The Derecho is Anton Krupicka‘s signature adventure gravel frameset that has been in development for some time now with Crust Bikes. John got to see a sample frame while visiting Matt and Cheech at Crust HQ in Australia earlier this summer and it appears the cat is out of the bag. Let’s check out what Anton cooked up with Crust!

Derecho are a series of fast-moving wind storms that blow across the great plains and Anton’s home state of Nebraska. As one might imagine, wind storms like this when there are no mountains, valleys, or dense tree lines to break them up can be quite harrowing when on a bike tour or ride.

As such, the Derecho is adorned with talisman found throughout Anton’s bike rides, with nods to Nebraska and the American West. It is a lighter weight “mountain tourer,” built for doing the long and tall mountain rides Anton takes on. The chassis is a blend of the Bombora, Evasion, and Evasion Lite, with more vertical tire clearance to accommodate 29″ tires. It can be run with 26, 27.5, or 29″ wheels and clear up to a 2.3″ tire with a road (non-boost) drivetrain.

It features segmented fork, inspired by the Yo Eddy!, a segmented seat stay, Reynolds 853 Tubeset with an OS Downtube for a bit more strength, while maintaining a lightweight and snappy responsiveness when unloaded. Anton wanted a bike that still rode well when it didn’t have bags strapped to it.

Crust is selling a 58cm sample of The Derecho, built with a desert dream-worthy parts kit. Check out the full breakdown and more detailed photos at Crust Bikes. As for the wider release? Keep your eyes peeled here for future updates as events warrant.