A Clydesdale's Review of the OBED Boundary
We recently published a story from Joe Dominey, who rode the entire 2025 Tour de France route—3,338.8 km (2,075 miles) over 21 days—for “Tour 21,” a grueling event where amateur riders from around the world ride the Tour route ahead of the pros to raise funds for Cure Leukaemia and leukemia research.
Dominey already owned one OBED Boundary (pictured above), and for Tour 21, he purchased a brand new OBED Boundary gravel bike built with Shimano GRX810, plus road wheels and tires, and here’s what he had to say:
“I was very fortunate to get this opportunity. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” Dominey said. “OBED even painted the bike Tour de France yellow for me! They really treated me well. And it was SO affordable.”
Dominey isn’t your typical skinny cyclist. While he’s been a lifelong rider, he was also a 1994 NAIA 2nd Team All-America Selection at Linfield College as a defensive lineman. At 52, he’s 6'2" and 255 lbs, and has retained his football player build since college. His power numbers match his powerful figure. His peak 20-minute power is 444 watts, and when testing out his legs before Tour 21, he unleashed 504 watts for 4 minutes on a local climb. In the cycling world, he’s what’s known as a "Clydesdale." In other words, he’s a big, strong unit.
Dominey is very hard on his equipment, and he values reliability above all else. When choosing a bike to take on Tour 21, he didn’t consider a carbon fiber frame… at first.
“When looking for a bike for the ride, I was initially skeptical of carbon fiber,” Dominey explained. “I have snapped aluminum frames, steel frames, and even a couple of crank arms. With my size, power output, and the low cadence I ride at, I create a lot of torque on frames and wheels. I have ridden steel and titanium for years because of those factors. That’s where I was leaning.”
Dominey was actually considering purchasing a Litespeed Titanium frame (if you don’t know, Litespeed is OBED’s sister company, manufacturing titanium frames here in Chattanooga, Tennessee!) when he stumbled across OBED and was intrigued. The bike that caught his eye was OBED’s original gravel bike, the Boundary. It’s a tough do-it-all gravel bike that has been popular with both bikepackers and racers. With a solid set of road wheels and road tires (we always try to accommodate custom build requests) it was an ideal option for the big man to take on the most epic roads France has to offer.
“The descriptions and the more relaxed geometry on the Boundary, plus the total 300 lbs limit with rider and bike really seemed to fit. It allowed me to operate at a very safe margin,” Dominey explained. “The other carbon fiber brands I looked at were all a much lower total weight limit, which put me right at the breaking point. I kept coming back to the OBED over and over and thought, ‘What the heck. Let’s take a chance.'
“It didn’t take long to become a believer. On my first ride, I was holding my breath whenever I hit a bump in the road, afraid it would crumble to pieces underneath me. By my third ride, I was absolutely in love with the bike. I totally dropped the hammer on a tough, hilly ride and really smoked it. The Boundary feels totally rock-solid underneath me. It is incredibly stable on downhills when I am hitting 50 plus mph, and has amazing power transfer when I accelerate on the flats and climbs.
“I wanted to tell people about my experience because I want bigger guys to know that they CAN ride a carbon bike. I absolutely never thought I would be able to ride a carbon fiber bike. I mean NEVER. If you are a bigger rider who has wanted a carbon fiber bike and been tentative, I highly recommend an OBED. What I love about my OBED Boundary is that it allows me to push my own boundaries on a carbon fiber bike. Plus, it looks cool.
“The OBED performed amazing. Not ONE hiccup the ENTIRE ride. If it sounds like a testimonial, Hallelujah, it is. I am a believer!”
Dominey conquered all 21 stages of the Tour de France and raised over $45,000 for leukemia research. He had overcome extreme physical suffering and self-doubt to make it to the finish. Through it all, his yellow OBED Boundary remained his reliable companion. If you’d like to learn more about Tour 21 and Dominey’s epic ride, or donate to leukemia research, he documented his journey in his Tour 21 Journal.
We want to thank Joe for riding OBED. We’re honored he chose the Boundary for his Tour de France adventure. If YOU have a story about what you’ve accomplished on your OBED, or where your OBED has taken you, don’t hesitate to contact us to share!