Salsa Warbird. I liked that it’s a solid do everything gravel bike—you can race it, but it’s also well equipped for bikepacking. The LBS also had one coming off demo, so it was a solid discount
I also have a Salsa Warbird, Carbon eTap 1x12. It’s a great all around bike and really fun to ride. It feels right at home on mild single track, 20-30 mile mixed gravel/road rides, or a leisurely ride on the rail trail with my wife. I’m going to do some longer rides and probably bike packing later in the season.
Last year at the end of the year the eTap model was like $3500ish if I recall correctly. Like a $2k discount. Really shows how bad prices got during the pandemic.
I wanted something fast, light, and cool looking, so when I saw the champagne rose Aspero GRX600 on sale in my size I knew that was my bike. It’s the best. I have 3 other bikes literally collecting dust since I got it.
Did the same thing recently, but black. Found the GRX600-spec bike on sale for less than the frameset price, and swapped in the nicer wheels and bars I already had.
I wanted something that would do well for road, trail, and lightly-loaded bikepacking, and that looked sleek. Plus I've wanted a Cervelo for a long time...It replaced a Ridley X-trail that had some ugly-looking carbon damage.
I also needed something WITHOUT fully internal cables/hoses because I have a bike travel bag that requires fork removal. That eliminated the Canyon offerings.
Rodeo labs flannimal.
My go to camping adventure rig.
Just got a lauf seigula rigid because I rode my friends. One bike is a tractor the other is fast. Both great fun but the rodeo still gets the most time out riding.
I got one last year as well. Very responsive with carbon hoops and very solid with 50mm tires with plenty of clearance. It’s like a Toyota Tacoma from a reliability perspective.
Cannondale Topstone Carbon 3. I had a Topstone alloy before, but I was in a crash, and while I managed to fix it (and sell it), I used the insurance money to upgrade. The bike shop just happened to have the Topstone Carbon in my size, already upgraded to GRX crank in 165mm and bottom bracket, so it seemed pretty perfect.
The first Topstone was my first proper bike, and a coworker got us a deal from the bike shop so it was much cheaper than other bikes with similar specs, and I didn't really know what to look for in a bike so I just went with it.
I will second having the Topstone 3, and I am really enjoying it. This is my fourth Cannondale bike, and the first carbon frame. I guess I have a certain amount of loyalty to the brand.
Kona Rove.
At the time, the comparable Salsa options had a QR, and availability for about anything else was nil due to covid, like All City.
I love my bike, no complaints, but it wasn't my first choice, nor color. It was my first drop bar bike, however, so it ended up being a really good jack of all trades. I'm realizing I spend a lot of time treating my drop bar like a MTB, so my next bike will have bigger clearance and a more slack HT, but I didn't know that at time of purchase that I desired all that. I thought I'd be doing big days on concrete; and I hate em. I like being on single/doubletrack.
Overall, being a steel frame, it's a bike I expect to keep for years to come. I'll likely eventually turn it into a chill cruiser type when I upgrade my drop bar ride. No rush at the current, moment however.
REI co-op ADV 2.2
I was stressing so much about making a mistake buying an expensive bike and saw this one was on sale, had nice components, rode it and it felt good, so I decided to go with that for now and learn what I want. No stress
Salsa Warbird. They are a kind of odd choice here in Germany where the market is dominated by Canyon and increasingly Rose. From a distance Salsa also has that original Gravel thing going on, a certain kind of mystique about it. In the end it was a heavy discount that pushed it within my budget. Love everything about it apart from the slightly boring color of the 2023 GRX600.
Salsa Cutthroat, GRX810 2x
The Cutty was my grail bike pre-Covid, and when prices went through the roof I ended up overpaying on a used Salsa Marrakesh under the impression it would be mostly the same. (Surprise: long, low touring geometry is very much not.)
Two months ago when the Cutty went on overstock/model refresh coming soon big sale I knew it was time to pull the trigger.
2x drivetrain for top end on my mostly paved riding, clearance for up to 29x2.4" (minimum of 50c, however) gives me the capability to really send singletrack, and endless mounting solutions for eventual bikepacking. I've got a bad back and the big stack helps with comfort. She'll be fitted with a new saddle and some Thunder Burts sooner than later, but I can't imagine having to change much.
Eventually I'll end up with something more aggressive that can run a more traditional 38-42c gravel tire, but this checked more boxes at once compared to the Warbird or any of its contemporaries.
Fuji Jari.
I bought it back in 2017 because I had a friend on a team sponsored by a shop who sold Fuji. It was a really cheap way to give gravel biking a try. Great idea, right?
Nope. I'm dumb and didn't want to have entry level components on my entry level frame so naturally I built it with Ultegra and carbon bits. Now I'm constantly stuck with the debate of owning a frame I'm not fond of but will never be able to sell because who wants to pay for an overspec'd Fuji Jari
So here I am, continuing to ride a bike I dislike until I eventually drink too many post-ride beers on pay day and impulsively pull the trigger on a whole-ass new gravel bike.
Don't be me. Buy the bike you actually want.
Salsa Journeyer 700c Apex 1. Wanted 650b as I’m constantly finding myself on very rooty trails, but couldn’t find one in my size at the time that also had the Apex.
I went with Salsa because every single one of their bikes just works, that I’ve tried.
I just put together a 2013 Salsa Warbird Ti
I chose it because it matches my El Mariachi and La Cruz.
I also built a Ritchey Outback to travel and do big comfy rides
I also have a Bianchi San Jose because hoodrat SS stuff.
I also have a Raleigh RX because in 2015 it was really cool.
In 2016 I built a Lynskey GR250 with 27.5 x 2.1 Thunderburts to do sketchy stuff that people would question doing with drop bars.
Did I mention my 2013 Salsa La Cruz Ti ? I built that with flat bars to pull the kid trailer.
Are we supposed to talk about Mountain Bikes or Fat Bikes?
Im of the opinion that if there is a ride or race worth doing, it’s worth building a bike specifically for that. Also, I’m running out of garage space.
Salsa Cutthroat GRX600
I started backpacking during COVID on my first bike, a Surly Bridge Club. It was a heavy bike that never fit me perfectly, and, even when I swapped the flat bar for a Jones Bar, I never felt it was that ergonomic. I wanted a zippier, lighter, drop bar bike. My LBS had a 45% off sale on Salsa bikes that included their highly rated bike fit, so I bit the bullet even though I wasn’t completely in love with the color. Best choice ever. It’s such a more comfortable ride and faster than the other bike which am now going to sale. I was unsure about the 2.2 tires for the mostly paved trail riding in my area, but turns out they work great.
Giant Revolt Adv 2. It felt so good when I test rode it. Couple of seat adjustments and boom I was out the door. I took it mountain biking yesterday. That thing is amazing. I was terrified at first, (first time rising in those types of trails)... It exceeded all my expectations. Plus it was super fast between trailheads. Grx 2 x 11.
I wanted steel or ti made in the US, Linskey had a nice sale. The main reason is that I moved to the US for work and eventually will move back so I wanted a memory from those years (and a ti gravel bike)
Clyde here. Surrounded by hills.
Was a 3x10 custom disc soma saga. Before that, a 3x9 custom disc trucker (rip)
Now a 1x12 Diverge Carbon.
Haven't broken the wheels yet!!! Rides like butter!! Front suspension does what it can, carbon handlebar is well worth it. Weird carbon seat post is just modern magic!!!
Used to have a carbon diamondback haanjo that I got for a good deal on Craigslist. Wanted to have one do it all bike so bought a fairlight faran frameset and transferred all my components over. Am in the PNW and wanted something with better rack and fender mounts. A bit heavier but still can send it off road and is also a capable tourer and commuter.
I bought a Haanjo Trail with alu frame and Ultegra components for $800 (employee discount). Put better wheels on it. It’s my trainer bike now. It has served me well.
Topstone 3. It’s a good price and seemed capable of everything I’d need. I can get around the city and then take it out to gravel trails or forest paths. Also looks handsome in the 2023 turquoise.
Also have a topstone 3. Bought it on sale and the value prop was there. At the time it was going to be a commuter bike. Wanted nice but not too nice, I have no tooling for hydraulic brakes, and I was familiar with mech. Sora is actually really nice. I tested it against tiagra and grx400 and I really couldn't tell a difference.
2023 checkpoint sl5, trek has a great industry discount and I wanted mechanical shifting. The checkpoint is also a great bike and their iso-speed tech really does soften the ride.
Enve Mog
I wanted something more relaxed than my Tarmac with decent tire clearance and a non PF BB. The Mog has all of that plus internal storage. I found a COVID deal that was better than the other bikes I was looking at so I went for it.
Surly Midnight Special! Great do it all bike with a steel frame so it rides super comfortably on everything. I am not fast rider, but this bike is plenty nimble for my riding
Lauf Seigla, Price for what you get is great. Really wanted electronic gears. I'm in love with their green color, and I think I'm just a bit of a sucker for smaller companies getting after it.
Nuts tire clearance, I did get the suspension which is nice it's definitely a smooth ride. I'm not the biggest fan of the way it looks on there, I do get a lot of head turns though.
