Speccing a gravel bike
Discussion
I'm thinking about a gravel bike...the idea of linking up sections of rural road rides with bridleways really appeals, as does a bit of bikepacking, as does a winter bike for the road that will deal with all the rural mud and poor roads around me. And I really want to try titanium, but not go crazy on spend (using Cyclescheme)
I do like the look of the Ribble CGR Ti, but the spec and price relationship seems a bit odd in some ways. If I'm honest with myself, I won't be doing loads of bikepacking, or really full-on off road stuff. So, I'm leaning towards the CGR Ti Sport. This has 700c wheels and a 2x11 Shimano 105 drivetrain, and even comes with mudguards in that build.
I could specify 650b wheels if I wanted for an extra £50, but would I want to? Am I limiting my tyre choice to stuff that might be a bit horrible as a winter road bike?
Another thing I'd change is probably the bar to a flared version for £20...any view on this?
The really big one for me is the difference in price between the 105 equipped bike and the GRX equipped version, the CGR Ti Gravel. It seems you pay a £600 premium for the GRX equipped bike, however you are on a 1x11 setup instead. I appreciate it's probably better for hardcore off roading, but I can't help thinking if I am honest about how I'll ride it, I'm way better with the 105 version...I can always presumably just swap the chainset for a 1x and ditch the front mech if needed. Seems odd to be paying a lot more, for a lot less, especially as 105 is such a great groupset anyway.
Thoughts?
I do like the look of the Ribble CGR Ti, but the spec and price relationship seems a bit odd in some ways. If I'm honest with myself, I won't be doing loads of bikepacking, or really full-on off road stuff. So, I'm leaning towards the CGR Ti Sport. This has 700c wheels and a 2x11 Shimano 105 drivetrain, and even comes with mudguards in that build.
I could specify 650b wheels if I wanted for an extra £50, but would I want to? Am I limiting my tyre choice to stuff that might be a bit horrible as a winter road bike?
Another thing I'd change is probably the bar to a flared version for £20...any view on this?
The really big one for me is the difference in price between the 105 equipped bike and the GRX equipped version, the CGR Ti Gravel. It seems you pay a £600 premium for the GRX equipped bike, however you are on a 1x11 setup instead. I appreciate it's probably better for hardcore off roading, but I can't help thinking if I am honest about how I'll ride it, I'm way better with the 105 version...I can always presumably just swap the chainset for a 1x and ditch the front mech if needed. Seems odd to be paying a lot more, for a lot less, especially as 105 is such a great groupset anyway.
Thoughts?
Comacchio said:
I'm in the same boat at the moment - our CycleScheme has just opened up with a limit of £2k. I've been speccing up the CGR SL with the SRAM Apex 1 groupset, Mavic Allroad wheelset to allow tubeless, WTB riddler tyres & the flared bars. Ribble added £100 onto all bikes over the weekend there, so I've had to drop some of the spec down, I think I originally specced it with the GRX-600 1x11 groupset but that's now out of budget unfortunately.
I checked with Ribble on this, you can pay the difference yourself...I really really really want Ti hence needing to go a little over budget, so hopefully it will all be OK with Ribble!
Thanks for the advice on wheels, I do think 700c is the way to go for me, and obviously opens things up to a bit more wheel/tyre swapability with my road bike, a Canyon Endurace. In fact, if I went for the 105 option on the Ribble, I could in theory put the 700c 28mm tyred wheels from my Canyon straight on (both 12mm thru axle) for some faster road wheels for tarmac touring and be good to go, especially if I paid the extra £20 to have an identical 11-34 (changed from stock 11-32) casette on the Ribble, to match the Canyon. Would need to decide on whether to stick with the stock 34-50 or go with a 36-52 upfront too.
The only other option is perhaps a no-cost swap from 105 to GRX400, however as this is a 2x10 rather than a 2x11 it precludes any wheel swapping, and is also not as good a groupset. Although I do like the idea of a clutched derailleur, so perhaps an aftermarket addition of a GRX600 mech at £80 if chain slap is a problem might be the best route (altough in all my years of mountain biking on flaky 3x setups, this was never a huge issue anyway). Plus as my Canyon is 105, it means that I need to carry less spares and always have the option of a component swap if the roadie goes wrong before a sportive, or vice versa...
