Today is the last of my 30s. I was thinking of a new bike but never really got round to it. My winter bike is looking a bit tired and I don't really ride on the road in winter anymore. My gravel bike is also my cx bike and through the race season this is a bit of a faff. So I was thinking of getting a gravel bike that would serve as a road bike.
Vitus just released one, the venon. Which looks good but I really wanted something metal. An ideal bike might be a CX bike with a compact road groupset and good clearances, this has worked in the past but they are a rarity these days. Probably 105, maybe 105di2. Would think about SRAM as wireless would be nice. Metal. Threaded bb. Easy to home service. Clearance for 45mm tyres or road tyres and guards.
Planet X ti frames suit but I want a complete build and a road groupset on a gravel frame isn't an option?
Sonder maybe.
Ribble cgr
Any good recommendations - anyone have a bike that they use similarly.
Not wanted to spend mega money on some boutique thing. My enjoyment of bikes is in the riding.
Why not grx groupset? It is great and will widen up your options.
I've got a Merlin G2P.
I'm not going to recommend the frame - I've recounted on here the bodged fork and not great Merlin attitude. However, the gist of the bike is a 'do it all'. It spends majority of time commuting on rough road/footpath, road and gravel day rides and occasional overnights.
Thoughts:
- the road (Tiagra 50/42 and 11-32) gearing was just way too high for me locally with Scottish hills. Particularly off-road or if I'm ever carrying luggage. I've fitted GRX crank of 6t smaller and will fit laree range cassette next month or so.
- I would choose space for and fit slightly wider tyres. I'm on 36's plus guards, it fitted 40s without the guards and was more comfy. That said, crusing along the road the 36's are a great balance of speed and comfort, but off road they / I just struggle. Mrs_oab has 45mm and they're great off-road, but you can hear them on road and they do have more wind resistance.
- comparing my relaxed head angle compared to middle_oab's CX bike, mine is much better. So much more relaxed and better for the riding I do. It's not the nip and swerve of racing.
- I hate the toe overlap.
Plan is to look for something a touch more off-road touring in future from Spa, Pipedream, Fairlight etc, 40mm tyres, full guards, GRX or Microshift 2x, likely flat bar.
I have a Pinnacle Arkose with the GRX 2x10 groupset. I similarly wanted a dual use bike and didn't fancy road riding with a single ring setup. I like that gravel geometry is a bit taller than road. Mine comes with 45c gravel tyres and I'm sure it would fit 700x50 without issues. It's not a fancy bike but with a few upgrades it looks pretty good and isn't expensive.
I have a Pinnacle Arkose with the GRX 2×10 groupset.
Mines a 2019 D4. Run gravel tyres between 38-45mm, spare set ofvwheelsvwerevsetbup with 32mm slicjs when i was without a "proper" road bike.
Sub compact is perfect for me off road, always a right gear to use. and i've had the same on my winter/audax roadie now. Perfect for long days or tough weather
If you race, it might a bit spinny for you, but speed is not a factir in any of my cycling.
I have a PX Tempest, absolutely love it. It has two sets of wheels, road and gravel. Even the road tyres are 38mm Panracer Gravel Kings slick.
I am more than happy with the gearing on-road. But I’m not riding in a fast group ride, on my own it’s absolutely fine.
I’ve done a couple of upgrades and the bike is currently in the local shop getting some more. I have two nice wheel sets, Bontrager Aeolus Pro as per the below picture, Zipp SL Carbon Seatpost (shop are chopping it down and installing it today), Zipp SL Explr Handlebars and Zipp stem. Weight is ok, I’ve had no issues on steep road climbs, off road climbs and bikepacking id probably want a 38t chainring.
Mine is a size small, I probably could have gotten away with a medium. I’m 5 foot 8, road bikes I have always ridden a small or a 52cm frame….that was out of choice. I preferred the feel of the smaller frame on the road. But off road with a lot more slower manoeuvring I do get toe overlap….fairly rare but it does happen.
For the price I paid for mine it was an absolute bargain.
If you are going to ride it seriously off road then gearing on 105 is too road plus the brifters are much less trail friendly. I'd go GRX for the design of the brifters alone. If you are hardly going to go off road then I guess 105 would be ok but if you are doing so little off road exploring you might as well get a proper road bike.
