The Waheela R was designed from the gravel up for performance, confidence, and speed for when results matter most. This gravel race bike features longer, slacker geometry for stability at high speeds and short chain stays to keep things quick and nimble. The lightweight carbon fiber frame features an aerodynamic profile with strong lines and Kamm Tail tube shapes, clearance for 700 x 50c tires, and an option for fully internal routing. Three bottle mounts and an internal storage compartment on the front triangle will keep riders prepared and fueled up for race day. – Otso Cycles
The geometry of the Waheela R was created to be confident, stable, and comfortable on rough terrain at high speeds. Three changes from the predecessor Waheela C enable the Waheela R to meet our new performance standards: slacker head tube angle, steeper seat tube angle, and higher mechanical trail. The handling is intuitive and the bike almost rides like it is on autopilot because it doesn’t need to make those micro-adjustments to stay on its line. When riding the bike, it becomes immediately evident that it wants to move fast, whether riding hero gravel or chunky doubletrack.
Otso engineers spent a lot of time finding the ideal balance of stiffness and compliance, as well as where the Waheela R frame needs to be one, but not the other. Let’s start at the front of the bike. Compliance has been added to the front and side loads of the fork. A compliant front load smooths out bumps in the road, while a compliant side load allows for better tracking through rough gravel. Stiffness was added to the bottom bracket area and lateral rear triangle to boost power transfer. Less side-to-side movement when sprinting out of the saddle means more of energy goes into moving the bike forward. While the rear triangle is laterally stiff, it is vertically compliant. This means the rear triangle will absorb more bumps in the road for a comfortable ride. The result is a bike that is compliant and comfortable where you need it, while stiff and efficient for power transfer when you need to move fast.
The Waheela R has strong lines and an aero profile at the heart of the frame design. The head tube has a slight hourglass shape from the front, with one line running along the top tube, through the seat tube, and down to the UDH dropout, as well as a line that runs down the down tube to the BB. The frame and fork use the Kamm Tail shape. This shape is commonly found on sports cars and has decades of wind tunnel testing for proven aerodynamics.
Three routing options for brake lines and a shifter cable can be found on the frame, and two options for brake line routing on the fork. Classic frame routing allows lines to enter the frame near the top of the down tube and exit near their respective rear components. Semi-internal routing allows lines to tuck under the handlebar and enter the frame via the headset top cap. Full internal routing keeps lines inside the handlebar. The fork also has two options, where the brake routing can enter in the steerer tube via internal frame routing, or enter the fork at the top of the non-drive side arm.
Because gravel comes in all shapes and sizes, the Waheela R has the tire clearance to blast through gravel of all sorts and do it with control. Ride tires as big as 700c x 50mm on the Waheela R.
A door on the down tube opens for a storage compartment to store tools, snacks, or other small items needed for a full day of racing. An internal storage bag with neoprene keeps cargo safe and prevents rattling inside the frame. Best of all: the door is secure on rough terrain and the lever is easily accessible above a water bottle.
Three colorways are available at launch. Forest Pearl features a deep green pearlescent gloss paint and gold decals and a lavender stripe on the down tube. Teal is a light blue-green paint with seafoam decals and a coral stripe. Matte Black keeps it simple with metallic decals and a medium-gray stripe.
The Waheela R is available as a frameset starting at $2,950 or in five custom build options starting at $4,050. Customers seeking a complete bike start with the drivetrain, then select frame size and color, before selecting options for handlebars, wheels, anodized accent color, and more. All complete bikes are built to order at Otso in Minnesota, USA. The new Waheela R is available now at all bike shops that stock Otso and on OtsoCycles.com
Additional Photos
About Otso Cycles
Otso bikes for the wide range of adventure, from competition to exploration. The product lineup includes bikes for gravel racing, bikepacking, all-road touring, snowy trails, polar expeditions, and singletrack. Bikes are designed, engineered, and assembled at Otso in Minnesota, USA. The company was founded in 2016 by the engineers from Wolf Tooth.