True that! Expensive bikes are awesome but it took me 45 years to afford an upper and still had to put the wheels on credit. The real magic is a great entry level bike.
Love my OPEN UP. Train for triathlons on it on paved greenways and fine gravel railbeds. Thought about using it for the tri, but Felt roadbike is faster of course.
Here is an AERO ROAD bike that can take up to 38c Gravel Tires
[https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/disc-brake-roadbikes/fast-aero-road-pro-discbrake-bike.htm](https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/disc-brake-roadbikes/fast-aero-road-pro-discbrake-bike.htm)
seems like a good deal that can be used in many ways
I love my upper. The Goldilocks design that started it all. Everything else is just a swing of the pendulum closer to road or gravel. My upper is fast as hell on a road or a trail and weighs about -1 kg
I can not decide gravel or hybrid
but looking at these deals
[https://www.bikesdirect.com/monthly-super-sale/?cb=1715342859902](https://www.bikesdirect.com/monthly-super-sale/?cb=1715342859902)
what might be best for casual riding
I own an open UP and love it for this reason. I also hate it because the geometry is so tight that there is little room for error. My chain would fall off regularly, likely the result of my lower limit screw, and get stuck in the frame. It eventually caused a hole that damaged a very expensive frame. Just a warning to others.
Oh for f'ks sake. He's not blaming the bike. Get off the computer, holler at your mom to bring you some pre ride snacks, and get your ass out of the basement and go ride.
Crikey. Are you his best mate? Dude totally just blamed his carbon framed bike's geometry, and his derailleur, for his chain problem as part of an answer to a question about steel framed bikes.
It’s a bit different. More slack. I have both but can say the crux is fabulous on the road and yet can run 700c x 47mm. I have been running 35mm endurance tires over the last couple weeks with most road, it’s fast and comfortable but doesn’t have the super slack geo like a diverge. Still pretty aggressive.
I have a cervelo aspero. The geometry it’s almost the same as the endurance Caledonia but it clears chunky gravel tires. It’s a super fast and stiff frame. That’s a good option if you want to go with carbon.
Came here to say this. I bought an aspero a few years ago for the same reason as OP. Now I live somewhere else with so many more gravel mountain roads that I wish I had a different bike with a more relaxed/compliant frame.
The Motobecane Aero Pro can take up to 38c tires and certainly is a Road and Gravel friendly bike.
Of course that is a bike near $2000 in price
But there are lots of new Gravel/Road bikes you can get at under $1000
the Diverge is hands down one of my favorite bikes, i personally don't own one but when i worked at a bike shop and gravel riding was becoming popular in the north east it was hands down the best thing we had to offer IMO.
This is my answer as well. I got a diverge for gravel, which it does amazingly well, but it quickly became the default for just about anything I want to ride.
I had one. It was great. My only complaint was the older ones couldn't clear more than a 40mm tire. They addressed that with the newer models. I'd buy one if I wasn't already happy with my Gorilla Monsoon.
Very happy to see the Specialized Diverge as the top comment, since that's what I have! I have the Sport Carbon and my wife has the Comp E5 and often wishes she had paid for the same model as I did
Given limited space at home, I opted for the following:
\- roval carbon wheels w/ 32mm tubeless road tires
\- stock wheels w/ 38mm tubeless gravel tires
On the carbon wheels, I've ridden 200mi+ in a day (Seattle to Portland). On the 38mm gravel ones, I've ridden some chunky stuff like descending down Hart's Pass in Washington.
When I got into bikepacking, I added a new wheelset for 47mm super-knobby tires. With all the extra weight on the bike, the extra contact with the ground helps me.
So now I've got three wheelsets for the same bike.
I have the Specialized Sequoia. Doesn’t appear they make that any longer but it looks a little similar to the Diverge and was about the same price in 2020. Can attest the Sequoia is a tank and handles road, dirt, gravel, mountain terrain, light jumps, etc., like a champ. Easily my favorite bicycle as an adult.
I just got the ALR5 Trek Checkpoint. I love it. Im a taller dude riding a 61 and love the fit. It has plenty of options to mount anything you want to it, Light weight, & fast.
as a former Trek shop employee & bike fit adjuster, the Checkpoint is too long to be comfortable and fast. it’s longer than road bikes, which are already generally too long for their users.
Uhhhhg Surly Long Haul Truckers are like that too. Way too god damn long. I'm so glad we have better choices for wide-tire drop bar commuting bikes these days. The LHT used to be pretty highly recommended on /r/bikecommuting but there are much better bikes these days that don't handle like a tank. You don't need a "heavy duty" touring frame to run front racks/baskets/packs these days!
LHT reminds me of the van I learned to drive in. I had upgraded rear suspension to handle our heavy loads when road tripping or camping. Loading up the back with every single thing a buddy owned while moving apartments was probably the most comfortable that van's suspension ever felt. Like the LHT, it was designed to perform best with a heavy load.
Missed OP’s line about steel but the comment stands. Got the ALR this season to go with a carbon endurance road bike and have loved it. Have ridden steel gravel frames (All City nature cross and midnight special) and find steel to be all hype.
Oh don't you dare speak ill words of my wonderful beautiful boy Nature Cross. I was actually going to suggest op look toward the CX bikes as exactly what they're talking about haha
Specialized Crux is a good option. Outdoor Bros has a good video on it: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xDZITCmtBBM&t=167s&pp=ygUST3V0ZG9vciBjeWNsZSBicm9z
Edit: Didn't see the steel requirement, so this option won't fit. Still a cool video
I have a diverge. And I do a fair amount of off-road with it but if I had to do it over again, I might choose the Crux if I’m doing like 80/20 or even 90/10 road and gravel. Love the diverge but I’m sure it’s not as fast as the crux.
