Bocholt, 14 August 26

BOCHOLT, GERMANY / UK – With the Backroad FF, the bike brand sets new standards. Rose aims to further shake up the gravel market with its first purebred UCI-compliant gravel race bike. The bike brand is reacting to the rapidly growing popularity of gravel racing with this new platform. However, the Backroad FF is by no means aimed solely at pure competitors; rather, Rose understands the growing and increasingly prominent sport as a movement for everyone who loves top speeds off the tarmac.

Building on the long-standing success story of the popular Backroad models, gravel enthusiasts can now experience Rose‘s interpretation of a pure gravel racing machine, which invites riders to push their personal limits on rough terrain, true to the product brand claim "Dare to explore your limits."

The Backroad FF is a developmentally sophisticated and inspiringly aesthetic overall gravel race concept, in which every component is coordinated down to the smallest detail to design a maximally potent racing machine. "FF" stands for Fast Forward and essentially describes the identity of the new UCI-compliant Backroad FF platform. During development, the race design established with the performance roadbike range was precisely sculpted into a well-thought-out overall concept. Race-characteristic components and frame features such as the newly developed Gravel One-Piece Cockpit, tire clearance of up to 45 mm, the cleverly designed bag concept, integrated power meter, chain guide, and UDH derailleur hanger are optimized for maximum speeds on rough terrain. 

"Since aero bars and the 'forearms on the tops' position—previously popular with breakaway riders—are no longer permitted in UCI races or major US races like UNBOUND, we have optimized our cockpit to be as comfortable and aerodynamic as possible for riders in the race position," says Campo Schmitz, Product Manager at Rose Bikes. "The hoods are turned slightly inward, hands rest on the hoods, forearms on the specially 'molded' area of the tops, elbows bent at almost 90 degrees. In addition, we achieve enough control for technical descents with the slight flare of the drops. To ensure the STIs are easy to reach on descents, we have reduced the distance to the brake levers while still providing enough clearance for the forearms in a full sprint." In collaboration with bike fitter and podcaster Bastian Marks, the Rose Product Management developed a speed-oriented cockpit that is an indispensable part of the Backroad FF.

The GC50 wheels were specially developed for the Backroad FF and tested in a virtual wind tunnel. While the rear wheel is trimmed for lightweight construction, the wider front wheel profile noticeably improves aerodynamics. "Gravel races are getting faster and faster, which is why aerodynamics are playing an increasingly important role. The front wheel, like the fork, cockpit, and head tube, is exposed to the wind and is therefore significantly more crucial for the bike's aerodynamics than the rear wheel. That's why the focus of the front wheel is on aerodynamics, which is primarily achieved by the 40 mm wide rim that transitions perfectly into the 40 mm tire. For the rear wheel, we focused on weight, as the air here is already highly turbulent due to the rider and the front of the bike," says Product Manager Jonas Tenbrock. "In addition, we developed new aero hubs in collaboration with Newmen. These have a significantly slimmer hub body and are therefore more aerodynamic. They are lightweight without sacrificing stiffness. Furthermore, special smooth-running bearings and seals are installed, which increase the efficiency of the overall concept. Combined with robust Sapim CX-Sprint Aero spokes, this results in a maximally potent gravel race wheelset—the Rose GC50."

With the Backroad FF, riders can experience everything that makes gravel racing what it is—without compromise. For this purpose, the Backroad FF comes with a chain guide that will never let riders down in a race. No matter what forces act on the bike: the chain stays where it belongs. "Gravel races are very diverse and require a wide variety of gear ratios. Topographically and technically demanding courses call for small chainrings, and flatter courses call for large chainrings," explains Jonas Tenbrock, Product Manager. "That's why we decided to offer chain guides from 40 to 52T." This was specially developed for the Backroad FF in cooperation with the well-known US manufacturer Wolftooth. 

• Gravel Race One-Piece Cockpit – built for speed
• Plenty of tyre clearance – up to 45 mm tyre width
• Integrated power meter – QUARQ measures your performance
• Well thought-out bag concept – magnetic, practical, beautiful
• Wolftooth Chainguide – keeps the chain where it belongs

The Backroad FF Rival XPLR AXS is equipped with the Rival XPLR AXS 1x13 groupset, Rose G30 Light wheels and Schwalbe G One R tyres as well as the Selle Italia Model X EVO saddle in combination with the Rose Aero D-Shape seat post. 

The Backroad FF GRX RX825 Di2 is equipped with the new Shimano GRX RX825 Di2 groupset, Rose GC50 wheels and Schwalbe G One RS tyres as well as the Selle Italia Flite Boost saddle in combination with the Rose Aero D-Shape seat post.

The Backroad FF GRX/XT Di2 is equipped with the new Shimano GRX Di2 groupset in combination with the Shimano Deore XT rear derailleur, Rose GC50 wheels, and Maxxis Reaver tires, as well as the Fizik Vento Argo R5 saddle in combination with the Rose Aero D-Shape seatpost.

The Backroad FF Force XPLR AXS is equipped with the Force XPLR AXS 1x13 groupset, Rose GC50 wheels, and Schwalbe G One RS Pro tires, as well as the Selle Italia Flite Boost Carbon saddle in combination with the Rose Aero D-Shape seatpost.

The Backroad FF Red XPLR AXS is additionally equipped with the Red XPLR AXS 1x13 groupset, Rose G50 wheels, and Schwalbe G One RS tires, as well as the Selle Italia Flite Boost Carbon saddle in combination with the Rose Aero D-Shape seatpost.

Please note that the exact specifications of the Backroad FF models, including the available groupsets and colors, may vary by country.

Rose Bikes is a customer-centred bike brand from Bocholt (NRW) with a mission to provide people with unique bike adventures. The focus of the family business is on their own high-quality mobility- and performance-oriented bike products, that are developed and assembled at their headquarters and distributed throughout Europe. This awardwinning company is a trendsetter in multichannel commerce and connects both online and offline touchpoints in terms of curation, guidance, and service. The wide range of products and services can be experienced online and in-person at Rose stores in Germany, from Bocholt to Cologne and Berlin to Munich, as well as in Switzerland at Lake Zurich and in numerous cooperation shops. For inspections and repairs, Rose Bikes has one of the broadest networks of over 270 partner workshops.  

 

Company contact Rose Bikes: 

Vincent Nast 
Communications Manager 
Email: vincent.nast@rosebikes.com