I have an Open UP. Really, really great bike.
I rode a Cervelo R3 for a number of years but Sold it about a year ago as I wanted something that could clear at least 32mm tires as a number of routes I do have some sections dirt and gravel. I was originally thinking of getting something like a Canyon Endurace but decided to just go full gravel bike so I would have the flexibility to make it a N-1 bike.
I was worried I would miss the snappiness and light weight climbing ability of the R3 by going to a gravel bike. But the Open erased all those fears. It’s stiff when climbing and sprinting, descends well too and I’ve erased all of my Strava PR’s that I previously set over the past few years on the R3 (full disclosure, my engine is bigger now). Weight wise it’s maybe 0.5 lb heavier than the R3 - some of which is just likely due to the wider tires. I’ve gotten a handful of Strava KOM’s on it this spring and summer while dropping the Cat 3 guys I was riding with.
The other thing that is I think is cool is it’s a boutique bike from a small company. When I have sent emails Gerald and Andy have been fast to respond. Oh and it a real looker.
The couple things I don’t like
- it has thin paint (to keep the weight down) which scratches a bit more easily, they do sell a paint pen to touch things up
- the downtube bottle mount is kind of low. When a cage is attached it makes it kind of hard too install/remove/adjust the front derailleur. Not a big deal once you have it dialed in
- not cheap
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Having had an Open U.P and now the WI.DE I would agree with the comments about the paint being fragile and the lack of fender mounts kind of sucks. SKS Speed Rockers work well but they are not the same as a nice pair of bolt on fenders with full coverage
Tire width for a 700c is about maxed at a measured 40mm width. You might squeeze in slightly more but will then have a very good chance of scraping the back of the seat tube. The UP was one of the first more “modern” gravel bikes but it really hasn’t been updated other than a change of forks and move to flat mount discs a few years ago. Open still sells a lot of them but in general almost of all the new bikes offer more tire clearance and the UP could probably stand an update.
The ride is good but it is definitely a firm stiff bike.
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Can you give us your thoughts on the differences between the Up and the Wide?
You bet. I had the UP running Force 1X and now have a Wide with Force AXS 1X with Eagle. I like 1X for gravel and am okay with the limitations it has on the road.
The geometry between the two is close except the wide has a 19mm higher stack but the reach difference is only 6mm, so I went with a 10mm longer stem and no spacers so I’m only 10 mm higher than before because I had a headset spacer on the UP. HT and ST angles are the same and the wheelbase is just 1mm different.
The Wide feels very similar to me when riding except I can run a much larger tire which feels smoother to me. I had the original UP and the new fork on the Wide which is shared with the UP now feels less harsh. Backend is the same.
What I really like on the Wide is the Force AXS and Open sold a complete build Wide for a very good price. I like AXS so much I bought a new BMC with it a few weeks ago to replace my road bike.
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FWIW, the future shock probably shouldn’t be something to deter you. Seems weird when you’re standing over it and can play plunger with it but once moving you don’t notice. I have an aluminum diverge (no FS) for trainer use, trailer pulling, and crappy weather; I matched the fit to my Roubaix with 1.0 FS + stiffest spring. It does makes a big difference in arm/hand fatigue over some hours on crappy midwest chipseal.