You’re prob right. I forget about the lack of UDH
Best set up is 1x with 13speed in my opinion. More tire and same gear just bigger jumps
I’ve got a '23 Revolt that I love. Currently running 700x48c Thunderos, but I think I’ll go back to something wider like a 2.1" Thunder Burt next year. Or at least give it a try. I think a lot of the tire clearance stuff comes from the very pointy end of the big gravel races, but it’s also very regional. I live in Northern New England, land of chunky gravel, potholes, endless washboards, and dirt roads washed out by floods, so a fatter tire tends to be both faster and much more comfortable. But obviously, different regions have different needs.
My perfect bike right now would be, as many are saying, something that can take at least a 2.2" tire, UDH, low BB height, more progressive geometry, and downtube storage. I’m chucking a fistful of cash at the first company that nails all these. The new Revolt was kind of a disappointment to me for two big reasons: no UDH and they only come stock in 2x, which kind of defeats the purpose of all the tire clearance.
Agree tire clearance is def something the competitive racers are looking for / ppl that have more rugged terrain. I think 42-45mm is fine for a lot of gravel but I def want the option to throw at least a 2.1 on for this rugged stuff.
Yup nailed it. I think the Enve Mog might be closest. But it’s only officially 50mm though I have seen 2.1 for no problem. But issue with that is it’s so damn expensive. Twice as much as a Lauf. I am really curious to see who is the first brand to release a bike with all the features you listed at a reasonable price. Any guesses who?
Another option not listed yet is the new Parlee Taos:
- Room for up to 50 tires
- UDH
- Internal cable routing
- T47 bottom bracket
- DTS
Not an inexpensive option - probably on par with the Envee MOG
I don’t know exactly why I think this, but for some reason I’d bet on Ari, for a new Shafer at some point. They’re most of the way there, and would just need to scooch out tire clearance a bit more (currently at 50c max) and add the downtube storage. Their name change from Fezzari seems like part of a big push, and they’re iterating models very quickly.
Lauf seems possible, too, but they don’t seem too interested in lowering their BB. Someone on here (can’t remember who, sadly) thought it might be to accommodate a little bit of sag in their fork, and I think that makes a lot of sense. So that BB height may just be what they think is ideal for their fork.
I’ve looked at this before but wow it does seem to tick a lot of the boxes. Does it have UDH?
Love it. Good call on Ari. I do think it will be a smaller company like them. I think they can pivot the fastest. Another company I was thinking about was Otso. Looking at their Waheela C - it has pretty racy geo, 2.1 clearance, and I bet they will add UDH to next iteration.
Rodeo said eventually on the UDH, it will need done once 13s is readily available
gravel elite used to make fun of fat bike riders. Now, gravel elite demand fat bikes.
It’s gravel. So the rider who rides what they brung because that’s what they can afford gets the most respect. If that’s not fast enough, put aerobars on it.
Weren‘t Hardtails from 2010-2018 essentially a lot like what some of you want to see in a gravelbike in 2025 an onwards? Steep headangle, road-ish seattube angle, relatively short reach to run dropbars with a reasonably short stem and tire clearance for up to 2.4“?
Aero bars really maximize any bike.
Yeah, tire width and aerodynamics can be significant marginal gains, but aero bars are basically a cheat code if you spend any time with your nose in the wind at speed.
I was close to buying the GS1 from Ventum, but I could see them updating the model for at least ‘claimed’ 50s. Clearance for 48 now, so 50s could work already.
Yeah Rodeo Labs Flaanimal supports UDH.
https://www.rodeo-labs.com/shop/build-components/udh-parts/flaanimal-5-0-steel-ti-udh-slider-system/
I almost got a Flaanimal as it ticked all my boxes, but ended up with a different local frame builder.
Got 2.1inch Mezcal, I’m never going to go back to narrower, but I live in an area with rough gravel.
I’ve also got Transmission MTB gearing which is awesome. 10-52 cassette is actually really good.
It’s strange that so many of the major manufacturers are still speccing small tire clearance.
I disagree. Like with MTBs there are XC bikes on one end of the spectrum and downhill bikes on the other end and everything in between.
If you ride a mix of asphalt and smooth gravel a 45mm tire makes sense. If you ride a mix of double track and single track 2.x“ tires make sense. Gravel isn’t equal gravel
Agree. With my racing in Michigan I can’t see ever going over 45mm unless I wanna try 47mm for S&Gs. Which is how I feel if my bike could handle 2.1 tires. I would try it but it’s not needed and not faster. My race series which includes 17 gravel races there is no reason to go over 45mm. I can’t see how anything larger would be beneficial unless you’re a poor bike handler. Looking at the front of our races it seems the majority are on 42mm and under.
Only if you’re in them a significant amount of time, else they cause more drag.
If the best gravel rider in the world is now running MTB tires on what is supposed to be a pretty tame course I think we ought to listen. I’m a firm believer in bigger is better in MOST cases and can’t wait to see the new gravel bikes these next few years. Allied in particular seems to have something exciting up their sleeves
https://www.instagram.com/p/C-z0VjyOyzx/?igsh=b3owbmE4Zm0xZzBh
But what’s the downside of the frame having the extra clearance? There’s nothing stopping you from running 45mm on a bike with 54mm clearance. You might pay a small aero penalty (I’d say this is basically negligible). Possibly a tiny amount of weight. Maybe support for 2x gets dropped.
I think in two years we’ll see most of these frames with >50mm clearance.