Gravel Bike recommendations
Discussion
Hi,
I am in the market for a gravel bike, currently have a roadie and a TT but want to spend a bit more time off road and not a full on mountain bike as don't need to do any crazy down hill break your next type of stuff.
Ideally looking for something I can use most of the time be that on the road getting to some gravel or longer gravel routes.
I have narrowed it down at the moment and looking at the below 2 options but admitted know feck all about gravel so would take any recommendations from anyone who knows a bit more.
Wide tyre clearance is a must, few options for storage, not too arsed about been super aero or speedy.
Option 1 - Ridley Kanzo Adventure
Option 2 - Argon 18 Dark Matter
I am in the market for a gravel bike, currently have a roadie and a TT but want to spend a bit more time off road and not a full on mountain bike as don't need to do any crazy down hill break your next type of stuff.
Ideally looking for something I can use most of the time be that on the road getting to some gravel or longer gravel routes.
I have narrowed it down at the moment and looking at the below 2 options but admitted know feck all about gravel so would take any recommendations from anyone who knows a bit more.
Wide tyre clearance is a must, few options for storage, not too arsed about been super aero or speedy.
Option 1 - Ridley Kanzo Adventure
Option 2 - Argon 18 Dark Matter
Chrispee said:
I have the latest generation Trek Checkpoint and would say it fits your requirements, in frame storage, clearance for 50mm + tyres ( I'm running 2.1" Mezcals currently) and a good balance between racier & endurance geometries
Not heard of that bike, thank you I will have a look into that.I'm a big fan of Genesis geometry for longer gravel rides, as they are pretty relaxed. You don't tend to get the same vfm as other brands, but they are British and well supported if there's any warranty issues. My pal stocks them and my first gravel bike was a Fugio with 650x50 tyres, but they don't do that model anymore. The replacement Croix de Fer range are great riding bikes though (I demo'd the 40).
https://www.bikeremedy.co.uk/bike-gn-croix-de-fer-...
Trek Checkpoint looks good too as mentioned already....decent geometry.
https://www.bikeremedy.co.uk/checkpoint-alr-5-ml-b...
Spesh Diverge is good as well. I think the Trek above beats it for vfm, but if you can find one discounted it would a great buy.
I don't know anything about the Argon but know a couple of people with Ridley road and gravel bikes and they seem to rate them.
https://www.bikeremedy.co.uk/bike-gn-croix-de-fer-...
Trek Checkpoint looks good too as mentioned already....decent geometry.
https://www.bikeremedy.co.uk/checkpoint-alr-5-ml-b...
Spesh Diverge is good as well. I think the Trek above beats it for vfm, but if you can find one discounted it would a great buy.
I don't know anything about the Argon but know a couple of people with Ridley road and gravel bikes and they seem to rate them.
I have the latest Canyon Grizl CF7 which has been incredible. It keeps up with the roadies on sportives and handles mtb trails with ease (maybe not the jumps).
The bag is made for the bike and I can fit everything I need in there for a 100mile + ride.
2.1 tyres on currently which make it very comfortable and still rather quick on the road.
https://www.canyon.com/en-gb/gravel-bikes/adventur...
The bag is made for the bike and I can fit everything I need in there for a 100mile + ride.
2.1 tyres on currently which make it very comfortable and still rather quick on the road.
https://www.canyon.com/en-gb/gravel-bikes/adventur...
I've got a Kona Rove steel one. Gravel bikes are a lovely thing to go out on as an alternative to the roads. Also has plenty of mounting points as I plan to do a bit of bike packing.
Paid £999 for mine in the end of season sale a couple of years ago. Blue with tan tyres :-)
https://www.balfesbikes.co.uk/bikes/gravel-adventu...
Paid £999 for mine in the end of season sale a couple of years ago. Blue with tan tyres :-)
https://www.balfesbikes.co.uk/bikes/gravel-adventu...
I've gone titanium and never looked back. Bare looks are timeless and it is just a monster. I got the cheapest one I could at the time (Planet X) and it has never let me down. I will upgrade in time, but for now I'll use it as much as I can. Sram drivetrain has also proved great on it, plenty of storage space and attachment points.
Lots of choices here...so I'll add one more! Specialized Diverge, it has a suspension system in the headset. It only moves 20 mm vertically but it does help. I use it mainly for winter road rides, it copes with the state of rural Sussex roads well; I've got 38 mm tyres and mudguards on it. I use it off road too but you have to be more careful than if you're on a proper mountain bike.
I got mine secondhand off ebay, 3 years old. It cost me £1200 and the new equivalent was the wrong side of £3k.
