Let's hear some opinions about the current gravel bikes

I ride a 2018 Hakka. I have 2 wheelsets - 650 x 45 with some knobbage (Pirelli), and 700 x 32 Gravelking slicks. The Hakka is a bit twitchy to me, but it's designed to do CX if you want to. I vote for stability over quick handling if you're gonna ride primarily gravel. Loose gravel over hard surface is sketchy AF at speed. I'd probably buy a different (slacker) bike if I were to do it over. I had 47's on it at first, but they were slicks and I wanted more grip on loose stuff. 47s (and 45s) are plenty comfy. I don't find myself wishing for fatter tires.
 
jdog said:
Im the odd man out in the fact that I ride suspension and a lefty at that on my gravel bike. I love the ride and I miss it whenever I ride other stuff.

The bikes on my radar are these:

www.cannondale.com

Topstone Carbon 1 Lefty AXS

Our take on the ultimate all-round gravel bike. Go anywhere, bring everything and then keep on going.
www.cannondale.com www.cannondale.com

Pivot Cycles

Where die-hard passion meets relentless innovation. Our carbon frames are what make a Pivot the best bike in the world.
global.pivotcycles.com global.pivotcycles.com

www.santacruzbicycles.com

Stigmata

Explore new horizons with the Santa Cruz Stigmata - the perfect companion for all your off-road escapades. Discover more about the Santa Cruz Stigmata and prepare to redefine your cycling experience today!
www.santacruzbicycles.com www.santacruzbicycles.com

www.parleecycles.com

Parlee Taos

Designed by Bob Parlee and individually hand built by a talented team of craftspeople, each Parlee is inspired by the Parlee mission to build the world’s finest carbon fiber bicycles.
www.parleecycles.com www.parleecycles.com



moots.com

ROUTT 45

One premium gravel bike for any occasion. From forest tracks, to rough gravel, to the unpredictable mix of Routt County Road 45, this is the bike built to handle it all. The Routt 45 pairs a longer top tube with a shorter stem and relaxed geometry, delivering a more upright posture for greater...
moots.com
Click to expand...

My pivot is the only gravel bike I’ve ridden, but it’s so nice. Maybe it’s the fit, or whatever, but it’s such a comfortable bike to ride.

It’s got 50cc thunderburts on. And I have an old stans carbon front wheel that I put a 2.25 racing Ralph on for days i stop in single track. I had a 2.4 on but that was overkill.

The internal frame storage is just barely usable but that seems like the normal on gravel bikes.

I have the mullet build with AXS transmission, but I’d probably get the xplr if I could go back in time. It’s not a big deal either way though. This build is nice for those super steep climbs on single track. But when I’m on the road, I find myself searching for the right gear / cadence.

If I got the xplx build I could see myself selling my road bike and having this bike with gravel and a road wheelset.

IMG_0640.jpeg
 
Jeremy said:
My pivot is the only gravel bike I’ve ridden, but it’s so nice. Maybe it’s the fit, or whatever, but it’s such a comfortable bike to ride.

It’s got 50cc thunderburts on. And I have an old stans carbon front wheel that I put a 2.25 racing Ralph on for days i stop in single track. I had a 2.4 on but that was overkill.

The internal frame storage is just barely usable but that seems like the normal on gravel bikes.

I have the mullet build with AXS transmission, but I’d probably get the xplr if I could go back in time. It’s not a big deal either way though. This build is nice for those super steep climbs on single track. But when I’m on the road, I find myself searching for the right gear / cadence.

If I got the xplx build I could see myself selling my road bike and having this bike with gravel and a road wheelset.

View attachment 272193
Click to expand...
I have a few on sale by the way for those paying attention
 
jdog said:
Im the odd man out in the fact that I ride suspension and a lefty at that on my gravel bike. I love the ride and I miss it whenever I ride other stuff.