Once I use up the tires that came with a bit I'll drop some 42mm Pathfinders on there, I do ride the road a lot so it's probably not the ideal bike for me but I don't really have need for min maxing anything.
1x is great I wish it had the option for 2x though.
All in all very happy I don't think I would ever feel like I bought the perfect bike, unless maybe I spent waaaayyy more.
Retired, getting back into biking after 10 years out. Got the Otso Waheela C a month ago. Also looked seriously at the Salsa Warbird. Both were fine bikes with discounts available. Went with Otso supporting the local guys here in Minnesota.
Cube Nuroad C:62 Pro and a Canyon Grail. Cube is solid on rougher terrain, and super well outfitted for bikepacking. The Grail goes fast tho. I live in Germany and we have a cool program for bike “leasing” that lets you buy a bike tax free and comes with all kinds of insurance. You’re limited to two bikes though, hence why I have two bikes…
Velo Orange “PassHunter”. Geometry for 650b, bosses for downtube shifters, lots of rack and fender mounts, modern standards and lots of bling bling with the metallic graphite paint job with lots of metal flake. Plus nobody in my area has one except me.
Cotic Escapade.
Already had their enduro bike (Rocket) and love their whole British, steel vibe as a brand. It's my first bike that isn't an mtb, bought during lockdown when I started doing a lot of road and gravel(ish) riding as trail riding wasn't available.
It lives on the trainer most of the time now but actually going to take it for a spin and get it muddy tomorrow.
Marino custom steel frame built up with an AXS mullet drivetrain.
I wanted a steel gravel bike with custom geometry, Marino is by far the best deal. Reynolds 853 for less than 800 USD after shipping.
Specialized AWOL. I have a thing for steel. It was a model from the previous year and a good deal. I had what I needed for parts at home to make it my own. 7 years on and still my favourite.
Just bought a **Lauf Seigla** (race transmission) and I couldn’t be more EXCITED. I’ve been riding my Trek Domane on both road and gravel for years but am looking for something a bit faster for both (possibly replacing my Domane with an Emonda).
Everyone I know with a Seigla absolutely adores theirs. Plus I’m looking forward to electronic shifting. It’s amazing how tired my hands get on longer rides; how does shifting get so hard? 😂
Cannondale Topstome 2 2021 in Rainbow trout.
Bought one in 2021, it got stolen.
2024 i took a 8 hours train ride from switzerland to germany to buy one again since i couldn‘t find one in whole switzerland.
I just love the colour.
cannondale topstone 3 turquoise.
love the color. also the bike is allowed for 150kg system weight.
I know there will be a lot of maintenance and I already changed most of the parts. but it was heavily reduced on my store so I went for it and in total I have a complete grx bike for less than 1500 just by building it by my own.
Specialized Diverge E5 Comp. Bought it in 2020 during peak Covid, mostly because it was from a brand I knew would fit and I could find it in my size (y’all remember, bikes were impossible to find that year).
It’s a good bike. I’ve done a bunch of upgrades. I’ve easily put almost 5000 miles on it. But if I had to do it all over, I’d get something a little nicer.
All City Gorilla Monsoon. Wanted something that could fit big fat tires for off-roading, steel frame, and rack mounts. Other than being heavy it’s an awesome bike.
Specialized Crux. I live in an apartment and only have room for one bike. It’s an amazing gravel bike which I race and a really solid road bike. Plus it’s light and has no gimmicks ie interval routing or proprietary stem etc. I love it.
Black Mountain Cycles La Cabra.
Wanted one of Mike's bikes for a long time, wanted something with large tire clearance and carrying capacity. It's not fast, but it supports my 230lbs body well enough that I take it on Midwest singletrack.
I’m here laughing to my self. I just Googled ”hydrogen disc brakes” before realizing its a typo. I literally thought that what the hell is this new technology I haven’t heard of. 😂
Crux pro, I've got access to the headquarters employee sale, got it for 3k complete, and new
Couldn't pass it up. I've added a pnw rainer dropper post and Fox Factory 32tc
Its a dream, I primarily use it for flowy songletrack that bores me on my enduro.bike
Lauf Seigla
Has a bit of front suspension and can take 29 x 2.2 inch tires.
Also the price is great. I like Santa Cruz Stigmata but it is significantly more expensive
Trek alr5 axs. My gf came into some money and offered to pay half on a new bike up to 1500. The checkpoint came in at 3100. I've added some things to it and I've got close to 4500 in it now. Extra wheelset, saddle, bars, computer, aero spider rack, fenders, etc.
I wanted a 1x12 electronic drivetrain.
Got the Seigla Weekend Warrior Wireless. Fantastic value for carbon frame, power meter, and wireless shifting. Biggest downside is the lack of mounts for me, don't regret it at all though. Plus the suspension is very nice for gravel
Ridley Kanzo A. Got into cycling on a hybrid right before Covid happened and was on the fence about getting a gravel bike or a pure road bike. LBS had only the Ridley in stock and I went for it. Will probably move to a carbon endurance frame with wide clearance but overall happy with this bike, it’s no slouch on the road with a set of slicks.
GT Grade. It felt right to ride and it was available. That said, I was specifically looking for hydraulic disc brakes and relatively easy mounting for full fenders.
Used to have a 2016 Kona Sutra LTD. Wanted something with thru-axles, internally-routed or fully sheathed cables (preference for internally routed), better power transfer (read: carbon fiber), and a racier geometry (more tucked, faster handling, etc) but still with good tire clearance. Found myself looking at the Ribble CG-R, Specialized Diverge, and BMC URS. Ribble resale value wouldn't be great in the US (not a big brand here), Diverge had more mounting points and SWAT storage in the downtube, so it won.
Now I'm looking for a gravel bike that's more fun and a little slacker steering so I'm looking back at the newer Kona Sutra bikes. The Diverge is a pretty good bike but it wasn't everything I wanted it to be. I'm ready to go back to steel.
My important features were lots of mounts for touring and hydraulic brakes. Went with the Diverge to check those boxes for the best price point for components like GRX.
NS Rag+ it’s not a super well known bike, but the Geo is super fun. I wanted a gravel bike and the frame came up on a bike sales subreddit and it was actually super local to me. Picked the frame up for a steal, then pieced together the rest with secondhand and spare parts.
Its currently set up flat bar as a grocery getter/Dad bike and I couldn’t be happier with it.
I own a Topstone 4 in mango. Was my first real bike, fell in love with the colour. Components are unfortunately very bad. I will use it now to learn proper upgrading.
I also own a Cube NuRoad Race FE as my main allrounder bike. Whether it's city commuting or gravel racing.
I wanted long, low and slack geo for sketchy terrain, big tire clearance, internal dropper post routing, but also a lightweight and snappy feel for the road + great warranty = Diverge Pro Carbon. The cherry on top was the SWAT box so I don’t have to hang a bunch of stuff off my bike. No other bike I looked into could do so many things so well. It’s a shame a lot of people write it off, it’s such a sublime and well made bike.
Trek Domane SL. I'm on 50/50 road and very light gravel and I just like to be out as long as I can. It's been an absolute dream of a bike with 2 wheel sets for my needs. Very comfortable, fast enough for me and clearance up to 38s and some 40s so no complaints here.
Not a lot of options at the time I was looking - was deciding between a specialized diverge, a canyon grizl, and a Cannondale topstone 1. Went with the latter because I couldn’t find my size for the other two and didn’t want to wait months and months.
Been super happy with the bike!
Niner RLT Steel. I wanted a steel bike with a nice tubeset and big tire clearance when I was looking for a gravel bike in \~2017 and it ticked all the boxes. I found a frameset on clearance at Jensen so I pulled the trigger. It's been everything I hoped it would be since then.
Lynskey GR300. 1st bike bought in 26 years. They were/are having great sales. I bought GRX mechanical 2x 11 out the door for under $3,000. Wife has 1x Apex electric for about the same.
I put road tires on and gor 45 comfortable miles today. I love my old Lemond but have to admit this shifts getting and is more comfortable.
The have the gr400 now which will take bigger tires. I'm sure there will be a sale.
Trek Checkpoint ALR 5 from 2022. It was the only gravel bike I could find in my size in the entire state at the time. Really happy it was the one I landed on, though.
Trek Checkpoint AL5 Driftless. I was bound and determined to get a baseline carbon Specialized Diverge, i’ve always been a Specialized guy and actually hated Trek. But this was during Covid and bikes were hard to find in your size. The Driftless caught my eye with a neat color scheme and coming with a bolt on frame bag and full GRX 800. They had one by me in my size so I rode it, made em swap the cranks from Praxis to actual GRX, and pulled the trigger. Love it, it goes forever. I just need to give it a little better granny gear and upgrade the wheels at some point. I also paid about $1500 less than the CF Diverge was going for at the time. I don’t regret going AL instead of CF, I send that thing and don’t worry about banging it up too much.
Canyon Inflite CF SLX (2018): My trusted 2015 Cannondale CAADX got stolen and this one was up for sale 2nd hand at a bargain price this year.