I'd avoid anything claiming to be aero if you are going off road at all from October to now. The trails at the moment are sloppy and muddy and you need clearance between the wheels frame and drive train, unless you want to be carrying half a field around with you all the time.
I got mine secondhand off ebay, 3 years old. It cost me £1200 and the new equivalent was the wrong side of £3k.
I'd avoid anything claiming to be aero if you are going off road at all from October to now. The trails at the moment are sloppy and muddy and you need clearance between the wheels frame and drive train, unless you want to be carrying half a field around with you all the time.
Another vote for the Diverge here - the front suspension is great for smoothing out the surface.
To be honest, pretty much everyone who has a gravel bike loves it, whatever it is - being able to mix up your riding between roads, tracks, fields and bridleways on a robust bike that's generally pretty comfy and light enough to lift over stiles and fences is great.
Some stuff to consider -
Practicality - What tyre clearance is there? How many mounting points are there for bottles / frame bags? Gravel rides are often in the middle of nowhere, and you might need to carry a bit more in terms of food / repair stuff than on a road ride or MTB trail centre.
Components - Electronic shifting is relatively cheap to buy on a new bike, but I've already smashed on rear derailleur and was grateful it was bottom of the range SRAM non-electronic to replace. Consider if you prefer SRAM or Shimano. Personally I've found SRAM Apex a huge pain with constant bleeding required compared to Shimano road bikes I have that I've not bled in years. The bike shop I spoke did say they thought these were probably the worst SRAM brakes available though.
Gearing - this can vary massively, and bear in mind you'll probably need much lower gearing that a road bike. If you're mostly on the road, 2x may be best, but off-road I've found 1x brilliant. Less stuff to clog up and easier just to go up and down the gears (unless you have SRAM doubletap !). I change my rear cassette from 42 tooth max to 46 and it made a huge difference. Some components may already be at their limit, so lower gearing could be expensive (chain, new derailleur and cassette) if you decide to change.
To be honest, pretty much everyone who has a gravel bike loves it, whatever it is - being able to mix up your riding between roads, tracks, fields and bridleways on a robust bike that's generally pretty comfy and light enough to lift over stiles and fences is great.
Some stuff to consider -
Practicality - What tyre clearance is there? How many mounting points are there for bottles / frame bags? Gravel rides are often in the middle of nowhere, and you might need to carry a bit more in terms of food / repair stuff than on a road ride or MTB trail centre.
Components - Electronic shifting is relatively cheap to buy on a new bike, but I've already smashed on rear derailleur and was grateful it was bottom of the range SRAM non-electronic to replace. Consider if you prefer SRAM or Shimano. Personally I've found SRAM Apex a huge pain with constant bleeding required compared to Shimano road bikes I have that I've not bled in years. The bike shop I spoke did say they thought these were probably the worst SRAM brakes available though.
Gearing - this can vary massively, and bear in mind you'll probably need much lower gearing that a road bike. If you're mostly on the road, 2x may be best, but off-road I've found 1x brilliant. Less stuff to clog up and easier just to go up and down the gears (unless you have SRAM doubletap !). I change my rear cassette from 42 tooth max to 46 and it made a huge difference. Some components may already be at their limit, so lower gearing could be expensive (chain, new derailleur and cassette) if you decide to change.
I bought one of these from here, purely as it was a mental deal (still got some too)
Luckily its a bloody excellent bike :-)
https://www.jscycleshack.com/bikes/gravel-bikes/la...
Luckily its a bloody excellent bike :-)
https://www.jscycleshack.com/bikes/gravel-bikes/la...
One more for the pot - Giant Revolt. Fairly relaxed geometry and was good value when I got mine (Advanced 0), esp against the usual Trek/Spesh/Canyon rivals. Comes in lots of flavours. Def not disappointed with what I’ve got.
I had really wanted to get a Cervelo Aspero but no one seemed to know what they had in stock or when they could get stuff - bit of a shambles really.
I had really wanted to get a Cervelo Aspero but no one seemed to know what they had in stock or when they could get stuff - bit of a shambles really.
PomBstard said:
One more for the pot - Giant Revolt. Fairly relaxed geometry and was good value when I got mine (Advanced 0), esp against the usual Trek/Spesh/Canyon rivals. Comes in lots of flavours. Def not disappointed with what I ve got.
I had really wanted to get a Cervelo Aspero but no one seemed to know what they had in stock or when they could get stuff - bit of a shambles really.
Second this. I meant to also mention when I posted that I have a Revolt (the X one with dropper post and suspension fork) and a couple of riding buddies have the standard versions, and they are great all-rounders.I had really wanted to get a Cervelo Aspero but no one seemed to know what they had in stock or when they could get stuff - bit of a shambles really.
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