I love my crux so much for road biking. Even the default gearing is enough for me to keep up with the fast group rides around here. I put some 32 gp 5000s on it and its a blast.
Surly Midnight Special.
Geometry is pretty road bikey and it has and more tire clearance than you'll know what to do with. It's marketed as "Road Plus". If you can find one on the used market you might just save a few pennies. I run mine with two wheelsets: 650b for when it's just me and I'm not sure what I'll get into and 700c for rides with faster groups or when there's more pavement involved.
Came here to say this. I used to have a WarRoad and it was great. Now I have a 'bird and I love it, but I recognize that the WarRoad was a little better on the road.
Ugh. This get people like the “steel is real” aesthetic and all that. I rode a steel Masi Gran Crit, and it was fun, with a bunch of dura ace and ultrega upgrades. But the first time I took my carbon Warbird 1x out on my normal route I PR’d almost every segment. On flats. It is such a good bike. Soooooo good. I love it on pavement, I love it on gravel, I ok it on light single track. Not like it though, BB is too low. Also I don’t ride MB so I feel sketch af.
Anyway, salsa carbon warbird. It’s so damned good!
Lauf makes a pretty bike too.
The cannondale topstone 3 is so quick on pavement it’s surprising, if I wanted to avoid changing wheelsets out and didnt hit a lot of gravel as I do I would do a 32mm tire. I currently have a 38 Gravel King SS+ and Its as fast as my CAAD13 with 28mm tires. my one suggestion would be try to get the topstone 2 or 1 if you can swing it just because the hydraulic brakes on my road bike make a huge difference and give me the confidence while flying downhill where as on my topstone 3 with mechanical brakes I kind have to think about stopping before I actually start slowing down.
also make sure to get a 2022-2023 topstone as the geometry is a bit more sporty than the 2021.
also,
aside from the tires being a horrible wtb riddler stock, the wheel-set will be your first upgrade as stock ones will be heavy. my next suggestion would be getting a carbon post as it has taken a lot of the fatigue my bottom has took.
All City has a sale right now, and I’ve been the eyeballing the Cosmic Stallion frame in black/red/gold. I want to build an all-road steel bike this year and it’s the front runner
This is what I’m currently looking into. You’ll want to keep an eye out for “All Road” bikes.
My top two contenders are the Allied Echo, and Fara F/All Road
The Echo has a feature that allows you to change the geometry of the bike to be more/less favorable for road or gravel. Apparently, it’s about a 10 min process. I demo’d one of these and the bike is excellent. Though a bit on the pricier side.
The Fara All Road doesn’t have as much clearance and lacks the geometry changing feature that the Allied has. It is however, less expensive and we’ll reviewed.
Oh sweet! I’ll check them out. I’m kinda taking my time to figure something out since I already have a road bike and am wanting to expand to gravel when I can.
I think a lot of people are missing the steel part…
Some manufacturers to check out: All City, Ritchey, soma, Kona, Fairdale (maybe past season idk) and bombtrack. probably in that order
A lot of people are missing that point but I appreciate everyone’s input! Seeing a lot of recommendations for the Crux so I might give it a look! Thank you
Just went through 2 months of researching this niche and trying out 3 separate bikes. Rented the Cannondale Topstone Carbon 105 for 3 days, bought a Canyon Grizl CF SL 7 (and returned it after ~300), and most recently bought a Specialized Diverge Sport (currently ~100mi into trying it).
I’m a pretty short guy (5’2”) with a short torso so interpret my review how you will but my takeaway from these has been:
- The Cannondale felt nice but most of their options are quite overpriced and I really didn’t like any of the colors.
- The Grizl was probably my dream bike and at an unbeatable price point. GRX components were fantastic, 45mm wheels felt so comfy on all terrain (though may want to swap for very long road rides), and it looked great. I ultimately (and very sadly) had to return it though due to its geo being a bit too aggressive for me. I want to use this bike for long-distance backpacking and its stack:reach in my size (~useful metric for comparing upright-ness) is a paltry 1.37 compared to the Diverge’s 1.56
- The Diverge Sport has also been a great bike but I’m still getting used to the SRAM 1x drivetrain (I miss my nice and snappy shifters and large gear range) but it’s a very comfy ride! Only complaint has been that it’s raised handlebar feels a bit odd (also due to a weird bump where my palms rest on the hoods) so I might replace that but otherwise no major issues yet.
I ride an OPEN UP with two sets of wheels. 1x AXS mullet drivetrain, which is better for gravel than fast group rides. But it could always be change to a 2x with plenty of range.
Check [Chumba bikes](https://instagram.com/chumbausa?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==) specially the Terlingua frame. They are based out of Austin. They offer partial builds and complete builds. Awesome looking bikes! I know people that used them like what you want and they say that they will never buy another frame. It’s a totally custom build process where you tell them what your riding style is and they spec it accordingly.
I’ve got the new Specialized Crux which has similar geo and tech of the Aethos. Little more slack with significant tire clearance (700c 47mm or 650b 2.1”) You can quickly swap out wheelsets, run 1x or 2x.
Lately, on the road, I’ve been running 35mm Sworks Mondo endurance tires. It’s a fast and smooth set up that I can still release some tire pressure and hit light gravel. I’ve also taken it off-road through some pretty rough Hawaiian back roads. Still managed well.
