Robin's Kitted-Out Kegety
Since it was first debuted back in 2018 for the inaugural Silk Road Mountain Race, the Kegety has evolved into one of the most capable gravel bikes out there. Hailing from Kenya, Robin knew he needed something that could eat up the miles of unpaved tracks around where he lived. The Kegety was the way to go.
Robin’s brief was simple - he wanted a capable bike that could handle anything from less than pristine tarmac, all the way through to punishing single track. We focussed in on the SRAM AXS Mullet group to give the bike the much needed gear range for the mixed terrain he would encounter, but this also meant we could take advantage of the Rockshox Reverb wireless dropper post. Dropper’s on gravel bikes is a contentious issue, but I am a firm believer as descending off-road on a dropped saddle on a gravel bike becomes a blissful experience with increased control from shifting the weight of the rider back. One other key feature of the Reverb dropper is the air suspension which just helps smooth off all those fatiguing vibrations giving plenty more cush for your tush.
Similarly for the front end we opted for the Rockshox XPLR Rudy gravel fork. These are great additions to gravel bikes which see the rougher end of the off-road spectrum, and really help to soak up front bumps and keep the wheels firmly planted. Coupled with the plush 50mm tyres, this bike is an off-road beast.
As a more compact rider we went for 650b wheels as the platform to build the bike on as we could fit wider tyres without issues of toe overlap, but also keep the standover height low. The smaller wheels also handle a but more nimble than 29r’s which is a great benefit for smaller riders.
The whole build was topped off in ULTRA-RAW for a slick finish and matched out with all black components. I can see Robin spending many happy days ripping it up in Kenya.
Custom Quirk Cycles frameset
Columbus Life + Zona Tubing
Ultra-Raw Finish
3D Stainless steel dropouts and cluster
Columbus Futura Cross+ Fork
Rockshox Rudy XPLR Suspension Fork
SRAM Red/XX1 AXS Mullet Groupset
Rockshox Reverb XPLR Dropper
Coefficient AR Bars
Stayer Gravel Wheelset
Ergon SR Saddle
Goodyear Connector tyres
Photos by Nikoo Hamzavi