Hey all, I’ve got an interesting conundrum I’m trying to solve that the community might be able to help me with. I’m looking for a new gravel race bike… but one with more endurance than aggressive geometry. A bad skiing accident left me with nerve damage in one leg and I’ve come to learn the racier geo leads to nagging injuries due to muscles compensating, etc. etc. Long story, can get into it if necessary, but key thing is I’m looking for a more upright gravel bike that’s fun to race and has at least a 50mm tire clearance.
My current bike is the 2023 Canyon Grail CF SL 8.0. One full season of training/racing on it left me with about 8 months of PT to get back properly riding – so that’s the baseline of too aggressive (stack-to-reach ratio of 1.44:1).
The first gravel bike I had was a 2019 Specialized Diverge Expert, which I rode with no issues for three years (stack-to-reach ratio of 1.6:1).
After spending a fair amount of time comparing geometries on bikeinsights.com, I’m zeroing in on some options – Giant Revolt, Trek Checkpoint, Rodeo Labs Trail Donkey, Otso Waheela, and the Salsa Warbird (doesn’t match tire clearance, but have an in on great deal). Maybe the Grizl?
If anyone has ridden these, I’d love to hear your thoughts on them! And if anyone has other ideas for bikes that fit what I’m looking for, I am all ears. Thanks all!