Thanks for the advice on wheels, I do think 700c is the way to go for me, and obviously opens things up to a bit more wheel/tyre swapability with my road bike, a Canyon Endurace. In fact, if I went for the 105 option on the Ribble, I could in theory put the 700c 28mm tyred wheels from my Canyon straight on (both 12mm thru axle) for some faster road wheels for tarmac touring and be good to go, especially if I paid the extra £20 to have an identical 11-34 (changed from stock 11-32) casette on the Ribble, to match the Canyon. Would need to decide on whether to stick with the stock 34-50 or go with a 36-52 upfront too.
The only other option is perhaps a no-cost swap from 105 to GRX400, however as this is a 2x10 rather than a 2x11 it precludes any wheel swapping, and is also not as good a groupset. Although I do like the idea of a clutched derailleur, so perhaps an aftermarket addition of a GRX600 mech at £80 if chain slap is a problem might be the best route (altough in all my years of mountain biking on flaky 3x setups, this was never a huge issue anyway). Plus as my Canyon is 105, it means that I need to carry less spares and always have the option of a component swap if the roadie goes wrong before a sportive, or vice versa...
Daveyraveygravey said:
I really want a Kinesis, but I can see that ending up the wrong side of £2.5k. For my intended use I think I should keep it nearer 1500, maybe a Kinesis G2...
Agree on the costs, but on Cyclescheme, it suddenly looks a lot more sensible/borderline no brainer. I guess a Ti frame on that style of slightly "roadied" gravel bike could literally be a bike for the rest of my cycling days...Some lovely, lovely machines on there! Great pictures, and it seems that the word "fun" seems to crop up a lot when talking about gravel bikes which is good!
I've spent a lot of time fiddling with configurators and looking at specs, and I think Comacchio's recommendation of the Dolan might just win it. I prefer the look of the frame...I've never really liked the dropped seatstay look that the Ribble has, although the dropped chainstay of the Dolan looks good and makes sense. I also like the fact that the Dolan has 4 sets of bottle mounts, but above all has much more flexibility on the build.
I was messing around with gear tables last night. My Canyon, a lighter bike all carbon bike on 28mm rubber, has a 52-36 chainset and an 11-34 cassette, giving me a 126 inch top gear and 28 bottom, which works very well for me in terms of range, but I'd not want it to have much bigger jumps between the gears...what I have took a bit of getting used to after my old race bike with a 53-39 and a much tighter spread at the back. However, I'd definitely want a lower bottom gear than the Canyon on a gravel/touring bike, on the basis that I may be loaded up with kit, on steeper roads than you tend to get around where I live, and certainly I'd want to be able to spin along happily at slow speeds off road too. A Ribble with a 105 50-34 upfront and a 11-34 on the back will give me something a bit lower, but I can't spec a GRX groupset unless I spend big money and go with the GRX 810 Ultegra equivalent. After reading reviews that the GRX hoods and paddles are nicer off road, and the chainset a bit harder wearing, and the clutch mech a worthwhile addition, I do really want GRX now.
I can spec the GRX600 on the Dolan and with a GRX 46-30 upfront and an 11-34 on the back I'd get a 114 top and 24 bottom which seems a really decent spread of gears. They will build with a rear rotor to match the 105 one on my Canyon wheels, so I can still do a straight swap between bikes which is important to me.
I did think long and hard about 1x, but I really do feel that it will be a big compromise on road, and really detract from it's ability to do a winter club road ride in comfort. I'd be looking at a 99-26 spread across just 11 gears and I just don't think that's right for me, just too compromised, and obviously if I wanted to add a second ring later that's big bucks with a new left lever, front mech, chainset, chain, cassette cables and bar tape. I have an old Defender, and with both high and low ratio gearboxes, I know it will do anything, where a modern soft-roader with just one range of gears is a big compromise in my head and there are clearly parallels there! Interestingly Dolan says about 80% of their gravel builds are now 2x, despite an early surge in 1x popularity.