The bikes on my radar are these:

www.cannondale.com

Topstone Carbon 1 Lefty AXS

Our take on the ultimate all-round gravel bike. Go anywhere, bring everything and then keep on going.
www.cannondale.com www.cannondale.com

Pivot Cycles

Where die-hard passion meets relentless innovation. Our carbon frames are what make a Pivot the best bike in the world.
global.pivotcycles.com global.pivotcycles.com

www.santacruzbicycles.com

Stigmata

Explore new horizons with the Santa Cruz Stigmata - the perfect companion for all your off-road escapades. Discover more about the Santa Cruz Stigmata and prepare to redefine your cycling experience today!
www.santacruzbicycles.com www.santacruzbicycles.com

www.parleecycles.com

Parlee Taos

Designed by Bob Parlee and individually hand built by a talented team of craftspeople, each Parlee is inspired by the Parlee mission to build the world’s finest carbon fiber bicycles.
www.parleecycles.com www.parleecycles.com



moots.com

ROUTT 45

One premium gravel bike for any occasion. From forest tracks, to rough gravel, to the unpredictable mix of Routt County Road 45, this is the bike built to handle it all. The Routt 45 pairs a longer top tube with a shorter stem and relaxed geometry, delivering a more upright posture for greater...
moots.com
Click to expand...


That moots is a beauty and I am Ti curious but I don't think I'm willing to drop that kind of coin to find out if I like it or not. I should have come to your demo day last year and test rode one.

Lack of access to test ride bikes is always an issue when I'm shopping. It's a rather big purchase and many times the consumer is left to just compare geometry charts, build spec and pricing. (I'm not pointing at you specifically just a general statement) If I was between a Lauf Seigla, Allied Able and Argon 18 Dark Matter there's no practical way to get a half an hour on gravel with each bike to see which feels like the right bike for me. I guess the best I could get is the Lauf 30 day return window which seems overly generous.
 
Jeremy said:
I have the mullet build with AXS transmission, but I’d probably get the xplr if I could go back in time. It’s not a big deal either way though. This build is nice for those super steep climbs on single track. But when I’m on the road, I find myself searching for the right gear / cadence.
Click to expand...
I had 46t 10-44 XPLR for the road and loved it, but i really like the 44t 10-51 for all gravel things. i do end up finding that 52 on the climbs at times.

It would be nice to have the option to switch back and forth (i did before on consolidated my drop bar bikes for 3 to 2) but if i had to pick one, its the mullet setup.

Geeked out and trying to see if the 13 speed 10-46 cassette makes sense, figured someone would like this info:
52t = T-Type Mullet
46t = 13 speed XPLR
44t = 12 speed XPLR


Easy gears at 60rpm (not efficient but the point of ‘oh shit I dont wanna walk this gravel hill’)
44x52 - 4.1mph
42x52 - 3.9mph
40x52 - 3.8mph

44x46 - 4.7mph
42x46 - 4.5mph
40x46 - 4.2mph

44x44 - 4.9mph
42x44 - 4.7mph
40x44 - 4.4mph


Hardest gear at 120rpm (not ideal to pedal 120rpm forever)
120rpm
44x10 - 42.9 mph
42x10 - 41mph
40x10 - 39mph

Hair Face said:
I guess the best I could get is the Lauf 30 day return window which seems overly generous.
Click to expand...
this was my concern, i was unsure if i wanted to go medium or large and it felt nice to know that if i felt weird on it i can box it back up
 
extremedave said:
This is making me want to keep the Enve’s and put slicks on them. Although I’m only on 38’s and have Grails so not sure it’d be that much diff.
Click to expand...
for most of the gravel riding in NJ, this is probably the most you would need IMHO. Unless you dabble in the single track/underbike world or you like to try those sandy roads in Pinelands.

I can even remember riding my backup aluminum road bike on Columbia trail with 25s in the winter with no issues way before I got an actual gravel bike.
 
Hair Face said:
That moots is a beauty and I am Ti curious but I don't think I'm willing to drop that kind of coin to find out if I like it or not. I should have come to your demo day last year and test rode one.

