Self Bike Check: Custom Weis Hammer Gravel Ti Plus
I think everyone’s waited long enough for a full reveal of what I’ve decided to dub “The Weis Beach Ripper”, simply because riding along the sea is probably what I’ve done most with this bike so far. But if you’re wondering why none of these photos are actually on the sand, just a quick reminder: we’re in peak summer, and every inch of beach is covered with towels. So, improvisation was necessary, and I think I got the shoot location pretty bang on for this one.
This is my first self bike check of the year, and there’s plenty to talk about, on how this project came together. But let’s do things in order, and start with the centerpiece: this Titanium Weis Hammer Gravel Plus. Welded, anodized, and cerakoted in Brooklyn, then kindly brought to France during this summer’s Weis Galaxy Tour in Paris. This bike (after a week of city riding in the French capital), has gotten me more gravel time than ever before. And honestly, it’s hard to put into words how happy I am with the overall build. But first, some quick specs on the Gravel Plus:
3Al–2.5V titanium tubing
Enve Adventure fork
Fully internal brake routing
Weis custom tubing profiles
CNC-machined 3-piece headtube
3D-printed 6/4 titanium superlight dropouts
Replaceable UDH derailleur hanger
T47 bottom bracket
2.4” tire clearance
As we saw at MADE this year, the definition of a gravel bike is now more blurry that it’s ever been. I decided to build mine with a titanium integrated bar–stem combo and a matching titanium seatpost. And like most of you, you’re probably wondering: why? Why order a monster gravel bike that looks like an MTB but rides with a track-inspired geometry?
Short answer: because it’s fun. Long answer: buckle up.
From the start, I knew I didn’t want drop bars. I wanted something that bridged the gap between riding track bikes in the city and full-on gravel adventures. After some back-and-forth, we landed on a custom geometry loosely based on my track fit, nimble in the streets but ready for technical terrain, and not just long, straight, endless gravel fire roads. This was the general idea, but when Weis introduced the Gravel “Plus” in April, the decision became obvious: bigger tires, stronger visual punch, maximum fun.
One major upgrade Weis handled was modifying the Enve Adventure fork for full internal routing. If you’re going fully integrated, why not go all the way? Not a single cable in sight! For me (and I suspect many others), fully internal routing made me want to try something beyond fixed gear, while keeping a clean, minimal aesthetic. Sure, I could’ve stuck with a Hammer Track and remained on my “kinda fixed-gear-only die”t. But when Cole, Weis’s co-owner and framebuilder, and I started talking about this project over six months ago, I saw it as the perfect opportunity to diversify my riding, test new setups, chase new adventures, to push beyond the riding style I know.
Speaking of adventure, one of my favorite part of off-road riding has always been finding trails with just the right amount of sand. The kind of path where the bike slides just enough to give that strange, addictive mix of grip and drift. That vibe inspired the bike’s finish.
Detailed Parts List
Frameset
Weis Hammer Gravel Plus Ti
Groupset Sram GX AXS
Garbaruk Chainring
Crank Garbaruk XC Crankset
Seatpost and Saddle
Weis Ti Post, Flite Titanium
Stem and Handlebar
Ti Integrated Bar Stem
Brakes
Magura lever with Shimano 105 calipers
Wheels GOOSYNN Ti-Fi G45 wheelset,
Zleen Cheetah 2.25” tires
When I sent Logan, who handles all Weis frame finishing work, two reference images and a loose idea, he came back with something I absolutely love. A mix of beige, green, and gold cerakote paired with bronze anodizing, perfectly capturing the feel I wanted and doubling down on my belief that dealer-choice paint can be a brilliant way to keep some mystery until you open that bike box.
This build is also a collection of experiences and collaborations over the years. It began obviously with Weis while organizing that first event in Japan, and now here in Paris. Then Garbaruk from Poland, whose work I’ve admired for years, decided to support this project by sending an incredibly lightweight crankset assembly. And there is also Zleen! When I met their French representative at the Pro Days, he agreed to provide me with a pair of their 2.25” Cheetah tires, all-terrain tires. While these have proven to be super effective in the trails, they still maintain a decent momentum on the road. Perfectly what I was looking for, and even more interesting if it’s from a brand-new tire brand that I’ve never heard about until a month ago.
Finally… GOOSYNN.. I met the founders in Shanghai at the China Bike Show, where they shared their ambition to stand apart in the wide field of Chinese carbon wheel manufacturing. After testing a bike ythey had on site, I knew their wheels had a little something that was worth exploring and eventually sharing here. So after some back and forth, they kindly sent over a pair of Ti-Fi G45 wheels for this build, and beyond their wild looks, it’s the technical features that I want to talk about. These are laced with Polymer Fiber Spokes and Titanium Ends, resulting in a tubeless wheelset of only ~1,300 grams. Rims are also a wide 32mm internal, 40mm external, pushing my 2.25” tires to almost 2.4”, and before you gasp at my front tire clearance, let me remind you that the flip chip on the Enve Adventure gravel fork is there when things get muddy. Track bike tire clearance on build like this… Say no more, I’m totally in love. But back to the Ti-Fi G45! Similar to Berd spokes, they’re claimed to be five times stronger than normal steel spokes at a fifth of the weight, with superior shock absorption. My initial impressions are already promising: with a vertical compliance that smooths out the road while lateral stiffness keeps handling precise. And even if I want to tell you more on these, I feel I do need more riding time to fully understand the capabilities of this enigmatic wheelset. So stay tuned because we’re going to talk about these again in a near future.
A few more funky details: the braking system is a mix of Magura levers with Shimano 105 calipers (future upgrade pending, this was just what I had on hand), and the vintage Flite Titanium saddle is purely here to add that OG touch. Transmission wise, the bike runs a Sram GX AXS groupset ( the one I already had on my Giant ) that performs flawlessly but could be updated later to fully leverage the UDH-compatible dropouts. Still, I maintain what I say about electronic groupsets, they are just easier to install and maintain, perfect for lazy mechanics like me.
This isn’t the last you’ll see of this bike. Plenty more adventures, experiments, and tweaks are coming, and yes, you can ask me when I’ll put drops on it…
But you already know the answer…
🎞: Kodak Color Plus 200
📷: Leica M6
📍: Cap Blanc-Nez