Decisions decisions...
I've spent a lot of time fiddling with configurators and looking at specs, and I think Comacchio's recommendation of the Dolan might just win it. I prefer the look of the frame...I've never really liked the dropped seatstay look that the Ribble has, although the dropped chainstay of the Dolan looks good and makes sense. I also like the fact that the Dolan has 4 sets of bottle mounts, but above all has much more flexibility on the build.
I was messing around with gear tables last night. My Canyon, a lighter bike all carbon bike on 28mm rubber, has a 52-36 chainset and an 11-34 cassette, giving me a 126 inch top gear and 28 bottom, which works very well for me in terms of range, but I'd not want it to have much bigger jumps between the gears...what I have took a bit of getting used to after my old race bike with a 53-39 and a much tighter spread at the back. However, I'd definitely want a lower bottom gear than the Canyon on a gravel/touring bike, on the basis that I may be loaded up with kit, on steeper roads than you tend to get around where I live, and certainly I'd want to be able to spin along happily at slow speeds off road too. A Ribble with a 105 50-34 upfront and a 11-34 on the back will give me something a bit lower, but I can't spec a GRX groupset unless I spend big money and go with the GRX 810 Ultegra equivalent. After reading reviews that the GRX hoods and paddles are nicer off road, and the chainset a bit harder wearing, and the clutch mech a worthwhile addition, I do really want GRX now.
I can spec the GRX600 on the Dolan and with a GRX 46-30 upfront and an 11-34 on the back I'd get a 114 top and 24 bottom which seems a really decent spread of gears. They will build with a rear rotor to match the 105 one on my Canyon wheels, so I can still do a straight swap between bikes which is important to me.
I did think long and hard about 1x, but I really do feel that it will be a big compromise on road, and really detract from it's ability to do a winter club road ride in comfort. I'd be looking at a 99-26 spread across just 11 gears and I just don't think that's right for me, just too compromised, and obviously if I wanted to add a second ring later that's big bucks with a new left lever, front mech, chainset, chain, cassette cables and bar tape. I have an old Defender, and with both high and low ratio gearboxes, I know it will do anything, where a modern soft-roader with just one range of gears is a big compromise in my head and there are clearly parallels there! Interestingly Dolan says about 80% of their gravel builds are now 2x, despite an early surge in 1x popularity.
Decisions decisions...
Thanks for the insight all. I'm still "not getting it" with 1 x 11 though!
I've just totted up the weight difference on the groupsets, and although you lose weight out of the front mech and the chainset, you then chuck a load more on thanks to that massive cassette. The difference is a measly 62 grams... over 10 times less than one bottle of water!
I do get that if you want mahoosive tyres you get more clearance around the front mech, there's a bit less to go wrong, and for hardcore off roading the (already clutched) rear mech is having to deal with a bit less chain slap, but I just can't see that the compromise is worth a measly 62 grams. Plus chuck in that with a 2x I can swap wheels with my road bike for instant 28mm tyres, and I'd get a much wider spread of gears with smaller jumps for very similar cash and I can't see why I would want 1x.
Or am I really missing something? Thanks!
I've just totted up the weight difference on the groupsets, and although you lose weight out of the front mech and the chainset, you then chuck a load more on thanks to that massive cassette. The difference is a measly 62 grams... over 10 times less than one bottle of water!
I do get that if you want mahoosive tyres you get more clearance around the front mech, there's a bit less to go wrong, and for hardcore off roading the (already clutched) rear mech is having to deal with a bit less chain slap, but I just can't see that the compromise is worth a measly 62 grams. Plus chuck in that with a 2x I can swap wheels with my road bike for instant 28mm tyres, and I'd get a much wider spread of gears with smaller jumps for very similar cash and I can't see why I would want 1x.
Or am I really missing something? Thanks!
Thanks for the comments all. I posted a similar question on a gravel FB group, and interestingly the majority of responses were "go 2x", with a few people actually regretting 1x, or actually swapping to 2x from a 1x.