The answer of course is 2 bikes!
105 compact is fine for me off-road. I have used smaller chainrings on the road and didn't like them. Certainly a 44t on a CX bike was limiting.
Sonder just sent out an email about the Camino now available with the new 12 speed from Sram, price is incredible
I've just got a 2022 Diverge E5, bottom of the range, but its a cracking bike. I've upgraded the wheels and tires and the group set will get changed when this set gets tired.
I'm running 650b wheels with 48mm tires and its just epic!
Metal frame, carbon forks and loads of attachment points etc. whilst its not that exotic a bike choice it does what it say on the tin...
GRX double might be a good option. That would be my preferred option as it gives you the closer ratio gears for road use.
The answer of course is 2 bikes!
I would agree on that, or is OP caught in the marketing BS and 'lifestyle' world of needing a gravel bike.
Op sounds to me like he wants a road bike. Hes got a CX bike that will work just fine as a gravel bike.
What he truly needs to be effective as a gravel rider is some swoopy bars on his CX bike, baggy shorts, a pannier of some sort and a beard. Then its boxes ticked.
on the drivetrain front, I have 2 gravel bikes, a Topstone Lefty with 1x GRX and a Spesh Diverge with 1x AXS Eagle/Rival. For me, the AXS is nicer in every way !
Tire choice is also critical for running a gravel bike on the road without compromising either on road or off. I've been trough a few different tires and have just put a set of Rene Herse Juniper Ridge on the gravel bike; they ride really nice on road.
I commute between Newbury and Swindon, once a week, and take in a mix of road and gravel. The gravel bike is way more fun than my old road bike.
We'll see how nice they are off road on tomorrows Ramsbury Triple BBB 50k ride followed by Ramsbury Brewery Beers.
I'm looking for a replacement frame for my current gravel bike which is also a repurposed CX bike and which is also my winter road bike, front runner at the moment is the Dolan GXA, ticks all of your requirements as well.
I had a similar but different conundrum to you last year. Road bike turned 14 years old and needed some money spending, and I'd always had a CX/gravel itch that needed scratching. I was looking for carbon rather than alu, and buy a bike every 10 years so budget was probably higher, but I had a good look at the Diverge and Ridley something or other but ended up with a Cervelo Aspero-5. It's pretty fast on road, at least with me on it it is as fast as my old Storck, and very capable off road. If you would consider carbon frame over alu, you can pick up some lower spec Aspero's (not -5) with GRX for reasonable money (well, what appears to be reasonable these days).
The Fustle causeway GR1 framesets are currently £499 instead of £800, might be too radical for the closet roadies though
I will just hijack this thread to say if any of you chaps that ride larges do find yourself buying a new gravel bike, then I am on the lookout for a cheap and well loved alu frame that takes disc brakes!
saw this via FB yesterday, apparently Apex AXS (budget wireless!) is brand new, looks like a decent spec for the moneyWould think about SRAM as wireless would be nice.
@iainc as you know I'm looking at a Topstone Lefty myself. I wish it came with SRAM though as prefer that to Shimano & AXS is my "dream bike" config (have it on my FS and it's awesome!) The only neat feature about GRX is the Cannondale dropper as stock is activated via the left brifter which is cool. I have found a shop selling an ex-demo Topstone Lefty 1 which comes with mullet AXS (basically my ideal spec!) trouble is even the reduced price is mega ££££ 😂on the drivetrain front, I have 2 gravel bikes, a Topstone Lefty with 1x GRX and a Spesh Diverge with 1x AXS Eagle/Rival. For me, the AXS is nicer in every way !
It may not be fancy enough for your taste, but have a look at the Boardman ADV 8.9 - I had one and it would be awesome for your needs.
Stick a nicer wheelset on the stock model and you'd have something quite light and fast.
I have a Camino which I use as a winter road bike with guards, and a summer gravel bike. For road I have 32mm tyres and tons of room for guards, and use GRX 1x11 with a 40t chainring and 11-40 cassette. For gravel use, I've stuck a Wolftooth 36t chainring on as the gravelling around me can be steep. Geometry is great off road (as you'd expect for a gravel bike) and fine for me on road (as long as you're more concerned with distance than high speed - in which case you may want something a big more roadie).
