Last October, Peter Stetina pedaled his Canyon Lux mountain bike down a dusty dirt road in Southeast Utah. He was attempting to set a new fastest known time record on the White Rim, a 100-mile dirt road loop through rugged desert terrain.
Fastest known times, or FKTs, have been popular among the ultra-endurance and bikepacking communities, but have risen in prominence recently, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic has discouraged mass start events.
Stetina, who left WorldTour team Trek-Segafredo in 2019 to focus on an American gravel race calendar, was aiming to beat the record of current US cross-country national champion Keegan Swenson, who finished the route in 5:30:21 almost a year prior. But when Stetina finished his effort, he came up short of Swensons FKT by 16 seconds.
Days later, Stetina found his legs, setting a new White Rim FKT with a time of 5:28:23.
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Stetina's bike of choice for the White Rim FKT effort was a Canyon Lux CF SLX, a 29er equipped with Fox suspension and a full Shimano build. The bike is a fairly standard build, aside from clip-on aero bars and a water bottle cage mounted to the top tube.
While the White Rim is a dirt road loop, a full-suspension bike is warranted because of how rough and rocky the road surface is. A Fox 32SC fork and Float DPS Factory shock absorbed vibrations and provided traction on Stetina's rig.
The top of the line suspension was paired with a full Shimano XTR build kit, including a 38T chainring and a 12-speed, 10-51T cassette. IRC prototype tires (29x2.25in) were mounted on Stan's Crest rims.
Cockpit components were all provided by PRO, including the 720mm Tharsis handlebars with aero clip-ons, 90mm Koryak stem, Volture saddle and carbon bottle cages.
Since the course is so remote, and FKTs need to be self-supported, Stetina also strapped on a saddle bag to carry along a tube and tools.
| Frame | Canyon Lux CF SLX |
| Fork | Fox 32 StepCast fork |
| Rear Shock | Float DPS Factory shock |
| Stem | Pro Koryak stem 90mm |
| Handlebar | Pro Tharsis 720mm with clip-on aero bars |
| Seatpost | Pro |
| Saddle | Pro Volture |
| Grip | Pro Lock-on Sport |
| Rear Derailleur | Shimano XTR |
| Shifter | Shimano XTR |
| Chainset | Shimano XTR, 38t chainring |
| Chain | Shimano XTR |
| Cassette | Shimano XTR 11-52t |
| Brakes | Shimano XTR |
| Wheels | Stans Crest |
| Tires | IRC prototype tires (29x2.25") |
| Pedals | Shimano XTR |
| Accessories | Wahoo Bolt |
