I finally got my new wheels and tested them on the 3T since weather is bad and I want to have a clean bike (my main bike, Venge) on the trainer.
Changed my DT Swiss Spline 1600 gravel wheelset for the ARC 1400, and had to re align the rotors. Not an issue for me since Ill only be changing wheels on the gravel bike when travelling, but worth knowing that its not always perfect even with same hub manufacturer.
Either way, here is the 3T with ARC1400 on 
Yeah I assumed that would be required. What a beaut that bike is tho. Looks awesome. Are those the spec turbo cotton tires?
+1 for the Hakka. I love thins bike. Mine is setup more for gravel only right now. 42mm tires and 12 speed 42x9-50 gearing. But even with those clunker tires it goes fast.
It’s pretty and the best deal going in carbon gravel frames.
Thanks! 
Yeah those are the Cotton Turbos, but I have realised that they are horrible during spring when all the gravel is still there on the bike paths, so I am running a pair of Schwalbe One’s right now that are a bit more durable
I’m in the same spot as the OP at the moment and debating between the following bikes.
Cervelo Aspero - Seems geared more towards the gravel-side to me. Most affordable build and I love the colors.
Open UP - Compared to the other 2 options here, the head angle is a whole 2 degrees slacker (in my size) and the BB is also higher. Not entirely sure how this rides on and off road.
Factor LS - Very lightweight option. Really the only thing holding me back is the colorway.
Terrain-wise, rides will comprise of 50/50 road/dirt to 100% road at times. I’ll never run tires larger than 700x40.
Thoughts?
One of the reasons I like the Aspero is the lower BB. I think it is a critical design element.
My current gravel bike is a Crux, which has a high BB. It is very noticeable…my next gravel bike, if it is not the actual Aspero, will have a low BB. I considered the Open, but the BB height quickly nixed it as an option for me (although I love the general concept).
Based on your description of how you’ll ride it, I think the Aspero would be a great option.
Aspero is a great bike. Can do everything
Curious if anyone has any thoughts/suggestions… looking for a new bike. Currently have BMC Teammachine SLR02 and a Cannondale Topstone AL 105. I really don’t like the BMC and don’t ride it nearly as much. The Topstone has the stock stuff still on it, came with WTB Nanos (40s) for tyres. I also have a set of HED Ardennes LT+ (alloy) with 28mm GP5000 on them to ride it on the road. Gearing is 48/36 and 11-34.
Thinking about trying to find something nicer than the Topstone that would be good for road/gravel. I don’t race (yet) but will probably do some gravel stuff at some point. I don’t mind the geometry of the BMC per se, so a more “aggressive” gravel bike isn’t a bad thing in that sense. I’ve seen a lot on the Giant Revolt, Aspero, and maybe the Checkpoint but wondering if people have thoughts on other options.
Essentially looking for something that goes (relatively) fast on the road given road wheelset but has the gravel option. The Roubaix was intriguing but the 33 max seems potentially pretty limiting.
Both the Revolt and the Aspero will fit that need well. The Aspero will feel more like a “normal” road bike due to a lower BB. The Revolt has a BB somewhere between a road bike and a CX bike, IIRC.
I have read several reviews if the Aspero that basically call it a gravel bike for roadies.
You could also look at the 3T Exploro as a gravel bike option that would perform well on the road.
The downsides to high (typical CX height) bottom brackets is lack of stability on loose stuff, especially descents and turns. Low bottom brackets help with that and is one of the key differences between a cyclocross bike and gravel bike.
The downside to low bottom brackets is reduced clearance of rocks and roots off-road, but that really only matters if you ride MTB type terrain.
The other downside is reduced pedal clearance when pedaling leaned over in corners. But really, unless you are racing crits, this shouldn’t be a problem. You have to be leaned over pretty far while pedaling to strike a pedal.
That is very limiting. My 2013 Madone can clear at least 30s. The comfort, rough surface rolling resistance and traction benefits of wider tires are substantial. To me, the minimum tire size to be considered for a gravel bike is 38, but 42 is better.
And it has to be real clearance for those sizes, which means there’s mud clearance around the tires. A muddy tire can wear through carbon or aluminum really quick. Usually the manufacturer includes such clearance in their stated max tire sizes, but be careful about what sizes users claim. You should have at least 4 mm clearance on each side and on top.
Yeah, I think it would probably be pushing it too much. Running 40s on my Cannondale is probably excessive for most of the gravel around here but it works and I don’t think I’d go bigger unless I went 650b wheels.
My coach has an Aspero and loves the versatility. My shortlist came down to:
Ended up with the 3T and mostly riding road. Happy.
I’m slowly starting on a journey to seek for a new gravel bike to get in a year or two. At the moment I’m riding a Scott Speedster Gravel but I seem to have a problem regarding stack and reach. The stack seems to be ideal but I’m having trouble with reach even with a shorter stem and a short reach handlebar (I think my longer than average legs are to blame). I’m hesitant in going for a smaller frame since I don’t think a higher saddle-to-bar drop will be comfortable for me.
Does anyone have some insight regarding brands that make gravel bikes that have high stack and short reach geometries?
have you asked factor to see if they’ll paint a custom bike for you? I’ve seen a bunch on IG of custom colored frames from the brand and although you’d probably pay a bit more, at least you’d get the colors you wanted.
I’ve been comparing a few and here’s what I’m seeing when looking at 56s from different companies. Seems like Spec and Trek are fairly generous on the reach side relative to stack
FWIW while shopping I used GeometryGeeks.bike website to make easy comparisons:
showing relative to current bike. Click the blue dot below Trek Domane and it will show actual numbers for all bikes.
They all can do “everything” fine. Spend less on the exact bike and more on the 2nd set of wheels/tires. The Cervelo has a lower possible bar height than the other if you’re super flexible. If you’re into pedaling above 32mph, I think it’s limited to 34t inner and 46t outer / 1x ring in front.
Did you get as far as sizing the Aspero? My road/cross bikes are 58s, but looking at the numbers I feel like I would need a 56 Aspero…