Honestly, can't see much benefit in going 2x. Smaller jumps between gears are nice, but the ease of cleaning and maintenance with 1x is great (esp for winter use). And with a 2x GRX chainset, I don't think you're ever in the right ring for flattish riding (30t is too small, 46t is a bit big for me unless really pushing it - either way I'd end up cross chaining a lot).
Regarding GRX, mine works fine, but I will say it's not as polished or smooth as I might have hoped for from Shimano. I don't worry about it at all, but it could be better. Maybe recently released 12 speed GRX is better.
Topstone Lefty 1 which comes with mullet AXS (basically my ideal spec!) trouble is even the reduced price is mega ££££ 😂
sound lovely ! I’m planning on swopping the GRX for either AXS as per my Diverge, or 12 speed Di2 GRX when it comes out. Will wear out this set first tho !
On the 1x v 2x debate - I recently rode around the Isle of Wight with two chaps twice my age. I was on a franken hybrid bike, flat bars, 1x11 drivetrain, 700x37 Gravel Kings. They both had road bikes, drop bars, 2x9 and 2x11 respectively, skinny slick tyres, probably 25c, and I'm ashamed to say they smashed me up every hill.
In any case, the differences I observed were twofold:
Firstly, whilst I technically had a better climbing gear (36t up front, 11-42 at rear), I couldn't take advantage of downhills and flat sections as much as them, going anything faster than 25 mph I would be spinning out and these two guys were still able to crank.
Secondly, I had to match my cadence to the gears, rather than the other way around. I knew this would be the case but prior to the IOW ride this bike was basically my pub/chore bike so I hadn't really tested it out over long distances. Suffice to say, I think a lot of energy was wasted trying to resist changing gears down because the next step was 'too easy' and so you lose all that momentum and feel rubbish.
I will also note that the ride was completely on tarmac but varying qualities with some of the backroads being quite gnarly.
So I am now doing two things - firstly, trying to convert this 2009ish Kona Dew flat-bar hybrid into a drop bar gravel (it has the clearance for 40-45mm easy on 700c wheels and I have ridden it with 650bx47c semi-slicks and that worked too, and roughly the correct geometry - Kona actually did sell a drop bar version of the Dew). And secondly, I've sourced a 105 2x front mech that I am toying with installing with 50/34 front chainrings. This gives me a nice climbing gear (34 front 42 rear), and also a range of much quicker gears so I can keep up with the old guys downhill!
I ended up doing turns for a few miles with a chap on a CGR SL with wireless SRAM and road tyres fitted the other day, it looked just fine to me in "road trim" setup 2x12 with (I assumed) ~28mm tyres, as a Roadie-ish "gravel bike" it certainly wasn't holdig the guy back. Obviously that's the carbon version, but for what you want OP you would simply go to the metal Aluminium/Ti/Steel versions all of which you can have with a road group and whatever tyres/guards you might want.
It's interesting, actually, that Ribble having had some success with the CGR as a 'jack of all trades' have now launched a new 'Gravel' model that looks a bit more like a rufty-tuffty off roader's Gravel bike.
The implication being that most CGRs probably end up in use as a road bike that can deal with a bridalway from time to time, rather than a "full fat" bikepacking, picking your way down boulder strewn mountain passes and sleeping in ditches type "Gravel bike" (to me at least)...
The truth is once you set a bike up with a pair of wheels/tyres, it's probably not going to change much, especially if you already have a CX bike or similar to cover off-roading curly barred duties. I really don't reckon the whole "one bike, two wheelsets" thing really works for most people (I've tried and failed with it too).
But I reckon a CGR with 105/Ultegra/Rival/force and 28-30mm tyres probably does what you're looking for OP.
<p style="text-align: left;">I kind of agree cookea, I like the look of the steel one. Its that type of bike I'm after. The other stuff I've seen is all similar. I think many CX/gravel bikes are very road capable with the right tyres and wheels.</p>
Better that way round.
