The Perfect Gravel Bike

Equipment
1

I’m trying to find my unicorn gravel bike. It’s not a race bike but I will do races on it. I don’t want huge tire clearance because it messes with the geometry and bike handling. And downtube storage is a must.

The short list.

  • Factor Aluto: almost perfect. But it’s really heavy, and the downtube storage is incredibly small that it’s basically useless. The chainstay is 425 which is a little too long as well. Same with the wheelbase. But it’s mostly the terrible downtube storage that I’m not liking. Round seatpost is a plus.
  • Incolor Voyager: Again, so close to perfect. UDH, T47 BB, round seatpost, short chainstay at 415 is perfect, clears 45s, lightweight, great value. But they need a bigger size. I could probably make the 57 work but if they went one size bigger it would fit better. But also, no downtube storage is a big drawback.
  • ENVE Fray: Love the geometry, new colors look stunning, and downtube storage is great. But it’s a bit expensive. The seatpost is proprietary which is a bummer, should have just gone with round. 40mm tire clearance is probably fine, 42 would be perfect. Non-removable FD hanger is not great.

So is there a bike that combines these 3 into the perfect gravel do it all bike? BSA or T47, UDH, downtube storage, clears 42-45mm tires (max 45), shorter chainstays, round seatpost, integrated cables.

2

Cervelo Aspero 5 seems to check all your boxes except the round seatpost.

1 Like
3

Ooh, haven’t really looked at it much but might be a good tip.

4

A Cannondale Synapse might be an option.

There are practically two types of downtube storage. 1) You can cram your tools and a tube in there (the Factor Aluto, Cannondale Synapse) 2) You can cram tools, tube, a jacket, and a small burrito (Specialized Diverge). Understand how you plan on using the storage before you make it a requirement.

You’re complaining about a 425mm chainstay when a 410mm chainstay is a standard road bike now. I’ve got a Trek Checkpoint that allows me to move the rear chainstay 15mm fairly easily. You’d be hard pressed to tell the difference unless you’re doing 4mph u-turns up a single track climb. It really only makes a difference in tight turns at parking lot speeds. I wouldn’t let it affect your choice.

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5

From prior experience, it is very noticeable to me. Hence why I weigh it in my decision. It’s not just the chainstay length, but it generally follows that longer chainstay bikes have longer wheelbases and usually slacker front ends. All of which I am not a fan of. The Crux was probably the closest to the perfect bike but I want downtube storage and hidden cables. And all the rumors of the upcoming Crux don’t sound appealing to me.

6

The back and the front are different parts of the system. :slight_smile: If it’s important to you, it’s important to you.

More important than chainstay length is where your “butt” is in relation to the rear contact patch. To further my observation point: You generally don’t hear anyone complaining about handling changes when they move their saddle 10mm further forward.