My MTB is old school, a steel 26" On-One Inbred, with a 3x Shimano SLX drivetrain, and it's superb. I can't say I've ever been anything less than totally impressed with it's performance. I get it that when DH bikes started going 1x with chain devices it made sense...they were only used for one thing, downhill, and reducing chain slap was paramount. But the SLX drivetrain doesn't do anything that makes me think "hmmm, 1x would resolve that".
So it seems that the main reasons are:
Noise-not an issue for me. I'd also expect that the noise on my 2x11 road bike, on tarmac on slick tyres would be more noticeable than the noise on fatter aggressive tyres on rough surfaces possibly with a load of bikepacking kit rattling around too, but I'm fine with my 2x11
Simplicity-I kinda get that for extreme mud, however I'd be riding my MTB on that instead, and I don't think I've ever had a front mech let me down as they are such a simple thing
Weight-the 70 odd grams are irrelevant to me, especially on a bike with fattish tyres and a fattish rider, and if it was that important I'd go carbon and not ti
Looks-Yes, 1x does look cool, and aesthetics are important, but when I'm riding I won't notice it, but I'll sure as heck notice the better gear spread!
I do get for proper off-roading 1x has it's advantages, but I guess going back to car analogies that's like sticking 35" Simex tyres and a 3" lift kit on a daily driver Defender because they look cool and are better off road...sure, they do on both counts, but they are going to be way worse to live with for the rest of the time.
Thanks for the insight though, and I think 1x absolutely has it's place, just not for me (a bit like my other Inbred, a single speed, which I soon realised was a waste of time for me and will now be going up for sale!)
My MTB is old school, a steel 26" On-One Inbred, with a 3x Shimano SLX drivetrain, and it's superb. I can't say I've ever been anything less than totally impressed with it's performance. I get it that when DH bikes started going 1x with chain devices it made sense...they were only used for one thing, downhill, and reducing chain slap was paramount. But the SLX drivetrain doesn't do anything that makes me think "hmmm, 1x would resolve that".
So it seems that the main reasons are:
Noise-not an issue for me. I'd also expect that the noise on my 2x11 road bike, on tarmac on slick tyres would be more noticeable than the noise on fatter aggressive tyres on rough surfaces possibly with a load of bikepacking kit rattling around too, but I'm fine with my 2x11
Simplicity-I kinda get that for extreme mud, however I'd be riding my MTB on that instead, and I don't think I've ever had a front mech let me down as they are such a simple thing
Weight-the 70 odd grams are irrelevant to me, especially on a bike with fattish tyres and a fattish rider, and if it was that important I'd go carbon and not ti
Looks-Yes, 1x does look cool, and aesthetics are important, but when I'm riding I won't notice it, but I'll sure as heck notice the better gear spread!
I do get for proper off-roading 1x has it's advantages, but I guess going back to car analogies that's like sticking 35" Simex tyres and a 3" lift kit on a daily driver Defender because they look cool and are better off road...sure, they do on both counts, but they are going to be way worse to live with for the rest of the time.
Thanks for the insight though, and I think 1x absolutely has it's place, just not for me (a bit like my other Inbred, a single speed, which I soon realised was a waste of time for me and will now be going up for sale!)
ArnageWRC said:
Good discussion on this. So much choice, sometimes it's difficult to nail a decision. Carbon, steel, titanium or aluminium? 700c or 650c, 1x or 2x....
I've thought that unless you race, then a gravel/adventure bike ticks most of the boxes for a 'road bike'. Stick road wheels on for fast road rides, then replace with wider wheels for off road riding - and you've got an excellent winter road bike.
I quite like the look of the RIbble/Dolan Ti bikes, as they seem decent value for money; if money is no object, I'd like an Enigma. I'd also be thinking about fitting the RedShift stem if you're doing a lot of off road riding, and possibly going for a slightly more upright position.
