One bike for road / hard pack duty

[The Ghost]

As COVID-19 takes hold of the world heres a little distraction.

 

As I mentioned elsewhere I'm considering taking up the thinner wheels and getting onto the road for various reasons. This would be the first time I'd be getting into cycling on the road, but its not a given and I will only have money for 1 bike. I'm not an n+1 kinda guy.
The biggest reason this may not happen is finding a bike that doesn't give me any neck trouble. My Camber is the first bike I've owned that allowed me to sit upright enough so as to not always give me trouble, and I'm worried that road bikes are going to have me too low profile and be a deal breaker. At the moment I'm looking into things, creating a short list and when the shops re-open I'll be trying as many bikes as I can.

 

I've been looking and I am thinking that possibly the best bike type for me would be some kind of "gravel" bike, but not running the wider rubber options. I'm thinking this based on the geometry of the bikes having a reach and stack setup that would allow me to possibly be more comfortable, and at the same time allow me to do the odd gravel ride.
I've seen that some folks are finding that over 40 - 50 km they're not really losing too much to out and out road bikes and I'm sure not looking to be in the top half of any field any time anyway.
So I ask, does this thinking seem reasonable or should I try and find an out and out road bike?

Then, I have done some looking (not a lot) and I have a list of bikes that are pretty much gravel bikes, except the one. The reason Ive included this one (*) so far is that the reach and stack numbers don't seem to be too distant from that of its gravel brother.

The list is currently as follows:

Giant revolt

Specialized Diverge

SpecializedRoubaix (*)

Trek checkpoint 

BMC URS

The Grail was on the list but looking at its numbers it seems like it is a pretty low position so it slipped off the list.

So go for it, what sort and model of bike would you recommend for social/ casual road duty with the odd bit of pavement and dirt road? I'm thinking around the €6k mark for a bike and a set of road kit.
 

[Starchboy]

You could think of something like a hybrid bike, like a Giant Escape. I had a Giant hybrid until the frame cracked a couple of years ago and I ended up with a Defy as a replacement under their warranty. The Defy is also something you could look at, although I find that I get neck issues after about 3 hours in the saddle.

[Jewbacca]

The Diverge any day of the week. Shorter stem will pull your hands even closer. The drops should line up with the top tube and due to the head shock the natural position on the bike is more up right. Do it. The diverge also has the 20mm of 'suspension' which could be a game changer for your comfort

[The Ghost]

The Diverge any day of the week. Shorter stem will pull your hands even closer. The drops should line up with the top tube and due to the head shock the natural position on the bike is more up right. Do it. The diverge also has the 20mm of 'suspension' which could be a game changer for your comfort

This one is the number one contender at the moment, but its early days.

 

Thanks lads, hopefully we can get some more responses and opinions here.

[Eldron]

Add the Trek Domane SL7 to the list :-)

 

It has ISO Speed decoupler (mini suspension) front and back, runs a T47 BB so no PF30 style squeaking, has a frame cavity and bag for storing tons of stuff inside the down tube and pretty slack geometry. It also takes 47mm tyres (52mm on 650B) if you ever do want to go full gravel on it.

 

I'm a big fan.

 

Or - if you're not looking to be in the top half of the fields then why not just buy a spare set of wheels for the camber and pop some slicks on them. Then you have EXACTLY the same geometry as the camber but with quicker wheels/tyres at a fraction of the cost of a new bike. I'd only go road bike/gravel bike if time or racing mates on the road was what you wanted.

[Wayne pudding Mol]

see if you can get a test - pretty sure you’ll

have seller’s queuing up to let you try a bike out

Edited March 20, 2020 by Waynemol

[Longbarn Killer]

Most manufacturers sell "comfort" orientated road bikes. They generally have a shorter top tube and taller head tube giving you a more upright position. If that's still not enough for you, you can always fiddle with the stem to make your bars even higher (turning it around is the cheapest option).

 

Bikes that tick the comfort box are:

Giant Defy

Specialized Rouxbais

Merida Ride

Trek Domane

Scott Solace (I think that what it is now)

 

There are lots of others I can't think of right now

Edited March 20, 2020 by Longbarn Killer

[Longbarn Killer]

Most manufacturers sell "comfort" orientated road bikes. They generally have a shorter top tube and taller head tube giving you a more upright position. If that's still not enough for you, you can always fiddle with the stem to make your bars even higher (turning it around is the cheapest option).

 

Bikes that tick the comfort box are:

Giant Defy

Specialized Rouxbais

Merida Ride

Trek Domane

Scott Solace (I think that what it is now)

 

There are lots of others that I can't think of right now

[The Ghost]

Morning bump 

[The Ghost]

Add the Trek Domane SL7 to the list :-)

 

It has ISO Speed decoupler (mini suspension) front and back, runs a T47 BB so no PF30 style squeaking, has a frame cavity and bag for storing tons of stuff inside the down tube and pretty slack geometry. It also takes 47mm tyres (52mm on 650B) if you ever do want to go full gravel on it.

 

I'm a big fan.

 

Or - if you're not looking to be in the top half of the fields then why not just buy a spare set of wheels for the camber and pop some slicks on them. Then you have EXACTLY the same geometry as the camber but with quicker wheels/tyres at a fraction of the cost of a new bike. I'd only go road bike/gravel bike if time or racing mates on the road was what you wanted.

Thank you, I will have a look see.

