gravel bike recommendations

Nov 15, 19 4:20

Post #1 of 31 (6581 views)

Looking for recommendations on a very basic gravel bike to get me started. I currently have a road bike (sportives and bike racing), a triathlon bike (triathlon races), a trainer bike (old road bike), a commuter bike (surly crosscheck) and a 29er mountain bike with slicks for beach racing and bad weather riding. To justify a new bike, and so that my wife does not kill me or kick one of the others out of the stable, this one needs to be basic (ie affordable) rig that fills dual roles including serving as my road bike when we travel back to the US (so I don't have to ship a bike every time we fly) and to test out gravel riding to see if I like it. Ideally, I'd also really like it to be a ride I could race gravel events on if I chose. I know it won't be the fastest possible ride if its also affordable but I'd like something I could credibly enter gravel events on.

I have been looking at the Cannondale Tapstone 105 and the Canyon Grail but have just started looking and am wide open to suggestions and recommendations for other bikes (including smaller brands) as well as what to look for in a gravel bike (ie minimum level of components, etc).

Thanks in advance.

Re: gravel bike recommendations [jsmith] [ In reply to ]

Nov 15, 19 4:37

Post #2 of 31 (6565 views)

Is there a reason you don't use the cross-check for gravel?

Re: gravel bike recommendations [fat] [ In reply to ]

Nov 15, 19 4:48

Post #3 of 31 (6558 views)

fat wrote:

Is there a reason you don't use the cross-check for gravel?

My thoughts, exactly.

Re: gravel bike recommendations [jsmith] [ In reply to ]

Nov 15, 19 5:13

Post #4 of 31 (6535 views)

Whats your budget?

Re: gravel bike recommendations [fat] [ In reply to ]

Nov 15, 19 5:25

Post #5 of 31 (6527 views)

The Surly is a solid and pretty indestructible commuter bike but very heavy, I can't imagine racing on it. Also, I have it set for commuting: rack and panniers on back with barhorn bars and center mounted brakes up front for quick stopping in traffic. .

Re: gravel bike recommendations [MrPinochio] [ In reply to ]

Nov 15, 19 5:27

Post #6 of 31 (6525 views)

I'd love to spend less than 2K or at least right in that range.

Re: gravel bike recommendations [jsmith] [ In reply to ]

Nov 15, 19 5:43

Post #7 of 31 (6507 views)

Tons of options out there at that price point, but ideally you should know what frame material you are interested and specifically what kind of gravel riding you want to do. Gravel racing? Full gas riding for the best position/time? Or more adventure chill riding, just to be outdoors? Or more gravel bike packing over days? Are you interested in racing Cyclocross at any point?

Really there are tons of bikes that can be a 'gravel' bike.

Re: gravel bike recommendations [jsmith] [ In reply to ]

Nov 15, 19 5:49

Post #8 of 31 (6503 views)

I would Recommend the Cannondale Topstone 105 at $1,750 in the States - you should be able to get at least 10% off.

It has 105 Hydro on it with 46/30 Gearing in the front. BSA bottom Bracket (Big Plus on Gravel bikes where dirt can really screw up Press Fit), Great Tires. It should be pretty low Maintenance. 105 works just as well as Ultegra and Dura Ace

It's Aluminum so still quite light (no more than 100-200 grams heavier than good Carbon Gravel Frames), will take impacts well.

Lots of mounts on it for racing/bikepacking.

I have put two friends on them and they both love them.

https://www.cannondale.com/...p;parentid=undefined

Re: gravel bike recommendations [jsmith] [ In reply to ]

Nov 15, 19 5:56

Post #9 of 31 (6493 views)

I have a Bikes direct bike I got for $800 or so. Tiagra parts and I made several upgrades. Its good but max tires are 38mm and is very twitchy. My only regret is I didn't look used first. This might be a good option for you, especially now as people are unloading their summer rigs.

The Salsa Warbird is a popular one and from what I have heard is made for racing in mind as it is very aggressive.

One thing you'll find at gravel races is about half the field tends to have Frankenstein type bikes. Mtn bikes with slicks and drop bars, CX bikes with canti brakes, road bikes squeezing widest tires possible, etc.

Re: gravel bike recommendations [AndysStrongAle] [ In reply to ]

Nov 15, 19 6:11

Post #10 of 31 (6478 views)

AndysStrongAle wrote:

I have a Bikes direct bike I got for $800 or so. Tiagra parts and I made several upgrades. Its good but max tires are 38mm and is very twitchy. My only regret is I didn't look used first. This might be a good option for you, especially now as people are unloading their summer rigs.

The Salsa Warbird is a popular one and from what I have heard is made for racing in mind as it is very aggressive.

One thing you'll find at gravel races is about half the field tends to have Frankenstein type bikes. Mtn bikes with slicks and drop bars, CX bikes with canti brakes, road bikes squeezing widest tires possible, etc.