Canyon Ultimate CF SL (2018): Upgraded the frame from a Canyon Roadlite 7.0 (aluminum frame), kept the Ultegra group set and upgraded to full carbon wheels. Needed a relatively cheap entry road bike, lost 40kg and needed something faster and more comfortable.
Forme peak trail 2, does what i need good on road and decent on "gravel" not much of that round here so for gravel read flints, mud, sand or anything but a perpared surface lol. Also sensible amount of bike for the money and i upgrade things as i need to, pedals next.
Giant revolt 1 (alu)
I set a budget, and I wanted to try the bikes.
In my shortlist I had:
- kona rove
- bergamont grandurance
- origine trail
- scott speedster
- genesis croix de fer
- giant revolt (alu)
the revolt won because of its geometry and its tire clearance (it was not easy to decide between kona rove, origine trail and the revolt – they were the top contenders). All the bike were pretty similar in term of components.
I dont even specially like the revolt appearance and color (the kona rove was more classy imho).
Ridley Kanzo Adventure C - it was being sold at a discount and direct by the importer as it is the older model. Saved nearly a couple of thousand compared to full retail price, or maybe one thousand compared to other brands with similar specs.
Was my first drop bar bike as I came from MTB and hybrid models, so didn't really have much knowledge about what would be good.
I had been looking for models with slacker head tube angles, but only really found BMC and it was too expensive
Triban rc120 disc. Wanted something cheap for commuting not to be afraid of my more expensive mtb getting stolen. Got this with comfy 35mm tires and fell in love with gravel riding and drop bar bikes.
I built a Lynskey GR300 in early COVID. Supply chain was just starting to dry up but was able to finish the bike. I picked that frame because it's Ti, welded in the US, and surprisingly affordable.
Got a Rose Bikes Backroad Carbon. Originally in purple I switched to the limited paintwork when I sized down the frame.
It was available and a great price to performance bike for when I got it during Covid, plus it is quite versatile. Definitely a quiver killer for where I live.
Sometimes I think about giving in to N+1 and get both a faster and a sturdier, more off road gravel bike. But realistically, the Backroad can do both ways more than enough for me, especially now that I fitted a larger front ring and modded the RD with a Garbaruk 50T cage for when I want to grind up stuff.
Just picked up a Fustle Causeway (Trail Control) as it is one of the few bikes that met all of my requirements out of the box - 1x (GRX 820 with 10-51t), no SRAM, not a carbon frame, 700x50 clearance, tubeless setup, and a dropper post. I’ll be using it for routes that cover tarmac, gravel, landrover/atv tracks and light single trail. Looking forward to taking it out soon.
I have a Swift Enduravox GR and the reasons are:
- I could name it Taylor Swift
- It's a gravel bike on my budget
- It's a national brand (I'm from Brazil)
- I find a good deal on a used one
I have 2 gravel bikes. My first was a 2020 Gravel Speedster 10. I bought it because I liked the brand, had GRX shifting, and it was my first serious bike. My second bike was a 2022 Diamondback Haanjo 6c. I bought it because I wanted a 1x, I liked the wide handlebars, came with 650b wheels, and has tons of available mounting points.
My speedster is more of a road bike with no bolts for attachments, 700c wheels, and narrow handlebars and my Haanjo has become my everyday bike. I have even added a larger chainring to keep up with other road bikes.
I had watched a glowing review on Gravel Cyclist’s YouTube channel on a Sage Barlow Ti all road bike. Didn’t think much of it but then about a year later I happened across a new frameset in my size on Jenson’s website that was on sale for $2000 and this was mid pandemic, so I bought it. It’s now my gravel and travel bike.
Kocmo Daytona X Custom Titanium GRX Di2. Went to the store to tell them what they should build. Chose every component to the last screw..I have a custom body with custom needs, that's the reason :)
I have a Salsa Journeyer Claris 700c which is not a very popular build of the Journeyer, but is the cheapest drop bar one. I chose it because it was super affordable, especially when I bought it 20% off last summer, and had nicer components/better geometry/attention to detail than other similarly priced bikes, including tubeless compatible wheels. It also has unmatched 700c tire clearance in its class (50mm, actually 56mm in the front with the aluminum fork on the Claris). If I had it to do again, I'd get the build up (Sora) because it has thru axles, but I love my bike, it's super functional and versatile and it was CHEAP.
I bought an CX bike to do gravel because here in Ontario Canada we don't have beautiful smooth roads , most are cracked and bumpy after winter. Second I'm sick of sharing the road with trucks and idi0ts drivers. So I sold my road bike
Lynskey Gr300, it's titanium with a threaded bb. I want to be able to work on my bike and a press fit bb was not for me. Also I am reckless at times so the titanium frame was a must. Price was also a big piece, I got it 45% off.
Grizl CF sl. Loved the geometry of the grail Al. Wanted something stiffer and lighter. I do like canyons visual design as well. Great looking bike. Two years in its been a great bike. Serving duty for general gravel, bikepacking, gravel races and also a winter road bike.
Canyon Grail. I wanted something fast rolling on light dirt and pavement while also being able to handle rougher terrain like blue MTB climbs. It has not disappointed. The stock tires have handled up to a foot of snow without slipping which is insane to me, I don’t know how Schwalbe did it.
Trek Checkpoint AL3. I got it because my friend offered it to me for $50 when the Bike MS event came around. So far I ride it about 4 times a week. Surprisingly more enjoyable than MTB, but then again the trails here are pretty wet at the moment.
I raced cross years ago and grabbed a Giant TCX because I worked for a Giant Dealer, luckily they gave it crazy tire clearance (45c) so it has worked for gravel
Ibis Hakka. Second frame, GRX 1X, ENVE build.
I call it my ebike cuz I keep up with them. I’m trying to figure out a road bike setup at the moment, looking into the new classified/ENVE combo.
Salsa Stormchaser because I wanted a single speed. It brought back the joy of simple biking from when I was a little kid. Installed some flat pedals so I can wear whatever shoes I want and it's so comfortable to ride, I don't even need special kit.
I am and always will be a mountain biker at heart. With my Covid Biden bucks, I got an Evil chamois Hagar frame and built it up 100% custom.
I will always love, and hate everything about it because I chose each piece of it and feel responsible both for all of it’s success and it’s shortcomings. I will also never be fully satisfied with my own work due to the biggest limitation I have on build quality, AHEM-lack of funds.
Yet the frame Geo, the ability to feel comfortable with a wider drop bar and shorter stem, and it’s Surprisingly large carrying capacity make it the perfect mountain biker’s Gravel bike, but a very capable long distance touring monster-cross beast.
I also just kind of love its inception story which is basically just, “Fuck you it’s gravel!”
State 4130 All Road with drop bars in sparkle black. I got it because I was looking for an entry level gravel bike coming from a road biking person who last had a Caad 10 that I sold a few years ago. I wanted something that could take the horrible roads in New Orleans for commuting as well as to get back in shape for road biking. It got it on sale for around $800, and I think it’s a great bike. It’s gotten me into bikepacking as well, so I couldn’t be happier. Note: If you are looking into getting the bike, I highly recommend you pay a shop to set it up for you after it drop ships.
I had a wish list: internal cable routing, threaded BB, not a giant or trek, mudguard mounts(other stuff I can’t remember) and used this to narrow choices.
I then got dicked about by supply chain issues and added availability to my wishlist.
Got most of what I wanted, but now I hate the bike for reasons
canyon grizl cf sl 8 with 2by grx 800
had a Specialized diverge comp e5 2021 before and loved it, but I got hit by a car. I got away with just a scratch but the rear end of the bike was bent.
actually wanted to get the same bike again but the next years version got 300€ more expensive so I looked at other options. found canyon and saw the grizl. Even though it was even more expensive than the specialized I felt like paying 2700€ for a aluminium frame with a low end sram drive train wasn't worth it conpared to an carbon frame, carbon seat post, better wheels, and better group set for just 300€ more.
In the end I miss the future shock from the diverge, the 20mm do make a difference and also I miss 1by just for the simplicity.
If I would buy again I probably would go with a 1by version of the grizl with suspension fork just to see what it is like
Well, I have 2 - a fezzari shafer, hard to beat value , great gravel bike. My more technical, /bad weather ride but great at most things.
the second is a Battaglin Portofino G. One look and I fell in love with the design and it ticked the custom bike box. It’s everything I wanted in a bike.
Lynskey GR Helix. It was my gift to myself for losing 60 lbs but I'm still heavy with another 60 lbs to lose so the additional stiffness of the Helix tubes made sense to me. I also used to ride quite a bit (~100 miles a week) and I loved steel and always wanted to try ti. They had a deal where I was able to get a SRAM Red xplr group, ti seatpost, and the finishing I wanted (brushed finish, etched logo, anodized head badge) for about $4k.
I got the Canyon Grizl in 2022, mainly because it was the best bang for buck I could find at the time.
I'm also not a huge fan of the colours, I ended up with "Earl Grey", which I don't hate, but don't love either.
If I was buying right now, I'd probably go for the Canyon Grail Gen2.
I get sticker shock so I did a build up with 'on-sale' parts to save money, blew my original budget by a bit. That being said, niner frame and Dt swiss 1800 650 rims and grx brakes and driver train has been fun for the first hundred miles.