It's funny how things go full circle isn't it. Back in the day when I was growing up in the '80s John Tomac was riding carbon or ally "mountain" bikes with drop bars...obviously that would never catch on eh? Not forgetting Flexstems (which were all the rage until they were rubbish) and Shimano Biopace oval chainrings, which again were rubbish, although now all the rage again. Really crap mountain bikes had single chainsets, and the good ones had triples!I've thought that unless you race, then a gravel/adventure bike ticks most of the boxes for a 'road bike'. Stick road wheels on for fast road rides, then replace with wider wheels for off road riding - and you've got an excellent winter road bike.
I quite like the look of the RIbble/Dolan Ti bikes, as they seem decent value for money; if money is no object, I'd like an Enigma. I'd also be thinking about fitting the RedShift stem if you're doing a lot of off road riding, and possibly going for a slightly more upright position.
Anyway, thanks for all the contributions to this thread. I'm going with the C2W scheme and a Dolan GXT. There's no reviews, however Dolan have a good name and their other Ti bikes review very well so hopefully it's a safe bet I like the dropped chainstay design, but don't like the aesthetics of very dropped seatstays which ruled out the Ribble. The extra bottle/bag bosses are good, although it's a shame it doesn't have the fork mounts for bags up front.
I've gone 2x11 GRX, as per previous comments the positives absolutely outweigh the negatives for me, and I'll just end up with a far more useable versatile bike. 11-34 cassette with a 160mm rear rotor will give me instant swapability with my Canyon, going with the Mavic Allroads 700c (tubeless ready) 35mm Panaracer Gravelkings and flared bars with upgraded tape. Dolan have been absolutely great to deal with so far, so fingers crossed that experience will continue!
Bring on the Ti goodness (and another chainring!)
Comacchio said:
Glad you liked my suggestion of the Dolan!
I’ve dropped the Ribble CGR idea and decided to go for the Dolan GXC in black and red, flared bars with red tape (going to swap my jockey wheels out for red ones to balance it up a bit, maybe some red bolts on the bottle cage mounts too), same wheelset and tyres as you & the GRX 810 1x11 (40T/11-40T). Just waiting on my C2W voucher being approved before getting my order in!
Yes, thanks for the steer! Colour combo and spec sounds great. Post pics when you get it!I’ve dropped the Ribble CGR idea and decided to go for the Dolan GXC in black and red, flared bars with red tape (going to swap my jockey wheels out for red ones to balance it up a bit, maybe some red bolts on the bottle cage mounts too), same wheelset and tyres as you & the GRX 810 1x11 (40T/11-40T). Just waiting on my C2W voucher being approved before getting my order in!
Ares said:
I went through this process earlier this year.
Ended up with a Titus Goldrush titanium frame, SRAM Force One Chainset & Brakes, Mavic Allroad rims and WTB Horizon 47 tyres. Who thing came in well under £2k
Was intended as a winter bike, replace my fixie as a bike to ride with my daughter plus a bit of gravel fun. It's ended up being some of the best fun I've had on a bike. Wildly different to my road bikes, but bloody great.
Ares, what rear light is that? Is it the one I keep seeing all over Facebook with the "brake" light built in?Ended up with a Titus Goldrush titanium frame, SRAM Force One Chainset & Brakes, Mavic Allroad rims and WTB Horizon 47 tyres. Who thing came in well under £2k
Was intended as a winter bike, replace my fixie as a bike to ride with my daughter plus a bit of gravel fun. It's ended up being some of the best fun I've had on a bike. Wildly different to my road bikes, but bloody great.
upsidedownmark said:
Very interesting thread.. Getting a bit fed up of being beaten up by my S2, and my touring/rack-capable bike went missing a week ago, so it's time for something to replace.
It *must* take racks.
It will be 2x - most likely 105, 50/34 etc.
It must do at least light off-road.. although technically I could do that on the S2 if I was pig headed enough..
I'm wondering if I can make it replace the S2 - I race, but that's always on a TT, so if it's not too lumpen, and can keep up with group rides and do longer audax type road rides without leaving my sitting parts in need of medical attention it would be a winner!
Budget is.. flexible, depending on what roles it will fulfill:
- The 'cheap' option is something like an Alu 105 topstone. Not much cash, will fulfil the offroad/rack/touring etc, but probably not the bike to use for 'audax' type rides / replace the S2. pure N+1.
