Rose Gravel Carbon
Charise Zelnick
Rose goes racing with an all-new aero carbon Backroad FF gravel bike. And we got an exclusive first look riding it on Spanish gravel a few weeks back. Now fast forward back to today, and this new Rose Backroad FF carbon gravel bike hits a killer sweetspot balancing race-ready performance and all-day comfort. Plus, it does that while remaining just as affordable as ever.
The FF frame utilizes the UDH standard so you can still with the conventional hanger for existing gravel derailleurs, or even go direct-mount for a new AXS T-Type mullet Eagle setup down the (gravel) road. Built with 1x drivetrains and a bolt-on Wolftooth chainguide, but you could also run a wireless 2x if you are still into that kind of thing. There are two sets of bottle cages inside the frame (3-bolt on the downtube). Plus, direct mount studs for the frame bag and a toptube bag mount. No fork or under downtube mounts.
The upward bend of the handlebar seems to isolate annoying gravel road buzz without deadening the feel of the road. It also is quite narrow at the top for an aero position on the turned-in hoods, supported by the flat tops under your forearms. But with a generous flare from the hoods to the long drops, it still feels plenty wide for stability when descending through rough sections. My only nit to pick on this integrated cockpit is that I would like a little more drop in the bar, but I think I could partly solve that simply with a cleaner, thinner bartape wrap.
Not to be discounted is the aero section carbon seatpost. I often think an aero bike would be more comfortable with a classic round post, but Rose hit the comfort sweet spot on this D-shaped post, too. No notes.
Both build specs are available in six sizes (XS-XL). Both in pistachio beige or supersonic grey (off-white), plus a Force-only rotten candy marbled pink. Order them all now consumer direct from Rose, with international deliveries starting in late May to early June 2024.
Cory has been writing about mountain bikes, enduro, cyclocross, all-road, gravel bikes & bikepacking for over 25 years, even before the industry created some of these names. Prior to Bikerumor, Cory was a practicing Architect specializing in environmental sustainability, has designed bike shops & bike components, and worked as a bike shop mechanic.
I first noticed the Rose Backroad 2018 at the Silk Road Mountain Race. There it was ridden through the mountains of Kyrgyzstan for a final test before market launch. And almost simultaneously, it officially went on sale in August 2018. Rose was thus one of the first brands to not only observe the topic of gravel bikes as a trend, but also to develop a bike with the Backroad that would become one of the best-known gravel bikes, at least in this country.
Even if the Backroad is not really suitable for races like the Silk Road or Atlas Mountain Race from my point of view, the Bocholt-based company has created a gravel bike that is very versatile, copes well with terrain off the forest highway and is also suitable for the one or other Bikepacking trip.
And that Graveln and Bikepacking mean above all also variety, you can see in the current model range: Alone seven Backroad models in the Carbon series, six in the AL version, three in the Limited version and two eGravel models leave hardly any wish unfulfilled.
For the test, I got the new Rose Backroad with the SRAM Rival eTap AXS XPLR 1X12. Thus, the bike is equipped with the fairly new electronic Rival 1 road bike shifting from SRAM, which switches 12 gears and is comparable to the Shimano 105/(Ultegra). XPLR means that SRAM components designed specifically for graveling have been installed here: a Rival XPLR rear derailleur for a wider XPLR cassette with 10-44 and an XPLR Rival 1 Wide crank with a 40 chainring.
The stack, i.e. the vertical distance between the center of the bottom bracket and the top end of the head tube, is 586mm on the Backroad Carbon. The Reach, which is the horizontal distance between the center of the bottom bracket and the top of the head tube, measures 395mm.
Interesting here is that the Grizl has more stack (+19mm) and more reach (+14mm) than the Backroad, with the same stack to reach ratio of 1.48. Both bikes are very similar and probably comparable in their geometry and riding characteristics.
Finally, a comparative look at the Specialized Diverge, which enjoys a similar reputation and status as the Backroad. Again, the Backroad is the sportier choice, as the Diverge goes for the long haul with a stack of 610mm (+24mm compared to the Backroad) and a stack to reach ration of 1.56. So the Diverge is more upright.
The Backroad is available with a carbon or aluminum frame. The AL version of the bike was developed primarily for cost point reasons, so that offers could be made at a lower price point. In addition, it also has a more upright geo. My test bike is available for 3,800 euros. The entry-level backroad AL model starts at 2,000 euros.
