Rose Backroad: The bestselling gravel bike on test
TOUR
· 17.06.2022
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Secretly, 1.5 years ago on the Rose website the new version of the Backroad gravel bike. A product launch without a press release is unusual, especially for a bike whose predecessor was the best-selling model in Germany in recent years for the Bocholt-based bike mail order company.
What can you say about the new edition of the best-selling Rose? The new frame shape, which takes up the design language of the recently introduced Reveal marathon road bike, is obvious. The internally routed cables, which run from the handlebars into a cap on the head tube as on the Reveal, are also an upgrade in the Comparison with the 2019 model.
Nine different equipment variants of the Rose Backroad with carbon frame will be available in 2022, plus three "Limited" versions with a special paint finish. "Midnight Laser Grey" is the colour of the two Backroad Limited versions, which cost at least 4500 euros (see also table below). The number of units is limited, Rose announced - without specifying a concrete quantity. The Rose Backroad is also available with Classified gearing. At € 4999, the Classified model with 2x11 gears is the most expensive in the Backroad portfolio. You can read the detailed test of the Rose Backroad GRX RX810 Di2 with all the important TOUR lab data and detailed insights below.
The equipment of the six Rose Backroad variants
The remaining six Backroad variants are each available in two colours: a matt green called "Evil Pepper Green" and the baby blue "Blue Haze". Seven frame sizes (47 to 62 cm) are available. The frame geometry of the Backroad is the same as the previous model. According to Rose, the frame weighs 1020 grams in size 50. For comparison: the frame of last year's model weighed 1040 grams in size 51, as we measured in the TOUR test lab.
When it comes to tyres, Rose relies on WTB Raddler and Continental Terra Speed tyres for the most affordable backroad equipment, while the "AXS Mullet Build" and "Force eTap AXS XPLR 1X12" variants as well as a Limited Edition gravel bike roll on 40 millimetre wide Venture Road TCS tyres from WTB. As with its predecessor, the carbon fork allows for tyres up to 42 millimetres wide. The regular models are equipped with Ritchey WCS Butano handlebars, while the Limited Backroads are adorned with the visually striking WCS Carbon Venturemax Gravel handlebars, also from Ritchey.
The wheels are made by Rose themselves: The Limited Edition of the Rose Backroad is fitted with the GC Forty Disc carbon wheelset, while the other six gravel bike models are equipped with the more affordable R-THIRTY Disc wheels or its weight-reduced version, the R-THIRTY Disc Light.
Rose Backroad as a touring bike?
The Rose gravel bike should also be suitable for bikepacking tours: A total of three bottle cages can be attached to the frame. There is also a holder on the bottom bracket that can be used for a mini toolbox, and there are attachment points for a bag on the top tube. There are also two mounts for additional luggage on the backroad fork.
All variants of the Rose Backroad 2022
The limited edition of the Backroad
Test Rose Backroad GRX RX810 Di2
The success of the Backroad was delayed, but all the more intense. The bike was launched in 2016 as the Xeon CDX Cross. There was no talk of a gravel bike back then. For the 2018 model update, the bike was given a new name, a wider fork and two attractive colours - and sales took off. Not least because the bike has been known as a gravel bike ever since. In addition to the attractive price, the successful design of the Rose Backroad is likely to have been the main reason for its success - a modern bike with a classic look.
The carbon frame of the new Rose Backroad is clearly more orientated towards the latest frame construction trends. The seat stays meet the seat tube a little further down, as can often be seen at the moment. There is an easy-to-understand reason for this design on the Backroad: the seat tube is open at the rear above the seat stays. The form-fit to the frame is created by a sleeve without a load-bearing function. This trick allows the effective extension of the flattened carbon seatpost at the rear to be extended by a full 60 millimetres. The result: more suspension comfort. Another exclusive feature is hidden under the stem. The cables for the brakes and gears run through the headset cap into the frame. This looks clean, but the cap also marks the lowest mounting position for the stem. This means that the Backroad is relatively far removed from the riding position you would expect from a road racing bike. However, if you want to use the bike a lot on unpaved roads and long tours, the relatively upright riding position should suit you.
Similar to the recently presented BMC Urs and the new Specialised Diverge the Backroad follows the trend towards trail geometry, which is increasingly establishing itself as the new standard for gravel bikes. The top tube is longer than on comparably sized road bikes, while the stem is shorter. While the seat length does not change, the straight-line stability improves and the steering becomes more direct due to the short stem. The longer wheelbase also reduces the risk of hitting the front wheel with your feet when steering.
On gravel tracks, robust protectors protect the down tube and chainstay from stone chips and chain jamming. A large 180-millimetre brake disc can be retrofitted to the fork, which can be useful for rides with a lot of luggage. The cable of a hub dynamo can be routed invisibly through the fork. A retrofittable bridge for the rear triangle allows a pannier rack and mudguards to be fitted.
Backroad Carbon frame weight: 1103 grams in size 57
Mounting options for up to five bottle cages and bikepacking bags make the Backroad fit for big bike adventures. The 28-inch aluminium rims can accommodate tyres up to 45 millimetres wide, while 50-millimetre tyres can also be fitted to the smaller 650B wheels. In size 57, the frame weighs 1103 grams and is absolutely torsion-resistant. All in all, a good basis for building on the success of its predecessor.
However, there is one catch. One of Rose's strengths to date has been the ability to customise bikes. With the new Backroad, however, the Bocholt-based company is deviating from this - at least for the time being. The gravel bike is available in eight variants, six of which only have one chainring. Only two expensive versions are available with the eTap AXS wireless shifting system with 2 x 12 gears from SRAM. When asked about this, Jürgen Telahr, the developer responsible for the Backroad, explains that the initial aim was to satisfy the expected high demand for the model launch. This could not be achieved with the complex modular system. However, Telahr hinted that the Backroad would probably be customisable from July and would then also be available with two chainrings. The regained freedom of choice would also be desirable with regard to the tyres. The Venture tyres from WTB arouse sympathy on the first few metres, as their rubber compound absorbs vibrations extremely well. In the TOUR test, however, the Venture tyres turned out to be the Gravel bike tyres with by far the highest rolling resistance. We would also change the expensive, electric Di2 drivetrain with eleven gears. Handling and shifting precision are fabulously good, but the one chainring with 40 teeth and the cassette with 11 to 42 teeth quickly push you to the limit of what your legs can pedal downhill. We also missed a 16-tooth sprocket, which would close the large gap between the 15-tooth and 17-tooth sprockets. This means that the bike will probably continue its backroad success story.
Rose Backroad GRX RX 810 Di2 - technical data & measured values
- Price 3499 Euro >> available here
- Weight of complete wheel 8.6 kilos
- Weight frame/fork/steering bearing* 1103/451/91 grammes
- Frame sizes** 47, 50, 53, 55, 57, 59, 62 cm
- Seat/top tube/head tube 525/570/175 mm
- Wheelbase/caster 1040/66 mm
- Stack/Reach/STR*** 612/386 mm/1.59
Equipment
- Drive/gearshift/brakes Shimano GRX 810 Di2
- Wheels/tyres (weights) Rose R Thirty Light/WTB Venture 40 mm TCS (front/rear 1546/2129 grams)
*Weighed weights.
**Manufacturer's specification, test size in bold.
***Stack/reach projected vertical/horizontal measurement from centre of bottom bracket to top of head tube; STR (Stack to Reach) 1.36 means a very stretched, 1.60 an upright sitting position.
