From one of the big reviews, Grand Fondo Magazine I believe.
Im surprised nobody has said Lauf. The true grit is on sale for 20% off and the front fork is super aero and efficient at soaking up bumps. With 35mm Specialized Roubaix Pro tires, a 40 cm drop bar and roval cl wheels my Lauf is withing 10 watts of my cervelo R3 on pavement (42mm depth wheels, conti 5000 tubeless tires, 40cm handlebars) at roughly 200 watts.
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Read/heard several reports of vibrations at speed in tarmac.
Its a fair criticism. I wouldn’t call it a vibration, but somewhere around 35 mph on tarmac you can feel a bit of oscillation and movement in the fork. Almost feels like a little headset play. The first few times it is unsettling, after a few weeks i dont really notice it anymore.
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I’m getting a new gravel race bike and I test rode aspero and supersix Evo se back to back.
Going for supersix Evo se it was just a better fit for me and with £1000 off the price I can upgrade the wheels (going for zipp 303 firecrest)
Just wondering why supersix Evo se wasn’t on the list?
Seems to be a nice mid range gravel bike, I guess I only looked at the flagship models of each brand. Doesn’t seem fair to compare it with bikes that cost more than double.
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Can the SLR take a dropper post? I am looking into buying a checkpoint.
Super helpful! Thanks! Bit of a bummer because I wanted that flexibility.
The SL models still use a regular post style.
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That is what I was going to go with. Not a big fan of their colors, but I can only be so picky.
Getting a custom spec Factor Ostro Gravel. While I do love conquering massive Alpine climbs and usually look for the hilliest route possible, most of my gravel racing is relatively flat.
Therefore, my current Crux is not the most optimal bike for when I race. Also, I can sell the Crux off and get the Factor without a fresh Investment needed.
Reasons for me to get the Ostro Gravel over other gravel racing bikes:
- its aerodynamic tube shapes are a competitive advantage over light race bikes (like the Crux)
- the handlebar: love the shape, love the look, tons of options, also to go very long and narrow. Most of all, it has a very smart integration of Aero Bars, which are a must for me in a gravel bike
- sufficient tire clearance. 45x700 and 2.1x650 is the sweetspot for me. I have seen a Kaius fitted with 45s, and they were like 1-2mm off the seat tube. I wouldn’t ride that in the dirt.
- Quality and Spec: I am very impressed with everything I’ve seen from Factor so far. Very premium quality carbon manufacturing. Also, the spec with the custom sealed bearings by CS is really good.
- it looks really, really good. Looks like an aero road bike, and it looks really good with spacers underneath the stem.
- compared to the Crux, I like that it has top tube mounts, for a bag. That’s all the bags I need.
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I ordered mine 10 weeks ago, crickets still at this point
In general, I want to like this bike, but it seems that it’s very stiff and not comfortable in rougher terrain.
Thanks for the report, this is key for me.
My racing is 70% steep alpine climbs. I’m curious, what gravel bike would you choose if you were looking more for climbing performance?
Isn’t this scary?
Well, that’s not easy. That depends on a lot of factors. Obviously the Crux springs to mind with it being the out and out lightest gravel bike. However, one must not neglect the descending. Depending on how rough and relevant that is to your racing, you might look at something more capable (suspension, more upright geo, longer wheelbase etc). The Crux is probably the fastest on a STEEP alpine ascent, bike like the Factor, BMC Kaius or Scott Addict Gravel are likely equally fast when the average speed is still above 20kph.
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If the Crux had internal cables that would be my choice. It seems more and more that the Scott Addict might be the bike for me. It’s just hard to find one.
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The Ostro is awesome. I’d order that white in a heartbeat if I could afford it. Definitely keeping an eye out for your NBD photos.
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All the bikes you have short listed look awesome and will be awesome.
I don’t personally buy into the gains of the aero frame in gravel races. Granted plenty of the people winning the big gravel races are sponsored, but it doesn’t appear that aero gravel frames are dominating.
The gravel races I have been in have required the race plate to sit square on the front of the bike, with no bending/cutting allowed.
Sure if it came down to the choice of two bikes aero vs not. I would choose aero, but I wouldn’t let it eliminate other bikes that meet my criteria.
Gg
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What is driving the desire for integrated cables?
I worry the faux “mud splash” would grow old pretty quick…but in general, it is a good looking bike.
I am a fan of the minimalist branding some brands are employing now on gravel bikes…the Aspero is another example of this trend.
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