Alright ladies (and gentleman), its finally time to get my wife a new gravel bike. She’s ridden a last gen Diverge and had been reasonably happy with it, but she needs more tire clearance and would simply enjoy a new bike.
She’s only 5’2", so were looking at xs frames and I think she should stay in 650b. We’re in the PNW so our backyard trails are forest service, everything from single track, to pit run rock, to beautiful smooth gravel. Shes fast but doesnt race (competitively), so looking for a faster bike but we need some serious tire clearance. Oh, and brighter colors are definitely a bonus.
Who’s currently making the best XS gravel bikes? Budget isn’t unlimited, but certainly generous, so let’s here what the current recommendations are!
Thanks everyone
My wife is slightly shorter. We went with an XS Canyon Grizl. She loves it. It was my first experience with Canyon and I came away super impressed. The bike is easily as good as Trek, Soec, Giant etc. maybe not boutique bike level but certainly as good as any of the major brands. It was very easy to assemble with tools included and detailed instructions. Totally satisfied with it.
We live in northern Colorado - a bit of a bike Mecca but we still had trouble finding bikes small enough for her to ride.
It’s got 650 wheels. 700 would have been too much of a compromise.
Do you have an Ibis dealer nearby? I bought a Hakka frame so I could use 650b for bikepacking and 700c for my regular graveling. It’s a responsive, light frame, and handles both racing and bikepacking quite well. Since it’s not a “big name” Ibis gets overlooked, but I just love it.
I bought an XS Canyon Grizl for my daughter, and I too was very impressed with the bike. It’s a quality bike for the price.
I’m currently building out a Lynskey GR300 frame for myself, and I also have a Nukeproof Digger. It’s sad you can’t get them anymore because it was a good deal too.