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Gravel bikes


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2 minutes ago, 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

 

 

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

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2 hours ago, 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

 

 

Much of the sameness there.

But

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

 

2021-11-10_2.jpeg

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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.

Eroica 1.jpg

Eroica 3.jpg

Eroica 4.jpg

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14 minutes ago, 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.

Eroica 1.jpg

Eroica 3.jpg

Eroica 4.jpg

No AXS or Carbon...Straight to jail

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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:

image.png.896b26dba0618d4b00673493af8f851a.png

image.png.6bf99f03a8308b1189027a9af14e13a8.png

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:

image.png.115f18fba9c29515887ee09004a4323e.png

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4 minutes ago, 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:

image.png.896b26dba0618d4b00673493af8f851a.png

image.png.6bf99f03a8308b1189027a9af14e13a8.png

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:

image.png.115f18fba9c29515887ee09004a4323e.png

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

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38 minutes ago, 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 🤙

 

Revolt1.jpg

 

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

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2 hours ago, 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 🤙

IMG_4943.JPG

Revolt1.jpg

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

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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.

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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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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. 

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On 4/10/2024 at 9:39 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

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

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1 hour ago, 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?

 

 

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. 

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