This year’s Unbound Gravel was upended by the announcement from Scott on Tuesday that two of its athletes, including last year’s 200-mile winner Cam Jones, will ride the race on a prototype 32-inch gravel bike. The company has not disclosed any details about the frame specifics, but we were able to speak with Cam Jones about the bike and why he made the switch to the prototype this year.
While the 32-inch bike stole the headlines, there are plenty of more conventional pro bikes with unique setups, refined configurations, and bespoke solutions to problems like lubrication, a key aspect of a race as gritty as Unbound.
We have been doing scores of bike checks from around Emporia the week leading to the race, and here are a few of the bikes we included in the video and a few others that caught our eye.
Cam Jones, Scott Gravel Prototype
The type of bike that never fails to start an internet fight, 32-inch gravel bike. (Photo: Logan Jones-Wilkins/Velo)Small head tubes for big tires. This was made simpler with Cam Jones and Robin Gemperle riding the same 56cm size. (Photo: Logan Jones-Wilkins/Velo)The key juncture of these large wheel bike are finding ways to fit the bottom bracket in while retaining a steep effective seat tube angle. (Photo: Logan Jones-Wilkins/Velo)(Photo: Logan Jones-Wilkins/Velo)The Shimano XTR mullet is still the same as Jones’ 29-er gravel bike. (Photo: Logan Jones-Wilkins/Velo)With the larger wheels, normally people must use smaller cranks. Jones has a 48t on at the moment, but he is considering going bigger since he feels the overall system is faster. (Photo: Logan Jones-Wilkins/Velo)Prototype wheels from I9. (Photo: Logan Jones-Wilkins/Velo)And tires from Schwalbe. The GX will be popular among the 29-inch crowd, except if it is muddy. (Photo: Logan Jones-Wilkins/Velo)(Photo: Logan Jones-Wilkins/Velo)(Photo: Logan Jones-Wilkins/Velo)(Photo: Logan Jones-Wilkins/Velo)
Andrew L’Esperance, 3T
Andre L’Esperance is riding the 3T Extrema Italia at Unbound this year. (Photo: Logan Jones-Wilkins/Velo)L’Esperance is riding 3T this year which means it is all about the large clearance Extrema Italia for Unbound this year. (Photo: Logan Jones-Wilkins/Velo)The Canadian is known as Lespy by most. (Photo: Logan Jones-Wilkins/Velo)Normally, Lespy would be a big tire rider, pushing all the way to 2.25 Aspen ST’s at a race like Unbound. Yet, with the potential for mud, it is back to narrower rubber for many of the experienced pros. (Photo: Logan Jones-Wilkins/Velo)(Photo: Logan Jones-Wilkins/Velo)All looks normal here, but when you start zooming in, you see something interesting. (Photo: Logan Jones-Wilkins/Velo)Same on the front. Everything looks conventional, except one small button (Photo: Logan Jones-Wilkins/Velo)(Photo: Logan Jones-Wilkins/Velo)The secret is found in the Faction Bike Studio chain catcher. There, Lespy has hidden an internal lubrication system connected to the button on the handlebars. (Photo: Logan Jones-Wilkins/Velo)This will keep things smooth throughout the race, applying wax-based lube to a pre-waxed chain. (Photo: Logan Jones-Wilkins/Velo)
Karo Migon, Rose Backroad
Karolina Migon is once again riding the Rose Backroad gravel frame. Rose is illusive for the US audience since the bikes are not available in North America, but are growing in popularity in Europe. Rose has won the last two women’s races at Unbound, with Migon winning last year and Rosa Kloser in 2024. (Photo: Logan Jones-Wilkins/Velo)The bike is largely the same as last year, except that Migon has a new cockpit that looks quite impressive. (Photo: Logan Jones-Wilkins/Velo)(Photo: Logan Jones-Wilkins/Velo)(Photo: Logan Jones-Wilkins/Velo)Unlike most of the women on SRAM, Migon has opted for the conventional Red XPLR (Photo: Logan Jones-Wilkins/Velo)With the Backroad, clearance is tight! (Photo: Logan Jones-Wilkins/Velo)
Alexey Vermeulen, Enve MOG
Alexey Vermeulen has been on the MOG since 2022. While the frame is the same every year, the paint is changing all the time. (Photo: Logan Jones-Wilkins/Velo)This year, it is all about Willie. Who is Willie? (Photo: Logan Jones-Wilkins/Velo)This is Willie. (Photo: Logan Jones-Wilkins/Velo)(Photo: Logan Jones-Wilkins/Velo)(Photo: Logan Jones-Wilkins/Velo)Vermeulen is riding the brand new Enve GES 6.7 wheels. (Photo: Logan Jones-Wilkins/Velo)With relatively narrow 45mm tires for maximum aero gains. The tire does have a 60 TPI casing for better strength, but it is still a risk. (Photo: Logan Jones-Wilkins/Velo)Vermeulen is also running 1x for the first time at the race, with the new XTR Di2 mech powering his shifting this week. (Photo: Logan Jones-Wilkins/Velo)
