An exciting ride was recently finished at FC Black Head Quarters. Feast your eyes on Claude's new custom Orbea Terra Race, one of the fastest and best looking gravel bikes on the market. We were lucky enough to get the rundown on this bike straight from Claude himself, so without further ado...

Claude's Rundown:

"I’ve had an aluminum Norco Search since 2021, and that bike is what really got me into gravel riding. I love gravel because it feels like the best of everything. You can ride on the road, spot a random trail, and just decide to check it out. Every ride feels like a small adventure, and that’s what made me start biking in the first place.

I ended up choosing the Orbea Terra Race because I ride a lot of road with some gravel here and there. I wanted something with a more aggressive geometry, and I didn’t need bag or rack mounts since I already have an ATB for that stuff. There aren’t a lot of bikes that match what I was looking for, but after researching a bit, Orbea stood out. The reviews, the warranty, the price, and especially the feedback on their customer service were all super positive. Plus, they let you customize the paint and decals, and honestly, that alone got me hooked.

Before buying it, I booked a bike fit with Marco at Full Cycle to make sure the geometry would work for me. The fit was such a cool experience because it basically let me “try” the bike before even ordering it.

When the bike finally came in, it looked even better than I expected. Full Cycle had me come back so they could adjust and mold the saddle, which made a huge difference. The bike came really well equipped with the new 13‑speed Force groupset, but I still made a couple of changes. For tires, I wanted something wider with low rolling resistance, so I went with the Schwalbe G‑One RS in 45 mm. For the seat, I kept seeing people talk about Reform saddles, so I decided to try one. I was pretty curious, and so far it’s been awesome. It completely got rid of the pressure points I used to have.

Now I’m just counting down to spring so I can get out and ride it for real."

If you feel inspired by Claude's build, and want to create something special and unique to you, then reach out and we'll make those dreams come true.

The FC Black Team <3