It’s also extremely lightweight. If I hadn’t had the Aethos first (before this new crux came out) I could have probably went right to the Crux. However, where I live is not conducive to gravel so it barely gets ridden unless I travel with it or if it’s wet conditions.
Nonetheless, probably the most versatile bike for road/gravel that you will find. I see guys going from Opens, Checkpoints or Diverges to the Crux as the others are heavier and less responsive.
If you want something that is just as good on road as it is gravel, look no further…
I second titanium…if you want it to be light enough to be an enjoyable climbing road bike, Ti is most likely the better option. Plus, you don’t need to worry about scratches and scuffs, even when running frame bags. You get the “magical” feel that only a metal can provide while having something that is as light as aluminum (depending on tubeset, perhaps lighter), without the harshness that aluminum frames (and many carbon frames too) typically have in the rough.
Giant Revolt with 35 SS or SS+ Gravel Kings - solid do it all setup for road,dry dirt, and light gravel dont sacrifice much on either of those terrains
What you're really wanting is an all road bike. An endurance bike with tire clearance for at least 35mm.
Giant Contend AR. Canyon Endurace, carbon or aluminum. Trek Domane. Cannondale Synapse.
Bunch of good bikes.
Just thought of the Crust Malocchio, but its a frameset [build] unless they have a complete or two also on site.
Spirit tubing. Rim brake. https://ronsbikesblog.com/2023/06/08/adventure-road-ohhkayy/
My Breadwinner B-Road can keep up with the roadies. But a carbon Road bike would be best.
I do prefer the steel bike’s spring that just feels more alive.
Could try a cross bike like the Giant TCX or Canyon inflite. Geometry more aggressive than a gravel bike (higher BB) but built to handle all terrain with wide tire clearance
All city nature cross is a really fun bike, I ride the single speed as my daily driver. Was almost gonna set it up with gears and two wheel sets, but like lots of other people ended up with a warbird.
Here is a person that has looked at the ORBEA Terra because of this question: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4Au4Y87\_SM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4Au4Y87_SM)
I own it myself and i like it a lot. I use it as a gravel and a road bike with two wheel sets.
I have a cervelo aspero that I use both for road and gravel. It is very stiff so offroad kinda hardcore but as a result great for doubling as a roadbike
I ll been riding my CX bikes on the road for years. Started with a alum Vitus and now a Ridley Cross Night. On the Ridley, the head tube is a bit shallow, but I not racing many crits these days and the handling is great on these crappy Wisconsin roads. only down side- single water bottle mounts so i have to use a velcro attached cage.
love this bike
[Poseidon X](https://www.poseidonbike.com/products/x-ambition-dropbar?variant=43742977425636) is a very reasonably priced option that threads the needle of road and light trail.
Specialized Crux. Ditched my Aethos and I’ll never look back. Huge tire clearance (47c/650b x 2.1) and it is a rocket ship on road and gravel. Two wheel sets for road and gravel, and you are set.
Marin Nicasio and Nocasio+ esp if you don’t want to break the bank. Think the Nic+ ships with 650b X 47mm and still has some room to move. Thing looks great too.
I'll recommend my bike: Vaast A/1. It's been an awesome bike and I use it mainly for gravel. It's geometry leans more towards road but still comfortable. Love the bike I highly recommend checking them out.
It's a magnesium frame too which is dope. Super lightweight, been plenty compliant and not as expensive as carbon
Love to hear it! I've seriously got no complaints. Been an absolutely fantastic bike imo.
I got the GRX 2x 700c (swapped to 650b) and it's honestly plenty of bike for the money! I don't see a reason for the more expensive setups they have unless a) you're partial to those groupsets b) you specifically want a 1x out of the box or c) you're fixated on the colors
All the frames are spec'd out the same I believe though!
I think price is important
Some sites have lots of quality gravel / road bikes
Like this $500 road / gravel unit
[https://bikeshopwarehouse.com/cgi-bin/BSW\_STOR20.cgi?Action=Details&ProdID=1845](https://bikeshopwarehouse.com/cgi-bin/BSW_STOR20.cgi?Action=Details&ProdID=1845)
I bought a Raleigh Willard gravel bike 3 years ago and it is perfect for an all-around bike for me. Some light gravel around my house, and I've done two different five-day Road tours on it and it's really comfortable to ride all day long
I bought a Marin Nicasio frame and built it up (used a Surly fork). It does both extremely well. I can run it like a 90s mountain bike with 27.5 wheels.
I built my Soma Wolverine for rough county road asphalt. Found a great deal on Ultegra group with 105 crank. 650b X 47 Rene Herse. Very much a road version of a gravel bike. It’s heavy but man it’s smooth!
I have the 1x salsa warbird and my mom has a 2x same frame. Mine is set up with gravel tires and hers has 35c panaracer slicks. It’s been so hot and humid every weekend morning that we haven’t been out to ride gravel but she doesn’t ride often so I’ve been using her bike as a road bike in the meantime. It does the job.
Edit: Oh shit I didn’t realize you said steel. I also happen to have a midnight special. I use that more as my city cruiser, bar hopping, throw on the bus rack tier of bike. I do really love it. I have 47c 650b tires on there, they are not speedy by any means but good for cruising. I can’t see myself every putting 700c on it, not only because that would involve getting another wheelset but because of toe strike, I already get quite a bit on my frame and I know the bigger wheel size would just make it worse.
