Lauf Seigla with Forge+Bond wheels: Big Sugar Gravel bike check

After weeks of preparation, Alex and Chloe Paton recently made the leap across the Atlantic to take on Big Sugar, Chloe’s first ever gravel race. Even for first-timers, kit selection is important, so it was only right that we equipped them with some top tech.

Luckily, Lauf was on hand to provide its Seigla gravel bike. In another stroke of luck, Forge+Bond then completed the package courtesy of its 25 GR, a wheelset that is a trailblazer in the relationship between cycling and sustainability.

Here’s a closer look at the full bike build for the race.

• Read more: Sweet tech from Big Sugar Gravel

Lauf Grit fork - improved comfort, speed and traction

Where else could we start other than the fork? Brands are constantly looking for new ways to eke out every ounce of performance they can out of their bikes and this leads to some unique designs. For Lauf, this is the Grit fork.

First debuted 10 years ago, it’s a real eye-catcher, but it also has practical benefits, providing 30mm of travel. That’s achieved through a leaf spring design which used to be used commonly throughout the automotive industry, although they’re now mainly restricted to heavy-goods vehicles and train carriages.

© GCN

The Grit fork improves comfort and traction

To any mountain bikers, 30mm of travel will sound feeble but it has significant benefits for gravel riding. According to Lauf, as the system is friction-less, it’s great for absorbing the high frequency vibrations you experience while riding gravel. The obvious benefit of this is the added comfort, but it also improves traction.

The forks vary per bike too, with the suspensions on extra small and small models providing a 15% reduction in spring rate compared to the medium and large alternatives. This is to account for rider weight.

This was one of the differences between the two bikes at Big Sugar Gravel, with Chloe using a smaller model and Alex one of the larger ones.

• Read more: Gravel World Championships bike: Paul Voss’ Orbea Terra M

Forge+Bond wheels: a sustainable approach

Comfort and compliance are important considerations when selecting gravel components. These considerations are usually channelled into tyre choice and the pressure used.

Wheels are often forgotten in this regard, usually only chosen based on either their lightweight or aerodynamic credentials. But how a wheel is built and the construction of the rim has a big impact on compliance and comfort too. The ultimate goal is to have a wheel that is laterally stiff but vertically compliant, which was taken care of for Alex and Chloe by the Forge+Bond 25 GR wheelset.

Compliance is at the heart of the wheel’s design, which features a 25mm rim depth to match its name. That doesn’t come at the cost of speed or weight, resulting in the complete package.

© GCN

Forge+Bond wheels can be recycled

It’s the company’s attitude towards sustainability that really sets these wheels apart. The FUSIONFIBER carbon material the wheels are constructed from uses long-chain nylon polymers, instead of epoxies and resins which are used in usual carbon fibre manufacturing processes. Forge+Bond says that this design enables the rims to absorb vibrations through microscopic flexing in the fibres.

Best of all, the material is 100% recyclable. Not just once, either. The material can be used multiple times. There are limitations - it can’t be used to create more wheels - but there are plenty of products it can create.

We’re sending Ollie Bridgewood to the Forge+Bond factory to learn more about this unique material. Keep tuned into the GCN website so that you don’t miss it.

• Read more: Laurens ten Dam's pro gravel bike: Specialized S-Works Roubaix SL8

Combatting punctures

For Big Sugar Gravel, both Alex and Chloe paired these wheels with Pirelli Cinturato Gravel RC tyres, in a 45mm width. With the wide profile of the rims, they’re actually closer to 47mm. That’s fairly wide, even for gravel, but comes no way near maximising the bike’s full potential, with capacity for anything up to 57mm. As has become almost the default option, they were set up tubeless with Silca’s latex sealant.

© GCN

Pirelli's Cinturato tyres in a 45mm

Even with a tubeless set-up, the prospect of a puncture always looms large, especially at Big Sugar which is demanding on tyres. That’s why Alex rode laden with CO2 inflators, a small tool kit, quick links, a pump and even latex inner tubes. All of that was stuffed inside a handlebar bag.

That was joined by a top tube bag, stuffed to the brim with food, including Science in Sport products.

© GCN

Alex stored his nutrition in a top tube bag

Check out the video above for a closer look at the bikes.