Lack of access to test ride bikes is always an issue when I'm shopping. It's a rather big purchase and many times the consumer is left to just compare geometry charts, build spec and pricing. (I'm not pointing at you specifically just a general statement) If I was between a Lauf Seigla, Allied Able and Argon 18 Dark Matter there's no practical way to get a half an hour on gravel with each bike to see which feels like the right bike for me. I guess the best I could get is the Lauf 30 day return window which seems overly generous.
Click to expand...
I was in the same boat. Lusted after a Moots Routt but couldn't get past the price tag. Maybe a nice used one?
 
GSTim said:
I'm looking at the Checkpoint Gen3 for my cross-country trip next year, but not sure how it will handle being fully loaded front and back. My goal was to try to build something that could be an "everything" bike when I get back, just have two wheelsets one with road tires and one with gravel. Not sure if that's a realistic goal or not.
Click to expand...
You're old and have money. This isn't an insult.

Buy something that's perfect for the cross country trek. Actual built in mounts for front/rear racks, etc. You'll enjoy the trip way better on a bike that's setup well and not half assed. Buy good racks and bags. You don't want to be in the middle of nowhere dealing with bags/mounts that aren't holding on.

Also a proper touring bike will have longer chainstays and geometry that works better for bags. Maybe most newer gravel bikes are like this but short chain stays will have your heels hitting the rear pannier bags.

Worst case you sell it when you get back, or it's also a good gravel bike. It'll likely not be a great unladen road bike.

Not that the Checkpoint isn't bad. Looking at the aluminum one, that seems like a nice bit of bike for $2,100 and I likely wouldn't hesitate that to be a bike I took cross country or ride gravel. My only real concern, and maybe unfounded is if it's got strong wheels for being fully loaded. If you're pretty light with your bags it's probably not a huge deal. And it's not like you can't buy a new wheels if need be anywhere in the country.
 
Santapez said:
You're old and have money. This isn't an insult.

Buy something that's perfect for the cross country trek. Actual built in mounts for front/rear racks, etc. You'll enjoy the trip way better on a bike that's setup well and not half assed. Buy good racks and bags. You don't want to be in the middle of nowhere dealing with bags/mounts that aren't holding on.

Also a proper touring bike will have longer chainstays and geometry that works better for bags. Maybe most newer gravel bikes are like this but short chain stays will have your heels hitting the rear pannier bags.

Worst case you sell it when you get back, or it's also a good gravel bike. It'll likely not be a great unladen road bike.

Not that the Checkpoint isn't bad. Looking at the aluminum one, that seems like a nice bit of bike for $2,100 and I likely wouldn't hesitate that to be a bike I took cross country or ride gravel. My only real concern, and maybe unfounded is if it's got strong wheels for being fully loaded. If you're pretty light with your bags it's probably not a huge deal. And it's not like you can't buy a new wheels if need be anywhere in the country.
Click to expand...
Yeah, the Checkpoint has rack mounts front and rear. The front Ortlieb bags that I got have the mounting bracket that mounts to the 3 hard mounts on newer forks. That's why I replaced the fork on the Fuji with one with mounts so that I could try it out. I have the Ortlieb Quick rack on the back, all reviews for that seem to be positive, even for long trips. I'll probably look at the Kona Sutra and the Salsa Marrakesh also before I buy anything. The Bontrager wheels (even carbons) have no weight limits.
 
GSTim said:
Yeah, the Checkpoint has rack mounts front and rear. The front Ortlieb bags that I got have the mounting bracket that mounts to the 3 hard mounts on newer forks. That's why I replaced the fork on the Fuji with one with mounts so that I could try it out. I have the Ortlieb Quick rack on the back, all reviews for that seem to be positive, even for long trips. I'll probably look at the Kona Sutra and the Salsa Marrakesh also before I buy anything. The Bontrager wheels (even carbons) have no weight limits.
Click to expand...
The Marrakesh seemed more like a ride-through-Africa type bike. If in the US I'd say more towards the Salsa Vaya.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom