Time for a 1,000+ mile re-review of the Framed Basswood

I’ve put well over 1,000 miles on my Framed Basswood since picking it up in late December 2019. I was lucky to get out for a few rides right away, but then it sat in my basement waiting for winter to end. I think it even got a little lonely, fortunately it had my Epic to keep it company; they are best friends now.

Anyway lets dive in:

Why the re-review: It is not too hard to go online and find reviews of just about any bike. You know, the kind of thing where a person takes a bike out on their favorite trails for a day or maybe a weekend and tells you their initial impressions. I’ve seen too many people absolutely love a bike for the first week, or maybe even month; then they start to notice those small things. Then those small things add up to big things and they now have a bike they are really not happy with, or worse, end up selling it for half what they paid for it 3 months and 300 miles ago. This is my chance to look back at my initial impressions and see if they still hold true, or see if the honeymoon is over.

What were your initial impressions? You can read the whole thing HERE, but let’s just say I was impressed. I made a few small changes right away; different saddle, I got rid of the tubes and took advantage of the tubeless ready wheels and tires and threw on some snazzy green ESI Bar tape. All things I would recommend for any bike. And as I said in my first review, the things that turned a good bike into a great bike.

What kind of riding have you done in the 1,000+ miles? You name it I’ve probably ridden it. Of course I’ve done long flat gravel miles that seems to stretch on further than I could want to go. I’ve climbed hills so steep my mountain bike would have been struggling. I’ve cruised at speed on pavement and threw it around on single track just for a little extra fun. Mud, sand, ice, snow; I’m sure I’ve missing something, but I’ve put this bike through more conditions than most people will care to. Not to mention everything from 1 hour easy fun rides to the Barry Roubaix 100 mile Psycho Killer course, to a 300 mile weekend touring the fire roads of North-West Michigan (you can read about that HERE). The only thing I have not done with it so far is bike-packing. It has all sorts of fender and bag mounts I’ve yet to use.

So just about everything, how did the bike handle them?

Gravel: This is what this bike is made for, it eats up miles and begs for more. It is happy to cruise along and take in the sites or when things get a bit more interesting it buckles down and begs you to push it harder and faster. It’s super stable and the geometry helps keep you comfortable all day while still being agile enough to dodge or bunny hop potholes.

Pavement: It’s not quite road bike fast, but that is down to the tires. If you wanted this to be your only bike you could mount a set of slick tires on and join the local group ride. The only consideration is the gearing may not be tall enough if you plan to go for a sprint finish.

Singletrack: This will come down to your bike handling ability more than anything. On smooth, fast trails the Basswood wasn’t bothered. It cornered well and never felt nervous or fidgety. When the trail got tight, I did have to be a little more careful with my pedal position as I do have a little toe overlap. This could be problematic if you are not paying attention. Roots and rocks; blah, you feel them, but maybe I’m just getting soft and used to my full squish mountain bike. It’s not made for these but in a pinch it will do it. If you are planning something really rough, stick with the mountain bike. If you are planning a day of mostly gravel roads with some single track mixed in, it is up to the task.

Mud and Sand: These are more a dependent on tire choice. The stock 700x40 Maxxis Ramblers are good tires and for most people I would say keep them on until they are worn out. I did switch them out for a set of 700x45 Kenda Alluviums. With these on it is a sand eating monster, maybe not fat bike good, but if there is enough sand to need a fat bike do you really want to be riding on it anyway? Mud, I try to avoid the stuff if I can help it. I did take it on one particularly messy ride and it slid around a little and did eat through a set of brake pads but I made it to my destination without falling or anything worse.

We get it, they bike is living up to the hype, now time for a gripe: No bike is perfect, so here goes: The only real concern I have/had is with braking power. The 140mm TRP Spyres just did not have the bite I wanted. On flat or rolling roads they were fine, and probably for most people they will be adequate, but when I got into some bigger, more gnarly descents I didn’t have the confidence I needed to just bomb them. Some good news though, the TRP brake mount is the same mount used with a 160mm rotor. Simply take the mount off and turn it around, put on a 160mm rotor and stopping power is greatly increased. It’s still not as strong as a good set of hydro’s but I experienced a lot less clenching of a certain body part after the swap and was much more willing to go fast even when the surface got sketchy.

Anything else you would change? I still think the reach is a little long for a 54cm size, this was fixed with a shorter stem and changing the 20mm offset seat post to an 8mm offset. This is more personal preference than anything. And if I am really going to be picky maybe a loud, obnoxious paint job would be cool. The green on black looks good and the finish is outstanding, but sometimes I want my bike to stand out, there are a lot of black bikes out there.

Enough nit-picking what is something cool you didn’t expect? The tire clearance is massive. I put on a set of 700x45s and have a ton of room left. I have no doubt some 700x50s would fit if you could find them and were so included to want something that large. Or if your plan was to go a little more crazy you could put something ridiculous wide with a 650b wheel.

Give us a full list of what you’ve changed:

Tires – Swapped the 700x40 Maxxis Ramblers for 700x45 Kenda Alluvium Pro’s; set up tubeless

Stem- went from a 100mm to an 80mm

Handlebars-It came with a set of flared aluminum bars on it and a set of regular carbon bars. I prefer the feel of the carbon bars.

Seatpost-changed from an aluminum post with a 20mm offset to a carbon post with an 8mm offset.

Protection-I put some Lizard Skins frame protector tape on the bottom of the downtube and the drive side chain stay.

Saddle-I do not remember what came on it, but I put on a Fizik Arione.

Wrap it up already: Alright, alright. The most important question: given the choice would I go back and buy the Basswood again or would I opt for something else. Without hesitation I would hand over my credit card and ride off on the Basswood. It has been done everything I’ve wanted it to do and handled more than I thought it would. It is comfy enough for all day riding but fast enough to enter a gravel race. The Apex 1x is just about bullet proof and if you wanted something a bit more fancy the frame is worth upgrading, or you could put down some big bucks and go with the Basswood TLW when it is back in stock. The Pub hubs with Alex Rims have been sold and true, roll well and are lighter than I expected. Sure, there are a few things I changed, but honestly, I have never bought a bike and left it stock for more than a ride or two. So if you are looking for a good gravel bike I still recommend the Basswood even after racking up well over 1,000 miles on it.