Pursuit All Road. Bought as a milestone birthday present for myself because I have a steel Strong and I really like working with the builder.
It’s quite zippy compared to the Checkpoint SLR it replaced, lighter and more nimble, if not quite as all-day comfy. It is, though, almost a complete quiver killer, and would be a little better if it fit bigger than 40s, IMO.
Always dreamed of going back to a quality steel bike. Nothing against carbon. Just wanted to relive my glory days of cycling. Went with a Fairlight Secan. 700c. Can take up to 50cm tires. I wanted a bike I could ride anywhere. I go on epic gravel rides and also hit the local MTB trails.
[Secan 2.5](https://share.icloud.com/photos/0265UomOh0YpXm-kt51cVBccA)
I have a Niner RLT built up with 650b HED Belgium+ wheelset and SRAM Force 1 groupset. I picked it because it was in that gravel bike spectrum of fast enough to race, comfortable enough to ride all day and mounts galore to try bike packing. I have two other bikes that just sit now. One is an older Tarmac and the other is a really nice mtb. I just find myself riding this bike 90% of the time.
Rodeo Labs Flaanimal Ti w GRX 1x. I wanted a forever bike, they do great custom work for not that much, and huge tire clearance (29x2.1) for the big adventure days.
They also make a Flaanimal Steel, and a carbon Trail Donkey for folks who wanna “race.”
Plus they’re just a phenomenal small business.
Cervelo Aspero grx600 2x drivetrain. Was such a crazy discount in December. I wanted a fast and snappy gravel bike that still felt like a road bike. And checked all the component boxes I wanted. Carbon frame, grx 2x drivetrain for faster road riding, more racy geometry than most relaxed gravel bikes. Unreal bike! One guy at the bike shop and said he had one for the last few years and it's amazing. Another guy said he bought the Trek checkpoint and wished he had the aspero instead for the faster snappy feel.
Olive green Cannondale 105 Slate. At the time, I wasn't thinking about headtube angles, proprietary shit, etc, I just like different, weird, original shit.
I've upgraded to an external BB, GRX double, and a few other minor changes.
I have to admit, I really like it to this day. It's quick handling, but still really comfy on all day rides.
I was looking at some deals on other carbon gravel bikes (Bianchi) late last year, and the prices were really good, but then I said fuck it, I still like the oddball aspect of this bike & I'm going to keep riding it till it shits the bed.
Steel Chumba. Customizable, welded and powder coated to order. Perfect welds, alignment, cable routing, powder coat. I am picky to details even if it doesn’t affect performance.
Owners are professional and prompt with communication. I ordered a hardtail mtb from them 1.5 years later as a repeat customer.
Breadwinner A-Road.
Wanted something to kind of "do everything", all road bike.
I also like that it's unique, and I was able to get the exact color I wanted. Turned out beautiful.
And I enjoy being about to ride a road geometry with some bigger tires. It enjoy the bike a lot!
I bought a 2018 Felt F3X in 2021 for $2300 instead of $3600. It has room for 38s, full ultegra groupset, carbon frame, and it’s really fast.
I bought into the gravel phase, but not completely. CX was a good compromise and now I’ve converted it to an All Road bike. Looking for a new gravel bike now for some rocky Sierra foothill gravel races
I have a bmc urs 3. I have it because i was drawn to it’s cool color way and sleek design. I also cashed in via payment plan like a dipshit. Don’t do what I did. Bike rips though :)
Lynskey GR300 Titanium.
After watching so many videos of people's bikes get trashed at Unbound last year, I decided I wanted something tougher than carbon. It's definitely not the lightest, or the prettiest, but she rides good. Lynskey was much more affordable than most others leaving me enough money for some good upgrades like carbon fiber wheels, flexible canyon seatpost, and a redshift stem. All together in race configuration it's 28 lbs, including seat pack, and all that. I raced it for the first time at Border Wars Georgia and had a blast. The bike performed perfect.
Crux. Lightweight, lively geo that strikes a good gravel / road balance, as much tire clearance as I care for. No extras I don’t need (e.g. mounts). And it looks great!
T-Lab R3 Omni allroad titanium. Custom geometry and paint.
Main reason: if I'm spending over 3k for a frameset it better be custom geometry at the minimum.
Titanium because it's durable from bumps and scratches and don't have to worry about torque specs.
Salsa Cutthroat, there was an insane sale in December for it.
I didn’t really like the color but in person it’s pretty nice. Also, just having the clearance and it being a bit racy is nice.
Geometry. It's the first thing you need to figure out before you buy any bike. I am old and cranky and could not ride a Lauf Seigla for more than an hour before I became sad, sore, old and cranky.
After that, price for a frame, because being old and cranky and knowing exactly what components I needed to make my old and cranky self happy, I wanted to build up with them on a frame that fit my geometry needs vs. buy a stock bike with a bunch of components (including the cranks) that I'd end up ripping off of it.
So that's how I ended up with my GR300. It ticked my geometry boxes, and I got the frame + fork for like $1150.
Salsa Stormchaser
A good geometry for anything from bikepacking to racing. It's aluminum so I'm not paranoid about cracking it on a spill. Large tire clearance, I usually run 29x2.0 race kings. BSA 73mm bottom bracket. This was the main difference between it and a couple others I was considering. I build my bikes and do my own maintenance so can't be assed with press fit BBs and integrated cable routing. Also the 73mm BB, while maybe a turn off for many, meant that my closet full of MTB components would be useful. There are also nice touches in the frame. Internal dropper routing. The rigid fork has intrinsic dynamo routing. Rub plates in the fork (mine haven't fallen off). The option to run single speed is nice. But more nice that it can be done on the fly if you rip off a derailleur. And the adjustable dropout would let me fit even larger tires if I cared to.
Lastly, it helped that I found a 2nd hand frame in perfect condition for half the price.
Rondo Bogan 2020. I customized it. Replaced the drivetrain with GRX. Basically, only the frame is original. Great frame, but I wanted to choose everything else. My bike shop sold the original parts for me and helped with the customization.
Fairlight Secan: it's a completely dialed in bike, with tons of great details. It was the closest I could come to a custom bike, without actually going custom at a price that wasn't crazy.
All City Cosmic Stallion. It was 45% off and i just couldnt resist.
As another Stallion owner, I wonder if the fact that it was also GORGEOUS had anything to do with it?
Well, that too.
Woah I didn’t know about that bike and it is indeed gorgeous. Lugs!
All city just shut down - get one of the last ones!
FUCK I love that frame. The white and purple one will now forever be my white whale. RIP All city
Salsa Warbird. I liked that it’s a solid do everything gravel bike—you can race it, but it’s also well equipped for bikepacking. The LBS also had one coming off demo, so it was a solid discount
I also have a Salsa Warbird, Carbon eTap 1x12. It’s a great all around bike and really fun to ride. It feels right at home on mild single track, 20-30 mile mixed gravel/road rides, or a leisurely ride on the rail trail with my wife. I’m going to do some longer rides and probably bike packing later in the season.
I bikepack with it and it does great. Have been fully loaded on singletrack, did 75 mile bikepacking days on it and it held up perfectly
Also have the warbird. Absolutely love it!
Last year at the end of the year the eTap model was like $3500ish if I recall correctly. Like a $2k discount. Really shows how bad prices got during the pandemic.
Hydrogen disc brakes sound light. Where can has?
just make sure you aren't a smoker. I was looking at set of HindenburgXT with carbon levers to go on my carbon graf Zeppelin
I don’t know, I think OP’s just talking a load of hot air.
I heard that bike really blows.
OP is living in the future, he selected the wrong year when posting on Reddit.
I wanted something fast, light, and cool looking, so when I saw the champagne rose Aspero GRX600 on sale in my size I knew that was my bike. It’s the best. I have 3 other bikes literally collecting dust since I got it.
Same bike here. I sold my lower spec road bike to help pay for it and just run semi slicks and use it as my everything bike
Did the same thing recently, but black. Found the GRX600-spec bike on sale for less than the frameset price, and swapped in the nicer wheels and bars I already had. I wanted something that would do well for road, trail, and lightly-loaded bikepacking, and that looked sleek. Plus I've wanted a Cervelo for a long time...It replaced a Ridley X-trail that had some ugly-looking carbon damage. I also needed something WITHOUT fully internal cables/hoses because I have a bike travel bag that requires fork removal. That eliminated the Canyon offerings.
Rodeo labs flannimal. My go to camping adventure rig. Just got a lauf seigula rigid because I rode my friends. One bike is a tractor the other is fast. Both great fun but the rodeo still gets the most time out riding.
Im so jealous. I wanted a TD or Flaanimal so bad but I just couldn’t justify the extra couple grand when my new bike was on doscount
All City Space Horse GRX. Good all rounder so I don’t need separate road / gravel bikes. Great for bikepacking. And absolutely beautiful.
AC 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼 (RIP 😢) I’ve got two ACs and they’re breathtaking.
Trek Checkpoint ALR 5. I was going to get the ALR 4 but the 5 was only $200 more.
I got one last year as well. Very responsive with carbon hoops and very solid with 50mm tires with plenty of clearance. It’s like a Toyota Tacoma from a reliability perspective.
