I did quite a bit of research and comparisons last fall and ended up with a 2022 Trek Checkpoint SL 5 for $3,230. Second choice was Canyon Grizl CF SL 8 for $3,200. It came down to which one I could get my hands on as they are quite similar. Both have similar models that are under $3000.

I was looking for something to ride on gravel, dirt, and easy singletrack 80% of the time and roads and paved trails 20% of the time, so these options can handle wider tires than some other gravel bikes that are more road-focused. These also have tons of mounts for backpacking and commuting gear which was important to me.

https://99spokes.com/ is a great website for comparing options.

Take a good look at OBED. Same parent company of litespeed and QR. painted and assembled in TN. Carbon. Full GRX groupo.

Myself and 3 friends bought them and couldn’t be happier.

Have a set of road wheels for mine too.

Thanks for the feedback and the link.
Both certainly very helpful.

I think I'm looking for something a bit opposite of that,probably going to be road 75%, gravel 25% .

That said I want something that trends towards more versatile and less speed orientated (with exception of gearing) since it's for training/riding not really racing.

I like those canyons, just don't look available right now

Honestly looks awesome, just looks way above my price range.

Tough for me to justify $4000 on a training bike, in all reality $3000 is a bit higher than I'd like

I bought a couple. One DI2 for 3500 and one a 105 for 2300. This was when they first came out. Maybe prices went up??

Haven’t checked the prices lately though, sorry.

Jamis Renegade C2 comes in at $3k.

No worries, looks like a sweet bike, but that 105 version is 3700 now

2925 for a 2x

Yup, not sure how I missed that.... insert foot in mouth.
Thanks.

The Checkpoint is pretty lively for a gravel bike and rides well on road. It also has clearance for 45s to make it quite capable off it. For 75% road I’d lean in that kind of direction. If the 25% gravel is on the mellow end then a Domane would be a great option (takes 38s).

I like the new Orbea Terra. I think they have a spec in that price range.

I was shopping in a similar range but in the end bought a cannondale topstone 105 alloy, mainly due to availability. I used some of the leftover money to buy a set of carbon wheels from
hunt.

The overall package is more than comparable to many of the lower/mid range carbon frames options. The groupset at the price point is better than most of the options. Especially with the hydraulic 105 brakes.

Adding the wheels just takes the bike to another level and none of the lower/mid carbon options had wheels in the same league. The weight reduction from the wheels was also about 800grams. For under £1500 ($2000 ish) the overall value for money is pretty hard to beat.

I'm seeing Fuji Jari's going for under $2k. Solid bike and good value.

I have the previous version of the Orbea Terra, with a set of lightweight carbon wheels for switching in and out. Aside from a couple of BB issues (it’s a PF30) it’s been a great investment. I am on the heavy side which means the 46/30 GRX chainrings work in my favour but if you are a strong and light rider you might want to consider that comes with 105 in 50/36 chainrings. The newer version of the Terra looks great with some cool features, although it seems to be much more gravel focussed than the previous ‘all road’ of the version I own.

Frezzari Schafer

https://fezzari.com/pages/bike-build-options?bike=shafer


Lots of sub-3000 options and Rival AXS and Ekar at low to mid $3000. CyclungTips reveiwed one and was really impressed and these are not open-mold frames.

Base Specialized Diverge (E5) can be had for $1300. Aluminum frame with carbon steerer. Comes with 700c wheels but can also take 650b (set can be had for $400-500). 700c can run up to 47mm; 650b up to 53mm. Ease of swapping wheels provides a lot of flexibility for rides. Giant has a similar model, the Revolt 2, with a little better group set, but $150 more. Both can be ordered direct from manufacturer, but you lose benefit of buying from LBS. I'm happy with the Diverge so far.

If you're into a bit better components, all carbon and hydraulic disk, you can move up either model line in price. I like having a bike I don't worry about breaking or having stolen.

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No coasting in running and no crying in baseball

I wouldn't rule out the Trek Checkpoint based on your 75% road / 25% gravel plan. It's basically a Domane with a wider fork and rear end to accommodate wider tires. The Checkpoint also doesn't have crazy flared handlebars like some gravel bikes, or super wide handlebars either. It's about as versatile as it gets for a gravel bike and leans toward road bike feel IMO. You aren't really giving up much on the road bike side.

I have a Checkpoint and my wife has a Domane, so I've compared these side by side. Or, if you don't need really wide tires, you could just get a Domane. My wife uses hers as a road and gravel bike, with an extra set of gravel wheels for offroad (38 mm wide tires).

my wife and i just did a group gravel ride (a fundraiser for the Bahati Foundation) yesterday. it was in the santa monica mountains, and hit a lot of the gravel hot spots there. i was kind of surprised at the relatively high number of people riding 650b and 50+mm tires. as was my wife and i (and ianpeace here on the forum). i was not surprised at the number of people who kind of struggled with 700c and 35mm to 40mm tires.

i think your first job is to determine your equipment. in general, if you're west of the rockies, you may want to consider the set up i describe. that ride yesterday, there was a lot of 10 - 20 percent grades, a lot of chunky steepish descents, sandy sections, lotsa ruts, where full MTB bikes would be better. but in that ride there were paved sections that patched together the loop and a gravel bike was really the best bike. just, it was the gravel bike with the bigger tires.

if you live east of the rockies that's very likely a different kind of riding calling for a different set up. 700c and 36mm or 38mm tires make more sense. if you're looking for a gravel bike for, say, $3,500, you can get an electronically shifted bike for that, from ventum, canyon, OBED, and for $3,000 a high-end mechanically shifted version. but if you have to immediately change your wheels and tires you've just added $1,500, and if you don't buy the right bike you might have have the choice to made that equipment change.

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

Thanks Slowman!

That is kind of exactly what I am struggling with.
I am pretty far east of the Rockies in NJ, but when I am here most if not all of my outdoor riding will be on roads or smooth gravel paths. That said I plan to use the bike in Colorado/Wyoming quite a bit as I travel out there pretty often and honestly don't know what I need in terms of gravel equipment.
I don't plan to do much "aggressive" gravel as I have never even been on gravel. so I am leaning towards something 700c and more road oriented but at this point I really like the idea of going for something that has the ability to shift to a 650b or a super wide tire should I decide I want to go that route.
Honestly at this point I think the only thing I know is what I don't know.....much about gravel bikes

if you think you may want to put a beefier tire under you, then all things equal maybe pick the bike that has that capacity. of the bikes mentioned above, the OBED Boundary sticks out as one that has that capacity. my everyday gravel bike is an OPEN WI.DE and i got that bike because i intended to set it up 650b from the get-go, and i ride schwalbe g-one bites in 53mm on that bike. the OBED - the Boundary - has enough clearance for that wheel and tire.

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

Yup. I have to say, the OBED is a really great bike for all around general purpose. Hard to beat I think all things considered.

I ride Salsa Warbird. I've done road fondos and even triathlons with this bike (with road tires, obviously). She's a rocket on gravel. I upgraded to GRX Di2, but I think the base GRX is $3200. They have an Apex version under $3,000.

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The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design.

I've got a Trek Domane which I love and which you can fit into your price point.

More of an "endurance" frame but you can fit some bulkier tires on there for gravel too (I think up to 38's or 40 if memory serves).

How would a Caledonia fit into a mostly road sometimes gravel application? Too much of a road bike? Maybe works in the northeast?