How do you find an angle on a bike that does it all? The Cannondale Topstone Carbon presented an extremely capable gravel bike for a variety of mixed-surface riding styles. Its designers ensured it was a bike for anywhere, with features that gave riders confidence to redefine their limits.

Seeking to capture this mentality and the adventurous capability of the bike, I conceived the tagline, “Nothing is Impassable.” The campaign concept unfurled from this mantra. Three unique ride stories would showcase the best of the bike, whether solo or in a group, on smooth roads or not, loaded with gear or rolling light. Vital to this aesthetic was an editorial feel, just like the magazine pages we used to flip through – the creative needed to transport a viewer and ignite their imagination.

Crucial to any story is backstory. Talent was selected, both in front and behind the camera, to give the final video depth beyond its 60 second duration. The three riding scenarios offered audiences multiple ways to discover the bike and help them reimagine what “off-limits” means with Topstone. In media placements and social, the creative became the highest performing campaign to date. The approach showed that you don’t always need that wild, flashy idea, that sometimes the best way is just to make it real.

From the launch strategy, to creative concepts, to copywriting and art direction, the human experience of riding sat squarely at the core. Because in the end, bikes are always about the experience – some describe the thrills, some describe the speed, some describe the freedom – Topstone Carbon was the perfect icon to evoke adventure and reimagine what’s really impassable.