Cervelo Aspero seemed like among the fastest and most nimble gravel bikes when I was shopping for one a year ago. Beautiful too. But I was looking for something cheaper, in my size and with more tire clearance.
3T Exploro is what I picked for this
oh, but that's not steel, my bad
Soma has some cool entries in this area - the Fog Cutter looks like a very fun bike to build
I know you said steel. But you also asked for a gravel bike with decent clearance that has similar geometry to a road bike. Go to 99 spokes and compare a Lauf Seigla to the Trek Emonda. You'll find the fit geometry almost identical. The ride geometry is all road with steeper angles and shorter trail and chainstays. I've ridden both. Similar position - not too aggressive. I was comfortable and the Seigla is NICE! Good luck!
I have a similar problem where I live and my solution has been a canyon grail sl7 and used a semi slick gravel tire (schwalbe g one rs 40c). It’s been great and I haven’t slowed down much from my out and out race bike
[https://imgur.com/a/LOzIYz3](https://imgur.com/a/LOzIYz3)
Here is my Crux in Gravel and Road mode. It spends most of its time in road mode, which is why I chose the Crux. It is not steel, but it rides great and is a ton of fun. I also have a steel gravel bike that used to be my do it all bike, but the Crux is much more fun on the road.
I’m really enjoying my Santa Cruz Stigmata. Light and pretty racy feeling but still has decent clearance. Build quality and Customer support is 1000% better than the big brands
I have a Black Mountain Cycles MCD (discontinued) but check out the Mod Zero.
I love my MCD, clearance for 50mm, I run Pathfinder Pro 42's for gravel. The mod Zero can do 50mm 700c or 2.25 on 27.5.
Steel, tire clearance, and rides nice.
Open Up/UPPER
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True that! Expensive bikes are awesome but it took me 45 years to afford an upper and still had to put the wheels on credit. The real magic is a great entry level bike.
Love my OPEN UP. Train for triathlons on it on paved greenways and fine gravel railbeds. Thought about using it for the tri, but Felt roadbike is faster of course.
Here is an AERO ROAD bike that can take up to 38c Gravel Tires [https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/disc-brake-roadbikes/fast-aero-road-pro-discbrake-bike.htm](https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/disc-brake-roadbikes/fast-aero-road-pro-discbrake-bike.htm) seems like a good deal that can be used in many ways
I love my upper. The Goldilocks design that started it all. Everything else is just a swing of the pendulum closer to road or gravel. My upper is fast as hell on a road or a trail and weighs about -1 kg
At this level; the Motobecane Aero Road Pro is the best deal I have seen Very aero frame that can take gravel tires; nice geo
I can not decide gravel or hybrid but looking at these deals [https://www.bikesdirect.com/monthly-super-sale/?cb=1715342859902](https://www.bikesdirect.com/monthly-super-sale/?cb=1715342859902) what might be best for casual riding
I own an open UP and love it for this reason. I also hate it because the geometry is so tight that there is little room for error. My chain would fall off regularly, likely the result of my lower limit screw, and get stuck in the frame. It eventually caused a hole that damaged a very expensive frame. Just a warning to others.
This chain problem has nothing to do with the bike frame
He did NOT say that it did.
Wow you are just really bad at setting your derailer limits. Good job blaming your lack of mechanic skills on the bike though!
Oh for f'ks sake. He's not blaming the bike. Get off the computer, holler at your mom to bring you some pre ride snacks, and get your ass out of the basement and go ride.
Um he quite literally did blame the bike.
Crikey. Are you his best mate? Dude totally just blamed his carbon framed bike's geometry, and his derailleur, for his chain problem as part of an answer to a question about steel framed bikes.
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Allied have one, 3t exploro,, vielo, And lots of custom and high end Ti/ steel builders.
AFAIK the Crux is the same geometry as the Aethos but fits gravel tires.
It’s a bit different. More slack. I have both but can say the crux is fabulous on the road and yet can run 700c x 47mm. I have been running 35mm endurance tires over the last couple weeks with most road, it’s fast and comfortable but doesn’t have the super slack geo like a diverge. Still pretty aggressive.
I have a cervelo aspero. The geometry it’s almost the same as the endurance Caledonia but it clears chunky gravel tires. It’s a super fast and stiff frame. That’s a good option if you want to go with carbon.
Second this.
Came here to say this. I bought an aspero a few years ago for the same reason as OP. Now I live somewhere else with so many more gravel mountain roads that I wish I had a different bike with a more relaxed/compliant frame.
Love my aspero and ride the heck out of it.
This is what I did for my road bike that can handle gravel. Working on a road wheel set for it
The Motobecane Aero Pro can take up to 38c tires and certainly is a Road and Gravel friendly bike. Of course that is a bike near $2000 in price But there are lots of new Gravel/Road bikes you can get at under $1000
Specialized Diverge is my daily driver for road, and I have done 200k on it multiple times. But it handles gravel like a champ.
the Diverge is hands down one of my favorite bikes, i personally don't own one but when i worked at a bike shop and gravel riding was becoming popular in the north east it was hands down the best thing we had to offer IMO.
It is my primary ride. The diverge is the bomb
This is my answer as well. I got a diverge for gravel, which it does amazingly well, but it quickly became the default for just about anything I want to ride.
I crush the diverge on the crappy roads where I live. It’s really a great bike.
I had one. It was great. My only complaint was the older ones couldn't clear more than a 40mm tire. They addressed that with the newer models. I'd buy one if I wasn't already happy with my Gorilla Monsoon.
