DAY EIGHT: THE ESSENCE OF LIGHTNESS
Once upon a time, we were teenagers obsessed with knobby tires and mountain bikes. It was the era of Ned "The Lung" Overend, anodized CNC parts, and ceramic rims. Weight was always the point, with little quarter given to anything else. 1.8" tires with hardly any tread, reduced-spoke alloy wheels that folded over in corners, kidney-puncturing bar ends, and handlebars scarcely wider than 500mm. We had Schwinn Homegrowns, Yeti Ultimates, Parkpre Pros, and the Barracuda XX, all bikes that we did unspeakable things to with drills to get their weights under 25lbs. Today's Twelve Days bike is a modern homage to that time, but it's actually functional. Day Eight's Breathtaking Build is Switzerland-based Open Cycle's featherlight hardtail - the ONE+.
Clocking in a smidge over 18lbs, this bike put all of our younger endeavors as weight weenies to shame.
SRAM's brand-new Eagle 12-speed drivetrain makes an appearance with a Midas touch. With a 10-50T rear cassette, it looks extreme, but adds even more versatility for 1x setups.
A Rockshox SID XX shares only a name with the original SID, renowned for its inability to track a straight line through corners. These days, with big stanchions, a thru-axle, and real suspension damping, it's a legitimate suspension fork that carries almost no weight penalty.
At a weight that makes a lot of road bikes look bad, the Open ONE+ is an uphill KOM conquistador. Simply supply the engine and the suffering.
After banishing the ghosts of fading anodization and mountain bikes past, we're prepared to hit the homestretch. Tomorrow, the Twelve Days gets back to the road and metal bikes with one of our absolute favorites from this year - Day Ten approaches!
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