Watch the full custom build walkthrough on the Maklin Bikes YouTube channel This is one of the ADHX 45s Steve is most excited about — and not the first one the shop has built. Steve rides an ADHX 45 himself with the previous-generation SRAM Force; this one is the latest frame, with the UDH, so … Read more
A Niner RLT 9 RDO built with SRAM Force 2x Wide, hand-built Chris King hub / HED Belgium 32-spoke wheels, and Easton EC90 AX carbon bars.
A 3-Star Niner RLT 9 RDO Rival AXS build personalized with HED Emporia GA Pro wheels, Easton carbon bar, and custom bar tape. How a few swaps make a stock build your own.
A Niner RLT 9 RDO custom build with SRAM Force XPLR, power meter spindle upgrade, HED Emporia GA Pro aluminum wheels, and Easton EC90 AX carbon gravel cockpit.
A 2026 Cervélo Áspero-5 Force build with two key changes from stock — drivetrain swapped from XO Transmission mullet to Force XPLR 1×13, and wheels swapped from Reserve to Zipp 303 Explorers. Steve’s take on why, and what kind of bike this really is.
A custom Moots Routt RSL gravel build — double-butted titanium, Chris King throughout, hand-built HED Belgium+ wheels, and Shimano GRX 12-speed.
Steve’s personal TIME ADHX 45 with Force XPLR, HED Emporia GA Pro, and Vittoria Mezcal 44s. A racy, sporty gravel platform that quickly became one of the most fun bikes ridden. Not an adventure bike — this one is for going fast.
Three years on the Niner RLT 9 RDO — three wheelsets, multiple chainrings, compared against a long list of gravel bikes. The neutral all-rounder that’s hard to beat if you don’t know what kind of riding you’ll end up doing.
Two generations of the Cervélo Áspero-5 — a first look at the 2026 model with aero updates and new cockpit, plus a full ride review of the previous generation with Campagnolo Ekar 13-speed including Badlands Gravel Battle.
About a month and a half on the previous-generation Bianchi Arcadex with Campagnolo Ekar 13-speed and HED Emporia GA Pro wheels. Tire sizing, fit notes, and impressions on the Ekar drivetrain and brakes.
A custom build on the new-generation Jamis Renegade — GRX 800 2×11, HED Emporia GA Pro wheels, and 45mm Challenge Strada Biancas. Steve expected not to like it and came back from the first ride won over. Why he sized it as a 54, and where the Renegade fits in the gravel spectrum.
Watch the full custom build walkthrough on the Maklin Bikes YouTube channel This might be Steve’s favorite build yet — a red TIME ADHX 45 custom built for a customer, running a full Whisky cockpit and wheelset with a Campagnolo Ekar 13-speed drivetrain. Here’s the frame, the wheels and tires, the drivetrain, the touch points, … Read more
Build Overview This 56cm Niner RLT 9 RDO was built alongside the 53cm version as a custom pair for a couple upgrading their bikes. This build lands at what we’d call a “2.5-Star” configuration—primarily an Apex drivetrain with some smart upgrades, including a Rival rear derailleur and a few component swaps that make the bike … Read more
A 53cm Niner RLT 9 RDO built frame-up — a mostly 4-Star GRX bike with an aluminum Easton crank and SLX cassette to hit the rider’s price point, on a Stan’s wheelset with a Niner carbon post and Salsa Cowchipper bars.
A pre-UDH TIME ADHX 45 closeout frame built with SRAM Rival XPLR 1×12, Boyd aluminum wheels, and Easton cockpit. A TIME gravel bike at a price that undercuts most big-brand stock builds.
Lynn’s Niner AIR 9 RDO converted to drop bars for the Badlands Gravel Battle — SRAM Force wireless, road crank, Fox 32 fork, aluminum Easton AX50 bars. The story of how a mountain bike became a rowdy gravel rig.
A Cervélo Áspero rebuilt through the shop a few times — from an Apex build to 11-speed GRX mechanical to GRX Di2. Why 11-speed Di2 made sense, the Áspero-5 carbon bar swap, and what full Di2 wiring takes on a gravel bike.
Watch the full build walkthrough on the Maklin Bikes YouTube channel A frame-up custom on the Niner RLT 9 steel frame — the latest Shimano GRX 12-speed drivetrain, a shop-built wheelset, and a classic, understated steel look. One of a run of RLT customs going out the door, and one that looked too good not … Read more