TyronLab

I'm 177cm and the M/L is perfectomundo for me. For reference I rode a Large Titan Switch with a 70mm stem, a 54cm Specialized Sequoia with the stock 90mm stem, and generally ride Medium XC mountain bikes.

I'd take the Aluminium 2022 model. Wider tyre clearance as mentioned before (I think the older ones could only do 42mm, or 45mm with no mud clearance). Having that option is lekker down the line. The aluminium version is plenty comfy, one of the comfiest bikes I've ridden and I've had carbon, steel, and aluminium gravel bikes. 105 groupset doesn't have a clutch derailleur, which the GRX does. Having a clutch makes a big difference in how quiet the bike is even with relatively mild gravel.

I've project managed capital items worth a few hundred thousand USD, to commodity items made by the container load from China / Spain / Brazil / Russia and from local manufacturers. I think some logic here would help. Bundling manufacturing in China together in one big lump makes zero sense. Are there dodgy, kid-based, zero-safety shitholes making millions of parts for a few cents? Yes, 100%. Are there high quality, cutting edge manufacturing facilities that are world-class in terms of quality and are just smart enough to leverage the Chinese government's powerful pro-manufacturing policies, and an abundant and driven workforce? Yes, 100%. I've been in shitholes and beautiful facilities in every one of the countries I've mentioned above. "China is shitty cheap stuff" is as logically sound as saying "All South Africans are racist", "all Brazilians samba to work" and "All Americans are overweight"... Would I buy a carbon handlebar from Temu for a downhill bike? Nope. Is that decision based on perception and gut feel more than any technical reasoning? Yep.

Out of all of the options out there, there's no one bike that is perfect for every situation, unless you only ride one type of thing and only that thing. To me, you need to understand why you're riding and what you want to get out of it. Unless you're really at the pointy end of the field and you're looking for every advantage you can, ride what feels lekker. At the end of the day, ride the bike that is "you". The one that makes you stop at the end of the ride and stand and stare at it in the garage for a minute before you go in the house. I've had some of my best rides on bikes that were very far from what would be considered "optimal". My riding is very similar to yours. A bunch of road miles in the week, longer distance road and gravel mixed routes on the weekends with trails thrown in the mix (mostly with tar commutes to the trails). That's why I ride rigid MTBs and gravel bikes. They're not the perfect bike for most of the rides, but it puts a smile on my face more than any other bike.

After being "forced" to buy another bike, I took some time to ponder and compare and spreadsheet the hell out of this choice. Wishlist: Not a carbon frame. I'm too nervous that it breaks, and I've had bad experiences with "good" carbon frames. Drop bars. Hydraulic brakes. 1x drivetrain. Nothing proprietary or hard to maintain. 50mm + tyre clearance. 3x bottle cages. Dropper compatible. I landed on this and, so far, it has exceeded my expectations: It's a Giant Revolt 1 with a 40T GRX 600 crankset and a pair of 50mm Maxxis Ramblers as upgrades from the get-go. I was unsure of the colour at first based on the online pictures, but in the flesh (and with the tan wall tyres) I absolutely love it. Still needs a proper trail test, but so far it's been efficient enough on the road and, on the dirt bits I've thrown in, supremely comfortable. The fit is also bang-on in stock form, which I was pretty sure of before purchasing thanks to Bike Insights and having quite a few bikes to use for comparison. Maiden voyage:

Anyone surprised by the average age / weight / demographic in here has evidently not been on your average roadie group ride lately... or maybe that's just the groups I'm fast enough to ride with 😄 At 1.77 I'm exactly on the split between M and L mountain bikes. I've generally been more comfortable on M frames with slightly longer 50-60mm stems but have had issues with my 755mm bb-to-saddle distance causing seatposts to run at ther min insertion. 55cm roadies or M/L gravel bikes are perfecto with ~70mm stems. Size 10 shoes (it sure looks like I'm more on the Kenyan end of the spectrum of torso/leg length here). 35 (or, halfway through a below average innings) 85-89kg depending on how much I travel and whether it's my birthday month.

Managed to cross something off of the challenge/bucket list this morning; Riding Suikerbosrand on a singlespeed. 34x20 worked well on the climbs, but seeing as I spun out at 25kph it meant the flats and mild downs were pretty slow in comparison to normal and meant I couldn't gather some momentum to coast over rollers. The wheels did proverbially come off on the last big climb, where the beautiful morning turned to sweltering heat and a small tailwind which made it feel like riding in an air fryer. Didn't have to dab, even though I was proper grinding by then. Always fun!

Still working on the prompts, but AI seems to be getting closer to solving your packing conundrum.... 😄 EDIT: We're getting closer!

Man, this is ******* awesome! And proof that if you're a lekker dude the universe will have lekker things happen to you. Very, very jelly @Jewbacca, but also super excited to dot watch you next December! Please keep us updated on the bike, this abomination will be something magical.

Out of interest, what does this weigh in this configuration? Vintage bike conversions seem like a hoot.

That's the thing. If you're overtaking someone, even if you're at 190BPM and redlining, you have to compose yourself and give a very gentle and upbeat "good morning!" as if you're just out for a leisurely cruise.

Psssssht, right brake is the front, moto-style. And yes, when a buddy wants to try rigid singlespeeding I want to sprinkle the added brain-screw of having wrong-way-round brakes into the mix too. I'm sadistic like that. (Actually, in truth, I swapped these brakes from another bike, lines were a little short, so instead of wanting to shell out for new hoses and bleeding I just swapped the lines. I'm also stingy like that.)

Also ride alone the vast majority of the time. I like riding with people and riding alone for different reasons, riding with others just doesn't work out most of the time. I already work too many hours so I limit my riding in my family's waking hours. As such I'm always out of the door very early (also for quieter roads). Groups I could ride with start later, and oftentimes stop for coffee or a beer mid-ride on weekends, which seems like a waste, so end up riding alone. My morning routine also dictates that I need to be in the shower by 0530 or the whole system at home doesn't work. Most groups plan rides that only finish after that, so I often peel off mid-route and ride back alone. I try to be very conscientious about where and when I ride, stay alert and up to date on current hotspots. I also see no point in resistance so my bike is insured and I'll happily let it go. Hell, I'll adjust the saddle height for them before they ride away.

I don't think it's a lack of entries, I think it's a cashflow issue (based on zero knowledge, purely an assumption). Lots of people get bonus in December and March, I'm guessing the majority of entries happen then. Might just be an incentive to get the entry numbers up ahead of time and have some cash to work with? Judging by the WhatsApp group, and how many people already entered for 2024 based on the special, I think this is one of those that has a substantial percentage of repeat riders and not a whole bunch of new faces every year.

For shizzle. I striggled to justify paying triple the price vs. just standard bar ends mounted inboard, but these are in another league. Should be standard equipment on a flat bar bike.