The test bike has a carbon frame and carbon fork. These are built in Asia.
The weight is worth noting: according to Rose, the frame weighs 1,020g and the fork only 425g. Thus, the finished bike comes to a weight of only 8.6kg according to Rose (8.8kg reweighed including pedals and navi holder). Unfortunately, the frame set is not available for purchase separately.
For the transport of bottles and holders, the frame offers three sets of eyelets in the frame triangle and on the down tube. In addition, another pair on the top tube, for example, to screw a cockpit bag there. The fork has three eyelets on each side and is thus prepared for anything cages or fork packs.
Nicely solved is the internal cable routing, if you like it. In any case, this tidies up the frame and handlebar area. And the D-shape called at Rose pulls through the frame design, starting with the flexing seatpost to the headset.
I also like the protectors on the down tube and chainstay. This is well thought out and on my off-road rides with the Backroad I have very often heard the stones and dirt bounce off the protective plastic. The extra protection on the chainstay is also very useful off-road, the chain then flips up and down from time to time and so does not bang on the carbon and the paint.
In addition, carbon also has its disadvantages: Times of the current eco-balance considered, carbon seatposts are often not recommended for bikepacking saddlebags. This has mainly to do with the caution of the manufacturers, who fear unfavorable leverage or wear and thus structural damage to the carbon fibers. There are also weight restrictions on the fork to accommodate at the eyelets. Usually this is around 3kg per side. But this is often enough for people who are lightly packed anyway with the Backroad on Graveltravel tour. Even so, a carbon frame is always more sensitive and especially in rough terrain, you should therefore pay a little more attention.
Therefore, in my view, the Rose Backroad Carbon is an ideal bike for performance-oriented graveling and Bikepacking day trips / overnight trips with light luggage. Everything else is certainly also feasible, but depends heavily on body weight and payload. In any case, the Backroad Carbon but even with luggage is a pretty agile runabout that does not back down and is incredibly fun.
From the factory, the Backroad is delivered with tube. I would recommend you but quickly convert to tubeless. For this, however, you must install proper sealing tape, because with the wheels the rim interior is only lightly taped. And I would then change as soon as possible to other tires, such as the Schwalbe G-One Bite or R.
What I noticed by the flats: the rim paint layer is very sensitive. Thus, when the tire is lifted off with jacks, there are traces on the rim. In addition, stones on the rims quickly leave their mark. I do not mind, but who goes more after externals, should know that.
The Backroad Rival eTap AXS XPLR 112 embodies pure gravel action. Between new, unknown terrains and home trails you conquer with this gravel bike all paths off the road and do not stop at steep climbs.
This makes it quite pleasant to react to changes and also offers enough design freedom with light luggage in the terrain and when it should get steeper. The cassette is available in two versions: once with the larger sprocket made of aluminum, once made of steel. The difference lies in the weight of 373g to 412g.
Therefore, light Bikepacking is possible. If it goes into more demanding terrain with more luggage, the end is soon there. Who would not want to do without a Backroad even under these conditions, which should look at the Classified model or the 211 variants with GRX.
The Rival brakes had to be braked in first, but then did a very good job. They can be dosed well and have worked well even in light wet conditions with the 160 discs. And that without grinding or squeaking.
The stem is the Rose model already mentioned above, called Square, made of aluminum with 6 degrees inclination / slope. This adapts in shape to the D-shape of the headset and has front also equal openings for the installation of a GPS holder (Rose Mount Stem holder).
Also already thematized is the D-Shape seatpost, which is 400mm long, made of carbon and has an offset of 8mm. The seatpost is attached by the way with a clamping screw on the side of the frame. This is optically quite nicely solved. For the saddle Rose relies on the WTB Silverado. This is inconspicuous and has fit me quite well, even on a long ride.
This is not easy, also because the variety of types, applications, categorizations and trend designations make it almost impossible to structure this once. Nevertheless, I have tried it once. I have formed three categories under the generic term all-road bike, but of course they overlap and so also have common features:
From my point of view, the Rose Backroad Carbon can do almost everything well and is versatile. Its real strengths I see but more in the performance area and with the above-mentioned restrictions also in Travel & Adventure.
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