Built for Badlands:
Metheven Bond’s Ribble ULTRA-GRIT

Across 817km of Eastern Andalusia, Metheven's ULTRA-GRIT carried him to sixth place at Badlands. His time: 43 hours and six minutes, riding through two nights without sleep.

Looking closer at the bike though, another story emerges. Suspension, forearm supports, carefully positioned luggage and an extra bottle mount reveal the thinking behind a setup prepared for long hours and unforgiving terrain.

Every choice addresses a practical problem. How do you reduce the battering from rough ground? Give tired hands a break? Carry enough water between resupply points? Keep essential equipment accessible without making the bike unnecessarily bulky?

Metheven’s build brings those decisions together around the ULTRA-GRIT, adapting his race bike to the particular demands of Badlands.

One of the most significant changes sits at the front of the bike. Metheven chose a RockShox Rudy suspension fork in place of the rigid fork, adding a way to absorb impacts before they reach his hands and upper body.

On rough gravel, repeated hits take their toll. A suspension fork can help the front wheel track uneven ground and give the rider greater control as the terrain becomes more technical. RockShox developed the Rudy specifically for gravel riding.

For Metheven, the choice also serves a longer-term purpose: managing fatigue. Smoothing out some of those impacts can reduce the physical effort of dealing with rough surfaces, hour after hour. Across a ride lasting almost two days, comfort becomes an important part of maintaining progress.

The forearm supports mounted above Metheven’s handlebars are another distinctive feature. Similar to a tri-bar setup, they provide an alternative position on suitable smoother, rolling sections.

Supporting his upper body through his forearms allows him to take pressure off his hands and wrists. It also gives him another position to move into as the hours accumulate, changing how the load is distributed through his upper body.

There is an aerodynamic intention here too. Bringing the forearms in and adopting a lower position can reduce the rider’s frontal area, helping him travel more efficiently when the terrain allows.

The benefit depends on the section of trail. Rough descents and technical riding demand ready access to the brakes and the control of the main handlebars. On more predictable stretches, the supports offer a useful opportunity to settle into a different position and give tired hands some relief.

Metheven paired his Zipp wheels with 50mm Schwalbe tyres, to build comfort and capability into the setup.

That generous tyre volume provides scope to run pressures suited to rough ground, helping the tyres conform to the surface rather than transmit every small impact directly to the rider. With an appropriate tread and pressure, it can also support grip on loose and uneven terrain.

The tyres and suspension fork contribute in different ways to the same objective: keeping the bike manageable while reducing the punishment reaching the rider. Their setup matters as much as their presence, particularly once luggage and water add to the total load.

The Zipp wheels bring a deeper rim profile to the build, chosen with aerodynamic efficiency in mind. The overall result depends on the wheel and tyre combination, but the intention is consistent with the rest of Metheven’s bike: combine the capability needed for rough ground with efficient progress wherever the route opens up.

Badlands is self-supported. Metheven had to carry his equipment, manage his supplies and deal with problems along the route himself.

His Restrap bags make that possible while keeping the load compact. Positioned within the frame or tucked close to the bike and rider, they avoid the width of a traditional pannier arrangement. The aim is to carry what he needs without adding unnecessary bulk to the bike’s profile.

That positioning also makes packing part of the bike setup. Space has to be shared between luggage, bottles and the rider’s movement, with frequently used items placed where they can be reached easily.

The ULTRA-GRIT’s internal down-tube storage adds another place for essentials. Together, the frame storage and bags allow Metheven to distribute his equipment across the bike, adapting a gravel race platform to the demands of a much longer event.

Alongside the two familiar bottle positions inside the frame, on the down tube and seat tube, Metheven added another beneath the down tube.

It is a small detail with an obvious purpose: additional carrying capacity between opportunities to refill.

In self-supported riding, finding water is only part of the task. You also need enough capacity to carry what the next section requires. An extra mounting position gives Metheven more flexibility when planning those stretches.

It is one of the clearest examples of a practical adaptation that other riders can understand immediately. For a remote route or a long day between reliable stops, the ability to carry another bottle can be more useful than a more conspicuous upgrade.

Metheven retained the SRAM RED groupset from his race-bike specification, with wireless electronic shifting keeping gear cables out of the equation.

There are no mechanical shift cables or housings to collect contamination or develop cable friction. The hydraulic brake hoses are internally routed, keeping the front of the bike tidy and reducing exposed hose runs around the cockpit. SRAM’s AXS system combines wireless shifting with hydraulic braking.

That distinction matters: wireless shifting removes shift cables, while internal routing manages the brake hoses. The drivetrain still needs care, and the electronic system needs battery planning, but the arrangement suits a bike carrying bags and equipment around the bars and frame.

For Badlands, it forms part of a considered setup in which controls, luggage and accessories all need to work together.

Some of the most personal touches are easy to overlook. Metheven’s externally mounted CO₂ canister, positioned by the frame-storage area, is one of them.

Across hundreds of kilometres of rough riding, being prepared for a puncture is essential. Keeping inflation equipment accessible means less searching through packed bags when a repair is needed.

The canister is a small component, but its placement illustrates the thinking behind the whole bike. Equipment has to be carried somewhere; putting it somewhere useful can make a difficult moment easier to manage.

Those details become increasingly valuable as fatigue builds. A setup that is straightforward to use at the start should remain straightforward deep into the second night.

Metheven’s bike is specific to his needs, but its foundations are available to other ULTRA-GRIT riders. Ribble’s ULTRA-GRIT platform includes 50mm tyre clearance, internal down-tube storage and mounting points, providing scope to prepare the bike for different routes and distances.

His build shows how those features can work together with individual component and accessory choices. Suspension addresses rough terrain. Forearm supports offer another riding position. Compact luggage and extra bottle capacity make a demanding self-supported journey possible.

The useful lesson is to start with the ride ahead. Consider the ground, the distance, the supplies needed and the places where discomfort might build, then make choices that address those demands.

At Badlands, Metheven put that approach through an exceptional test. His ULTRA-GRIT carried him, his equipment and his supplies across 817km and 14,420 metres of climbing to a sixth-place finish. It is a powerful example of the bike’s capability and of how thoughtful preparation helps a rider make the most of it.