I’m currently in the market for a new road bike and a new 'cross bike. I’ll save everyone the exact details on that.
I have a 2017 Pivot Vault, and found a deal on another 2017. However I started looking at the new 2019. I was seriously considering getting the new Vault with eTap, an extra set of high-end wheels, and using it for everything - Cross, Road, and Gravel. I primarily race cross. I love road, but mostly just do long rides on my own. I may do some light road racing.
I don’t really know enough about bike geometry to know if this is even a reasonable idea. Any thoughts? Horrible idea? Should I just stick with 2 bikes? I’d love to be able to sink a lot of money into 1 vs splitting it between 2. It’d also be great from a travel perspective (I travel a lot).
Thanks for any thoughts! Even if the thought is “that’s a horrible idea!”.
Terrific idea. And the Vault would be on my short list of the bike to do it with. Stigmata and a U.P. would get a hard look as well. And if you’re sold on 1x and don’t mind losing the 2x capability, perhaps the Allied Able. All fun ideas to consider.
Hello soulmate! I’m in the same boat. I have the 2017 Vault. I ride road and gravel and race Cross on it. I have three wheel sets…a road/aero and two cross tubeless. Id like to get into road racing but don’t wanna crash on pavement. I also just upgraded to etap axs. That will change your life. One day I would like to upgrade to the 2019 vault simply for more clearance and better 650b options.
Nobody I ride with thinks that it’s a cross bike. It has been such a perfect bike for me. The roadie looking aero cross bike with multiple wheelsets is hard to beat.
Do it. I’m considering making a similar move next year and swapping my road bike for a do it all cx rig. With the lower bb height on most modern cx bikes they don’t give up much on handling performance anymore.
I did a few endurance rides on mine 2017 Vault and loved it. Actually rode it as a road bike for awhile before switching it to be more for Cross - and definitely love it for Cross. Thanks for the the input!
I’ll check those out. I’m willing to consider 1X or 2X… not sure I personally have the power or cadence range for a 1x on long road climbs. Though maybe on a 1x12 setup.
I looked at a lot of bikes this week, and am still trying to figure out the all-in-one solution.
My top contenders are:
Pivot Vault (still hanging in there)
Canyon Grail (though would probably need a lot of build changes).
The Allied’s look really nice (looked at the Alfa All-road and the Able). The 1x only setup and taller frame I think rules this one out from a road perspective. The Alfa isn’t bad, but max tire width is a bit limiting.
I’m test-riding a Stigmata next week. Talked to a bike shop guy who commutes on one. He loves it for gravel, but thinks it’s a bit sluggish on the road.
Following. I have been thinking about pulling the trigger on a gravel bike for a while now but I’m worried that once I start using it and riding new trails I’ll wish I had gotten something different. Going to start taking my hardtail mtb out on some gravel trails to explore a bit. My list is similar… Vault, U.P., Exploro, Aspero, Able, Stigmata, Diverge…
Open just announced they’re selling a fully-built WI DE (1x only, spec’ed with AXS/Eagle and 2.35" tires) for $5,900. Definitely on the off-road end of things, but intriguing.
I really like the WI DE but it’s pretty $$ and I can’t find very many reviews of people riding/racing it. At least with the Able you see pros riding it to victories at DK etc. Also, call me crazy but part of me still would rather have a threaded bottom bracket for a bike like this, as is offered on the Stigmata and the Ibis Hakka MX among others
For what it’s worth, I asked the guys over at geometrygeeks.bike for their thoughts on my dilemma, there list was:
Spesh Diverge, Santa Cruz Stigmata, Cannondale Slate or Topstone, ST Exploro, Open U.P. maybe? Norco Search? Kinesis Tripster ATR?
The wide definitely isn’t roady enough for me, but definitely a cool bike!
Cannondale SuperX is also worth a look. It has the funky offset rear triangle and bottom bracket to make the short chainstays work, but that may or may not matter to you.
I have a Pivot Vault as well. Just picked it up this spring before the update. Mine came with double 48/32 chainrings which I consider more gravel/road gearing. I sold my road bike and hardtail to get it. I decided to get this last winter when I was taking my cross bike out for longer rides and realized that I preferred the handling more than the road bike I had(trek madone 2013).
I put a set of bontrager XO1 cross tires on it and rode it all summer. Did long road rides with some rail to trail rides as well. I just did a cross race with it and it rode the same as my cross bike which has now become my dedicated trainer bike.
It has been a great one bike quiver. I have a spare set of race wheels which I am using for cross and an upcoming gravel race. Next year I’m going to run a set of Maxxis Refuse 32 tires for road. I have done one road race in my life and do not plan on doing another but I I desired I wouldn’t hesitate to use the vault unless it was a crit but it would probably work for that as well.
I compared my bike’s geometry to the 2019 Vault when the new one debuted and they are identical in a size small. The only differences between mine and the updated version is the iso-flex seatpost, extra mounting spots for bikepacking, and clearance for larger tires. I don’t feel like I should have waited though. I love mine. If it were me, I’d keep your vault, sell your road bike, and use the funds to upgrade your vault. If it’s going to be a one bike quiver, I’d stay away from a 1x system and get one with a double ring.
The only reason to upgrade to the 2019 is if you want the new features of the 2019 vault. Then I’d sell your old one and road bike and get an extra set of wheels but I’d go with the Ultegra build which has the 2x setup.
That’s exactly what I’m doing so with my SuperX and I couldn’t be happier. I’m running 34x50 up front and have separate wheels for road, gravel and CX. At just above 17 lbs it really is a jack of all trades.
Unfortunately, my Vault is a medium - and I need a small (took me awhile to figure that out). So then it’s a question of if I splurge for the new one, or grab one of last years close-outs. Really do love the Vault…
I pulled the trigger on upgrading my 2017 Vault! Long story short, I’m an idiot and it’s a small size frame.
Went with SRAM Force AXS with a 46/33 crankset and integrated power meter. Setting up my old Mavic Ksyrium USTs with road tires, and picked up a set of Roval C38s as my Cross wheels (please don’t tell me if they suck, I already bought them). putting 10-33 cassettes on both.
Get the bike back Friday, have a cross race Saturday, then traveling for a week and getting in some road rides so will be able to give it a thorough test on all fronts.
Thanks again everyone for thoughts and input.
Also wanted to include a list of bikes you all recommended as all-in-ones, for people who look at this thread in the future:
Pivot Vault
Allied Able
Allied Alfa All-road
Santa Cruz Stigmata
Open UP(PER)
3T Exploro
Norco Search
Kinesis Tripster ATRE
Cannondale Slate
Cannondale Topstone
Cannondale SuperX
Ibis Hakka MX
(let me know if I missed any and I’ll edit the post to include)
Lots of options. For those who want to narrow it down, start by deciding if you want a 1x or 2x build and find a bike that fits you.
Tools I used for that:
Deciding on 1x vs. 2x: I used BikeCalc.com - Bicycle Gear Speed Chart, and figured out what speeds I could go in various cadence ranges (made the 2x a must for me… better climbers could probably manage a 1x).
Frame sizing:
I got a new bike fit (shout out to Bruce Hendler at Athelticamps in Folsom, CA) and then used
geometrygeeks.bike to figure out which frames would really be a good fit for me.
