If You Missed Out on This 1-of-19 Gravel Bike, You Will Never Be Able Get One

Folks, if there's one name that carries with it a heavy cycling heritage, it's Chris King. However, there are other crews we need to consider if we're to talk about bikes, and one of them is Open Cycle. If this crew is new to you, not a problem, but you do need to consider that they've been a force to be reckoned with since 1989.

Funny enough, during that year, a particular color of hubs was in full swing for Chris King, the 3D Violet! It was spotted for a short while on the cycling market, and if you grabbed a set of this luscious gear, you're some of the lucky few.

However, there's been a reappearance in 3D Violet just this year, 35 years later, and this hue has been so sought-after that it's even sparked the creation of 15, pardon me, 19 bikes to be held and loved by only a handful of people around the globe. Let's see what we've all missed.

Now, the story of the Open X Chris King Limited Edition gravel bike starts with a man, Andy Kessler, and if you don't know who that is, he's one of the founders of Open and also the dude in the video below. Be sure to check that clip out, as he does a much better job at explaining what's going on here. Please note that while this bike can handle some serious gravel terrain - it's built upon the WI.DE. gravel bike platform - it's a collector's item and should be appreciated as such. After all, who the heck knows when we'll get our hands on 3D Violet components again?

Everything starts off with nothing other than good old carbon fiber. It's what sits as the base material for the WI.DE. But, as Open says, it's not just about high or low modulus carbon, but rather, about the proper carbon in all the right places. In this way, they're able to craft a bike that's not only tuned to the sort of riding at hand but one that will excel at it.

From here, it was time to deck out this puppy, Chris King style. The first step was the frame color, that purple sitting as the perfect backdrop for the remaining 3D Violet components to be thrown on. Oh, and if you don't understand why all those little bees are tattered all over the frame, then you need to hear a Chris King hub in action. Something about "Angry Bee Sound."

Frame aside, let's take a quick look at those Chris King components. First and foremost, I want you to take a look at those shiny violet hubs found at the center of each wheel. Why? This is the iconic component with which Chris King basically made a name for himself within the cycling and BMX industries. It's also responsible for that "Angry Bee Sound" I mentioned.

Up next, hugging those hubs, is a set of Chris King GRD 23 wheels, helping keep weight to a minimum. The only downside here is that 3D Violet isn't a hue that can be added to carbon fiber rims. Luckily for us, the Dropset2 headset is showcasing this iconic hue.

Now, that's all the Chris King that's on this bike, but if you look closely, you'll notice a pair of cranks and a derailleur that could be part of the 3D Violet collection. However, they are not. The cranks are actually a limited edition color from Ingrid, and the derailleur, Ingrid, once again. Since they seem to have been the ones to get as close to King's color, it makes sense to find them completing the rest of this buzzing bee. They even handle the rest of the drivetrain, all except the chain and brakes, which are from SRAM.

Finally, I want you to imagine yourself riding this 19-of-a-kind machine. Picture yourself opening the garage door one Saturday morning and that purple paint gleaming in the sunlight of a new day. Go ahead, put your hands on all 8.9 kg (19.6 lbs) of bicycle, hop on, and then proceed to wake the neighbors with a sound I compare to a nest of Africanized bees.

Go ahead, take it out for a spin on the old trails, and then come home, wash it down, dry it, and sadly, forget that any of this ever happened. As I mentioned, this limited edition machine has been completely sold out, and if I'm not mistaken, within the first day of Open Cycle's announcement. Heck, another four were completed after customers literally begged Open to create one for them too.

If I had known that Open Cycle had something like this in mind, and I had the cash, I would have been one of the first 15, and if you're into gravel riding, I'm sure you would have been too. Maybe after the next 35 years go by... dang!