Gravel / Gravé / Gnarmac / Groad / ATB

How does it handle? Like a real touring bike/ tank or still a bit playful?

Did a pretty tough 45 mile mixed surface ride today. Very little gravel, the bits I thought were going to be grav ended up being full on techy mtb stuff.

Observations,

Jumping up to a 34t ring might have been a bit much. That said, I don’t know that 30:19 would have much better. It probably needs gears for me to be able to push what it can do.

While the gearing was sub optimal for this kind of riding, it does handle it a lot better than my Honzo did so that’s a win. The slackness of the Honzo meant that at low speed it really wanted about 3 weeks written notice of a change of direction to avoid a rock or rut etc, putting gears on it made this easier to live with but it was still very apparent. This actually steers like a bike should.

70mm travel on the dropper ain’t much. The suspension action of the cheap trans x post was most welcome though* because…

My tires are too hard. I was reticent to drop the pressure though as I had to climb the kirkstone pass in the second half of the ride. Softer tires would probably feel a bit more playful off-road.

*i think there’s room for a 100mm or maybe even 125mm travel dropper that isn’t also a suspension post, not sure if it’s a trade off I’m willing to make.

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Just looking at a gravel bike on cycle to work at the moment, I've previously had a Mason Bokeh and eventually sold it as I never used it. Now quite a few of my mates are riding grave bikes so it might be time to get one again rather than riding the MTB with them.

Currently looking at the GT Grade Carbon X with the Rudy fork and a dropper
https://www.sigmasports.com/item/GT/Grade-Carbon-X-Gravel-Bike/12RNS

Or possibly the Cannondale Topstone with Apex AXS
https://www.wheelbase.co.uk/product/gravel-road-bikes/cannondale-topstone-carbon-apex-axs-2023-black/

Some of the Specialized stuff like the newer Diverge and Crux look pretty good as well. Ideally I'd like something that's UDH compatible but this doesn't seem to be a big thing on gravel bikes yet.

Anything else worth looking at up to £2.5k?

Get another Bokeh.

Certini in Plymouth have the 2022 Crux as a complete bike for £2.5k.

Bokeh or a Crux :)

I'm still not changing the thread title

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Change it to what? :)

top shelf surfaces found for ATB times this weekend

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Son of a...

Bent two mech hangers attempting to ride to Brighton on no gravel yesterday.

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How'd you manage that? Riding with headphones and didn't hear something or were there just lots of sticks on the ground/unlucky?

Yeah the latter, some innocuous seeming branches which were just lingering near the path and somehow managed to do some not-innocuous damage.
I don't think I saw the frondy bits which did the damage because of shit sunnies and dappled shadows under the canopy.

For years I only wore clear lenses because of the rando dark bits of road or trail that inevitably hid the biggest potholes, etc.

Now I tend to use cheapo changy changy ones that lighten up for the darker bits.

Yeah, although I have Oaks, they are a bit old, should have probably got new lenses a while ago.

Transitional ones sound like a wise move though.

Can confirm there is grav in the Lake District. Can also confirm the hills here are not to be underestimated.

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We just had a weekend riding around the Grizedale forest, so good!

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Thought about heading over there yesterday but it’s an hour and a half from where I’m staying, it was only about an hour and three quarters to get here from Glasgow!

Thread title update required…

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https://www.gearpatrol.com/outdoors/specialized-s-works-crux-udh-red-xplr/

ickle sram

To what? "Just get two Crux"?

So I could use one as a clothes rail and one as a towel rail! Genius!

Ha exactly. I wasn’t looking for an Sworks but 61s aren’t exactly easy to come by second hand.

The new S-Works Crux SRAM RED XPLR, available today, costs $12,000

Is Crux the new golf?

Crux, golf for London Dads…?