Gravel / Gravé / Gnarmac / Groad / ATB

Think I have a buyer for my SL7 so gravel is go go go.
With £5k of proceeds to go all in on gravel is there anything aside from the Canyon Grizl that I should be considering?
https://www.canyon.com/en-gb/gravel-bikes/adventure/grizl/trail/grizl-cf-slx-8-etap-trail/3475.html?dwvar_3475_pv_rahmenfarbe=R083_P05

Crux? I can’t really comprehend Rival on a £6k bike (reduced to £4k) but guess it’s adequate!
https://www.sigmasports.com/item/Specialized/Crux-Expert-Disc-Gravel-Bike/VXNV?id=1489977

1 Attachment

Five thousand pounds on a gravel bike? are you ok?

Remembering no canyon parts fit anything else and visa versa !

Lost a friend on the road - not road cycling anymore. Unapologetically transferring road bike wealth to gravel…

Red fork yeah

Thanks was done for the Bespoked show but didn’t have a chance to fit them.

Was just talking to my lbs about that and the ADHX45, they had the rep go round with them the other day and said they looked so good!!

Not sure if I am just being silly etc but would anyone buy my Stayer!

What kind of riding are you planning? Quick blasts of an evening, longer rides, day long rides, multiple day rides? All of the above?

Ha! What are the odds. Didn‘t know about the 45 but that seems to resolve the clearance issue. And yeah, the way the frontend is woven into the top and downtube is chef‘s kiss.

Sub 30 mile likely 70:30 offroad road ratio.
Hour to 90 minute rides. Occasionally might go longer - but have been off the bike for a bit so need to build up!
Pictures are better than words, so below kind of stuff with some reasonable ups and downs.

3 Attachments

Get something fast then, like the Canyon or the Crux.

Just don’t get anything with silly gravel suspension forks.

Unless you like extra weight and an annoying maintenance burden.

Exactly what I do and wanting now

I am liking the ADHX45 although the Crux does look good too.

Yeah my comments were mostly referring to the first one you linked. Yours, despite very similar looks, is a different frame and fork.
Not sure if they chose better rims on yours : have you tried removing a tyre yet?

Anyways, it's great that you're getting along with the HyRd, but they remain a dealbreaker for me. We have a 18 pages thread on a French forum of people trying to diagnose issues with them or just reporting they broke for no reason, just like mine did. As far as setting them up, they are also actually closer to a hydraulic brake than a cable brake, if I recall correctly : you're not supposed to use the cable to adjust anything, just pull it tight while a screw is blocking the actuation arm.

I don't know the UK market very well so I'm unsure how much more you need to pay for a similar bike with fully hydraulic brakes, but I thought people should take into account the flaws I mentioned when making their decision (though some don't apply to your model, I get that). I know that price looks very tempting (esp. when it was 850€ with a mostly complete 105 groupset), but people will pay for it later down the road with more maintenance and headaches imo.

There are a lot of sales right now and you can get a bike with hydraulic brakes for under £1200

Oh I see, I hadn't realised you were talking about the first model, that explains the differences - I have gone back and edit my initial comment to remove the frame you're talking about as a recommendation!

That's really unfortunate about the HyRds, I know the one I have on my fixed commuter is 5+ years old so it's entirely possible that they have changed/cut corners in that time. Regarding set-up I just like that the cables are something I'm already capable of dealing with, rather than having to buy a bleed kit, mineral oil, and then diagnose what's wrong with my Shimano one.

The wheels on the red frame are fine. Nothing to write home about, but no issue unmounting the tyres it came with, or mounting new ones.

Anyway, good to clear up the confusion. Tbh the main reason I went for it was the ability to run a front rack; it was a good price for that and a mostly 105 groupset

Anyone got any experiences with the Grizl AL? Seems to tick a lot of boxes in the half gravel/half winter road bike with an extra set of wheels? Mudguard/rack mounts, same design as the carbon version, decent price…

To be honest I read your first message quickly and didn't really catch on the last part of it that said you had experience with the new, 'grvl' one! Good to know about the new wheels, thanks :)

No more comments on the hydraulic vs HyRd vs cable disc situation, I hate them all equally and wish all bikes had v-brakes, frankly 😅

looks perfect for a mountain bike, pick any short-travel hardtail, they're all good

Already covered on the mtb front with my TallBoy but this did catch my eye https://www.canyon.com/en-gb/mountain-bikes/cross-country-bikes/exceed/exceed-cf-slx/exceed-cf-slx-mvdp/3525.html?dwvar_3525_pv_rahmenfarbe=M075_P12&dwvar_3525_pv_rahmengroesse=XS was looking for something a bit more flexible ultimately.

Maybe a Sonder Camino - Ti Loveleyness with Force AXS for £3.5k

That's not force AXS

topstone has a poorly designed rear thru axle dropout, seen countless problems with them

didn't know about this. a mate is looking to buy one, what's the issue?

Maybe I linked the wrong pic, but it can be spec'd with it - see their site.

Topstone, has a very weak dropout on the mech-hanger side, see youtube vids.

Surly Corner Bars ?
I have a nice old 29er that I'd like to give the chance to become a Gravel bike - I owe it that much. The Corner Bar looks a good way to try it out.

I notice that AliExpress have a carbon version - I'm both excited and scared by that prospect.

I'd be grateful of any advice or experience on these matters, thanks Gren.

decided to try a set of Scribe wheels with G-One Speed tyres and see how I get one before changing bikes again..