DEAN'S "OC" GRAVEL MONSTER: HOT ON YOUR TRAIL
Thomas Callahan
Shiny now… not for long. Dean grew up riding with his dad and soon got deep into the roots of the road racing scene in Orange County. After years on the road and with a passion to expand his riding pallet, he turned to the growing mountain bike circuits of Southern CA. Racing primarily cross country, Dean grew an affinity for what the dirt had to offer.
Enter the GRAVEL MONSTER. “A true race machine.” Not built for the peloton or the technical rock garden and NOT a cross over. From fire roads to single track, built for speed and for the likes of Grinduro and the Dirty K. The Monster is the purest gravel rig.
This is what Dean was looking for, starting with above platform: the lightest selection of tubes available, optimized power transfer, hand turned tapered head tube, T47 bb, and ENVE-G fork. Dean added both internal hydro cable routing, custom paint and deducted weight by dropping cable routing and opting for SRAM’S newest wireless electronic shifting, AXS etap. Top it off with Enve AR hoops and cockpit and this is one light machine.
As well as a seasoned racer, Dean also works in the bike industry and I was super stoked when he got in touch for a build. It’s certainly an honor to build bikes for people who clearly love to ride, and this build truly came out lovely. A shiny lady only once, calling for dirt and speed. A visual from the old westerns I grew up on comes to mind - a dusty plume only seen in the wind above the trees, created by a man on his horse. A single rider, maybe hot on your trail. Better giddy-up.