Gravel / Gravé / Gnarmac / Groad / ATB

650b × 2" on gravel and 27.5 × 2" offroad

Do you not struggle with the massive difference between the 2?

Good joke.

One thing that struck me is the decision of the 650b47 and 700c35 tyre clearances.

Four more millimeters and you could fit a 2.0” 27,5 mtb tyre. Which would make the bike more versatile no?

Guess they want people to buy the Hook Ext and the Audax.

Another thing is that the Hook fork has internal dynamo routing, but the Audax does not.

That being said, I’m so close to getting the Audax.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/lylewiens/with/49169702441/

Okay, I like minus the rims.

Not a fan, the chainring is the worst bit.

So much anti

Frame is uber fine but wtf is that 0 offset fork?

Love it ! Zero offset fork looks interesting...

I doubt it’s zero-offset on that bike.

With a second look and my glasses, and from other pics on the flickr account, it looks like it's not, you're right.

A friend of mine currently races cross on his mtb, and doesn’t have a road bike. He’s looking for a bike to do a bit of both, probably at or around £1k.

Is an akrose still the best value, best of both worlds option? That plus a spare set of wheels?

He should buy a cross bike.

I was also thinking that but then realised I don’t really know how to articulate the difference between a cross and a gravel bike (since I don’t have one). I guess a bit more sprightly handling and cornering off road?

Giant TCX or 'dale Super X

I'd test ride as many as he can and choose what suits him best. I'd pick a Trek Crockett over those two, and I've owned and ridden all three. It's better off road and miles better on the road.

I still love the cheap Vitus cross bike. Well under the 1000 mark
https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/vitus-energie-cyclocross-bike-apex-2020/rp-prod182826

Aah yes, @Sainsburys_Ed had one I think?

Crockett also an excellent shout- I’d love one of those myself!

I want to get a lower gear on my Croix De Fer. Currently has:

11-32 cassette at the back
Shimano 105 RD-5800-GS rear derailleur
Shimano 105 FD-5800 front derailleur
FCRS500 chainset with a 50 and a 34

What are my options without throwing away too much stuff that basically works fine. Would like to go 1x at some point in the future. I'm in no rush but it does put me off buying one of those supercompact 2x cranksets.

I was thinking I could get a RD-RX812 grx derailleur and a bigger cassette. (a 36? 40?) but am pretty neophyte at all of this, would that need me to get a 1x crankset to go with it? I'm assuming my current ugly 5800 series hydro shifters are fine.

Had a search in the thread for GRX but didn't find anything radical, feel like people were discussing this previously though?

EDIT: I searched harder and found https://www.lfgss.com/comments/14897013/

You could just get a Wolftooth Roadlink and fit a bigger cassette?

sub-compact rings for your crankset ? 46-30

Have you tried a SRAM 36T cassette with your current setup? You might not need a new RD. If it doesn't fit you might be able to get away with a Wolftooth although my old Ultegra Di2 RD worked with 36T and no Wolftooth and my new Ultegra RD works with 42T and no Wolftooth.

You can get a perfectly functional roadlink knock off for 3-4 quid from eBay as well.

Same here !

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Try what Hippy said first, and if that isn't great, try what Seager said.
Mech capacity is a funny subject, and frame/hanger geometry introduces a certain degree of variation, but Shimano are very cautious with their stated limits, and you can normally run 2-4t more without too much drama.