- Or I could go carbon - ribble cgr, orro terra c, that kind of thing. That's got a better chance of doing dual duty (most likely with a second wheelset), but while I'm generally a carbon fan, I have a lot of nervousness over a carbon bike off road - less from a strength and crashing angle, more things like having seen the paint stripped off the chainstays of my MTB after a really muddy /crappy ride. One thing abraiding paint, but is carbon really tough enough in this kind of role? Also seems like not many of the carbon frames do rack mounts
Could be 1 in 1 out tho..
- Finally TI.. expensive, but best of both worlds? Never ridden one so not sure..
Oh, and the other possibility is something like a trek domane.. more 'road' with a bit of versatility? Does racks etc., but also will go up to 38mm tyres, so capable of off-road, if a bit compromised?
The Domane is the equivalent of my Canyon Endurace, and whilst it's a superbly comfy and fast machine and on 28s will handle basic gravel tracks, I think I'd be wincing if I tried any "proper" off road on it. It's designed to deal with poor roads and the odd pot hole, not constant thrashing off road.It *must* take racks.
It will be 2x - most likely 105, 50/34 etc.
It must do at least light off-road.. although technically I could do that on the S2 if I was pig headed enough..
I'm wondering if I can make it replace the S2 - I race, but that's always on a TT, so if it's not too lumpen, and can keep up with group rides and do longer audax type road rides without leaving my sitting parts in need of medical attention it would be a winner!
Budget is.. flexible, depending on what roles it will fulfill:
- The 'cheap' option is something like an Alu 105 topstone. Not much cash, will fulfil the offroad/rack/touring etc, but probably not the bike to use for 'audax' type rides / replace the S2. pure N+1.
- Or I could go carbon - ribble cgr, orro terra c, that kind of thing. That's got a better chance of doing dual duty (most likely with a second wheelset), but while I'm generally a carbon fan, I have a lot of nervousness over a carbon bike off road - less from a strength and crashing angle, more things like having seen the paint stripped off the chainstays of my MTB after a really muddy /crappy ride. One thing abraiding paint, but is carbon really tough enough in this kind of role? Also seems like not many of the carbon frames do rack mounts
Could be 1 in 1 out tho..- Finally TI.. expensive, but best of both worlds? Never ridden one so not sure..
Oh, and the other possibility is something like a trek domane.. more 'road' with a bit of versatility? Does racks etc., but also will go up to 38mm tyres, so capable of off-road, if a bit compromised?
Edited by upsidedownmark on Friday 19th June 13:20
Carbon is very strong, but it really doesn't like point loads (I've got some amatuer experience of working with it primarily in marine applications). Drop the frame onto a rock and it won't dent, you may end up with a hole instead. If you are just banging around a trail centre on a carbon MTB and break it, at worst it's just a long walk to the car park, if you are off bikepacking out in the wilds it's a much bigger issue. I've gone Ti as it's strong, light, won't corrode, and is IMHO a far better material if you are going to be "out there", and should last a lifetime. Even in my own fairly limited riding life I've known friends break Al and CF frames, although I don't think I've ever heard of a Ti frame failing.
MC Bodge said:
Living in a very flat area, with my office on the same flat plain, my battered commuter/does it all (Al / carbon fork / mini V brakes) Kinesis Crosslight on 32mm road tyres (35 CX tyres will fit) almost never shifts out of the big ring.
When I occasionally use it elsewhere, and ride up a steep hill, I find that the front mech has invariably seized....
A single up front, with a 1:1 ratio would probably be a good choice.
When the bike finally dies, I'll probably stick with an Aluminium frame and carbon fork, but with more tyre clearance.
Not wishing to make tooooo many similarities between your username and your post, but that's just a lack of maintenance, rather than a front mech not being up to the job of gravel biking surely?When I occasionally use it elsewhere, and ride up a steep hill, I find that the front mech has invariably seized....
A single up front, with a 1:1 ratio would probably be a good choice.
