Gravel Bike Options - Help

I own, and LOVE my Revolt, but it’s a pretty upright geometry. If you’re a racer, I’d check geometry comparisons before you choose it as your “one bike to rule them all”.

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Awesome! You have me convinced :slight_smile: that I should upgrade and try it.

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I love my Tarmac as it is aggressive but not overly crazy even though I do have slammed stem and works for me and comfy.

I have been looking at these bikes and I expected to see some prices like $12K + for most of them but some as well under $10K. More $$ is definitely not better.

Edit: Here is a recent pic of my Tarmac at my parents.
Yes the seat is level.

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I own a Tarmac too (SL6) and it’s definitely more aggressive than my Revolt. If you WANT aggressive, I would steer your more toward the Open, Aspero, or Allied. If you want a bike you can ride all day and have fun, I’d look more toward the Giant. If you’ve never used this, it’s a great tool. You can look at BB height too.

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Great and thanks. I like being aggressive on my Tarmac sl6 as well but for riding this type I probably want a little less but not endurance.

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OK, so after saying “everyone just recommends the bike they are riding”, I’ll say that I ride an Aspero and I choose it 1) for the low BB and 2) because I wanted a “road bike for gravel”.

The bike handles and fits very much like a road bike…but very stable on the gravel. It could fit your needs. I would avoid the Aspero 5, however due to the integrated cockpit (don’t think it is needed for gravel).

The Giant Defy is another bike I would consider…a great all-rounder, IMO. It was on my consideration list last year, but could not find one.

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I am a little surprised that the aspero di2 is not more than $6500. What am I missing? Are the wheels crap or something? What would make the allied echo almost double beside being made in the USA?

And I am not too keen on integrated stem as well. I do travel with my bike which can make that a pain.

Checking out the others also.

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I look at the frame pricing for guidance. Gravel frames generally need to be stronger and therefore are also made of a heavier (cheaper) grade carbon. The frame set of $2700 which seems a deal compared to the S5 ($5500) or Tarmac ($5500). If you allow $2000 for di2 group set and then finishing ($500) then the wheels are still probably $1500 of the price,

IMHO, High end bike prices are a bit out of control - I swear 5 years ago $8000 was a high end bike.

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Just one comment: heavier ≠ cheaper. You want the right type of carbon fiber in the right place.

Marketing has you believe that stiffer carbon is always better, but this is false. Even on a road bike you don’t want a frame built from just stiff carbon, because e. g. stiffer carbon fibers tend to be more susceptible to damage and you don’t want stiffness all around. Moreover, the amount of carbon fiber (i. e. roughly how heavy the frame is) is a trade-off between weight, compliance and robustness.

For gravel bikes, you should err more on the side of robustness. Moreover, you have to include different load patterns and reinforce the frame in the right places. If you used e. g. only stiff carbon fibers, you’d end up with a very uncomfortable frame.

True dat.
I swear I can remember when for the price of Shimano 105 Di2 you could buy a SRAM Red Mechanical groupset.

My second mountain bike, a $1,300ish hardtail, came with a mix of Deore XT and SLX components. My $2,500 fully from 10 years ago had a full XT drivetrain with the exception of the SLX crank. Nowadays, even much more expensive fullys are much less equipped.

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Yeah my Tarmac sl6 comp with di2 is 3 years old now and got it for $4200 I think. Just checked bought on 3/20/20 for that price. That now is 8K. And of course there is the Specialized tax :joy:

Edit; I wouldn’t mind putting together my own bike but never done it before.

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This might be a good time to do it. With the USD equal to the Euro, you might be able to get some killer deals if you shop around. Several years ago I bought the first SRAM road gruppo this way and made a killing.

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