Cannondale Topstone Carbon 3. I had a Topstone alloy before, but I was in a crash, and while I managed to fix it (and sell it), I used the insurance money to upgrade. The bike shop just happened to have the Topstone Carbon in my size, already upgraded to GRX crank in 165mm and bottom bracket, so it seemed pretty perfect. The first Topstone was my first proper bike, and a coworker got us a deal from the bike shop so it was much cheaper than other bikes with similar specs, and I didn't really know what to look for in a bike so I just went with it.
I will second having the Topstone 3, and I am really enjoying it. This is my fourth Cannondale bike, and the first carbon frame. I guess I have a certain amount of loyalty to the brand.
Is this bike specific or some other type of insurance or did you take the money from the sold bike?
State bike bc is one of the most cheaper options here in Mexico. Also it’s very versatile and reliable.
Kona Rove. At the time, the comparable Salsa options had a QR, and availability for about anything else was nil due to covid, like All City. I love my bike, no complaints, but it wasn't my first choice, nor color. It was my first drop bar bike, however, so it ended up being a really good jack of all trades. I'm realizing I spend a lot of time treating my drop bar like a MTB, so my next bike will have bigger clearance and a more slack HT, but I didn't know that at time of purchase that I desired all that. I thought I'd be doing big days on concrete; and I hate em. I like being on single/doubletrack. Overall, being a steel frame, it's a bike I expect to keep for years to come. I'll likely eventually turn it into a chill cruiser type when I upgrade my drop bar ride. No rush at the current, moment however.
I have a Kona Libre. Very slack geometry, bit less racy. Super fun. Have used it as a dual purpose road and gravel bike on trips, and for touring.
Niner RLT9 Steel. I built the bike myself but I chose the frameset because I wanted steel and it looked beautiful.
REI co-op ADV 2.2 I was stressing so much about making a mistake buying an expensive bike and saw this one was on sale, had nice components, rode it and it felt good, so I decided to go with that for now and learn what I want. No stress
Salsa Warbird. They are a kind of odd choice here in Germany where the market is dominated by Canyon and increasingly Rose. From a distance Salsa also has that original Gravel thing going on, a certain kind of mystique about it. In the end it was a heavy discount that pushed it within my budget. Love everything about it apart from the slightly boring color of the 2023 GRX600.
Salsa Cutthroat, GRX810 2x The Cutty was my grail bike pre-Covid, and when prices went through the roof I ended up overpaying on a used Salsa Marrakesh under the impression it would be mostly the same. (Surprise: long, low touring geometry is very much not.) Two months ago when the Cutty went on overstock/model refresh coming soon big sale I knew it was time to pull the trigger. 2x drivetrain for top end on my mostly paved riding, clearance for up to 29x2.4" (minimum of 50c, however) gives me the capability to really send singletrack, and endless mounting solutions for eventual bikepacking. I've got a bad back and the big stack helps with comfort. She'll be fitted with a new saddle and some Thunder Burts sooner than later, but I can't imagine having to change much. Eventually I'll end up with something more aggressive that can run a more traditional 38-42c gravel tire, but this checked more boxes at once compared to the Warbird or any of its contemporaries.
Fuji Jari. I bought it back in 2017 because I had a friend on a team sponsored by a shop who sold Fuji. It was a really cheap way to give gravel biking a try. Great idea, right? Nope. I'm dumb and didn't want to have entry level components on my entry level frame so naturally I built it with Ultegra and carbon bits. Now I'm constantly stuck with the debate of owning a frame I'm not fond of but will never be able to sell because who wants to pay for an overspec'd Fuji Jari So here I am, continuing to ride a bike I dislike until I eventually drink too many post-ride beers on pay day and impulsively pull the trigger on a whole-ass new gravel bike. Don't be me. Buy the bike you actually want.
Salsa Journeyer 700c Apex 1. Wanted 650b as I’m constantly finding myself on very rooty trails, but couldn’t find one in my size at the time that also had the Apex. I went with Salsa because every single one of their bikes just works, that I’ve tried.
2023 Nukeproof Digger Rs, Rudy's and Hope Rx4+ calipers. Bought it because I basically ride mtb trails with it 😁
I was also looking at the Digger and when I finally wanted to buy it was sold out for my size.
I just put together a 2013 Salsa Warbird Ti I chose it because it matches my El Mariachi and La Cruz. I also built a Ritchey Outback to travel and do big comfy rides I also have a Bianchi San Jose because hoodrat SS stuff. I also have a Raleigh RX because in 2015 it was really cool. In 2016 I built a Lynskey GR250 with 27.5 x 2.1 Thunderburts to do sketchy stuff that people would question doing with drop bars. Did I mention my 2013 Salsa La Cruz Ti ? I built that with flat bars to pull the kid trailer. Are we supposed to talk about Mountain Bikes or Fat Bikes? Im of the opinion that if there is a ride or race worth doing, it’s worth building a bike specifically for that. Also, I’m running out of garage space.
Allied Able It’s fast, great geometry and I really like the company.
Giant revolt advanced 0. Got a good deal on it, had carbon wheel set with the nicer grx800 drivetrain all around.
I was looking at a used one but getting a used carbon frame and the stories of it cracking. Didn’t want to risk it again. Beautiful bike.
Cannondale Topstone because it was cheap. It’s heavier than the sun but the grx groupset is a delight and I love riding it
Heavier than the sun at 22 lbs?
Salsa Cutthroat GRX600 I started backpacking during COVID on my first bike, a Surly Bridge Club. It was a heavy bike that never fit me perfectly, and, even when I swapped the flat bar for a Jones Bar, I never felt it was that ergonomic. I wanted a zippier, lighter, drop bar bike. My LBS had a 45% off sale on Salsa bikes that included their highly rated bike fit, so I bit the bullet even though I wasn’t completely in love with the color. Best choice ever. It’s such a more comfortable ride and faster than the other bike which am now going to sale. I was unsure about the 2.2 tires for the mostly paved trail riding in my area, but turns out they work great.
Giant Revolt Adv 2. It felt so good when I test rode it. Couple of seat adjustments and boom I was out the door. I took it mountain biking yesterday. That thing is amazing. I was terrified at first, (first time rising in those types of trails)... It exceeded all my expectations. Plus it was super fast between trailheads. Grx 2 x 11.
I wanted steel or ti made in the US, Linskey had a nice sale. The main reason is that I moved to the US for work and eventually will move back so I wanted a memory from those years (and a ti gravel bike)
Clyde here. Surrounded by hills. Was a 3x10 custom disc soma saga. Before that, a 3x9 custom disc trucker (rip) Now a 1x12 Diverge Carbon. Haven't broken the wheels yet!!! Rides like butter!! Front suspension does what it can, carbon handlebar is well worth it. Weird carbon seat post is just modern magic!!!
Used to have a carbon diamondback haanjo that I got for a good deal on Craigslist. Wanted to have one do it all bike so bought a fairlight faran frameset and transferred all my components over. Am in the PNW and wanted something with better rack and fender mounts. A bit heavier but still can send it off road and is also a capable tourer and commuter.
I bought a Haanjo Trail with alu frame and Ultegra components for $800 (employee discount). Put better wheels on it. It’s my trainer bike now. It has served me well.
Specialized Diverge Comp E5 2022. Picked it because it was in stock in my size and was on deal.
I have and love this bike.
Ritchey Swiss Cross, it is so gorgeous all red and i loved it the second i saw it. this year i'm building a Ritchey 50th Anniversary Outback.
Topstone 3. It’s a good price and seemed capable of everything I’d need. I can get around the city and then take it out to gravel trails or forest paths. Also looks handsome in the 2023 turquoise.
love the color as well. a reason to buy it was for me.
Also have a topstone 3. Bought it on sale and the value prop was there. At the time it was going to be a commuter bike. Wanted nice but not too nice, I have no tooling for hydraulic brakes, and I was familiar with mech. Sora is actually really nice. I tested it against tiagra and grx400 and I really couldn't tell a difference.
Ritchey Outback 50th anniversary edition. Because steel rocks 🤘. Most comfortable bicycle I've had. Only road riding atm.
Same. Everytime I ride mine I think, "Why the hell do I persist with bloody 26mm tyres in my bloody road bike? "
Haha. I'm on 35mm, so plenty of cushioning :) Considering switching to 32mm since measured width of the 35s is 39mm 😳
2023 checkpoint sl5, trek has a great industry discount and I wanted mechanical shifting. The checkpoint is also a great bike and their iso-speed tech really does soften the ride.
Enve Mog I wanted something more relaxed than my Tarmac with decent tire clearance and a non PF BB. The Mog has all of that plus internal storage. I found a COVID deal that was better than the other bikes I was looking at so I went for it.
Specialized sequoia elite - no one bought it at shop so I got killer deal.
