You’ll want to take a bite out of it: the pistachio green OPEN WI.DE. just looks delicious. Has the exotic looking gravel bike with 180 mm brake rotors front and rear got what it takes to beat the competition? We had our doubts.

A quick overview of this group test: The best gravel bike 2021

Open WI.DE. | 8,28 kg in size L | € 7,600 | Manufacturer’s website

For this gravel bike group test, OPEN sent us the limited Pistacchio Edition of the WI.DE., created in cooperation with the tire manufacturer Ultradynamico. A style icon of the modern gravel era? Probably. While the design of the WI.DE. is as clean and understated as all of OPEN’s bikes, it offers generous clearances for tires up to 700 x 46C or 650 x 60B. Last year, we tested the bike with 27.5″ wheels and 650 x 54B Schwalbe G-One Bite TLE tires and the build couldn’t entirely convince us of its all-round capabilities. Andy Kessler, founder of OPEN, has put together another unconventional build for 2021. It consists of a 1×12 groupset with SRAM Force eTap AXS cranks and shifters, an Eagle AXS XX1 rear derailleur and Hope RX4 brakes with 180 mm rotors front and rear. We haven’t had the chance to test the HED EMPORIA GC3 PRO carbon wheelset before but with an inner rim width of 26 mm and weighing 1,395 g, they sounded very promising. Spoiler alert: they deliver on that promise! The 700 x 42C Ultradynamico CAVA race tires set a visual accent with their grey treads and are fitted with CushCore tire inserts, allowing you to ride them at lower pressures without having to worry about damaging them or the rims. Dresden-based company Beast Components (the headquarters of which we’ve previously paid a visit) rounds off the unusual but coherent overall package with the finest carbon components for the seat post, stem and handlebars.

Combined with the CushCore inserts, the 700 x 42C Ultradynamico CAVA Race tires are a real pleasure. They’re fast and comfortable, generating a surprising amount of grip even on rough terrain. However, caution is advised in the wet.
With their excellent ergonomics and extremely high-quality finish, the Gravel Bar handlebar and stem of the Beast Components cockpit convinced us in every respect.

Open WI.DE.

€ 7,600

Specifications

Seatpost Beast Components Seatpost Straight 0 mm
Brakes Hope RX4 180/180 mm
Drivetrain SRAM Force eTap AXS mit Eagle AXS XX1-Schaltwerk 42 (10–50)
Stem Beast Components Road Stem 90 mm
Handlebar Beast Components Gravel Bar 440 mm
Wheelset HED Emporia GC3 PRO
Tires Ultradynamico CAVA Race 42C

Technical Data

Size XS S M L XL
Weight 8,28 kg
Wheelsize 700C

Specific Features

OPEN De-fender in-house fender solution
Unpainted framesets available and allways limited special editions
Bolting points on top of the top tube, bottom of the down tube and bottom bracket
Direct line from customer to company founder Andy Kessler


Hope’s high-quality CNC-machined RX4 brake callipers and 180 mm rotors front and rear offer all the braking power you could need and are easy to modulate using the SRAM Force eTap AXS levers. They are also compatible with Shimano and Campagnolo groupsets.
Thanks to the Double-Drop chainstays you’re still able to use road bike cranks with a compact Q-factor despite the frame’s enormous tire clearance.
Size XS S M L XL
Seat tube 464 mm 495 mm 530 mm 550 mm 564 mm
Top tube 510 mm 530 mm 550 mm 570 mm 590 mm
Head tube 99 mm 125 mm 150 mm 170 mm 196 mm
Head angle 68.0° 69.0° 71.0° 71.5° 71.5°
Seat angle 72.5° 72.5° 72.5° 72.5° 72.5°
Chainstays 420 mm 420 mm 420 mm 420 mm 420 mm
BB Drop 80 mm 77 mm 75 mm 75 mm 75 mm
Wheelbase 990 mm 1,004 mm 1,009 mm 1,022 mm 1,042 mm
Reach 346 mm 358 mm 370 mm 382 mm 394 mm
Stack 520 mm 545 mm 570 mm 595 mm 620 mm

The OPEN definitely belongs to the class of bikes that you park in your apartment, no matter how dirty it is.