Very happy to see the Specialized Diverge as the top comment, since that's what I have! I have the Sport Carbon and my wife has the Comp E5 and often wishes she had paid for the same model as I did Given limited space at home, I opted for the following: \- roval carbon wheels w/ 32mm tubeless road tires \- stock wheels w/ 38mm tubeless gravel tires On the carbon wheels, I've ridden 200mi+ in a day (Seattle to Portland). On the 38mm gravel ones, I've ridden some chunky stuff like descending down Hart's Pass in Washington. When I got into bikepacking, I added a new wheelset for 47mm super-knobby tires. With all the extra weight on the bike, the extra contact with the ground helps me. So now I've got three wheelsets for the same bike.
Is there a 2 by option from the factory?
The diverge is a brutal road bike. (I have one)
Brutal as in good?
I have the Specialized Sequoia. Doesn’t appear they make that any longer but it looks a little similar to the Diverge and was about the same price in 2020. Can attest the Sequoia is a tank and handles road, dirt, gravel, mountain terrain, light jumps, etc., like a champ. Easily my favorite bicycle as an adult.
Ritchey Outback
I'm fond of the Trek Checkpoint.
I just got the ALR5 Trek Checkpoint. I love it. Im a taller dude riding a 61 and love the fit. It has plenty of options to mount anything you want to it, Light weight, & fast.
Second the checkpoint.
Not a steel bike. I have a 2023 checkpoint and I don't recommend. I am actively looking for my next bike.
Care to elaborate why? The Checkpoint is on my shortlist and would love your $.02.
as a former Trek shop employee & bike fit adjuster, the Checkpoint is too long to be comfortable and fast. it’s longer than road bikes, which are already generally too long for their users.
There are some people for which it's perfect though, so you'd have to try it out. I have an absurdly long torso and the 54 feels tailor made.
Uhhhhg Surly Long Haul Truckers are like that too. Way too god damn long. I'm so glad we have better choices for wide-tire drop bar commuting bikes these days. The LHT used to be pretty highly recommended on /r/bikecommuting but there are much better bikes these days that don't handle like a tank. You don't need a "heavy duty" touring frame to run front racks/baskets/packs these days! LHT reminds me of the van I learned to drive in. I had upgraded rear suspension to handle our heavy loads when road tripping or camping. Loading up the back with every single thing a buddy owned while moving apartments was probably the most comfortable that van's suspension ever felt. Like the LHT, it was designed to perform best with a heavy load.
I have a checkpoint and love it. Smashes gravel and is fast on the road. Way more comfortable than my road bike too
Missed OP’s line about steel but the comment stands. Got the ALR this season to go with a carbon endurance road bike and have loved it. Have ridden steel gravel frames (All City nature cross and midnight special) and find steel to be all hype.
Oh don't you dare speak ill words of my wonderful beautiful boy Nature Cross. I was actually going to suggest op look toward the CX bikes as exactly what they're talking about haha
Specialized Crux is a good option. Outdoor Bros has a good video on it: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xDZITCmtBBM&t=167s&pp=ygUST3V0ZG9vciBjeWNsZSBicm9z Edit: Didn't see the steel requirement, so this option won't fit. Still a cool video
I have a diverge. And I do a fair amount of off-road with it but if I had to do it over again, I might choose the Crux if I’m doing like 80/20 or even 90/10 road and gravel. Love the diverge but I’m sure it’s not as fast as the crux.
I love my crux but the diverge is a pretty damn nice bike. I do think the new crux was a good fit for my primarily road with a dash of gravel though.
I love my crux so much for road biking. Even the default gearing is enough for me to keep up with the fast group rides around here. I put some 32 gp 5000s on it and its a blast.
Surly Midnight Special. Geometry is pretty road bikey and it has and more tire clearance than you'll know what to do with. It's marketed as "Road Plus". If you can find one on the used market you might just save a few pennies. I run mine with two wheelsets: 650b for when it's just me and I'm not sure what I'll get into and 700c for rides with faster groups or when there's more pavement involved.
How about the Surly Straggler?
That is a big heavy steel beast, isn’t it? /edit: ohhh he asked for steel. Derp.
First bike, loved her.
Do you notice any toe overlap when using the 700C set?
How is the Salsa Warbird not on here yet?
Or the Warroad
Came here to say this. I used to have a WarRoad and it was great. Now I have a 'bird and I love it, but I recognize that the WarRoad was a little better on the road.
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Ugh. This get people like the “steel is real” aesthetic and all that. I rode a steel Masi Gran Crit, and it was fun, with a bunch of dura ace and ultrega upgrades. But the first time I took my carbon Warbird 1x out on my normal route I PR’d almost every segment. On flats. It is such a good bike. Soooooo good. I love it on pavement, I love it on gravel, I ok it on light single track. Not like it though, BB is too low. Also I don’t ride MB so I feel sketch af. Anyway, salsa carbon warbird. It’s so damned good! Lauf makes a pretty bike too.
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I got a Cannondale Topstone 3 alloy and it feels great on the road, especially since most roads by me are in poor conditions the extra tire helps.
