Aethos vs Crux vs Fray

Yeah that’s not for your purpose. That geo is for perfect for rough and hilly gravel. Long reach with short stem for stability and higher stack to take steep descents in drops (for better handling and stopping control ) all without feeling like you will OTB (so lets one keep more weight on BB, which by the way is lower than crux - feels way more planted)

That’s not to say one can’t win GP gravel races on it, especially when sized down with tall seatpost, lower stack and long slammed stem for more road like geo.

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Not even the same universe. The new Stigmata geo is sooo slack.

There’s your answer, then.

I have both in same size, top spec and on same tires, 2.1 Thunder Burts. I ride in south England where we have no gravel roads - if it’s a road it’s paved, if it’s not then it’s bumpy grassy or rocky single and double track or bridleway. Every 10 miles will have 700 feet of elevation, with sharp punchy climbs and descents.

For this type of terrain Stig just wins every time. Solid, planted, easy to fly downhill, reminds me of a cushy SUV. It’s fast uphill too through - fork and geo help there.

Crux is a great looking bike and I love it, but I know every time I choose it, I’ll have to compromise and be less comfortable and slower downhill.

Stig is no slouch by the way, got a PR on a local road climb recently, faster than I climbed it on Tarmac. Granted I was fresh. But still it ain’t slow, I also have 48t front and 10 back so can spin up to 50km/h or so.

Also my Crux is not 2025 so no UDH, Stig has T-type 10-52 - shifting under power is sooo nice on slow tech climbs.

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Trek fixed a few things with the Gen4 Domane and it is a pretty versatile all round bike. Getting rid of the front IsoSpeed helped shed some weight.

Cost is always a factor with Trek and there probably aren’t too many used Gen4’s yet, but I’ve seen some nice builds show up on Trek’s used bike section recently.

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I was in a similar boat when buying my most recent bike. Had a fast aero race bike and was looking for something fun to ride with more tire clearance. Ended up getting a titanium frame and couldn’t be happier (No22 great divide disc). If was buying again would have gone for something with 40mm tire clearance - but still very happy with the 35mm on the bike. The bike looks just amazing, the ride is great and durability of a metal frame is awesome (when on family road trips take the wheels off and throw the bike in the back of the car on top of all the luggage… never worry about the frame). Don’t get me wrong - the aero carbon race bike is faster and what I use when going to events or on dedicated bike trips… but my titanium all-road bike is what I ride ~80% of the time now.

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Sounds like you want an Enve Melee.

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I debated for several years what I wanted in a new road bike and finally settled on the ‘all-road’ category. I knew I’d be riding about 80% pavement and 20% gravel so I wanted something more road focused. All of my racing is on the MTB now, so I wasn’t concerned about having the lightest or most aero setup. I wanted something comfortable and fun but still quick. The Crux was high on my list but I really wanted something unique and decided to go the nontraditional route with a handmade steel frame (Chumba SOCO). I wanted titanium but it was out of budget. I’ve only had it in road mode so far (GP5K S 30mm tires that measure almost 33mm on my 25i wheels), but I’m currently awaiting some 36mm Tufo Thunderos to arrive so I can get in some gravel miles on it. I plan on buying a second wheelset for gravel too so I can make swaps quicker and easier. The frame clears 38-40 tires, and I think the Thundero 36 should measure right around 38 on my wider rims.

Apart from some issues with the frame early on that I won’t delve into here, I really enjoy the bike now. There’s very little gravel within 25-30 miles of my house so I didn’t see a need in an all-around tire for mixed surfaces. I will need to travel further out of the city for gravel rides, so it just made more sense for me to have dedicated road and gravel setups.

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