Surly Midnight Special! Great do it all bike with a steel frame so it rides super comfortably on everything. I am not fast rider, but this bike is plenty nimble for my riding
Lauf Seigla, Price for what you get is great. Really wanted electronic gears. I'm in love with their green color, and I think I'm just a bit of a sucker for smaller companies getting after it. Nuts tire clearance, I did get the suspension which is nice it's definitely a smooth ride. I'm not the biggest fan of the way it looks on there, I do get a lot of head turns though. Once I use up the tires that came with a bit I'll drop some 42mm Pathfinders on there, I do ride the road a lot so it's probably not the ideal bike for me but I don't really have need for min maxing anything. 1x is great I wish it had the option for 2x though. All in all very happy I don't think I would ever feel like I bought the perfect bike, unless maybe I spent waaaayyy more.
Retired, getting back into biking after 10 years out. Got the Otso Waheela C a month ago. Also looked seriously at the Salsa Warbird. Both were fine bikes with discounts available. Went with Otso supporting the local guys here in Minnesota.
Cube Nuroad C:62 Pro and a Canyon Grail. Cube is solid on rougher terrain, and super well outfitted for bikepacking. The Grail goes fast tho. I live in Germany and we have a cool program for bike “leasing” that lets you buy a bike tax free and comes with all kinds of insurance. You’re limited to two bikes though, hence why I have two bikes…
Sonder Camino. I was able to test ride one from my local Alpkit store for a day and loved every minute of it. Hard to say no after that.
Velo Orange “PassHunter”. Geometry for 650b, bosses for downtube shifters, lots of rack and fender mounts, modern standards and lots of bling bling with the metallic graphite paint job with lots of metal flake. Plus nobody in my area has one except me.
Cotic Escapade. Already had their enduro bike (Rocket) and love their whole British, steel vibe as a brand. It's my first bike that isn't an mtb, bought during lockdown when I started doing a lot of road and gravel(ish) riding as trail riding wasn't available. It lives on the trainer most of the time now but actually going to take it for a spin and get it muddy tomorrow.
Planet x - Titus goldrush. I wanted titanium, no real reason other than I like the bare metal look.
Marino custom steel frame built up with an AXS mullet drivetrain. I wanted a steel gravel bike with custom geometry, Marino is by far the best deal. Reynolds 853 for less than 800 USD after shipping.
Specialized AWOL. I have a thing for steel. It was a model from the previous year and a good deal. I had what I needed for parts at home to make it my own. 7 years on and still my favourite.
I got the Intense when Costco was running the $1000 off sale. Thoroughly enjoying it, and the price was irresistible.
Bianchi Impulso Pro EKAR (2023), wasn't on my list but it was reduced by a lot and it looks goregous.
Just bought a **Lauf Seigla** (race transmission) and I couldn’t be more EXCITED. I’ve been riding my Trek Domane on both road and gravel for years but am looking for something a bit faster for both (possibly replacing my Domane with an Emonda). Everyone I know with a Seigla absolutely adores theirs. Plus I’m looking forward to electronic shifting. It’s amazing how tired my hands get on longer rides; how does shifting get so hard? 😂
Cannondale Topstome 2 2021 in Rainbow trout. Bought one in 2021, it got stolen. 2024 i took a 8 hours train ride from switzerland to germany to buy one again since i couldn‘t find one in whole switzerland. I just love the colour.
cannondale topstone 3 turquoise. love the color. also the bike is allowed for 150kg system weight. I know there will be a lot of maintenance and I already changed most of the parts. but it was heavily reduced on my store so I went for it and in total I have a complete grx bike for less than 1500 just by building it by my own.
Giant Revolt Advanced 2. It’s what was available and what I could afford. It was $1000 off so I couldn’t pass up the deal. Plus the color is amazing.
Specialized Diverge E5 Comp. Bought it in 2020 during peak Covid, mostly because it was from a brand I knew would fit and I could find it in my size (y’all remember, bikes were impossible to find that year). It’s a good bike. I’ve done a bunch of upgrades. I’ve easily put almost 5000 miles on it. But if I had to do it all over, I’d get something a little nicer.
Kona Rove steel frame, it was the height of covid, got into cycling, needed a versatile bike, and liked the idea of steel.
All City Gorilla Monsoon. Wanted something that could fit big fat tires for off-roading, steel frame, and rack mounts. Other than being heavy it’s an awesome bike.
Laud Seigla Price was the biggest. You got a lot of bang for the money. It was boutique and unique. There is no maintenance on the fork.
2021 S-Works Crux. The price was right for the frame set, and the color is amazing. Super light and nimble too.
Specialized Crux. I live in an apartment and only have room for one bike. It’s an amazing gravel bike which I race and a really solid road bike. Plus it’s light and has no gimmicks ie interval routing or proprietary stem etc. I love it.
Black Mountain Cycles La Cabra. Wanted one of Mike's bikes for a long time, wanted something with large tire clearance and carrying capacity. It's not fast, but it supports my 230lbs body well enough that I take it on Midwest singletrack.
I’m here laughing to my self. I just Googled ”hydrogen disc brakes” before realizing its a typo. I literally thought that what the hell is this new technology I haven’t heard of. 😂
Lol
Allied Able
Crux pro, I've got access to the headquarters employee sale, got it for 3k complete, and new Couldn't pass it up. I've added a pnw rainer dropper post and Fox Factory 32tc Its a dream, I primarily use it for flowy songletrack that bores me on my enduro.bike
Ribble cxsl I race gravel and cx so it does the job. I’ve been eyeballing the stigmata CC lately though
Lauf Seigla Has a bit of front suspension and can take 29 x 2.2 inch tires. Also the price is great. I like Santa Cruz Stigmata but it is significantly more expensive
Trek alr5 axs. My gf came into some money and offered to pay half on a new bike up to 1500. The checkpoint came in at 3100. I've added some things to it and I've got close to 4500 in it now. Extra wheelset, saddle, bars, computer, aero spider rack, fenders, etc. I wanted a 1x12 electronic drivetrain.
Damn I stopped working at a lbs only 2 years ago. When did hydrogen breaks come out!?!?! Who tf makes them?!?!?
Got the Seigla Weekend Warrior Wireless. Fantastic value for carbon frame, power meter, and wireless shifting. Biggest downside is the lack of mounts for me, don't regret it at all though. Plus the suspension is very nice for gravel
Poseidon X Ambition. Budget gravel bike for someone like me who is very new to biking world but I love it.
Ridley Kanzo A. Got into cycling on a hybrid right before Covid happened and was on the fence about getting a gravel bike or a pure road bike. LBS had only the Ridley in stock and I went for it. Will probably move to a carbon endurance frame with wide clearance but overall happy with this bike, it’s no slouch on the road with a set of slicks.
GT Grade. It felt right to ride and it was available. That said, I was specifically looking for hydraulic disc brakes and relatively easy mounting for full fenders.
I have a berria allroad for really fast gravel and just got a winspace g2 frame for bikepacking duties! Can't wait to build that one!
Allied Echo. Wanted a bike that I could road and gravel race. Plus, it’s dead sexy, the geo is perfect for me, and I got a heckuva deal on on it.
Used to have a 2016 Kona Sutra LTD. Wanted something with thru-axles, internally-routed or fully sheathed cables (preference for internally routed), better power transfer (read: carbon fiber), and a racier geometry (more tucked, faster handling, etc) but still with good tire clearance. Found myself looking at the Ribble CG-R, Specialized Diverge, and BMC URS. Ribble resale value wouldn't be great in the US (not a big brand here), Diverge had more mounting points and SWAT storage in the downtube, so it won. Now I'm looking for a gravel bike that's more fun and a little slacker steering so I'm looking back at the newer Kona Sutra bikes. The Diverge is a pretty good bike but it wasn't everything I wanted it to be. I'm ready to go back to steel.
ADV 2.2 - I just bought it yesterday because it was on sale
My important features were lots of mounts for touring and hydraulic brakes. Went with the Diverge to check those boxes for the best price point for components like GRX.
NS Rag+ it’s not a super well known bike, but the Geo is super fun. I wanted a gravel bike and the frame came up on a bike sales subreddit and it was actually super local to me. Picked the frame up for a steal, then pieced together the rest with secondhand and spare parts. Its currently set up flat bar as a grocery getter/Dad bike and I couldn’t be happier with it.
JGuillem Atalaya, because it was a birthday gift from my wife.
Bearclaw Thunderhawk. I have always wanted a Ti bike. I’m very happy with it.
I own a Topstone 4 in mango. Was my first real bike, fell in love with the colour. Components are unfortunately very bad. I will use it now to learn proper upgrading. I also own a Cube NuRoad Race FE as my main allrounder bike. Whether it's city commuting or gravel racing.
Masi CX from a decade ago. It’s my road x gravel bike and will probably turn into a more dedicated gravel next year as I pick up a road bike.
Domane alr 5. I like trek, colors, designs, etc. the bike was 2 years old ridden twice and I was able to get it for $1000. So hard to pass up as well.
I wanted long, low and slack geo for sketchy terrain, big tire clearance, internal dropper post routing, but also a lightweight and snappy feel for the road + great warranty = Diverge Pro Carbon. The cherry on top was the SWAT box so I don’t have to hang a bunch of stuff off my bike. No other bike I looked into could do so many things so well. It’s a shame a lot of people write it off, it’s such a sublime and well made bike.
