The Open UP has had quite the reception across the world, bringing in a high-tech carbon layup mixed with an innovative design and aesthetic all its own. Admittedly, it’s the UP’s aesthetic that I’ve never been a particular fan of. Not so much the frame design itself, but up until now, I’ve yet to see an UP in a color that I liked. The orange was too much for me. You’re seeing where I’m going here, right? For Raoul, the distributor for Open, it was too much for him too…

I’m a sucker for everything about this build. From the beautiful matte olive drab paint, to the Byway tires, the Easton cranks and even the Tune seatpost. Finally, an Open UP that I personally can get behind, or at least could see myself get on top of. Luckily for Raoul, he’s too fast for me to catch him. I understand that matte paint is a real pain in the ass for companies to do, but it’s time for more earth tone bikes like this to hit the market. They just look so damn good. Of course, this is all my opinion… and to be fair, they do have a brown stock paint option.

At the Karoobaix, there were many amazing bikes. I wish I had time to document them all, along with the race, but daylight is still short this time of year in South Africa. Next week, we’ll look at Sarah’s Mercer and finally, the Karoobaix race photos.