I have ridden 420mm flared gravel bars but tbh i was more in aw of the comfort of the grx hoods…

but Yea i think the reality is setting in that im probably gonna need both a fully XC and a gravel bike … was hoping i could combine the two but here we are

n+1 afterall

Have I got 2 resources for you.

This is my contribution to this topic, but the post near the start from user Upcountry was what inspired my build. https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/drop-bar-mtb-geo/87495/167?u=kactusdog


And then, read the essays on this written by Torsten Frank. See here: https://torstenfrank.wordpress.com/2023/03/26/dropbar-mtb-teil-1-warum-gravel-immer-mehr-zu-mtb-offroad-wird-und-welches-rad-ich-mir-dafur-gebaut-habe/

Let me know what you think!

Here’s my build in progress. Size medium spcycle Epic clone running XPLR mechanical from my previous gravel bike, dub wide cranks with an AXS road 8 bolt 40t chainring (8mm offset). Flared bars, 40cm on the tops, 48mm in the drops.

165x42.5mm will not fit without the 120mm linkage, which the Vitus never used.  I was able to make rocker to seat tube contact without much effort.

On a size M this was not the case at all for me. I rode it rough and it never saw contact. Even with a Low suspension tune on a RS Deluxe.

Wing has confirmed that the 696 is produced with the UDH.

maybe someone is ready to write a new long-term review?

suspicious silence about the operating experience of this frame

We’re too busy riding em!!! Will catch up on this thread soon and share some my experience, been great so far.

Yes, I had to add a spacer ring of about 2.5 millimeters under the upper bearing cap.

A visit to a local bike shop and a buck later, I got exact what I needed, thanks! I was worried I need a more proprietary headset.

The build is finally complete   This was my worst performance when it came to barb and olive installation, I screwed up 2 times, equaling about 15mm of lost hose length on an already short hose. but the ICR plastic insert puts enough pressure to allow me to cinch some shift cable into the frame for an equal length to the hose… this is the crap I obsess over.

The final ride fits me great. Size L for a 183cm, 170 lbs man. 50mm oneup stem.

I used a 150mm OneUp dropper with an OG Wolftooth lever.
SLX 7100 brakes modded for bite point adjust
XX1 shift set
SROAD rainbow 10-50 cassette
YBN waxed 12spd chain
Generic Eagle crankset
XT 8100 pedals
780 OneUp bars with Ergon GA3 grips
Fox float DPS 45mm rear shock
SID Select+ 120 fork
Fake Roval Traverse SL wheelset (LB rims on the new 350s)
Aliexpress rainbow centerline rotors
SRAM housing for the dropper and shifter.

I think that’s it… for any future builders of this frame, feel free to hit me up with any questions, I can answer pretty much anything about this AWST frame.

AliExpress - AWST Cycling Tactics Store
https://sl.aliexpress.ru/p?key=W5luZoW

Did you also get useless shock hardware? I don’t get it. He won’t listen to me telling him that his hardware isn’t working with more shocks out there.

Finally built it up. 20.84lbs as shown. 250psi weight 195lbs

Awesome! What’s your shock hardware situation like?

You can buy original Rockshox bushings from bike24:

https://www.bike24.com/p2497120.html

Not shippable to the United States, sadly.