Can you do a 320 km gravel race on a €180 bike?

In addition to being one of the world's premier competitions, Unbound Gravel also has a popular side that attracts thousands of gravel enthusiasts who must go through a lottery in order to obtain the coveted bib for this event. Like in any cycling event, there are those who seek an even greater challenge, such as the founder of Rodeo Labs who tackled Unbound Gravel with two friends on supermarket bikes.

Nearly 17 hours to complete Unbound Gravel on a supermarket bike

An interesting adventure was carried out by three members of the American bike brand Rodeo Labs in the recent Unbound Gravel race. Stephen Fitzgerald, founder of Rodeo Labs, and a couple of companions, instead of facing the 200 miles of this race on one of the high-tech bikes they manufacture, showed up in Emporia without bikes.

Without hesitation, they went to a well-known American supermarket chain to get Cruiser bikes, those classic curved tube bikes that were the precursor to mountain bikes in the late 70s. These bikes cost around €180 each. The only modifications made for the race were removing some unnecessary parts and painting them, by hand with spray paint, to display the Rodeo Labs logos instead of Kent Bikes, the manufacturer of these bikes.

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In return, they were able to enjoy a bike with a steel frame, singlespeed transmission, coaster brakes, and even a practical basket to carry whatever they might need during the over 300 kilometers of Unbound Gravel.

Fitzgerald justified this crazy idea precisely because of the constant curiosity that drives them when facing the projects they develop with Rodeo Labs. They didn't know if it could be done, so they simply tried to see how far they could go with these bikes, delving into the unknown. And they certainly could. A whopping 16 hours and 50 minutes, over 9 hours more than the winner of the 2024 edition, Lachlan Morton.

Stephen Fitzgerald made a post on his social media after Unbound where he talked about how fun this madness had been and how gravel started, as a discipline meant for pure enjoyment.