I have an Salsa Warbird Carbon (with ENVE Cockpit, i9 AR25's and Potenza HO) and it is a great bike - but just the frame will blow his budget.

As the tires are so big and pressures so low the frame material seems to matter less - as long as you have a good carbon fork up front.

I've ridden my friends Topstone 105's and while my bike was lighter (and it should be as the cost is about 3X the Topstone), the Topstone was really nice and I actually liked the slightly firmer rear end - it accelerated better. The front end compliance was about the same.

My next Gravel Bike will have a firmer rear end and I'm waffleing between Carbon, Ti, Steel and Aluminum. I'll probably end up choosing which one I like the look of the best.

Quite frankly I think the frame material doesn't make a huge difference on a gravel bike as if it is heavier it makes up a proportionately smaller fraction of the overall bike weight especially when loaded up ready to go with Fluids, Nutrition and spares.

Re: gravel bike recommendations [morrisond] [ In reply to ]

Nov 15, 19 6:32

Post #11 of 31 (6464 views)

morrisond wrote:

AndysStrongAle wrote:

I have a Bikes direct bike I got for $800 or so. Tiagra parts and I made several upgrades. Its good but max tires are 38mm and is very twitchy. My only regret is I didn't look used first. This might be a good option for you, especially now as people are unloading their summer rigs.

The Salsa Warbird is a popular one and from what I have heard is made for racing in mind as it is very aggressive.

One thing you'll find at gravel races is about half the field tends to have Frankenstein type bikes. Mtn bikes with slicks and drop bars, CX bikes with canti brakes, road bikes squeezing widest tires possible, etc.

I have an Salsa Warbird Carbon (with ENVE Cockpit, i9 AR25's and Potenza HO) and it is a great bike - but just the frame will blow his budget.

As the tires are so big and pressures so low the frame material seems to matter less - as long as you have a good carbon fork up front.

I've ridden my friends Topstone 105's and while my bike was lighter (and it should be as the cost is about 3X the Topstone), the Topstone was really nice and I actually liked the slightly firmer rear end - it accelerated better. The front end compliance was about the same.

My next Gravel Bike will have a firmer rear end and I'm waffleing between Carbon, Ti, Steel and Aluminum. I'll probably end up choosing which one I like the look of the best.

Quite frankly I think the frame material doesn't make a huge difference on a gravel bike as if it is heavier it makes up a proportionately smaller fraction of the overall bike weight especially when loaded up ready to go with Fluids, Nutrition and spares.

I didn't realize the Warbird was that much!! But if it is in demand it makes sense.

Good input on the material. I have aluminum and have thought about looking at ti or carbon, but I'm not there yet. Need to wait a year or two before the spouse would be on board. Actually it will probably be one of those buy then ask for forgiveness....

Re: gravel bike recommendations [jsmith] [ In reply to ]

Nov 15, 19 7:23

Post #12 of 31 (6436 views)

I have the alloy Cannondale Topstone 105 and really like it. I rode it stock for a short period of time including some gravel rides in North Carolina. I've since changed the tires to narrower, tubeless Panaracer Gravel Kings and really like the ride more now with those tires. After buying the bike, I tried CX racing for the first time and that went fairly well. I didn't feel like I was held back too much by the bike (only my ability). Sure, i would love a carbon bike with nice wheels, but that's not in my budget. I got the bike for 1750 and set up with new tubeless tires for another $100.

Re: gravel bike recommendations [jsmith] [ In reply to ]

Nov 15, 19 7:47

Post #13 of 31 (6416 views)

The thing about gravel bikes, much like road bikes, is that what works well for general riding and what works well for racing is often quite different. You mentioned that you couldn’t imagine racing on your Surly, so I assume racing gravel is a focus for bike choice.

Some years ago I thought I would try my hand at gravel riding (not racing) and thought I would get a gravel bike that could double as a cyclocross bike. Took all of a few months, and one cross race, to realize I had made a mistake. For me, it was better to have a cross race bike that leaned towards gravel than a gravel bike that wouldn’t burst into flames on a cross course.

I ended up with a Crux, as they have reasonable tire clearance and an ever so slightly relaxed (by cross standards) geometry.

Re: gravel bike recommendations [jsmith] [ In reply to ]

Nov 15, 19 11:20

Post #14 of 31 (6336 views)

There are some smaller boutique brands that have Gravel bikes dialed. Proven geometries (lower bottom brackets, and proper trail) along with details that really matter. Niner is one such brand, and they don't cost more than the copy cat bikes from larger brands.

Re: gravel bike recommendations [MrB] [ In reply to ]

Nov 15, 19 12:03

Post #15 of 31 (6311 views)

MrB wrote:

There are some smaller boutique brands that have Gravel bikes dialed. Proven geometries (lower bottom brackets, and proper trail) along with details that really matter. Niner is one such brand, and they don't cost more than the copy cat bikes from larger brands.

