Horse builds a handful of production lines and also works with customers on made-to-order projects. Perego’s do-it-all frame is the former, an Urban Assault Cyclocross frame, with stock sizing and Horse Brand’s SRAM Rival build kit.
We took a closer look at Perego’s bike after the Barry-Roubaix gravel race.
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Nikola Perego’s Horse Gravel Bike, 2019 Barry-Roubaix. © B. Grant / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]
The Urban Assault is a stock sized cantilever frame made of True Temper OX Platinum tubing, with Paragon Machine Works hardware and a paint-matched ENVE fork rounding out the Made in America package.
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Horse Brand builds its frames in Brooklyn, NY. Nikola Perego’s Horse Gravel Bike, 2019 Barry-Roubaix. © B. Grant / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]
In the time since Perego’s frame was built, however, True Temper has ceased the production of bicycle tubing. To fill the void, Callahan has substituted a mix of Columbus and Veri-Wall pipes on current production frames.
The Urban Assault includes a paint matched ENVE cantilever fork with a straight 1 ⅛” steerer tube, which turns in an FSA external cup headset.
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Perego’s bike featured a Deda alloy handlebar. Nikola Perego’s Horse Gravel Bike, 2019 Barry-Roubaix. © B. Grant / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]
The build features SRAM Rival 10-speed components and cantilever brakes from Avid. To suit Perego’s do-it-all request, the solid forged Rival crankset features 50/34t chain rings to provide a road appropriate gear spread. SRAM Rival derailleurs were present front and rear, with a braze-on front derailleur mounted with help of an adapter.
Curiously, the rear derailleur was a short cage, which limits the use of wider cassettes, meaning Perego ran an 11-28t.
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Perego wanted a bike to do it all, and SRAM 50/34 chainrings provide an effective gear on both road and gravel. Nikola Perego’s Horse Gravel Bike, 2019 Barry-Roubaix. © B. Grant / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]
Further adding utility are Shimano T421 Click’r pedals, which combine a platform pedal with a light action SPD mechanism.
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Shimano Click’r pedals provide the utility of a platform pedal as well as the option to clip in. Nikola Perego’s Horse Gravel Bike, 2019 Barry-Roubaix. © B. Grant / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]
Perego’s bike rolled through Barry County on 32-spoke Alex Rims wheels with Panaracer GravelKing 32mm tires, which Perego said worked well in Michigan’s dusty conditions.
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The Urban Assault had room to go bigger in the event a 32mm Panaracer GravelKing is not enough. Nikola Perego’s Horse Gravel Bike, 2019 Barry-Roubaix. © B. Grant / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]
Stopping was a rim brake affair, with Avid Shorty 4 cantilever brakes front and rear.
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Perego kept it in the SRAM family, opting for Avid Shorty 4 cantilever brakes. Nikola Perego’s Horse Gravel Bike, 2019 Barry-Roubaix. © B. Grant / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]
The cockpit components were a mixed bag, with a Deda Zero1 RHM handlebar wrapped with black cork tape mounted on a Dimension alloy stem. Perego’s black Brooks B 17 saddle was mounted to an Easton alloy seatpost. To cover hydration, Perego brought two bottles in mismatched cages, with a Bontrager RL cage on the seat tube and an alloy wire cage on the down tube.
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Perego chose a Brooks B 17 leather saddle for his build. Nikola Perego’s Horse Gravel Bike, 2019 Barry-Roubaix. © B. Grant / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]
For more on Perego’s Horse bike, see the photo gallery and specs below.
Photo Gallery: Nikola Perego’s Horse Urban Assault Gravel Bike
Nikola Perego’s Horse Gravel Bike, 2019 Barry-Roubaix. © B. Grant / Cyclocross Magazine
The post Gravel Bike: Giddy Up! for Nikola Perego’s Barry-Roubaix Horse Urban Assault CX Bike appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross and Gravel News, Races, Bikes, Media.
