The original plan was to get my full Salsa Warbird build photographed before riding the new bike, but that went out the window fairly quickly once I got my hands on it. A few gravelly kilometres have been ridden since then, so excuse the dirt and dust, but in a way it feels like a more authentic representation of the bike anyway.

I’ve already spoken about the frame in a previous blog, and there’s not much more to say on that until I do the first big ride review in the coming weeks, so I’ll move on to the rest of the build.

Wheels – The wheel choice ended up being an easy one for me to make, as I am carrying over the Mavic Allroad Pro Carbon SL 700c wheelset that I have had for a couple of years now. I’ve really loved riding them, as they’re fast rolling, stiff, light, and robust (for a carbon wheel). This is the setup that I will be riding for the majority of the year, however I may be swapping out the front wheel to run a dynamo wheel for GBDuro.

Tyres – This is always a bit of a trickier call, but I took some advice from colleagues on this one, and I’m extremely happy that I did. The clear choice in the end was the Pirelli Cinturatos, and so far I am a massive fan. Quick rolling on hard pack, grippy in the wet, and a good all-rounder. These are slightly wider than I’ve ridden before, at 45mm, but this means more comfort, grip, and protection from rocks. Tubeless is a no-brainer, so the only other decision to be made was all about the looks. I was initially sceptical, but decided on tan sidewalls, and I definitely don’t regret it!

Groupset – I knew from the first conversation about this bike that I wanted to run mechanical 1x GRX 800. It’s incredibly robust, but if I do have a mechanical there’s a much higher chance of spares and repairs than with other groupsets, and it’s easily serviceable. I’ve always found the shifting to be brilliant on GRX, it performs well, and going for cabled and not electric gives me one less thing to worry about on the longer rides like GBDuro.

Gear ratio – I am running a 40 at the front, and an 11-46 at the back. This is technically outside the 42 ‘limit’ at the back that Shimano recommends for optimal performance, but it works flawlessly without sacrificing the reasonably close gaps in the middle of the cassette. This is a ratio I’m really happy with, and I think it gives the best overall balance.

Bars and stem – The bars are Salsa Cowbell, with medium flare. I’ve gone for aluminium again for strength and resilience when carrying bags and attaching tri-bars. The stem is a Redshift ShockStop Stem, which for me has been an absolute gamechanger. I’ve also had this for a couple of years now, and it’s revolutionised gravel riding for me. The added comfort it gives at the front end enhances the ride quality massively, as it just soaks up trail vibrations, while it’s still plenty stiff enough when hauling on the bars!

Seatpost – I have gone for an aluminium Salsa seatpost, which matches the bike nicely, and most importantly it’s hard wearing for when I’m strapping bags to it.

Pedals – Another carry over from a previous bike, as you can probably tell from the photo, are the Shimano XT trail pedals. I’ve been riding them for a few years, and they are a nice combination of stable, robust and low maintenance.

Saddle – Another easy call for me as I am re-using a saddle that has been my favourite for a number of years, and that’s the Fabric Line-S. This is always a really personal choice, and you have to find what works for you, but I’ve tried and tested this one and have found it to be really comfortable for me over long distances.

Cages – I chose Arundel Sport cages as they hold bottles incredibly well, are robust, suit the bike nicely and are also good value.  Under the down tube I’ve used a Blackburn Mountain cage, made from very stiff aluminium, because this is one place you really can’t afford to lose a bottle from, and these cages hold the tool bottle very firmly.

Stay tuned for the rundown of everything this bike will be carrying for me along the GBDuro journey. From the bike bags, to their contents, lighting, and of course the all important bike review.

Molly Weaver.