Yep. I bought a Niner BSB 1X from Jenson. Great bike you can race with. They are currently just under $2,100. Well worth the money.

Re: gravel bike recommendations [jsmith] [ In reply to ]

Nov 15, 19 12:16

Post #16 of 31 (6292 views)

I just got the Trek Checkpoint ALR 5. I wanted something that I could use on the road as well as gravel but not too much cx. I looked at the Topstone but like the geometry and features of the Checkpoint better. I have it currently with 32 tires for road riding rather than the 40 it comes with.

Re: gravel bike recommendations [sake] [ In reply to ]

Nov 15, 19 12:42

Post #17 of 31 (6271 views)

I have the same bike - aluminum Topstone 105 - and really like it. Great component set and bike is really comfortable. It felt strange at first, but I like the flared drops on the handlebars.

I had a set of 40 mm Gravel King slick tires on there for a while for mostly neighborhood riding and mild gravel. I recently put on a set of 45 mm tires (WTB Riddlers) because I have some long gravel rides planned in the near future, and there's still plenty of clearance. I'll probably run 30 PSI on these tires, but need to test that. I weigh 140 pounds.

FYI, my bike in size medium is 22.5 pounds with Look pedals.

Re: gravel bike recommendations [jsmith] [ In reply to ]

Nov 15, 19 12:56

Post #18 of 31 (6261 views)

I have a Cannondale CAADX, which I like very much - although it's in the shop right now and I have a CAADX SE as a loaner, which is stellar. I run Ultegra on my roadie and 105 on everything else and really don't notice a substantial difference in shift quality, especially given the use case.

The Topstone would be one I'd look at if I were replacing a bike, but I'd also look very hard as a Specialized Diverge. I couldn't quite justify the upgrade (switching out the 36/46 was a lot cheaper than replacing the bike!), but that was a really nice bike to ride and I could see it doing good double or even triple duty.

My husband has a Trek Checkpoint and loves it. He has spent the summer riding it on the road and on gravel and every time he takes it out, he comes back liking it a little bit more.

Last edited by: UK2ME: Nov 15, 19 12:56

Re: gravel bike recommendations [UK2ME] [ In reply to ]

Nov 15, 19 14:34

Post #19 of 31 (6220 views)

Waiting on an Orbea Terra (supposed to be here next week). Great gravel bike with a racing geometry. Check them out.

Re: gravel bike recommendations [jsmith] [ In reply to ]

Nov 15, 19 15:11

Post #20 of 31 (6208 views)

My brother's cycling team has some guys who have a specialized crux for their full time road and gravel bikes. I believe he said they race cat 2 or cat 3, so clearly a capable enough roadie, and does well on gravel too

Re: gravel bike recommendations [UK2ME] [ In reply to ]

Nov 15, 19 16:54

Post #21 of 31 (6171 views)

I have a caadx se 105, its the best of both worlds, I run 38 maxxis ramblers for Gravel and 28 Gp 500 for the road. Bike does everything I need it to do

Yellowfin Endurance Coaching and Bike Fits
USAT Level 1, USAC Level 3

Re: gravel bike recommendations [jsmith] [ In reply to ]

Dec 16, 22 9:10

Post #22 of 31 (2909 views)

Canyon has the Grail and the Grizl in both aluminum and carbon. Prices seem reasonable

Formerly DrD

Re: gravel bike recommendations [jsmith] [ In reply to ]

Dec 16, 22 13:00

Post #23 of 31 (2841 views)

Poseidon and state have well priced bikes for quality

Re: gravel bike recommendations [jsmith] [ In reply to ]

Dec 17, 22 11:22

Post #24 of 31 (2709 views)

I got rid of CX and road bike and bought a 3T Exploro Racemax.
With 2x gearing and a set of gravel and road wheels, I've replaced two bikes with one with very little downside.

The Racemax isn't the greatest for all out CX or crit racing, but the geo is good for everything else in between, and you could still use it for CX or crits with a slight handling penalty.

Re: gravel bike recommendations [jsmith] [ In reply to ]

Dec 17, 22 12:49

Post #25 of 31 (2496 views)

I would second the recommendation to check out State bikes. My friend got the 6061 Black Label. I helped him set it up and it's a lot of bike for the money. It's aluminium with a full carbon fork for $1399. For another $390 you can get a second wheelset, so you could have 650b set up for gravel and 700c for road. The only downside is house brand components, which I believe are rebranded Sensah components. His seemed to work well, and replacement parts are easy to come by on Ebay, so I don't see that add a big deal, but some might.

Also, I have an aluminum Felt Breed and really like it. It was also reasonably priced. It's actually a pound heavier than my friend's State bike, though, and cost a few hundred dollars more. If I had it to do over again, I think I'd go with the state bike with the two wheelset option.

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