Storm78 Posted July 12, 2020 Share I have been following this for some time. Narrowed down to these 2 bikes as this is what is available in the area.1.Scott Speedster Gravel2.Merida Silex Do anyone own one of thes bikes or have an opinion on them , then I would like your input Daniel Loubser 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Ruinaard Posted July 13, 2020 Share She's still around, albeit clad in 32mm Gatorskins at the moment Man alive glad you are enjoying her. Went and built another one. Can you believe it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andreas17777 Posted July 13, 2020 Share I have been following this for some time. Narrowed down to these 2 bikes as this is what is available in the area.1.Scott Speedster Gravel2.Merida Silex Do anyone own one of thes bikes or have an opinion on them , then I would like your inputHi Storm, Things that's important to me on a gravel bike is hydraulic brakes (that's where the money is) and the correct gear ratio. I ride a 2x11 48-34 / 11-32, which is perfect for me on the road and most off-road riding. Storm78 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pure Savage Posted July 13, 2020 Share Got this Rook Scout, got new bars and a 30T cassette and really really loving the bike. 47mm 650b is Lekker! Wife also enjoys riding it, may get another for holiday!! gogo@, BuffsVintageBikes, Trevz and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffsVintageBikes Posted July 13, 2020 Share I have been following this for some time. Narrowed down to these 2 bikes as this is what is available in the area.1.Scott Speedster Gravel2.Merida Silex Do anyone own one of thes bikes or have an opinion on them , then I would like your input That Scott Speedster 30 through Bike Addict is incredibly good value for money and it looks bloody good as well. It's running a full 2 x GRX groupset and full hydraulic setup. For under R20K you'll be hard pressed to find a better buy. The only downside is it's got quite an aggressive frame geometry but that also means it will be good on tar.The Merida's geometry is exactly the opposite, slack with a longer wheel base. The bikes will handle a lot differently to each other so a lot depends on what you prefer. andreas17777 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jewbacca Posted July 13, 2020 Share Here is my Gravel bike..... I don't have any up to date pictures since wrapping the black bar tape and putting on my power saddle. It's the bike I ride the most by a country mile. Commuting, green belt spins.... It is a thing of womderment. I will try to remember to stop and take a picture of it in it's natural habitat when the storm passes and we go for another jolly to the cork tree trail. Edited July 13, 2020 by Jewbacca MORNE , andreas17777, Daniel Loubser and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffsVintageBikes Posted July 13, 2020 Share Got this Rook Scout, got new bars and a 30T cassette and really really loving the bike. 47mm 650b is Lekker! Wife also enjoys riding it, may get another for holiday!! Great value for money as well and I had a long hard look at them but that 1 x 8 setup worried me, my old legs would struggle with that setup offroad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffsVintageBikes Posted July 13, 2020 Share That is so cool Jewbacca but don't those small wheels beat you up offroad? Jewbacca 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MORNE Posted July 13, 2020 Share Read or watched(cant remember) this thing where they speculate why there is this major shift happening ‘back’ to gravel riding/bikes....which lets face it..are essentially 90s mtbs lol. They scheme that MTB’ng has become too boring...in the sense that the avarage trail bikes have become so capable that due to all the tech that even entry level riders can almost start shredding right from the get go. There seems to be a longing for the ‘connectedness’ a simpler bike offers...whether to the trail or the surroundings/wide open spaces or whatever. Anyway, thought it was interesting. My rigid mtb is a gravel grinder for all intents and purposes and i really enjoy riding it that way too. The 29x2.6 high volume rubber on it at 18psi and a dirt road just feels like pure bliss. It lends itself perfectly to just getting into a rythm...going straight for km’s on end all while contemplating life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TyronLab Posted July 13, 2020 Share Out of interest, where'd you source the 29x2.6 tyres and what rim width are you running them on? I'm using your bike as inspiration to make my Stache rigid, so might as well copy pasta your wheels too. Edited July 13, 2020 by TyronLab Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jewbacca Posted July 13, 2020 Share That is so cool Jewbacca but don't those small wheels beat you up offroad?I run the 20" x 1.5 tires at about 2.5 bar and it soaks up most of the chatter. The main issue is maintaining a top speed and the traction probably isn't as good as it's big brothers, but it is FUN! Wayne pudding Mol, BuffsVintageBikes and Pure Savage 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pure Savage Posted July 13, 2020 Share Great value for money as well and I had a long hard look at them but that 1 x 8 setup worried me, my old legs would struggle with that setup offroad.Yes changed the 42t to 30t up front and kept the back the same and 8 speed. Parts are just so cheap and reliable. With the 42t I was not using the last three small cogs on back as getting it over 40km/h was rough! BuffsVintageBikes 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pure Savage Posted July 13, 2020 Share I run the 20" x 1.5 tires at about 2.5 bar and it soaks up most of the chatter. The main issue is maintaining a top speed and the traction probably isn't as good as it's big brothers, but it is FUN!How did you find that!? Looks like lots of fun!! Jewbacca 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soslow Posted July 13, 2020 Share Hi all. I have also been following this thread with interest. Question for all you clever people. Is it advisable to have 2 sets of tyres, one for road and one for gravel and just swop the tyres for whichever ride you want to do ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jewbacca Posted July 13, 2020 Share How did you find that!? Looks like lots of fun!!Cycle lab was basically giving it away a while back. I picked it up, did some mods and BOOM! Super fun and the small wheel really highlight any issues with your pedal strokes as they respond to any acceleration immediately. Pure Savage 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MORNE Posted July 13, 2020 Share Out of interest, where'd you source the 29x2.6 tyres and what rim width are you running them on? I'm using your bike as inspiration to make my Stache rigid, so might as well copy pasta your wheels too.I brought them in from the uk (merlin) since they were not so readily available when i was looking...also, the new scwalbe compounds were nowhere to be found locally yet (blue compound - addix, speedgrip, snakeskin) And then i got them for almost half what the go for locally lol. Hopefully the new schwalbe distros will pull finger and play nice. I also didnt want the crass maxxis graphical pike all over my sidewalls haha. They need a lesson in restraint for sure...so thats why i went for schwalbes in the end.But you get big rubber locally now...lots of maxxis rekons in 2.6 as well as some vittoria mezcal and bontragers(which are nice For gravel apparently) Also spaz has a few in that size but their 2.6 is more like a 2.4 and i think they only come in motoX thread designs. Maxxis also run small though. I run my 2.6’s on i27 rims. (33 outer) (Sun Ringle mtx33’s). They are old rims but super strong and i built it to be a tank on purpose.If you want to go 3.0. Id go 35-40mm. Maxxis chronicle in 3.0 also available locally if you ask around Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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