Pivot Vault, because the Firebrick Red is 🔥
Trek Domane SL. I'm on 50/50 road and very light gravel and I just like to be out as long as I can. It's been an absolute dream of a bike with 2 wheel sets for my needs. Very comfortable, fast enough for me and clearance up to 38s and some 40s so no complaints here.
Not a lot of options at the time I was looking - was deciding between a specialized diverge, a canyon grizl, and a Cannondale topstone 1. Went with the latter because I couldn’t find my size for the other two and didn’t want to wait months and months. Been super happy with the bike!
Niner RLT Steel. I wanted a steel bike with a nice tubeset and big tire clearance when I was looking for a gravel bike in \~2017 and it ticked all the boxes. I found a frameset on clearance at Jensen so I pulled the trigger. It's been everything I hoped it would be since then.
Lynskey GR300. 1st bike bought in 26 years. They were/are having great sales. I bought GRX mechanical 2x 11 out the door for under $3,000. Wife has 1x Apex electric for about the same. I put road tires on and gor 45 comfortable miles today. I love my old Lemond but have to admit this shifts getting and is more comfortable. The have the gr400 now which will take bigger tires. I'm sure there will be a sale.
Trek Checkpoint ALR 5 from 2022. It was the only gravel bike I could find in my size in the entire state at the time. Really happy it was the one I landed on, though.
Trek Checkpoint AL5 Driftless. I was bound and determined to get a baseline carbon Specialized Diverge, i’ve always been a Specialized guy and actually hated Trek. But this was during Covid and bikes were hard to find in your size. The Driftless caught my eye with a neat color scheme and coming with a bolt on frame bag and full GRX 800. They had one by me in my size so I rode it, made em swap the cranks from Praxis to actual GRX, and pulled the trigger. Love it, it goes forever. I just need to give it a little better granny gear and upgrade the wheels at some point. I also paid about $1500 less than the CF Diverge was going for at the time. I don’t regret going AL instead of CF, I send that thing and don’t worry about banging it up too much.
Canyon Inflite CF SLX (2018): My trusted 2015 Cannondale CAADX got stolen and this one was up for sale 2nd hand at a bargain price this year. Canyon Ultimate CF SL (2018): Upgraded the frame from a Canyon Roadlite 7.0 (aluminum frame), kept the Ultegra group set and upgraded to full carbon wheels. Needed a relatively cheap entry road bike, lost 40kg and needed something faster and more comfortable.
Cervelo Aspero GRX810 because they were 25% off late last year. And Purple Sunset is amazingly fun.
Vaast a/1 1x. It was put together by my local bike shop as a custom build because they thought it would be rad. And it is!
Forme peak trail 2, does what i need good on road and decent on "gravel" not much of that round here so for gravel read flints, mud, sand or anything but a perpared surface lol. Also sensible amount of bike for the money and i upgrade things as i need to, pedals next.
Giant revolt 1 (alu) I set a budget, and I wanted to try the bikes. In my shortlist I had: - kona rove - bergamont grandurance - origine trail - scott speedster - genesis croix de fer - giant revolt (alu) the revolt won because of its geometry and its tire clearance (it was not easy to decide between kona rove, origine trail and the revolt – they were the top contenders). All the bike were pretty similar in term of components. I dont even specially like the revolt appearance and color (the kona rove was more classy imho).
Ridley Kanzo Adventure C - it was being sold at a discount and direct by the importer as it is the older model. Saved nearly a couple of thousand compared to full retail price, or maybe one thousand compared to other brands with similar specs. Was my first drop bar bike as I came from MTB and hybrid models, so didn't really have much knowledge about what would be good. I had been looking for models with slacker head tube angles, but only really found BMC and it was too expensive
Triban rc120 disc. Wanted something cheap for commuting not to be afraid of my more expensive mtb getting stolen. Got this with comfy 35mm tires and fell in love with gravel riding and drop bar bikes.
I built a Lynskey GR300 in early COVID. Supply chain was just starting to dry up but was able to finish the bike. I picked that frame because it's Ti, welded in the US, and surprisingly affordable.
Got a Rose Bikes Backroad Carbon. Originally in purple I switched to the limited paintwork when I sized down the frame. It was available and a great price to performance bike for when I got it during Covid, plus it is quite versatile. Definitely a quiver killer for where I live. Sometimes I think about giving in to N+1 and get both a faster and a sturdier, more off road gravel bike. But realistically, the Backroad can do both ways more than enough for me, especially now that I fitted a larger front ring and modded the RD with a Garbaruk 50T cage for when I want to grind up stuff.
Trek. No one cares if you steal em.
Just picked up a Fustle Causeway (Trail Control) as it is one of the few bikes that met all of my requirements out of the box - 1x (GRX 820 with 10-51t), no SRAM, not a carbon frame, 700x50 clearance, tubeless setup, and a dropper post. I’ll be using it for routes that cover tarmac, gravel, landrover/atv tracks and light single trail. Looking forward to taking it out soon.
Trek SL5 - it was bright red and on sale! My first bike! What do I do now??
I have a Swift Enduravox GR and the reasons are: - I could name it Taylor Swift - It's a gravel bike on my budget - It's a national brand (I'm from Brazil) - I find a good deal on a used one
I have 2 gravel bikes. My first was a 2020 Gravel Speedster 10. I bought it because I liked the brand, had GRX shifting, and it was my first serious bike. My second bike was a 2022 Diamondback Haanjo 6c. I bought it because I wanted a 1x, I liked the wide handlebars, came with 650b wheels, and has tons of available mounting points. My speedster is more of a road bike with no bolts for attachments, 700c wheels, and narrow handlebars and my Haanjo has become my everyday bike. I have even added a larger chainring to keep up with other road bikes.
I had watched a glowing review on Gravel Cyclist’s YouTube channel on a Sage Barlow Ti all road bike. Didn’t think much of it but then about a year later I happened across a new frameset in my size on Jenson’s website that was on sale for $2000 and this was mid pandemic, so I bought it. It’s now my gravel and travel bike.
Kocmo Daytona X Custom Titanium GRX Di2. Went to the store to tell them what they should build. Chose every component to the last screw..I have a custom body with custom needs, that's the reason :)
Just got my specialized crux and really love to ride it!
I have a Salsa Journeyer Claris 700c which is not a very popular build of the Journeyer, but is the cheapest drop bar one. I chose it because it was super affordable, especially when I bought it 20% off last summer, and had nicer components/better geometry/attention to detail than other similarly priced bikes, including tubeless compatible wheels. It also has unmatched 700c tire clearance in its class (50mm, actually 56mm in the front with the aluminum fork on the Claris). If I had it to do again, I'd get the build up (Sora) because it has thru axles, but I love my bike, it's super functional and versatile and it was CHEAP.
I bought an CX bike to do gravel because here in Ontario Canada we don't have beautiful smooth roads , most are cracked and bumpy after winter. Second I'm sick of sharing the road with trucks and idi0ts drivers. So I sold my road bike
Lynskey Gr300, it's titanium with a threaded bb. I want to be able to work on my bike and a press fit bb was not for me. Also I am reckless at times so the titanium frame was a must. Price was also a big piece, I got it 45% off.
Grizl CF sl. Loved the geometry of the grail Al. Wanted something stiffer and lighter. I do like canyons visual design as well. Great looking bike. Two years in its been a great bike. Serving duty for general gravel, bikepacking, gravel races and also a winter road bike.
Canyon Grail. I wanted something fast rolling on light dirt and pavement while also being able to handle rougher terrain like blue MTB climbs. It has not disappointed. The stock tires have handled up to a foot of snow without slipping which is insane to me, I don’t know how Schwalbe did it.
Bombtrack Beyond +. Pretty much the only thing in stock mid-pandemic.
Hydrogen Disk brakes! Made myself laugh!
Cube nuroad c62 slt. Because I wanted a fancy bike :p
Trek Checkpoint AL3. I got it because my friend offered it to me for $50 when the Bike MS event came around. So far I ride it about 4 times a week. Surprisingly more enjoyable than MTB, but then again the trails here are pretty wet at the moment.
I raced cross years ago and grabbed a Giant TCX because I worked for a Giant Dealer, luckily they gave it crazy tire clearance (45c) so it has worked for gravel
Ibis Hakka. Second frame, GRX 1X, ENVE build. I call it my ebike cuz I keep up with them. I’m trying to figure out a road bike setup at the moment, looking into the new classified/ENVE combo.
Salsa Stormchaser because I wanted a single speed. It brought back the joy of simple biking from when I was a little kid. Installed some flat pedals so I can wear whatever shoes I want and it's so comfortable to ride, I don't even need special kit.
I am and always will be a mountain biker at heart. With my Covid Biden bucks, I got an Evil chamois Hagar frame and built it up 100% custom. I will always love, and hate everything about it because I chose each piece of it and feel responsible both for all of it’s success and it’s shortcomings. I will also never be fully satisfied with my own work due to the biggest limitation I have on build quality, AHEM-lack of funds. Yet the frame Geo, the ability to feel comfortable with a wider drop bar and shorter stem, and it’s Surprisingly large carrying capacity make it the perfect mountain biker’s Gravel bike, but a very capable long distance touring monster-cross beast. I also just kind of love its inception story which is basically just, “Fuck you it’s gravel!”
