Finally getting serious about finding a gravel bike and want some of the collective opinion’s. Long time mtbr and road rider. I have a BMC Teammachine from 2019 that is nice and snappy on the road, and I am looking for a gravel bike that has some of that road snappy feel. I’ve tried the Open UP and Topstone (both Smalls) and liked them, but not loved. The open felt best, but was also on a trip to griona soooo. I hoped on an Aspero 51 today at the local shop and it felt a little small frame wise. Ride wise i have semi tame fireroads that are steep and loose, with busy pavement between. I’ve got good bike handling so i expect to use it a little like a ridge xc bike from time to time.
Few other points:
-I’m going to run a 2x shimano grx drivetrain as I like mo gears for the steeps in my area and that I will need to ride road to get to the gravel
-I don’t care about huge tires. Yes cool- but I cant see me running much more that 45s
Let me know if there are things I’m not thinking about or good frame options out there. Not well versed in the gravel scene,
One my my mates has a Teammachine and added a Kaius for gravel - he loves it and I’d put the Kaius on the “snappy” side of gravel bikes for sure. People often double-duty them as road bikes or even dedicated road bikes.
Personally I have a Crux which I’d recommend for sure. I often run it with 35mm slicks and it feels great on the road and even plenty of gravel. I have 42mm sworks pathfinders for full gravel mode as well.
I also have a mountain biking background so am happy if the bike doesn’t “look after me” as much in terms of compliance and handling. I like my gravel bikes to feel like a road bike with bigger tyres to be honest. I spent a few years riding gravel on CX bike and always enjoyed it (Focus Mares).
Another vote for the Crux here based on your criteria. Especially if you are into ‘fast gravel’ without the need to attach bags, lights, packing gear etc. I ride with pathfinder 38s and its very fast on gravel and with a 44/46 on the front (1x), more than fast enough for all but the fastest road rides, especially with the slick centre tread.
What I would say as emotive feedback is that its the most fun I have ever had on a bike. Point and it goes. The grip it finds is also in the winter especially, quite mind blowing. There have been times where I have pushed to the limit cornering and felt like I was going down only for the bike/tyre to find grip and re-write itself.
You can read a bit more about why I like mine here. I’ve got a long list of tweaks and upgrades I’d like to make to it but sadly can’t quite justify the costs at the moment.
Can I make one observation re gears. 2x does not necessarily give you lower gears for the steep stuff. I have a much lower 1st gear on my gravel bike with a 1x setup than I ever could with a 2x, because I can use cranks that have a much wider selection of chainring options, and with 2x, the cassettes are not that wide.
So, if you want a decent range but with road (or almost road) gear spacing, then 2x is the way to go, but steep off-road climbing gears, a 1x with a carefully selected crankset and chainring is the better option IMO.
Be honest with yourself re the high end. I thought I needed the high end gears for when I’m on the road, but then I asked myself ‘how often am I actually in them?’, to which the answer was, surprisingly rarely.
Use a good online gear calculator/comparison tool to compare the potential set-ups - if you can use 1x, there are likely more frame/bike options.
Me and you are going to get on well. Aethos is my latest in flight project, the similarities between the frames are very, very apparent but they handle totally different!
To answer the OP question about tyres I think it depends on what the gravel is like where you live. 38s are fine for me, we have a lot of fine packed/woodland routes with hardly any deep gravel and mostly flat. Options wise I find Di2 the most effective if budget can stretch just because over the british winter it removes any risk of contamination/salt/mud affecting actuation cables/housings etc.
Great suggestions everyone! Appreciate the feedback. I’ve heard lots of great about the crux, but just don’t have the taste for another specialized at the moment. On Discord I got lots of recommendations on the Giant Revolt, which is on killer sale right now too. I’m going to try and swing a leg over one of those this week. I BMC Kaius does intgre me, will keep that on the back burner as an option to explore more.
In terms of gearing, I like the smaller jumps and more options to keep spinning on gravel. I demo’d a topstone with 2x and really liked it.
On the tyres issue, I was staunchly against anything wider than 38s when starting down the gravel road (pun intended) but have found that my new minimum on the front is 45 and in most situations except the smoothest of hardback is 2.4 is my go to. 2.4s are very bike dependant though but I would encourage looking at the wider options. 2x has an advantage if you are on regular paved roads on your way too and from the dirty stuff. It gives options at higher average speeds too. GRX is pretty bullet proof IMHO. If you want to go crazy on the steep stuff, just pop an XT or XTR rear mech on then you can run up to a 52 if you set it up right. I have 48-30 on the front and 11-52 on the back. very much a go anywhere combo with the ability to cruise at 40 on the flats (with a little tail wind). Good luck.
Wow, that’s a massive range to work over. You’d never be able to do that with SRAM. Some shimano derailleurs despite being 1x only, allegedly work in 2x mode. Not sure if that is a 1x or 2x variant. Im still on cable, friction.
I’ve been riding a 2022 Giant Revolt Advanced for almost 3 years now. It’s got GRX 600/810 with 11 speed Ultegra cranks (50/34) and a 11-34 cassette, Zipp 303s and aluminum contact points. I’ve only ever had 40mm tires on it. I’m 1.86m (6’2”) and 85kg (187lbs), and I beat the crap out of that bike. I ride in Boulder, Colorado so I’m climbing a fair amount. I’ve ridden this bike on rocky MTB trails and super chunky two tracks for miles at a time and during most rides. Based on anecdata, it feels really fast, and I even had a Giant TCR before the Revolt. I’ve never had carbon wheels before though so maybe that’s why. Even in this older frame, I can fit 2.1 mtb tires with a one by setup. All to say, I’m pretty satisfied with it. In MY experience, I compare owning the Revolt to owning a Toyota Tacoma. Now, I wouldn’t kick a Crux out of bed for eating crackers, but the Revolt is much more accessible ($$) to me.
I’d be curious to hear what other owners say, but the only minor issue I have is that it feels reachy. And I’ve got long arms (but not a flexible back). I slam my saddle forward (on a set back post) and got a shorter stem. Problem solved, but just barely.
I’ve got a Cannondale Supersix Evo SE, which I love. Cannondale don’t make them anymore as it’s been replaced by the Super X, but you might be able to find one second hand (or splash out on a new Super X which I assume is very similar)
I would say the Supersix Evo SE is very road bike like, nice and snappy under acceleration, and quick and precise handling. I’ve currently got 45mm tyres on mine, and it’ll handle singletrack with no issues.
Only real downside is the offset rear wheel, so when I got some Hunts for mine I needed to have the rear re-dished (about £30 at tge local shop).
I don’t know any of the geo #’s for the Revolt Advanced so if you’re correct about it being short on reach then maybe my arms and torso are just a lot shorter than I realized.
I wouldn’t read too much into my post….I tend to favor a longer reach and lower stack than most people my size (5’10” / 175cm). For my Giant TCR, I ride the ML with a 120 stem and for my Crux, I ride a 56, also with a 120. But I rotate my hips a fair amount, which allows me to get long and low.
I would say Revolts are pretty middle-of-the-road in terms of geo….I just wouldn’t call them “reachy”.
Love my Crux. Run 50Fr/45R tires. 2x Shimano with a rotor crank that allows a 31/46 gearing. 46x11 on a 45 c tire is fine (for me) even on paved descents in gravel races. Specialized Terra wheels. Chris King BB. Not the maximal tire clearance available like a Lauff (great value) or an Able (expensive), not Aero, externally routed but the thing works for me and it’s pretty light.
