Twenty-twenty-five marked a standout season for Melisa Rollins. The American rider performed consistently throughout the Life Time Grand Prix series, which earned her third place overall on the GC. While she finished second at the Leadville Trail 100 MTB and rounded out the podium at Little Sugar MTB, it was her resilient riding at her first-ever stage race, Gravel Burn, that cemented her reputation as a leading protagonist in the off-road racing space.
The Liv Devote Advanced 0 SE features a limited-edition colourway inspired by Melisa Rollins
Along with winning Stage 4 of Gravel Burn, the Liv Racing Collective athlete placed consistently enough throughout the stage race to finish just 2 minutes and 7 seconds behind eventual winner Axelle Dubau-Prevot. But it wasn’t all plain sailing – Rollins suffered a puncture on Stage 7, which resulted in a time loss that could have potentially cost her a podium finish on the GC. She managed to fix the puncture and fought her way back from last place to finish fifth on the stage and second overall on the GC by a mere 8 seconds – a testament to her never-say-die attitude.
Dubbed 'Tropical Collage' it comprises swathes of magentas, cyans and brights yellows to create a bright and bold design
Rollins used a Liv Devote Advanced 0 SE gravel bike for Gravel Burn, distinguishable by the limited-edition rainbow-bright colourway dubbed ‘Tropical Collage’, which she inspired. As a SRAM-sponsored athlete, Rollin’s Devote is not an off-the-shelf build and is peppered with specific components she requested for Gravel Burn. While many riders opted for regular gravel drivetrains, Rollins chose a Mullet configuration, combining an SRAM Red AXS front end, controls, and brakes with an Eagle XX1 AXS rear, featuring a 46T and 10-52T gear range in this instance. This gearing configuration offers several benefits, including extra cogs for climbing and the ability to run a larger chainring to achieve better top speed.
Rollins chose a Mullet configuration, combining a SRAM Red AXS front end, controls, and brakes with an Eagle XX1 AXS rear
Owing to the flip-chip, Rollins could run her Liv Devote Advanced 0 SE in one of two positions – a short flip-chip position and the long position, the latter of which unlocks greater tyre clearance of 52mm. This was an easy choice, allowing the fitment of 50mm Kenda Crusher Gravel tyres. A closer examination of her Zipp 303 Firecrest carbon wheels reveals anodised-green CushCore valves, suggesting she was running foam inserts.
The anodised-green CushCore valves, suggest that she was running foam inserts
The front end of the bike was outfitted in SRAM Red AXS
Other notable inclusions are the Zipp Service Course cockpit, complete with handwritten mileage markers on the stem, Liv bottle cages with elastic bands, a Specialized S-Works Power saddle, and Time ATAC XC 10 pedals to complement the rainbow-themed chain and XG-1299 Eagle cassette.
Specs
- Frameset: Advanced-grade composite
- Fork: Advanced-grade composite, full-composite OverDrive steerer
- Cockpit: Zipp Service Course SL-70 XPLR handlebar,
- Zipp Service Course SL stem
- Seatpost: Giant-Liv D-Fuse, composite
- Groupset: SRAM Red AXS/Eagle XX1 AXS
- Wheelset: Zipp 303 Firecrest
- Tyres: Kenda Crusher Gravel tyres 50mm
- Saddle: Specialized S-Works Power saddle
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