Gravel / Gravé / Gnarmac / Groad / ATB

Nice one.

Groupsets... I need a complete groupset for my next build, Shimano GRX 600 or Rival 1x? I quite like sram doubletap but open to being swayed towards shimano if anyone has experience of both?

I quite like doubletap but will go grx when I can afford it for better brakes and the shifter shape is nicer imo.

How are the braking bumps on Shimano, do they invoke involuntary shifting?

I've got a couple of bikes with Sram 1x, works well, particularly the shifting, if they could improve any thing though it'd be the lever throw, they're quite different to rim brakes.

A friend is after a gravel bike for £1k or under on the Cycle2Work scheme. Since his company uses the Halfords C2W scheme, an Arkose is not an option. He tried getting a Boardman ADV8.9 but Halfords displayed their usual levels of ineptitude when it came to customer service, and they sold out while trying to make his C2W voucher work. I've suggested a Ribble CGR AL Tiagra, but any better options for £1k or less from a C2W-affiliated retailer would be welcome.

ribble dont seem to have any cgr stock left either

Nowhere's got any stock ATM! Ribble claim they're getting new stock early July. Not sure if I trust them on that, but it seems that everywhere has sold out of 2020 stuff at that price point, and the 2021 stuff hasn't arrived yet.

Right, Arkose frameset or Brother Mehteh? Told myself if I get the Arkose I will build some decent wheels on Hope hubs but tbh if I get the Mehteh that will happen anyway.

I quite like doubletap but will go grx when I can afford it for better brakes and the shifter shape is nicer imo.

Better brakes due to increased pivot point is only on GRX Di2 levers (ST-RX815) the lower-tier levers don't get the same goodness unfortunately. Recently switched a road bike to 1x (GRX600 40T / SLX 11-40T) and keeping the ST-R8020 (ultegra hydro) levers for now, waiting for the goodness to trickle down in a year or so.

But all of them get the Servo-wave tech right?

Yes, according to the list... But it's already in most other road levers, going back to 5800's (ST-RS505)

Only the 10-speed hydro levers (in GRX that is the ST-RX400) seem to lack it.

Of course they're going to keep something from the lower teirs.. I had hoped it features on the 10-speed Grx as I really like the look of the 46-30 double.

I seem to recall that you can get Sonders via the Halfords scheme, so a Camino might be an option.

Shimano hydros are all better than SRAM.

Good suggestion, but the only drop bar Camino in the price range is out of stock with no indication of when it might be back in stock. Might be worth asking though.

chonky

https://cyclingtips.com/2020/06/3t-exploro-racemax/

I don't know why but I still want an Exploro. Now there's a fatter one.

Because you have bought into homeopathy that is aerodynamics?

i hope they come up with an e-version. downtube is definitely already sized for it

Get a Stayer Groadinger instead. They're doing fatter and fatter tyre versions these days (the original being already quite fat)

I bet you still pick bikes up and go "oooh sooo light, this will be fast".

No, I just think Exploros are supah sexeh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlV6u3d_7sc

Not bad.

I did actually email Mason to see if they'd do a steel version of their gravel bike. But I've got the Kinesis for now.

I couldn't buy a bike from someone with "made for FLAT MOUNT breaks" on their site. Let them know can ya?

Also, I'd want internal routing for DI2, 2x chainrings and I'm not that into the mono-stay.

How is this gaspipe tractor comparable to the Exploro?

The mono-stay actually doubles as a carry handle as I've found out last weekend.

The website is actually slightly out of date, the UG is starting to be a thing: https://www.instagram.com/p/CAflNUFl2R-

It has big tyres?