<p style="text-align: left;">Grx comes in a 48t so that might be ok?</p>
I got a Camino a couple of years ago and love it to bits.
At the risk of repeating (please excuse me) I kept the 700 42 mm Resolute's and got a second wheelset with Gatorskins.
To give my legs and chest a break I also swapped out the standard chain ring for a 38t oval Absolute Black.
Its a combination that has seen me roll my usual Pennine trails and hack out on a load of road only rides.
So I dont see the Camino as a gravel bike, I see it as a "get me anywhere" bike.
Really pleased with my Giant Revolt Advanced 0. GRX 2x is great, copes with knacky rooty steep SE climbs and was surprisingly accommodating for a recent bikepacking trip.
I've done more weekend road miles than off road and it gets preference in the dry over my commuter bike for going to the office. Have so far resisted a second road wheel set but have almost run the rear 40mm Cadex AR bald after a few months....
Frequently use all the ratios on the GRX but have never felt it lacking and appreciate the lower gearing on climbs.
Had a few pedal/crank strikes off road as was previously using a CX bike as a gravel bike which had a higher BB. No real complaints other than the paint is both hard on the eye and soft in use, it's got a lot of chips, rub marks and scratches already. Oh and the seat clamp is stupid...
Not metal but reassuringly solid and surprisingly compliant, comfy and bump absorbing and I like the handling off road.
Not very sexy but Trek Domane ticks a lot of your boxes.
I have an Aluminium Spesh Diverge had it about 6 years now, does a good job of winter roadie and summer gravel. Would prefer more tyre clearance which the newer ones have but it does the job.
My other half got a Liv Devote, Aluminium frame etc. £1500 It's a very nice bike, good clearance for big tyres, double chainrings for adaptability. It's basically a tiny Giant Revolt.. Camino's look good too but didn't do an extra small that she needed.
I think it depends on what kind of road cycling you do?
I like my bike to do a specific job. On the road I want to be fast, light, aero position, stiff and with the appropriate gears. I think a gravel bike trying to tick those boxes would be pretty compromised off road.
I tried to make a gravel bike work as a winter road bike. The higher stack, higher BB and slacker head angle just made it feel boring and ponderous. It was perfect for a cycle tour I did though!
Other people are happy to pootle about on them, but for the type of road riding I do (and I guess the type of group I ride with) it didn't work.
I’ll plug the Ribble CGR Ti. Very happy with mine. It’s light enough, stiff enough for when my 250lbs gets out the saddle, and very comfortable. Wheels are now a straight swap after some tweaking of the disc on the rear with spacers.
In gravel trim, as I bought it…
In road trim with Ultegra C50 wheels I picked up in last year’s Black Friday sale for 700 quid…
GRX has a 48/31 chains option which would be a halfway between Compact and Gravel gearing.
Mason Bokeh would be my suggestion. Great on and off road.
Fairlight Secan.
853 steel so suits your metal requirements!
Great commuting bike and done a few 70-75 mile road rides with no problems.
Got some Fast Forward carbon gravel wheels on at the moment.
These have had 32 mm GP5000 on and now have some Challenge 45mm Getaway on for off-road fun.
Also got a pair of DT Swiss rims with Hope hubs for a quick change if I fancy done road miles!
Dolan are probably worth a look - there is some element of customisation of kit on the bike or you can get frame only.
I went for a GXC gravel frame for slightly more relaxed geometry but built it up for road use - Ultegra 11 speed di2 / Hunt 4 seasons road wheels / 30c Conti gp5000 / Hope RX4 calipers. Carbon seatpost / got some aero carbon bars to go on once I sort out the right di2 y cable to connect the end of bar junction box a.
Feels nice and light and fast on the road, whilst being more comfy than the Caad12 disc the frame replaced (di2 / wheels / bars etc moves over).
Dolan have the alloy gxa or ti gxt. The gxa has a screw in bb - the ti version has a press fit. My GXC is pressfit - so far so good but it hasn’t done a winter yet.
Today is the last of my 30s
You're only a youngster, don't give up on life just yet
Get a decent MTB instead
Salsa Warbird or Cutthroat. Two very different bikes. Have a look and see which one covers your needs better.