 

About the Camber, well I find her to be quite heavy and the full suspension is obviously completely unnecessary on the road and the 1x setup also means that I run out of pedal power at about 40km/h which even for me is a bit soon.

So really Its just not too enjoyable on the road.

Also, I don't plan on finishing in the top half of anything, but this move from MTB to road may well be permanent (not sure yet), and knowing myself I'll still want to see improvements in times and segments etc and will possibly ride with groups, so I want something that will better aid me in doing that.

[The Ghost]

see if you can get a test - pretty sure you’ll

have seller’s queuing up to let you try a bike out

 

Will do.

I've contacted Spez already and they have loan units available but they're not going out at the moment while they're on semi-lockdown with the virus. When they're ready I'll be taking them for a spin.

[The Ghost]

So in the boredom that is the corona lockdown I plotted a diagram of bikes using M /54 size bikes numbers for repack and stack.

It’s probably quite dodgy, but it’s got me wondering if the Canyon Grail should come back into the list of possibilities.

It has a longer reach but a much taller stack that may offset it.

 

Am I approaching this correctly?

[The Ghost]

Hi folks, does anyone have a Trek Checkpoint or have any opinions or thoughts about it for this task? I’d possibly look at the SL6 but put narrower rubber on it.

[Raf]

Giant Revolt

Extremely versatile. Doubles quite nicely as a road bike vs gravel grinder.

The frame allows for 700x45c tyres as well.
I've got a 2nd wheel set for the days I decide to be a bit of a roadie.
I see that Giant now offers a wider range to choose from a (Alu and Carbon) in the 2020 models

Edited April 24, 2020 by Raf

[Charlie600]

Hi folks, does anyone have a Trek Checkpoint or have any opinions or thoughts about it for this task? I’d possibly look at the SL6 but put narrower rubber on it.

 

Hi Ghost,

 

I have a Checkpoint SL6 given that I wanted to do the exact same as you - have a comfortable/relaxed road bike, that also happens to be happy on gravel roads etc. (and I now even commute with her as well).

 

Although all of the bikes mentioned are great options, I absolutely love the Checkpoint given that it is a slightly more aggressive gravel bike than some of the others (in my non expert opinion and based on internet reviews).

 

Not only does she allow me to fit proper fenders during the winter months, she's surprisingly quick as well - no need for smaller diameter tyres given that I (in a semi unfit shape) don't struggle to keep up with the riding mates on 60km+ road rides with the standard 35 rubber whilst having no concerns when hitting the sidewalk or forest roads as part of a ride to keep things interesting. 

 

However with that being said, the important element to keep in mind as well is that I know I'm not competing for podiums anymore and as long as you have this mindset you will be super happy with any of the options mentioned. If still in a racing snake mindset...none of the gravel bike will suffice and you should instead look at something like the new Domane that can also fit wider tyres.

 

In summary, the Checkpoint is a super comfortable ride due to the wider tyres, relaxed setup and iso speed decoupler whilst I've had absolutely no buyers remorse in the nearly 2 years that I've had her (other than longing for the SL7 when that beauty was released during 2019)

 

Although I'm not sure what they currently retail for in SA given how the rand plummeted,  the SL5 is also a decent option if it's the carbon and decoupler that you're after, whilst I in hindsight I even could've bough the ALR5 as well - superb value for money at around 50% of the cost of the SL6 and also absolutely bulletproof!

 

 

Feel free to DM me for more questions etc. and happy hunting for your bike!

[The Ghost]

Hi Ghost,

 

I have a Checkpoint SL6 given that I wanted to do the exact same as you - have a comfortable/relaxed road bike, that also happens to be happy on gravel roads etc. (and I now even commute with her as well).

 

Although all of the bikes mentioned are great options, I absolutely love the Checkpoint given that it is a slightly more aggressive gravel bike than some of the others (in my non expert opinion and based on internet reviews).

 

Not only does she allow me to fit proper fenders during the winter months, she's surprisingly quick as well - no need for smaller diameter tyres given that I (in a semi unfit shape) don't struggle to keep up with the riding mates on 60km+ road rides with the standard 35 rubber whilst having no concerns when hitting the sidewalk or forest roads as part of a ride to keep things interesting.

 

However with that being said, the important element to keep in mind as well is that I know I'm not competing for podiums anymore and as long as you have this mindset you will be super happy with any of the options mentioned. If still in a racing snake mindset...none of the gravel bike will suffice and you should instead look at something like the new Domane that can also fit wider tyres.

 

In summary, the Checkpoint is a super comfortable ride due to the wider tyres, relaxed setup and iso speed decoupler whilst I've had absolutely no buyers remorse in the nearly 2 years that I've had her (other than longing for the SL7 when that beauty was released during 2019)

 

Although I'm not sure what they currently retail for in SA given how the rand plummeted, the SL5 is also a decent option if it's the carbon and decoupler that you're after, whilst I in hindsight I even could've bough the ALR5 as well - superb value for money at around 50% of the cost of the SL6 and also absolutely bulletproof!

 

 

Feel free to DM me for more questions etc. and happy hunting for your bike!

Thanks very much for taking the time to share that.

 

At the moment it’s second on my list because it can run the rubber size and grip pattern I want (35, although I see on the web it now ships with 40c) and the gear ranges I want although I think I’d change them to GRX, but it’s about €1k cheaper than the Spez Diverge that’s number one on my list and on that I’d also want to change rubber and gears so that €1k may be helpful.

 

I can’t wait for the bike shops to open and get pricing for all this and go for a spin on them.