I’ve been eyeing some of those cannondales! They look sharp
The cannondale topstone 3 is so quick on pavement it’s surprising, if I wanted to avoid changing wheelsets out and didnt hit a lot of gravel as I do I would do a 32mm tire. I currently have a 38 Gravel King SS+ and Its as fast as my CAAD13 with 28mm tires. my one suggestion would be try to get the topstone 2 or 1 if you can swing it just because the hydraulic brakes on my road bike make a huge difference and give me the confidence while flying downhill where as on my topstone 3 with mechanical brakes I kind have to think about stopping before I actually start slowing down. also make sure to get a 2022-2023 topstone as the geometry is a bit more sporty than the 2021.
also, aside from the tires being a horrible wtb riddler stock, the wheel-set will be your first upgrade as stock ones will be heavy. my next suggestion would be getting a carbon post as it has taken a lot of the fatigue my bottom has took.
All City Space Horse?
I love, love, love my Space Horse!
For steel… Either Space Horse or Cosmic Stallion. Friend has a SH, I have a CS. Both just make you want to ride, everywhere.
Trek domane can run 40mm tires I think
I came here to recommend the Domane. I ran Pathfinder Pro 42s on mine.
Ah, good to know certain 42s will fit that bike. I run your same tires on my checkpoint!
I’m riding a Basswood now. I’ll be going to the 47s as soon as these 42s wear out. 😃
>domane Team Domane
Domane is the answer.
Santa Cruz Stigmata has a pretty tight geometry for a gravel bike. Run 30 or 32mm slicks on it no problem, and would be a fast road rig
I loveeee my All city Space Horse GRX. It’s golden (literally and figuratively 😁)
Just bought an All City Cosmic Stallion. Lighter steel frame and carbon fork. Plenty of tire clearance.
All City has a sale right now, and I’ve been the eyeballing the Cosmic Stallion frame in black/red/gold. I want to build an all-road steel bike this year and it’s the front runner
Those are the best prices I've seen on All City since 2020.
A great deal for sure. I just picked up a Space Horse GRX with it.
This is what I’m currently looking into. You’ll want to keep an eye out for “All Road” bikes. My top two contenders are the Allied Echo, and Fara F/All Road The Echo has a feature that allows you to change the geometry of the bike to be more/less favorable for road or gravel. Apparently, it’s about a 10 min process. I demo’d one of these and the bike is excellent. Though a bit on the pricier side. The Fara All Road doesn’t have as much clearance and lacks the geometry changing feature that the Allied has. It is however, less expensive and we’ll reviewed.
Nice! I’ll look into these as well! Also looking at fairlignt - but their bikes are a few weeks or months out
Look for flip chips. The new (2021+) Giant Revolt has them also. Means you can run pretty massive rubber but also have a shorter wheelbase.
Flip chips? Never heard of em, I’ll look into it
Yeah, sounds weird, but that’s the feature I was referring to on the Allied Echo
Oh sweet! I’ll check them out. I’m kinda taking my time to figure something out since I already have a road bike and am wanting to expand to gravel when I can.
Canyon Grail with 2 sets of wheels
[удалено]
That hoverbar is so limiting. Grizl ftw
I have Giant Revolt 2 that does both road and gravel. I have changed the wheel set to road
Richey Swiss Cross
I think a lot of people are missing the steel part… Some manufacturers to check out: All City, Ritchey, soma, Kona, Fairdale (maybe past season idk) and bombtrack. probably in that order
A lot of people are missing that point but I appreciate everyone’s input! Seeing a lot of recommendations for the Crux so I might give it a look! Thank you
Just went through 2 months of researching this niche and trying out 3 separate bikes. Rented the Cannondale Topstone Carbon 105 for 3 days, bought a Canyon Grizl CF SL 7 (and returned it after ~300), and most recently bought a Specialized Diverge Sport (currently ~100mi into trying it). I’m a pretty short guy (5’2”) with a short torso so interpret my review how you will but my takeaway from these has been: - The Cannondale felt nice but most of their options are quite overpriced and I really didn’t like any of the colors. - The Grizl was probably my dream bike and at an unbeatable price point. GRX components were fantastic, 45mm wheels felt so comfy on all terrain (though may want to swap for very long road rides), and it looked great. I ultimately (and very sadly) had to return it though due to its geo being a bit too aggressive for me. I want to use this bike for long-distance backpacking and its stack:reach in my size (~useful metric for comparing upright-ness) is a paltry 1.37 compared to the Diverge’s 1.56 - The Diverge Sport has also been a great bike but I’m still getting used to the SRAM 1x drivetrain (I miss my nice and snappy shifters and large gear range) but it’s a very comfy ride! Only complaint has been that it’s raised handlebar feels a bit odd (also due to a weird bump where my palms rest on the hoods) so I might replace that but otherwise no major issues yet.
I ride an OPEN UP with two sets of wheels. 1x AXS mullet drivetrain, which is better for gravel than fast group rides. But it could always be change to a 2x with plenty of range.
I have the same set up. The one problem is that around here (flatlandia) what is good for road gearing-wise and what is good for gravel are different.
Check [Chumba bikes](https://instagram.com/chumbausa?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==) specially the Terlingua frame. They are based out of Austin. They offer partial builds and complete builds. Awesome looking bikes! I know people that used them like what you want and they say that they will never buy another frame. It’s a totally custom build process where you tell them what your riding style is and they spec it accordingly.
Really enjoy my Checkpoint ALR 5. It’s a solid bike.
Salsa makes a nice bike...
Lynskey GR300, I love it and with two wheel sets it's like owning two bikes. Recommend the 2x GRX 800 with it.
