Foundry Overland – first look

Disc-equipped titanium rig for gravel and cyclocross racing

The Overland is Foundry's first titanium model and may signal a shift away from carbon and towards materials more inline with the company's name

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Josh Patterson

Published: February 20, 2015 at 9:21 pm
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If you ever thought “Foundry” was a strange name for a company that produces carbon frames it appears you were not alone. The Minneapolis, Minnesota-based company recently released its latest model, the Overland, a disc-equipped titanium bike with geometry suitable for cyclocross and enough tyre clearance for gravel racing.

The Overland was designed to excel between the tape of a cyclocross course and to handle the rigors of gravel road racing. The Overland’s geometry trends toward the North American preference for low bottom brackets and slacker head tubes, with 68mm of BB drop across all five frame sizes and head tube angles that range from 71 degrees on the XS frame to 72.5 degrees on the XL.

On paper, the overland's geometry is more in-line with cyclocross geometry than with many of its gravel-inspired peers. however, unlike many 'cross rigs, the overland can clear 41mm-wide tires: on paper, the overland's geometry is more in-line with cyclocross geometry than with many of its gravel-inspired peers. however, unlike many 'cross rigs, the overland can clear 41mm-wide tires

Unlike many gravel road bikes on the market, Foundry opted to stick with short, 425mm chainstays to keep the Overland nimble. According to Foundry, the Overland has clearance for tyres up to 41mm wide, making it compatible with popular gravel treads such as Clement's 700x40mm X’Plor MSO as well as WTB's new 40mm-wide Nano Raptor.

Related: Defining the gravel race bike

The Ti frame features top-tube routing, which necessitates the use of a pulley mounted to the seat tube to operate nearly all road front derailleurs. (Shimano does make an Ultegra-level CX70 top-pull front derailleur.) The Overland is also compatible with internally-routed electronic drivetrains.

The frame has post-mounts for the rear disc brake mounted to the seatstay and uses a 142x12mm thru-axle rear end. Upfront, the Overland comes with a full carbon Whisky No. 9 fork with 100x15mm thru-axle. While traditionalist may scoff at its disc brakes, they can surely appreciate the fact that Foundry opted to stick with a tried and true threaded bottom bracket shell.

The overland will be available with a sram force 22 build: the overland will be available with a sram force 22 build

Foundry will offer the Overland as a frameset for US$2,495 and as a complete bike with a SRAM Force 22 drivetrain, Zipp Service Course cockpit and DT R24 wheelset for US$4,694. (UK and Australian pricing and availability has yet to be announced.)

For more information visit http://foundrycycles.com/.

Josh Patterson

Contributor

Josh Patterson is a BikeRadar contributor and former technical editor. He has spent most of his career working in the cycling industry as an athlete, mechanic and journalist. He holds a master's degree in journalism and has more than 20 years of experience as a cyclist and 12 years of experience riding and writing for BikeRadar, Cyclingnews, Cycling Weekly, Dirt Rag, RoadBikeReview and Outside Magazine. A native of the Flint Hills of Kansas, Josh was a pioneer in the gravel cycling movement, having raced the first Unbound 200 and many other gravel events around the globe. He considers himself a cycling generalist and enjoys road, gravel and mountain biking in equal measure. When not traveling for work, he can be found exploring the singletrack and lonely gravel roads that surround his home in Fort Collins, Colorado. In addition to his love of cycling, Josh is an enthusiastic supporter of brunch, voting rights and the right to repair movement.
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