Having an irrational dislike for gravel, I'm reassessing my life choices.
I can get from home to Bakewell and up the Monsal Trail on 99% gravel. High Peak and Tissington trails are in striking distance, as well as a few/more than a few farm tracks and fire roads. I'm sure I'd get bored pretty quickly, but feel like scratching an itch. Could also double up as a winter bike and something to explore on when working darn sarf and the MTB is overkill.
Chuck in maybe a bit of touring/bike camping and I might scratch that itch.
Why is this NEVER in stock?
bored of gravel? use the bike on mtb trails for a bit of an adrenalin rush, your modern mtb dumbs down those trails anyway so use the "wrong" bike for the job to add the peril back into your riding that you used to have before mtbs became so efficient
use the bike on mtb trails for a bit of an adrenalin rush, your modern mtb dumbs down those trails anyway so use the “wrong” bike for the job to add the peril back into your riding that you used to have before mtbs became so efficient
I live at the bottom edge of the Peak District, I can scare myself enough on an MTB with my limited skills thanks 🤣
Double fear on the grav 👌
Cotic Cascade...? 👀
OR Xc bike?
Either way, it sounds like a new bike is what you need.
I'd ask a medium, they can tell you what bike you end up buying and you can skip all the deliberation
I live in the same-ish area (just East of Matlock). My take is that the gravel riding is okay, but can be frustrating when there are so many great little techy trails locally. They are quickly out of depth, even somewhere like Stanton Moor. You have to pick and choose trails quite carefully. Monsal and HP trail quickly lose their novelty.
More often than not, I end up heading east into Clumber / Sherwood forest, where there is an abundance of more suitable single-track and gravel trails.
Currently training for Dirty Reiver, but can see me selling the gravel bike afterwards, and replacing with a racey hardtail.
Out of depth on a gravel bike?
Never.
I’ve no idea what the bike in the picture is. But go and demo a Sonder Camino in Hathersage
I stayed for a week in Great longstone and had plenty to keep me entertained on my gravel bike. Full disclosures 50mm tyres on 650b and really low gears
I’ve no idea what the bike in the picture is
It's Decathlons offering, the Triban RC520 Subcompact @ £1199. I certainly have no intention of spending any more than that
I never quite saw the point in Matlock. There's enough decent trails on the doorstep. I liked having one for training and the ride to work in Amber Valley but if you aren't commuting I'd not bother.
That said, I do own a gravel bike now I live in Edinburgh and love it. I use it kind of like a road bike, primarily for fitness and commuting, but it keeps me off the roads and I can do interesting trails on it if I come across them. You can get down some reasonably rowdy stuff (the trail from Riber down to Lea Bridge was a regular one for me). I also use it for tours and big trips. The thing is, I can't imagine you doing much of that sort of thing.
If you're looking at spending £1200, the Cannondale Topstone 2 at Evans is hard to beat. It's down from £1700 to £1170. The Decathlon ones look good but the brakes are ultimately cable actuated even if they are hydraulic at the caliper. Having had decent cable brakes and hydros, full hydraulic disc brakes are such a massive improvement that it's difficult to understate.
I think you'll enjoy it more than you expect, especially for exploring when you're away.
For the money you're looking at, this will be hard to beat...
https://www.boardmanbikes.com/gb_en/products/2332-adv-8.9-2021.html
I have an older one, the frame handles really nicely.
@munrobiker this would be the biggest driver really, rather than riding at home so much
something to explore on when working darn sarf and the MTB is overkill.
I bought one to replace a old road bike. now ride it more than anything else.
still ride mtb when the trails are dry and the conditions are good but take the gravel bike the rest of the time.
White Peak riding is great on a gravel bike. Loads of stuff I'd not ridden in years as bit too mundane on a modern hardtail suddenly became quite fun again, and you can dispatch the intervening road sections more rapidly too.
As above - have you looked at Cotic Escapade and Cascade? The Escapade is currently available in a nigh-on identical colour to that Marin.
How about this at 899?
https://www.hargreaves-cycles.co.uk/m39b0s423p11368/CANNONDALE-TOPSTONE-4-DEMO-2022
or 999
https://www.hargreaves-cycles.co.uk/m39b0s423p11280/CANNONDALE-Topstone-1-2022
https://www.hargreaves-cycles.co.uk/m39b0s423p11370/CANNONDALE-TOPSTONE-3-2023
https://www.boardmanbikes.com/gb_en/products/2332-adv-8.9-2021.html
/blockquote>This was recommended to me and I picked up a nearly brand new one on facebook for c£600 and really love it.
As above – have you looked at Cotic Escapade and Cascade? The Escapade is currently available in a nigh-on identical colour to that Marin.
The Cascade is just a rigid 29'er with drops by the looks of it, but the Escapade looks ok. The pic in my Op is the Decathlon Triban btw
The Cascade is just a rigid 29’er with drops by the looks of it, but the Escapade looks ok. The pic in my Op is the Decathlon Triban btw
Yep the cascade is definitely a drop bar MTB...unless you put gravel width tyres on it. With 2.1s it's a giggle downhill. Escapade is more road like
Cascade
https://flic.kr/p/2ogoTjJ