Gravel bikes

[Jbr]

  On 4/17/2024 at 7:53 AM, Super Sywurm said:

Which one to buy, or not to buy, and why?  I'm no gravel expert.  Price is pretty much the same.

https://titanracingbikes.com/bikes/switch-ltd-edition/

or

https://www.cannondale.com/en-za/bikes/road/gravel/topstone-alloy/topstone-2

 

 

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I'd go for the Cannondale with hydrolic disc brakes even if that means having one (two since it's 2x) less gears 

[Spinnekop]

  On 4/17/2024 at 7:53 AM, Super Sywurm said:

Which one to buy, or not to buy, and why?  I'm no gravel expert.  Price is pretty much the same.

https://titanracingbikes.com/bikes/switch-ltd-edition/

or

https://www.cannondale.com/en-za/bikes/road/gravel/topstone-alloy/topstone-2

 

 

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Much of the sameness there.

But

I miss my Topstone sooooooooo much.  
The ride quality on that thing was amazing!

 

[BuffsVintageBikes]

At Eroica SA in Montagu this past weekend, I was reminded once again just how versatile these old steel bikes are. Slap on a set of 28C tires (or 32C if the frame allows), swop out the rear cassette for a 13-28 and you're good it go for a great adventure. This years route even took us up & down Ouberg Pass.

[Pandatron]

  On 4/17/2024 at 12:13 PM, BuffsVintageBikes said:

At Eroica SA in Montagu this past weekend, I was reminded once again just how versatile these old steel bikes are. Slap on a set of 28C tires (or 32C if the frame allows), swop out the rear cassette for a 13-28 and you're good it go for a great adventure. This years route even took us up & down Ouberg Pass.

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No AXS or Carbon...Straight to jail

[betaboy]

We all know real men ride steel… 💪🏻, no gram bunnies here boet! 

[TyronLab]

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:

[Skubarra]

  On 4/18/2024 at 8:20 AM, TyronLab said:

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:

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I have the carbon version, absolutely love the geometry of the bike. My roadbike and hardtail gathering dust in the garage!

Only thing I changed was the 40T chainring, found that I was spinning out now and then on the flats & downhills

[BuffsVintageBikes]

Congrats, you can't go wrong with a Revolt, I use mine on road, gravel & bike packing and even the occasional bit of MTBing 🤙

[nonky]

  On 4/18/2024 at 9:18 AM, BuffsVintageBikes said:

Congrats, you can't go wrong with a Revolt, I use mine on road, gravel & bike packing and even the occasional bit of MTBing 🤙

 

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That's a SWEET bikepacking rig.  I like very much.

[bleedToWin]

  On 4/17/2024 at 7:53 AM, Super Sywurm said:

Which one to buy, or not to buy, and why?  I'm no gravel expert.  Price is pretty much the same.

https://titanracingbikes.com/bikes/switch-ltd-edition/

or

https://www.cannondale.com/en-za/bikes/road/gravel/topstone-alloy/topstone-2

 

 

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Take the Topstone and then make me an offer on my Stages powermeter! 😉

[MongooseMan]

  On 4/18/2024 at 9:18 AM, BuffsVintageBikes said:

Congrats, you can't go wrong with a Revolt, I use mine on road, gravel & bike packing and even the occasional bit of MTBing 🤙

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Out of interest, how are you attaching the front fork cages, given there's only one bolt?

[BuffsVintageBikes]

I simply wrapped the fork with an old inner tube and cable tied the bottom of the bottle cage to the fork. I did the whole Plett to CT tour like that and it never moved at all.

[P555]

Looking for a bit of advice regarding buying a gravel bike.

Which is better - buying a carbon frame gravel bike with alu wheels or buying an alu frame with carbon wheels?

 

 

[openmind]

Gravel bikes are hard on wheels if you ride them on SA gravel roads. Often MTB-like conditions but with a narrow tyre. Not much protection for the rim. I trashed two sets of Al wheels before I got my carbon rims (South Industries) and have not looked back. But if you plan on more gentle riding then maybe a nice carbon frame with a set of nice Al wheels may be a better option. 

[eala]

  On 4/10/2024 at 7:39 PM, Kom said:

head of finance only tracks the color of the bike, just dont change color and number of them in the garage and you're good

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I did the unthinkable and changed colours .It was spotted from space 

[Skubarra]

  On 4/19/2024 at 9:34 AM, P555 said:

Looking for a bit of advice regarding buying a gravel bike.

Which is better - buying a carbon frame gravel bike with alu wheels or buying an alu frame with carbon wheels?

 

 

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There would be different opinions but my preference is buy the frame I really want for the long term, and the rest I upgrade as/when the budget allows including wheels.