When the bike finally dies, I'll probably stick with an Aluminium frame and carbon fork, but with more tyre clearance.
upsidedownmark said:
Not quite - it definitely lists *38mm* (not 28) tyres, and gravel capability - also designed to handle the cobblestoned classics, which are probably a worse hammering than most manage off road. Which makes it a leftfield choice I grant you, but not entirely illogical. IMO gravel bikes are starting to slide a bit too far down the drop bar MTB scale, I have a dual suspension XC bike if I want to go crazy, what I really want is a comfortable long range do-it-all that will also do getting off the beaten path, I don't need trail-centre capability (or 650B) 
Fairly familiar with carbon from a similar point of view it sounds.. broken and mended various bits of moths and similar boats. As I said, it's the mud and crap/scraping type damage that concerns me. That said, it seems like most MTB's are carbon these days, so probably not an issue..
Ti is tempting, but expensive, and relatively speaking heavier..
If you have a nosey on the Canyon site it does call out gravel potential and categorisation on the Endurace, but it's definitely not a gravel bike IMHO, especially as most of the tests put it at the racier end of the Endurance spectrum. Granted, it's not quite as versatile as the Domane though.Fairly familiar with carbon from a similar point of view it sounds.. broken and mended various bits of moths and similar boats. As I said, it's the mud and crap/scraping type damage that concerns me. That said, it seems like most MTB's are carbon these days, so probably not an issue..
Ti is tempting, but expensive, and relatively speaking heavier..
Yep, moths, 12s, 18s, Cherubs, and latest carbon bodgery is a carbon bowsprit on the bow of my Bav32 made from a broken 18 mast :-)
upsidedownmark said:
Dolan Gxt is tempting, but with no reviews, and no opportunity to try I'm not confident to push the button.
Mine arrives later this month hopefully, I'll report back and you're welcome to give it a blast if you are anywhere near Rutland. I know it's a bit of a risk buying unseen and unridden, however that's what I did with my Canyon road bike and I love it more and more every ride, and Dolan have a decent reputation and they are unlikely to be selling a lemon. Besides, it will be me holding the bike back, not the other way around!The service from Dolan so far has been great...they are always happy to chat, I had several calls with Steve there before I arrived at the spec I wanted, they really are super helpful.
Carl-H said:
Has anyone taken delivery of a dolan yet? I think there were a few here who'd ordered one. So close to pulling the trigger now
Not yet...I have a pile of bits here waiting to go on as soon as it arrives though! I believe the frames arrive in the UK on the 15th and build commences soon after so not long now. So excited!!LimaDelta said:
Hard-Drive said:
Carl-H said:
Has anyone taken delivery of a dolan yet? I think there were a few here who'd ordered one. So close to pulling the trigger now
Not yet...I have a pile of bits here waiting to go on as soon as it arrives though! I believe the frames arrive in the UK on the 15th and build commences soon after so not long now. So excited!!I also bought the full complement of Podsacs for bikepacking, but got impatient and went on my Canyon (which did brilliantly, even if due to an error with Komoot, I did a few miles on gravel!)
Phooey said:
Cheers Sway, wow Enigma looks a great place but unfortunately a long way from me (Nottingham). I might look into some form of a 'bike fit' though.
Phooey, Windmill Wheels in Wymondham, Leicestershire are an Enigma dealer/builder and bike fitter. Give them a shout, great little shop, and it's also stunning countryside with a great cafe next door if you decided to ride out from Nottingham (26 miles)Phooey said:
Cheers Sway & Hard-drive. Never knew they were only 20 mins away.. so I’m here now having a ganders and booking in for a bike fit
Haha brilliant. Tell them Iain (blue Canyon) sent you! I'm booked in to have my fit tweaked now my shorter stem has arrived from Canyon. I've done about 125 miles since my fit last week and it's made the world of difference...money well spent!Comacchio said:
Sway said:
Don't the mavics come with tyres stock, and therefore weights may include those?
Personally, I wouldn't have Hunts on a bike. I'm really not a fan of their model.
The weight is just for the wheelset from the looks of itPersonally, I wouldn't have Hunts on a bike. I'm really not a fan of their model.
Howcome you're not a fan of Hunt? I've not done a great deal of research into wheels.
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