Just as Raleigh stop importing them! 🙁

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Check out @salsacycles new Journeyman­ – the new, super versatile all-road bike designed to take on everything from backroad wandering to bikepacking, to riding or racing gravel. Journeyman comes in both drop and flat bar flavours, and in two different wheel sizes; 700c and 650b. #salsacycles #adventurebybike #adventurecross #gravelbike #adventurebybike #cycling #lanesnotlaps

A post shared by ADVNTR.cc (@advntr.cc) on Mar 16, 2018 at 8:18am PDT

Looking at that, it confirms I’m over the whole gravel bike thing. Roadies will convert because anything is more fun than banging out road miles, but building up a spare MTB frame with narrow flats and bar ends seems a better option than dropping £1k+ on a crap-geom MTB with drops.

Fargo replacement?

Fargo replacement?

^ pretty sure the Fargo is still available and still steel f+f.  It differs considerably with geo ( loads of standover and a more upright position) and frame material.

This looks (albeit alu) somewhere between a Genesis CDF and Fargo.  A little less ‘roady’ than the former, and not near as off-roady as the latter.  Journeyman comes in a lb or so lighter than my Vagabond (stock build) which wouldn’t be enough of a diet for me to switch to alu frame for a similar price.

Journeyman looks like a decent enough entry-level option into gravel/all-road touring though, if that’s your bag?

Saracen hack innit?

I thought it looks ok.

Just a bit skimp in the tyre department – although it’s still one of the better examples.

It will take a 2″ 700c tyre, but my experience is that a 2.35″ is what is needed if you want to run a slick tyre on gravel. Using a low pressure allows it to conform. Less than that and you need higher pressure to protect the rims, and lugs on the tread and that compromises it for the road part of your rides.

The head angle is good for a rigid bike, not compromised for the fitting of a suspension fork. Trail works out at 76mm which is reasonable, and 24mm of flop, so it won’t climb like a pig. (700c figures)

I like it.

Comes in flat bar with specific frame too.

Takes a normal rack unlike the Marrakech.

Could do with slightly lower gears for me, but looks like a very versatile bike. Very keenly priced in the US, well under a thousand dollars for the steel forked bike.

Wonder what it would be like with wide 26 inch wheels?

Just as Raleigh stop importing them! 🙁

Who’s bringing them in now?