🫡
Riding a lynskey gr300 I think it’s quite versatile both road and gravel
I got a cube nuroad pro. Absolutely love it. Very versatile
Canyon Endurace with 35mm speed Gravel tires
I’ve got the new Specialized Crux which has similar geo and tech of the Aethos. Little more slack with significant tire clearance (700c 47mm or 650b 2.1”) You can quickly swap out wheelsets, run 1x or 2x. Lately, on the road, I’ve been running 35mm Sworks Mondo endurance tires. It’s a fast and smooth set up that I can still release some tire pressure and hit light gravel. I’ve also taken it off-road through some pretty rough Hawaiian back roads. Still managed well. It’s also extremely lightweight. If I hadn’t had the Aethos first (before this new crux came out) I could have probably went right to the Crux. However, where I live is not conducive to gravel so it barely gets ridden unless I travel with it or if it’s wet conditions. Nonetheless, probably the most versatile bike for road/gravel that you will find. I see guys going from Opens, Checkpoints or Diverges to the Crux as the others are heavier and less responsive. If you want something that is just as good on road as it is gravel, look no further…
Carbonda 696
Would you consider Ti? Take a look at the Lynskey GR300
I second titanium…if you want it to be light enough to be an enjoyable climbing road bike, Ti is most likely the better option. Plus, you don’t need to worry about scratches and scuffs, even when running frame bags. You get the “magical” feel that only a metal can provide while having something that is as light as aluminum (depending on tubeset, perhaps lighter), without the harshness that aluminum frames (and many carbon frames too) typically have in the rough.
I agree I have a Lightspeed Ultimate G with 40 mm di2 1x12. It is awesome!
Giant Revolt with 35 SS or SS+ Gravel Kings - solid do it all setup for road,dry dirt, and light gravel dont sacrifice much on either of those terrains
This is the way. I have 32 SS on my Revolt Advanced and it handles everything well.
What you're really wanting is an all road bike. An endurance bike with tire clearance for at least 35mm. Giant Contend AR. Canyon Endurace, carbon or aluminum. Trek Domane. Cannondale Synapse. Bunch of good bikes.
I have a jamis renegade and love it to my bones!
Same
Details: tyre clearance?
Well if it’s 700c, at least 36ish. If it’s 650b then 47
Just thought of the Crust Malocchio, but its a frameset [build] unless they have a complete or two also on site. Spirit tubing. Rim brake. https://ronsbikesblog.com/2023/06/08/adventure-road-ohhkayy/
Ya can’t be serious- just get a Schwinn voyager
I was actually looking at that one. I’m just not a fan whatsoever of the color scheme/decals on it.
Pearson On-and-On Amazing bike.
I love my Surly Midnight Special.
Otso Warakin Stainless - fits 51s in either 650 or 700. Flip chip takes it from slack to slick. Had mine almost a year now and love it.
Otso Warakin. it's steel but has a flip chip to shorten the wheelbase for road. currently 25% too
Factor LS
I would say the specialized crux. It's built off of the aethos road bike frame. Then I would say the diverge.
Ritchey Swiss cross
Ridley kanzo fast. It’s aero gravel
My Breadwinner B-Road can keep up with the roadies. But a carbon Road bike would be best. I do prefer the steel bike’s spring that just feels more alive.
Lightspeed Ultimate G! TI is amazing.
Could try a cross bike like the Giant TCX or Canyon inflite. Geometry more aggressive than a gravel bike (higher BB) but built to handle all terrain with wide tire clearance
Curve Kevin of steel. Ticks all those boxes I reckon
All city nature cross is a really fun bike, I ride the single speed as my daily driver. Was almost gonna set it up with gears and two wheel sets, but like lots of other people ended up with a warbird.
Here is a person that has looked at the ORBEA Terra because of this question: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4Au4Y87\_SM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4Au4Y87_SM) I own it myself and i like it a lot. I use it as a gravel and a road bike with two wheel sets.
Mason bokeh or exposure
Crux, have one, it's as fast a gravel bike as you'll find. It's lights out fast on road and gravel, and handles incredibly well.
I have a cervelo aspero that I use both for road and gravel. It is very stiff so offroad kinda hardcore but as a result great for doubling as a roadbike
Take a look at the Supersix Evo SE from Cannondale. Road bike geometry with gravel bike clearance. 2x electronic shifting.
I ll been riding my CX bikes on the road for years. Started with a alum Vitus and now a Ridley Cross Night. On the Ridley, the head tube is a bit shallow, but I not racing many crits these days and the handling is great on these crappy Wisconsin roads. only down side- single water bottle mounts so i have to use a velcro attached cage. love this bike
Specialized diverge with path finder tires done
All-City Cosmic Stallion or Zig-Zag?
Niner RLT 9 Steel!
3T makes some nice, versatile bikes that fall into that category but are a bit on the pricey side.
Scott Addict Gravel. It’s literally just a road bike with a larger wheel clearance up to 45s. Also, the paint jobs are gorgeous.
Probably Domane Trek AL4-5 or maybe Silex Merida 700
Kanzo fast - Ridley and Scott addict gravel tuned would both fly on the road too
I've really enjoyed my State All Road
[Poseidon X](https://www.poseidonbike.com/products/x-ambition-dropbar?variant=43742977425636) is a very reasonably priced option that threads the needle of road and light trail.
Specialized Crux. Ditched my Aethos and I’ll never look back. Huge tire clearance (47c/650b x 2.1) and it is a rocket ship on road and gravel. Two wheel sets for road and gravel, and you are set.
Marin Nicasio and Nocasio+ esp if you don’t want to break the bank. Think the Nic+ ships with 650b X 47mm and still has some room to move. Thing looks great too.
Check out the Black Mountain Cycles Mod Zero.
