Not so long ago, inflation was debated in bars and psi. How things have changed. Of course we see it too at OPEN, almost all supplies but also shipping and related costs are going up. 

However, we had been working on creating a new entry price point spec for a complete U.P. bike and so, in a sea of price increases, we're here to announce our most affordable complete bike at $4999/€4999. Thanks also to our friends across the industry to make it happen during these difficult times in supply chain! 


Introducing the new U.P. Ekar complete bike. Obviously it's based on our iconic U.P. frame (choice of OPEN blue or matte grey/red), which started the performance gravel movement and thanks to several refinements is still going strong today. In fact, this is what the senior test editor of Bicycling Magazine wrote when he bought a frameset from us recently:

"I imagine you already know this but, it’s crazy how forward looking the UP was when you launched it almost SIX years ago. Here we are in 2022, and its still—I know you made a few updates— top of the class. I suppose you could say that, given the shifts in the category its now viewed as an all road or fast/light duty gravel bike but (I think) it’s all that most riders need for most gravel riding.

I was looking around for a bike/frame I could use for a wide variety of drop bar product testing that’s also a bike I’ll enjoy spending a lot of time on and, well, there’s the UP and there’s the UP."
Coupled with the Ekar drivetrain, the U.P.'s strengths really come to the fore. The closely spaced cogs on the 13-speed cassette alloy you to always be in the right gear and keep your speed, with enough range to tackle the toughest climbs.

For the wheels, we definitely didn't make any shortcuts. Not only did we partner up with HED, the premier US wheel innovators, we went for their top level Pro spec. Light & wide, these gravel-dedicated Emporia GA Pro wheels are a blast to ride. They may very well be the nicest alloy gravel wheels around. And not to sound like the typical TV salesman, but "I have these at home".

Cockpit comes from 3T, with the sleek Apto stem and the ultra-comfortable Superergo LTD carbon bars (I am not entirely unbiased in this matter). Saddle comes from Selle Italia, it's from their Model X project to bring production back to Italy. Of course saddles are very personal and you may want to swap it out for your own choice, but give this Model X a try before you do. The seatpost is a Wuthocker full carbon, so again no expense spared.

Tires are the Schwalbe G-One Allround. The actual width is 39mm for the 700x35c size thanks to the wide HED rim, so you get a great tire width at a lower tire weight.

The bike is available now directly from us and from select OPEN retailers around the world. And if you're interested in a different spec, we have a few options.

• The customizable Ekar options, where you can choose any frame model and color, combine it with our 5-star Ekar groupset including ENVE full carbon cockpit, and then finish it off with your choice of alloy or carbon wheelset. This option is available as a complete bike everywhere except in North America right now, sorry! We'll have a slightly different option for North America soon.
• For those preferring more extreme riding and electronic shifting, we have of course also the WI.DE. with Force/Eagle AXS (scroll down a little) drivetrain, a variety of cockpits (Easton or ENVE) and wheel options (650b or 700c, DT Swiss alloy or ENVE carbon)

Any questions, just let us know. And to end, a few more photos: