Lukas Pöstlberger’s Rose Backroad FF

Frameset: Backroad FF, Carbon
Fork: Backroad FF, Carbon
Cockpit: Rose integrated one-piece carbon handlebar
Seatpost: Backroad FF V2 carbon
Groupset: SRAM Red XPLR AXS
Wheelset: Newmen Advanced SL X.R.36 Vonoa
Tyres: Schwalbe G-One RS Pro 50mm
Saddle: Selle Italia Flite Boost S1 Carbon

Lukas Pöstlberger’s Rose Backroad FF - a gravel bike outlier

Lukas Pöstlberger was one of a few retired WorldTour road racers on the start line of Gravel Burn. The Austrian is a former Maglia Rosa jersey wearer and stage winner at the Giro d’Italia, known for his huge engine, and was naturally a marked man at the race. While he attempted a few breakaways, nothing stuck, leaving the Rose Racing Circle rider to contend with bagging a top ten on the general classification instead, something he secured on the final stage.

His white Rose Backroad FF was one of two models at Gravel Burn (Image credit: Aaron Borrill)

With only a brace of Rose Backroad FF gravel bikes at the race (the other belonging to Pöstlberger’s teammate, Luis Neff), they proved a rare commodity amid the quotidian mainstream brands. Lukas’s bike proved a welcome contrast to his rivals; its white frame provided the ideal canvas for graffiti-style decals to make an impact. The Backroad FF is a lightweight racing gravel bike known for its all-round ability on mixed terrain.

To add some character to his bike, Pöstlberger plastered his bike graffiti-style stickers (Image credit: Aaron Borrill)

Pöstlberger’s choice of white bar tape was bold, given the nature of Gravel Burn, but it complemented his bike, which was black or white. While the Backroad FF has a suggested maximum tyre clearance of 45mm, the Austrian squeezed in a pair of 50mm Schwalbe G-One RS Pro tyres wrapped around a set of 1,245g Newmen Advanced SL X.R.36 Vonoa with carbon spokes and Fade hubs – a popular choice tyre among the European pro riders.

A SRAM Red XPLR AXS rear mech handles shifting duties at the rear, while a rubberised chainstay protector keeps the chain from damaging the paint (Image credit: Aaron Borrill)

Given the flat, open roads of Gravel Burn, as well as the stretches of tarmac, Lukas opted for a SRAM Red AXS XPLR groupset, set up in a 1x configuration, complete with a 48T and 10–46T cassette. Closer examination reveals a Wolf Tooth LoneWolf chaincatcher to ensure chain security over the rough, corrugated roads that underscored much of the Gravel Burn route.

As was the overarching theme at this year’s event, the Austrian favoured road bike pedals over off-road-specific hardware, in this case, a pair of Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 SPD-SL carbon pedals.