Gaby, le Victoire de Matthieu
Gaby is the Victoire that is dedicated to long distance rides possessed by our ambassador Matthieu Lifschitz, the man behind Manivelle and the artistic direction of 200 magazine. Gaby is also the evolution of Woody, prototype that has been showcased at the Concours de Machines 2017 and used by Matthieu on his two first TCR races.
Woody was born almost by accident, halfway between respecting the rules of the Competition and the desire to carry out our brand project of frames in standard sizes (which has since become Distance, our second brand of steel bikes in standard sizes. made in France). Despite this complex gestation, Woody had shown himself quite capable of riding long and far. After two years of intense service, Matthieu decided to give Woody a pre-retirement by transforming him into a mountain bivouac bike.
We then started from scratch, with the main objective of adding sportiness and liveliness to a formula that had proven its effectiveness.
The position was kept as it was, as it had already been validated by some 20,000 km previously covered. In order to save weight, it was decided to adopt a carbon fork. Curve was in 2019 one of the few brands to offer a fork with dimensions close to a road / gravel fork with eyelets. After a few thousand kilometers, it has perfectly proven its reliability.
All tubes come from Italy and are supplied by Columbus, with a front triangle in Columbus Life and a rear triangle in Columbus Zona. This choice brings a good balance between resistance and lightness. Small subtlety, the top tube adopts a flat octagonal profile, so as to ensure a stable support for the saddlebags attached above and below.
The bottom bracket is T47 standard. Usually used on our sportiest bikes, we wanted to test its interest on an endurance bike. The chainstays and shrouds allow the assembly of very large sections, up to 700c * 45mm, offering versatility to Crank depending on the tests and tracks on which it aligns.
The group chosen is the Sram Force 1: Matthieu having largely tested the American manufacturer during the two previous Transcontinentals, he decided to keep the same benchmarks while switching to single chainring, for easier adjustment and increased maintenance.
Light, an extremely important safety element (especially in long distance races where Matthew is frequently required to ride at night), is entrusted to Sinewave for the front and to SON for the rear. After a lot of testing, we decided to fix the light high up and prominently, just between the tire and the saddlebag. Screwed directly onto supports brazed to the frame, it is both perfectly visible and protected from shocks. The wire is also integrated inside the tubes to protect it.
The running gear is 100% European, with a SON (Germany) dynamo hub at the front, a rear hub and Mavic circles (French brand located in Annecy ), and finally Sapim CX-ray spokes (Belgian brand). Shown in the workshop, they bring dynamism and flawless reliability to the bike.
Luggage storage is inseparable from an endurance bike. It should allow you to carry everything you need for sleeping, eating and repairing your bike while remaining relatively minimalist. We once again called on Rodolphe from Helmut Equipement for the design and production of light, ultra-resistant, waterproof, modular and perfectly integrated elements into the bike. The frame bag, usually attached by means of scratchs, is here screwed directly to the frame in the brazed stainless steel inserts. In addition to protecting the paint from abrasions, the integration is complete. The rest of the luggage is derived from the Helmut range. Rodolphe constantly evolves it following the feedback from Matthieu, so as to offer an ever more successful and efficient ensemble.
With the frame supporting two saddlebags and the seat post another, only two small racks attached to the fork are used for the rest, allowing a significant weight gain. Going from Woody to Gaby, three kilos were gained. Gaby weighs as well, fully equipped without saddlebags, 9.1kg. The luggage set adds barely a kilogram, so Matthieu can benefit from a fully equipped long-distance bike for the weight of a light gravel bike.
The weight gain, but also the reliability guided many choices. All peripherals come from the American supplier Thomson. Indestructible, they are also very light. Matthieu particularly fond of the khaki color (Woody was already painted in this color), we selected the “jungle” limited series to echo the color of the frame and the saddlebags. Once is not customary, the saddle clamp is added in aluminum.
Voici le retour de Matthieu suite à une année d'utilisation :
« Vélo de randonnée sportive »
All road / Bikepacking / Endurance
Gaby, diminutif de Galibier.
« Born in July, my machine found its name a few weeks later, on August 07, 2019, at around 11:30 p.m. at the top of the Col du Galibier, after roughly 3000 km of racing across Europe and as many mountains felt. I was on my way to Transcontinental Race # 7 checkpoint 4, which I reached on time a few hours later. The stage is set, Gaby was there totally in her element.
Gaby was young therefore, but we were already inseparable after 8000 km of adventures. With the whole workshop, we exchanged and implemented specifications that correspond to my specific cycling practice: sport hiking. This can take several forms: endurance races across Europe or mountain chains, BRM Audax (Brevets de Randonneurs Mondiaux), challenges based on endurance or navigation such as the Chilkoot series, Born to Ride as well as that all training adapted ... The bike must also be able to adapt to all types of long-distance travel, taking its time, and be able to carry a whole lot of equipment for a 5-star wilderness camping.
In the majority of these events, the “all road” dimension takes on its full meaning. »
The result blew me away. Handy, stable, secure: it is validated. Autonomous in electricity: imperative. Modular: there is only one step between light bikepacking and touring, which he can take without batting an eyelid. Dithyrambic ? Yes, he deserves it. In the majority of these events, the “all road” dimension takes on its full meaning.
The road is my favorite terrain, but on these challenges it is really not uncommon to find more or less engaged gravel sectors, or sections of road far from the standard "billiards". Moreover, the further east we go, the more the line between road and gravel is sometimes difficult to define, even on an "important" axis: Georgie, my dear, this one is for you. Sometimes off-piste is also a must. Comfortable is the base. Dynamic, it was not an option. Gaby represents in my opinion the right balance, singular, rare and delicate, to be found for an adventure bike which must know how to be fast, playful and lively like a road bike, while benefiting from the all-terrain skills of a more gravel-oriented bike, or comfortable and modular like a travel bike.
Beyond the tailor-made geometry adapted and carefully chosen components, the multitude of inserts allow me to go from from a lightweight bikepacking set (even including some items without straps) to touring oriented configurations, to compatibility with standardized luggage racks and mudguards. Now the best thing I can do to honor the fantastic job done is is to take him as far as I can, because he, for sure, he can.
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