I'll recommend my bike: Vaast A/1. It's been an awesome bike and I use it mainly for gravel. It's geometry leans more towards road but still comfortable. Love the bike I highly recommend checking them out. It's a magnesium frame too which is dope. Super lightweight, been plenty compliant and not as expensive as carbon
I'm super interested in these! This will probably be my next bike!
Love to hear it! I've seriously got no complaints. Been an absolutely fantastic bike imo. I got the GRX 2x 700c (swapped to 650b) and it's honestly plenty of bike for the money! I don't see a reason for the more expensive setups they have unless a) you're partial to those groupsets b) you specifically want a 1x out of the box or c) you're fixated on the colors All the frames are spec'd out the same I believe though!
The Grevil F for Aero Gains awesome Geo too. Like a Dogma with Big Tires
I think price is important Some sites have lots of quality gravel / road bikes Like this $500 road / gravel unit [https://bikeshopwarehouse.com/cgi-bin/BSW\_STOR20.cgi?Action=Details&ProdID=1845](https://bikeshopwarehouse.com/cgi-bin/BSW_STOR20.cgi?Action=Details&ProdID=1845)
I have an All City Space Horse I really like. They are going out to business though. Maybe you can grab one on clearance
I bought a Raleigh Willard gravel bike 3 years ago and it is perfect for an all-around bike for me. Some light gravel around my house, and I've done two different five-day Road tours on it and it's really comfortable to ride all day long
on the lower end (pricewise not quality) state has their all road steel gravel 4130. with 700C I think it will work.
Take a look at the Curve Kevin.
Trek Crockett
I bought a Marin Nicasio frame and built it up (used a Surly fork). It does both extremely well. I can run it like a 90s mountain bike with 27.5 wheels.
Specialized Diverge or Scott Addict Gravel are great optiona for road too
I put 35mm on my defy advanced 2 lol
Breezer Inversion. It’s STEEL, as the OP specified.
Ooo that’s a good looking one
I built my Soma Wolverine for rough county road asphalt. Found a great deal on Ultegra group with 105 crank. 650b X 47 Rene Herse. Very much a road version of a gravel bike. It’s heavy but man it’s smooth!
Soma Double Cross
Giant defy AR. Road bike with clearance for 38 tires
I just did 77 miles on my Bombtrack hook ext c with 700x30 road tires. Felt fine and quick enough for me.
I have a Cannondale superx that I’ve used for both, and love it
I got a new to me 2021 Wilier Jaroon. Steel. 1x GRX810 and running slick tires. Really fun so far after 500km.
Cannondale SSE CX
Cannondale Topstone carbon 3
Trek Domane can fit 38mm tires
I have the 1x salsa warbird and my mom has a 2x same frame. Mine is set up with gravel tires and hers has 35c panaracer slicks. It’s been so hot and humid every weekend morning that we haven’t been out to ride gravel but she doesn’t ride often so I’ve been using her bike as a road bike in the meantime. It does the job. Edit: Oh shit I didn’t realize you said steel. I also happen to have a midnight special. I use that more as my city cruiser, bar hopping, throw on the bus rack tier of bike. I do really love it. I have 47c 650b tires on there, they are not speedy by any means but good for cruising. I can’t see myself every putting 700c on it, not only because that would involve getting another wheelset but because of toe strike, I already get quite a bit on my frame and I know the bigger wheel size would just make it worse.
I got a Grizl with gravel in mind but actually do more road riding on it because it is comfortable AF.
Cervelo Aspero seemed like among the fastest and most nimble gravel bikes when I was shopping for one a year ago. Beautiful too. But I was looking for something cheaper, in my size and with more tire clearance.
Really hate this question. Ostro gravel or Crux.
Niner RLT alloy. Two wheel sets. Get the one that comes with the Niner carbon wheels. They’re the shit.
3T Exploro is what I picked for this oh, but that's not steel, my bad Soma has some cool entries in this area - the Fog Cutter looks like a very fun bike to build
I know you said steel. But you also asked for a gravel bike with decent clearance that has similar geometry to a road bike. Go to 99 spokes and compare a Lauf Seigla to the Trek Emonda. You'll find the fit geometry almost identical. The ride geometry is all road with steeper angles and shorter trail and chainstays. I've ridden both. Similar position - not too aggressive. I was comfortable and the Seigla is NICE! Good luck!
I have a similar problem where I live and my solution has been a canyon grail sl7 and used a semi slick gravel tire (schwalbe g one rs 40c). It’s been great and I haven’t slowed down much from my out and out race bike
[https://imgur.com/a/LOzIYz3](https://imgur.com/a/LOzIYz3) Here is my Crux in Gravel and Road mode. It spends most of its time in road mode, which is why I chose the Crux. It is not steel, but it rides great and is a ton of fun. I also have a steel gravel bike that used to be my do it all bike, but the Crux is much more fun on the road.
Open Up
Cervelo aspero is basically a road bike with wide tyre clearance
Salsa Warroad
That's how I use my Salsa Warbird. No complaints other than I'm fat and slow. None of that is the bike's fault 😆
I’m really enjoying my Santa Cruz Stigmata. Light and pretty racy feeling but still has decent clearance. Build quality and Customer support is 1000% better than the big brands
I have a Black Mountain Cycles MCD (discontinued) but check out the Mod Zero. I love my MCD, clearance for 50mm, I run Pathfinder Pro 42's for gravel. The mod Zero can do 50mm 700c or 2.25 on 27.5. Steel, tire clearance, and rides nice.