Helmet POC Omne SPIN | Glasses POC Aspire Clarity | Pullover Rapha Mechanics Long Sleeve T-Shirt
Shorts Specialized Men’s RBX Adventure Over-Shorts | Socks Rapha Pro Team Long
Shoes Specialized S-Works Recon

In size L, the WI.DE. comes in at a weight of 8.28 kg and is priced at € 7,600. By the time this article is published, this strictly limited edition of the frameset will already be sold out. However, with the unpainted OPEN RTP (Ready To Paint) frameset, you can go full custom on your very own dream design.

Ultradynamico, literally. The OPEN reacts instantly to the slightest pressure on the pedals and accelerates extremely quickly out of any situation. Although the S-Works Diverge will beat it by a hair’s breadth during a finish line sprint, it was the most efficient bike on test on flat terrain and in the mountains. In contrast to bikes like the 3T or the ARC8, the OPEN isn’t dogmatic about wanting to go fast, being equally as comfortable just cruising along if you prefer. The handling of the WI.DE is composed no matter what you throw at it, offering excellent straight-line stability, which is not that special on its own. However, it is the way it combines agility and stability that no other bike in the test field was able to match. You can enjoy the bike’s balanced handling with the confidence that it will always respond in a good-natured manner – you don’t have to adapt your steering technique to different speeds, allowing you to just ride and enjoy the experience instead.

The difference in the build compared to the setup with 650 x 54B tires from the previous review is clearly noticeable. Thanks to the 73.5° seat tube angle and the zero offset seat post, the riding position is pleasantly compact and perfectly centred on the bike. We were particularly impressed with the ergonomics and comfort of the Beast Components Gravel Bar handlebar. They contribute to the excellent job the bike does absorbing small vibrations. That said, the overall comfort stems from multiple sources including the carbon frameset, the damping of the tires and the Beast Components parts, creating a very balanced picture. Bigger hits do get passed on to the rider but they never unsettle the OPEN or surprise the rider. As such, the bike stays securely planted on the ground even in rough terrain and instils you with the confidence to charge on. The 180 mm rotors of the Hope stoppers also help to underline this feeling thanks to their generous and easily modulated braking power. Only in muddy conditions do you reach the limit of the Ultradynamico tires relatively quickly. Otherwise, the tires performed convincingly despite their shallow tread. Whether it’s loose gravel, hardpacked ground or asphalt: as long as the surface is dry, they offer a lot of grip!

Tuning-tip: Nothing – it just won’t get any better

Riding Characteristics

4

Agility

  1. cumbersome
  2. playful

Stability

  1. nervous
  2. confident

Handling

  1. demanding
  2. balanced

Fun factor

  1. boring
  2. lively

Comfort

  1. firm
  2. comfortable

Value for money

  1. terrible
  2. very good

Technical Data

Open
WI.DE.

Size: XS S M L XL
Weight: 8.28 kg
Price: € 7,600

Indended Use

Smooth tarmac 1
Allroad/Gravel 2
Everyday/Commuting 3

Conclusion

The OPEN WI.DE. excelled in our group test with its balanced and good-natured handling. With its excellent efficiency, it’s capable of going fast in every situation without being aggressively sporty. No matter if you’re a beginner, professional, racer or bikepacker, the frameset of the WI.DE. is the most versatile on the market and, with 700 x 42C wheels, the OPEN is the best gravel all-rounder currently available. Straight A, Best in Test.

Tops

  • balanced, good-natured handling
  • maximum efficiencyalways fun to ride
  • beste Allround-Eigenschaften
  • balanced comfort

Flops

  • Tires quickly reach their limit in muddy conditions

Not sure which gravel bike you should buy? This guide will help you for sure: gravel bike buyers guide. You wonder what tires to put on your gravel machine? We recently tested the best gravel tires against each other in our gravel tire group test.


More information here: opencycle.com

The testfield:

Get an overview of this group test: The best gravel-bike 2021 – 13 models on review

All bikes on review: 3T Exploro Race EKAR 1X13 (Click for review) | ARC8 Eero (Click for review) | BMC URS 01 ONE (Click for review) | Cannondale Topstone Carbon Lefty 3 (Click for review) | Canyon Grail CF SLX 8 eTap (Click for review) | Fustle Causeway GRX600 (Click for review) | OPEN WI.DE. | Ridley Kanzo Fast (Click for review) | Ritte Satyr (Click for review) | ROSE BACKROAD FORCE ETAP AXS LIMITED (Click for review) | ROSE BACKROAD AL GRX RX600 1X11 (Click for review) | Specialized S-Works Diverge (Click for review) | Trek Checkpoint (Click for review)


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Words: Photos: Valentin Rühl