be angled a bit more towards the back wheel to eliminate the need for offset seatposts. Would you say that works out in practice? I generally have to use a 25mm offset post on cyclocross and mtb frames, it’s annoying.
Last, if you care to compare, I’m curious how you feel it might compare to other high end hard tails on the market. I like the idea of the versatility of wheel and tire sizes, (but how much will I take advantage of that?) few bikes can compare. The 2019 Santa Cruz Highball is very appealing to me for its geometry and for what it’s worth, that 3rd bottle cage on the downtube!
Anyhow, if you care to share your thoughts I’d much appreciate it! Thank you.
Of course! Yes it is a size large frame. At 5’8″ I’ve gone back and forth on 29″ wheelbase MTB’s, between medium and large frames. The large frame was personal preference on the Open. My only hesitation on the 12cm stem is how will it impact the steering.
The geometry of the bike was great for me. Again I am 5’8″ so the bike ran a little long (via the frame). Most folks my height would be on a medium. I don’t run a ton of offset so that was not an issue. Although, I did run the saddle back a bit on its rails.
My previous hardtail was a Cannondale FSI (also great bike). Both bikes were pretty phenomenal. The FSI was snappy in acceleration specially climbing. The Open was really stable all across the board on lots of different kinds of trail.
I’d say if you are looking for a true XC racing machine the Open is a great option. Top shelf really. Ultra light with great sure footed handling. Its a shame that you can’t test ride one to get the frame size you need.
Hope that help!