My Giant Revolt Advanced 0 arrived yesterday courtesy of local store and a very rapid C2W turnaround, its a replacement for the CX bike I'd been hooning around on which was squashed by a car a few weeks back.
From the 12 mile commute in this morning:
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Initial thoughts are:
The expected:
It's more comfy than I'm used to, very smooth on London tarmac, courtesy of 40mm squishy tyres, some frame compliance and a flexy seatpost.
Its a bit longer than the CX bike with no toe overlap. I can take my hands off the bars without veering off into a ditch!
Despite the more relaxed geometry than I'm used to, it feels light and responsive in the M - which I chose after test riding the M/L and M back to back. I'm right at the top of the M height range but the bike feels a lot more chuckable and
more comfortable hanging off the back than the M/L did.
Unexpected:
The GRX 810 needs some further fettling post delivery, the front mech seems to catch at both ends of the range and cable stretch has already messed with the indexing... Hopefully both easily addressed. Shifting felt very agricultural initially but seemed to get better, or I quickly got used to it. Former bike ran mix of Ultegra rear mech and the same 11-34 cassette. The big ring is the same size I'm used to, hopefully the mix of lower ratios should work well for my intended use.
Wasn't expecting metal levers..
Despite the significantly lighter wheels, with the pedals on, it weights slightly more than the bike it replaces. Saddle bars and levers are I suspect all heavier. Its a bit over 9kg with a top tube bag.
Work in progress:
Will need to learn to love tan sidewalls on the tubeless Giant Cadex AR tyres, and the colour (less Plum/grey more Goth nail varnish.... there is no alternative for the 2023 Advanced 0...)
The saddle may get replaced.
Work of the devil:
The marvel that is the Giant seat clamp and shim... I've got another adjustment to make and a longer shakedown ride at the weekend to get seat height and position properly dialled in, I hope that it is less painful than last night's fest of swearing and carbon paste all over the bike and on every nearby surface. The handover 'bikefit' was some way off. After fishing the bits out of the frame, I then spent 20 minutes wrestling the increasingly sticky/greasy seatpost into the assembly with the correct amount of force to break the stiction of the paste but not so much as to push the lot into the frame again.... What is wrong with a simple clamp?
Proper ride planned for Saturday, looking forward to it 🙂
Looks lovely, really nice colour. However...
The GRX 810 needs some further fettling post
The saddle may get replaced.
I’ve got another adjustment to make
After fishing the bits out of the frame, I then spent 20 minutes wrestling the increasingly sticky/greasy seatpost into the assembly
Be careful...Ian's watching!
Well first commute survived, I hopefully didn't invalidate any warranties by turning the barrel adjuster a bit to sort the gear indexing... managed to raise the seat a cm without faff by going in delicately, noticed the barely discernible height markings...
Missing my noisy Hope freehub..
Now they've bedded in a bit, like the brakes, particularly as they don't howl in the wet 🙂
Is it a D-fuse seat post? Seen a few of those exchanged under warranty as the saddle clamp was bonded on out of line & you can't just rotate the post because of the shape. Giant do love a daft std
You'd save a few watts by turning that rear light 90° so it was "moar aero" 😉
Now they’ve bedded in a bit, like the brakes, particularly as they don’t howl in the wet
Funny, I've always fancied the Revolt range but (as with virtually all gravel bikes except the very old or the custom) it was the disc brakes that put me off.
What pads are in there? How much do you weigh (if you don't mind me asking 😎).
I think they are really good looking bikes that tick a lot of boxes but......
Be careful…Ian’s watching!
I've been really put off buying a new giant. 2nd hand is fine as no warranty but new? Probably not.
Yep need to sort that light. 😀
It is a DFuse seatpost but Giant have now adapted the frame to take a standard circular section 30.9 post (inc. dropper if so desired). To deal with the DFuse profile they've added a simple metal shim, which isn't fixed to anything and seems to rely on the carbon paste to hold it whilst adjustments are made.
I'm 85kg, 5'11, don't know what the pads are, Will have a look over the weekend, I suspect Giant badged..
Need to find a colour coordinated (aero) tin mug..
I was going to say you ought to move the saddle further forward, and then I read this 🙂
Despite the more relaxed geometry than I’m used to, it feels light and responsive in the M – which I chose after test riding the M/L and M back to back. I’m right at the top of the M height range but the bike feels a lot more chuckable and
You have some impressive front garden there, and generously allow others access I see.
You have some impressive front garden there, and generously allow others access I see.
Bit of re-seeding required though 😉
Nice bike too 🙂
Nice bike.
I have had my Revolt Advanced since 2019 and really like it. It originally had the Giant Conduct brakes but I upgraded to Ultegra (about 2 weeks before GRX was launched!) and they work absolutely fine.
re. Giant warranty - a few cracks developed around spoke holes in the rear rim after about 18 months. A quick call to my LBS, a few photos sent to Giant and I had a new rear wheel a week later. No hassle, no wriggling, no problem.
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Thanks for replies.
So took it for a proper shakedown today with a roady mate. A 90km tarmac loop into West Sussex from the door with 1079m of climbing, so a good workout....
The bike was great, really liking it now I've got the contact points sorted. The frame is plenty stiff enough but feels a lot more compliant than I'm used to, mainly I suspect, due to the large amount of flexy seatpost I've got hanging out.
GRX is pretty slick now it's settled down and ratios seem to work fine for the (relatively low) speeds I'm doing. The small ring is appreciated by tired legs when winching back up to the top of the North Downs and the last few climbs back into SE London.
The Cadex AR tyres are fast enough rolling on the tarmac for me, which is good as Mrs Davy90 has expressed her disapproval at the suggestion I borrow her road wheels.. Plenty of grip in the dry and they give confidence over rough and broken (road) surfaces.
Feels like my bike now.. Hopefully dry enough next weekend to try it on the local bridleways.
Need to buy some bottle cages as I've nicked the kids' (mine got broken in the crash...)
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Hopefully dry enough next weekend to try it on the local bridleways.
Riding on the questionable condition trails is much more fun. Don't just ride it in the dry
Happy to ride in the wet and the slop down here is fun for a bit, I was out in it last week on my xc bike. The horses chew the surface up.. the chalk is super skiddy.. there's a bit squelchy (entertaining) and then there's dragging the rear mech through thick black mud inches from a barbed wire fence which is less fun....
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We passed through some flooded road sections today which were over the tops of my shoes.. A bit less water would make hooning around the local bridleways on 40mm tyres a lot more fun.
Horses for courses 🙂
That is a lovely bike.
I have a 2 year old Revolt 0, but the alloy version.
I find the d fuse clamp a constant frustration. It needs to be taken out and greased every few months otherwise I get a very loud creaking noise coming from that area. A common problem I believe.
I like the bike, but the wheels on the alloy revolt 0 are crap, with the hubs developing play regularly. I was advised by local Giant dealer that the best thing to do with them would be to bin them. I also had to have the bottom bracket re-greased at the 6 week service as that was dry and creaking.
The indexing on the GRX rear mech has never been quite right either, but that is probably down to me.
Overall, these Revolts are nice bikes. Lovely to ride, but it will be my last Giant.