Tag: all road bike

RT-1 ITR: A Road Bike for Everything

Posted on by Mosaic Admin

Our back yard here in Boulder, Colorado is a paradise for road rides. 

France has smooth ribbons of tarmac winding through the Alps into the stratosphere. Kansas offers endless gravel roads stretching to the horizon. In Boulder, you get it all—seamlessly connected. Paved climbs turn to dirt descents, forgotten backroads lead to new adventures, and the best rides blend surfaces without boundaries. This is where the Mosaic RT-1 Integrated Thick Road (ITR) was born.

The Origin of ITR

A few years ago, as disc brakes became standard on road bikes, we noticed a shift. It was more than just more stopping power and modulation—riders were pushing the limits of their road bikes, squeezing in wider tires for extra grip and comfort. But these setups had compromises—tire clearance was tight, handling could feel off, and frames weren’t optimized for the demands of mixed-surface road riding. 

Our own rides in Boulder made it clear: We needed a road bike that could handle everything from pristine pavement to the well-worn dirt climbs that define our favorite routes—without sacrificing speed, precision, or ride quality of a proper road bike. Enter the RT-1 ITR.

What Makes the ITR Special?

With the RT-1 ITR, we designed a bike that retains the sharp, responsive handling of the RT-1 D while adding the versatility of 35mm tire clearance. The geometry remains pure road—fast, confident, and built to excel on climbs and descents alike.

Crafted from a double-butted titanium tubeset, the RT-1 ITR is tailored to each rider’s fit and performance needs. It delivers the same lively ride feel as the RT-1 D, now with the added capability to take on varied road surfaces with ease. Thanks to ENVE’s integrated fork and redesigned size-specific chainstays, we’ve ensured that this bike is just as at home hammering up your hardest local Strava climb as it is cruising the lesser-traveled dirt roads beyond town.

Here’s how the RT-1 ITR compares in our lineup:

  • RT-1 D: 25-30mm tire clearance
  • RT-1 ITR: 30-35mm tire clearance
  • GT-1 AR: 32-40mm tire clearance
  • GT-1 45: 38-48mm tire clearance

At 415-418mm, the ITR’s chainstays are only slightly longer than the RT-1 D’s, preserving the crisp, high-performance road feel while allowing for a slightly fatter tire, and the greater adaptability on mixed surfaces that comes with it. 

Integrated for Performance

Part of what makes the ITR possible is the ENVE In-Route System, which allows us to increase front and rear tire clearance while maintaining the precise geometry we wanted for this model. This is the most well-thought-out integrated front end, and the sleek, modern functionality aligns with the Mosaic ethos of blending handcrafted titanium craftsmanship with cutting-edge performance technology. Plus, cable routing is clean, intuitive, and hassle-free—set it up once, and you’re done.

Most riders will opt for the two-piece cockpit, pairing an ENVE In-Route stem with the ENVE bar of their choice. For those seeking the ultimate integration, we have limited availability of the one-piece ENVE cockpit.

Designed for the Way We Ride

The RT-1 ITR is our go-to for the kind of riding we love—where fast pavement meets forgotten dirt roads, and every ride feels like an adventure. If your ideal route is a blend of speed, endurance, and exploration, this is the bike for you.

Looking for more rugged capability? The GT-1 AR or GT-1 45 might be the better fit. But if your rides demand pure road bike performance with just a little more room to roam, the RT-1 ITR is ready.

GT-1 or GT-2?

Posted on by Mosaic Admin

Gravel Decisions

You’ve decided to embrace the gravel cycling trend, and now it’s time to figure out which bike is right for you. Our GT-1 and GT-2 framesets may share some geometry characteristics, but underneath, they’re very different machines. Both framesets are available in two different configurations, Allroad and Gravel 45, which if you’re curious about the difference, we’ve got another entire blog post dedicated to that topic specifically.

Mosaic GT-1

Let’s start with our flagship gravel bike, the GT-1. Whether you are seeking a bike that prioritizes performance, comfort, or bike that sits right in the middle of that spectrum, we can create the perfect GT-1 for you. Perhaps the first and most important thing to know about the GT-1 is that every frame is built using a rider specific internally butted tubeset. Custom geometry is drawn up based on bike fit information provided by you and your Mosaic dealer, making every GT-1 unique and purpose built for the intended rider. We’d be pretty confident in saying that we’ve never made two GT-1’s absolutely identically, because just like their riders, every bike should be a little different. Aside from eye catching finish work, which we’ll get to in a moment, the GT-1 is all in the details. Internally butted tubes deliver a lightweight and exceptionally strong frameset that can be tuned and built to address your specific needs. Larger diameter internally butted tubes are both lightweight and incredibly strong, characteristics that define what a gravel bike should be. Some smaller, perhaps less visible details included on the GT-1 include internal Di2 routing, and tube-in-tube internal brake routing that sits completely flush at it’s entry and exit point, eliminating any cable rattle.

The GT-1 frameset includes all the bells and whistles, including your choice of paint or a premium raw finish from within the Mosaic finish work line. We currently offer 5 different paint schemes, 1 limited edition paint scheme and upwards of 35 color choices to make designing your dream bike a fun process. Our current paint layouts are 1-Tone, 2-Tone, Horizontal Fade, Vertical Fade, and the Cockpit Series. The Artist Series layouts are available as limited edition, premium paint options. As part of the buying process on a painted bike, we’ll mock up your design and send you the files for approval, and if we’re being honest, just something to look at and obsess over for a few weeks while we’re making your bike. Waiting is hard, we know… But we’re proud to say that a completely custom bike from Mosaic carries a lead time of 12 weeks from the date we receive your deposit.

Mosaic GT-2

Now, onto the GT-2 – our do it all, ride it hard and put it away wet kind of gravel bike. The GT-2 frameset uses straight gauge titanium tubing which has garnered a reputation for it’s comfortable ride quality. Aside from a simpler tubeset, on the GT-2 we strip away all the options and let the rider add on whatever they need. For example, Di2 routing, internal brake routing, and custom geometry are all optional features. The GT-2 is available in 9 stock sizes, and custom geometry is an available upgrade.

Like the GT-1, the GT-2 includes flat mount disc brakes, 12×100 and 12×142 through axles, a Chris King headset and an ENVE fork on every frameset. As gravel steadily increases in popularity and more riders look to bikes with larger tire clearance, the GT-2 has been extremely popular. To make things easy, and provide some reference, we put together a handful of carefully curated complete bike options. Your local Mosaic dealer can order the frameset and custom build it with your guidance, or they can order the complete bike including all the parts right from us. It’s not too late to get riding on your own GT-2 this season! The lead time on a frameset is 12 weeks.

For any questions related to ordering, feel free to give your local Mosaic dealer a shout, or reach out to us directly and we’re happy to help point you in the right direction! We can be reached at info@mosaiccycles.com, or @mosaiccycles on Instagram.