I did feel like the checkpoint felt just as at home on the pavement as it did on the gravel.
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Awesome, thanks for sharing. I would eliminate any bike on there that needs to run 650B for a 50mm tire. And with that said, there are some great options on there!
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Yeah, we are likely shopping for different bikes, but I figured I’d share just for the discussion and to show that there is a decent range of bikes under the “gravel” umbrella.
Definitely worth putting together the numbers (for nerds like me at least) to see the full range of info.
All good info and bike suggestions! Really like how gravel bikes are still evolving/changing since it varies so much on the route, climbing, etc.
Kind of curious tho and maybe I missed it, but how about Canyon’s Grail line? Is it because of their bi-plane handlebar look. Reviews have been pretty positive regarding the bars and I’ve been looking at their CF SL 8.0 although I wish Canyon would add that same model in a SLX frameset and go to the next GRX rear derailleur to handle bigger gears.
In that same line of thought, no one mentioned the U.P.P.E.R? Too much $$$?
Also, anyone done/doing Lost and Found GG? I see some folks on MTBs, probably riding on 1.8-2.0 tires maybe hardtails and locked out front susp? Just personal preference? Bike weight, comfort, and/or position? So many riding possibilities…so little time (and $).
Has anyone finished dk200 on hardtail/flat MTN bars? Just out of curiousity.
Sure…I saw guys out there last year on fat bikes, too.
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That sounds terrible. Lol. I’m doing a 100 miler on my hardtail this year and not looking forward to the lack of hand positions.
You can put some bar ends inside of your grips to give you “aerobars” on your hardtail. Lachlan Morton did this for Leadville last year.
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I use a Trek Domane SL with SRAM Force AXS. As far as frame, I would argue for total build less than 19.5 lbs being good for some of the steeper hills. ISO speed front and rear does help with vibration and comfort. Clearance for up to 40 mm if no mud and 38 if mud if you don’t go with a wide wheel, but the Bontrager 3V will fit a 40. I will probably run 32’s on my Aelous 5’s and get some Mountain Bike rims with 25+ internal width to run 38’s which would be effectively 40’s for when the road is more rough or wet.
I ride a size 60, so the compliance is at upper limit of adjustability on the SLR, so saved some money there. Like my 1x, but, again, when the hills get super steep, you start to wish for a lower gear. Fairly aero, which isn’t a big deal at 17 mph, but add in a 15-20 mph head wind and it does start to make a difference. Wish I had a top tube bottle holder for a feed bag, but not a big deal. It’s a Trek, so not as “cool” as some of the others.
Remember, Kansas gravel is mostly a road bike race. Don’t be shocked if people who come out to “race” start bringing 17 pound bikes with clearance for 32’s or less. that fits 90% of what you run into. And 90% of a 200 mile race is a lot of miles.
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Wowser, that’s quite a hill!
Sure is. Powerline at Leadville. The majority of people walk up that thing.
I’ll most likely do that race on Chamois Hagar! 
I did 38mm tires on my epic before and I liked that so I’ll probably stick with those.
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This is great! Thank you for putting this together. Any chance you can post the file or put it up on Google docs?
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@mcneese.chad I’m loving the spreadsheet.
After thinking it over today, I’m about committed to ordering a Rodeo Labs Trail Donkey. It fits 700c x 50mm like the Hagar with less radical geo. Even without being slacked out the tire size on the Donkey still makes it capable; they’ve been ridden at Leadville with dropbars the last few years. I’m a little concerned about 50s on the Hagar since there appears to be so little clearance for mud with that tire size, and mud is real at events like Kanza. Any firsthand knowledge on it in the forrum?
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Yeah I will share it. It’s mixed it with a bunch of other private stuff, so let me pull a version into a separate doc I can share.
Need more sizes
Here are screenshots of the spreadsheets I am using to help me choose a gravel bike. It is a work in progress and reflects what I think is important to me. The bikes in bold are the ones I have shortlisted.
I need a bike with gearing appropriate for me and the hilly terrain I will mostly be training on. So it is not specific to DK necessarily though it does need to be a good tool for that job.
So I am being picky with the gearing and slightly more comfort oriented geometry. Many gravel bikes have basically gearing that would leave me mashing up the 15% climbs that are common where I ride.
As an aside regarding the Chamois Hagar, I would have thought a full suspension design would have been more “on brand” for Evil. More like their version of Niner’s MCR. I hope to ride an MCR soon. But to me that seems like a better direction than a “long, low and slack” fully rigid design if you want to optimize towards the trail/MTB end of the gravel spectrum. But each have their pros and cons.
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