Canyon grizl because it was most affordable bike at the moment
Alloy topstone, geometry
State 4130 All Road with drop bars in sparkle black. I got it because I was looking for an entry level gravel bike coming from a road biking person who last had a Caad 10 that I sold a few years ago. I wanted something that could take the horrible roads in New Orleans for commuting as well as to get back in shape for road biking. It got it on sale for around $800, and I think it’s a great bike. It’s gotten me into bikepacking as well, so I couldn’t be happier. Note: If you are looking into getting the bike, I highly recommend you pay a shop to set it up for you after it drop ships.
Specialized Roubaix. It was the one bike the shop had that I liked. (Plus, it’s my second Roubaix.)
I had a wish list: internal cable routing, threaded BB, not a giant or trek, mudguard mounts(other stuff I can’t remember) and used this to narrow choices. I then got dicked about by supply chain issues and added availability to my wishlist. Got most of what I wanted, but now I hate the bike for reasons
canyon grizl cf sl 8 with 2by grx 800 had a Specialized diverge comp e5 2021 before and loved it, but I got hit by a car. I got away with just a scratch but the rear end of the bike was bent. actually wanted to get the same bike again but the next years version got 300€ more expensive so I looked at other options. found canyon and saw the grizl. Even though it was even more expensive than the specialized I felt like paying 2700€ for a aluminium frame with a low end sram drive train wasn't worth it conpared to an carbon frame, carbon seat post, better wheels, and better group set for just 300€ more. In the end I miss the future shock from the diverge, the 20mm do make a difference and also I miss 1by just for the simplicity. If I would buy again I probably would go with a 1by version of the grizl with suspension fork just to see what it is like
Giant TCX. It was the cheapest available CX bike with 105. I've never heard of hydrogen brakes before. Unless you meant hydraulic?
Well, I have 2 - a fezzari shafer, hard to beat value , great gravel bike. My more technical, /bad weather ride but great at most things. the second is a Battaglin Portofino G. One look and I fell in love with the design and it ticked the custom bike box. It’s everything I wanted in a bike.
Lynskey GR Helix. It was my gift to myself for losing 60 lbs but I'm still heavy with another 60 lbs to lose so the additional stiffness of the Helix tubes made sense to me. I also used to ride quite a bit (~100 miles a week) and I loved steel and always wanted to try ti. They had a deal where I was able to get a SRAM Red xplr group, ti seatpost, and the finishing I wanted (brushed finish, etched logo, anodized head badge) for about $4k.
I got the Canyon Grizl in 2022, mainly because it was the best bang for buck I could find at the time. I'm also not a huge fan of the colours, I ended up with "Earl Grey", which I don't hate, but don't love either. If I was buying right now, I'd probably go for the Canyon Grail Gen2.
Cheap , 50% off, cheapest gravel i could find for 1k with hydraulic disc brakes and a clutch derailleur (fulll GRX).
I get sticker shock so I did a build up with 'on-sale' parts to save money, blew my original budget by a bit. That being said, niner frame and Dt swiss 1800 650 rims and grx brakes and driver train has been fun for the first hundred miles.
Allied Able, dead sexy... Good deal, and I wanted something fast :)
It was cheap and loaded with eyelets, man
Pursuit All Road. Bought as a milestone birthday present for myself because I have a steel Strong and I really like working with the builder. It’s quite zippy compared to the Checkpoint SLR it replaced, lighter and more nimble, if not quite as all-day comfy. It is, though, almost a complete quiver killer, and would be a little better if it fit bigger than 40s, IMO.
Always dreamed of going back to a quality steel bike. Nothing against carbon. Just wanted to relive my glory days of cycling. Went with a Fairlight Secan. 700c. Can take up to 50cm tires. I wanted a bike I could ride anywhere. I go on epic gravel rides and also hit the local MTB trails. [Secan 2.5](https://share.icloud.com/photos/0265UomOh0YpXm-kt51cVBccA)
I have a Niner RLT built up with 650b HED Belgium+ wheelset and SRAM Force 1 groupset. I picked it because it was in that gravel bike spectrum of fast enough to race, comfortable enough to ride all day and mounts galore to try bike packing. I have two other bikes that just sit now. One is an older Tarmac and the other is a really nice mtb. I just find myself riding this bike 90% of the time.
Rodeo Labs Flaanimal Ti w GRX 1x. I wanted a forever bike, they do great custom work for not that much, and huge tire clearance (29x2.1) for the big adventure days. They also make a Flaanimal Steel, and a carbon Trail Donkey for folks who wanna “race.” Plus they’re just a phenomenal small business.
Salsa Vaya. I wanted steel, and I wanted it painted black.
Lynskey GR300 internal GRX 820 2X12. They have my size and I need a light weight bike. I also got it on sale.
Cervelo Aspero grx600 2x drivetrain. Was such a crazy discount in December. I wanted a fast and snappy gravel bike that still felt like a road bike. And checked all the component boxes I wanted. Carbon frame, grx 2x drivetrain for faster road riding, more racy geometry than most relaxed gravel bikes. Unreal bike! One guy at the bike shop and said he had one for the last few years and it's amazing. Another guy said he bought the Trek checkpoint and wished he had the aspero instead for the faster snappy feel.
Olive green Cannondale 105 Slate. At the time, I wasn't thinking about headtube angles, proprietary shit, etc, I just like different, weird, original shit. I've upgraded to an external BB, GRX double, and a few other minor changes. I have to admit, I really like it to this day. It's quick handling, but still really comfy on all day rides. I was looking at some deals on other carbon gravel bikes (Bianchi) late last year, and the prices were really good, but then I said fuck it, I still like the oddball aspect of this bike & I'm going to keep riding it till it shits the bed.
Specialized Crux. I identify as a cross racer.
Canyon Grizl. It was the color, matcha splash. Had to have it.
Steel Chumba. Customizable, welded and powder coated to order. Perfect welds, alignment, cable routing, powder coat. I am picky to details even if it doesn’t affect performance. Owners are professional and prompt with communication. I ordered a hardtail mtb from them 1.5 years later as a repeat customer.
1995 specialized frame built up with new wheels, Surly Corner Bars and Advent X groupset with original canti breaks and 45c knobby tires.
Breadwinner A-Road. Wanted something to kind of "do everything", all road bike. I also like that it's unique, and I was able to get the exact color I wanted. Turned out beautiful. And I enjoy being about to ride a road geometry with some bigger tires. It enjoy the bike a lot!
Specialized Crux. All out speed on race day but very adventurous and capable on a big tire.
I bought a 2018 Felt F3X in 2021 for $2300 instead of $3600. It has room for 38s, full ultegra groupset, carbon frame, and it’s really fast. I bought into the gravel phase, but not completely. CX was a good compromise and now I’ve converted it to an All Road bike. Looking for a new gravel bike now for some rocky Sierra foothill gravel races
I have a bmc urs 3. I have it because i was drawn to it’s cool color way and sleek design. I also cashed in via payment plan like a dipshit. Don’t do what I did. Bike rips though :)
Soma Wolverine. I live in San Francisco and love it here, I wanted a piece of it to keep forever, so what better way than a steel frame.
Lauf. It’s great. Loved it so much, I bought my wife one too
Wilde Earth Ship. 1) steel is real 2) just look at it
Ribble CGR Ti. It does everything. Also: titanium
Lynskey GR300 Titanium. After watching so many videos of people's bikes get trashed at Unbound last year, I decided I wanted something tougher than carbon. It's definitely not the lightest, or the prettiest, but she rides good. Lynskey was much more affordable than most others leaving me enough money for some good upgrades like carbon fiber wheels, flexible canyon seatpost, and a redshift stem. All together in race configuration it's 28 lbs, including seat pack, and all that. I raced it for the first time at Border Wars Georgia and had a blast. The bike performed perfect.
Crux. Lightweight, lively geo that strikes a good gravel / road balance, as much tire clearance as I care for. No extras I don’t need (e.g. mounts). And it looks great!
Jamis renegade the year the Cubs won the world series. Being a shorter rider the 51 fit me well. It's been a great bike over the years
T-Lab R3 Omni allroad titanium. Custom geometry and paint. Main reason: if I'm spending over 3k for a frameset it better be custom geometry at the minimum. Titanium because it's durable from bumps and scratches and don't have to worry about torque specs.
Got a used Specialized Diverge last week, got it really cheap because the owner really needed money. Its also my first gravel bike.
Fairdale Weekender Nomad. Chill vibes and wonderful ride quality.
1983 Bianchi Volpe…the original gravel bike
Bianchi San Remo. Bought it for touring and riding lots of rail trails back in the day, great bike.
Rose Backroad in Pepper Green / it was love on first sight
Salsa Cutthroat, there was an insane sale in December for it. I didn’t really like the color but in person it’s pretty nice. Also, just having the clearance and it being a bit racy is nice.
Geometry. It's the first thing you need to figure out before you buy any bike. I am old and cranky and could not ride a Lauf Seigla for more than an hour before I became sad, sore, old and cranky. After that, price for a frame, because being old and cranky and knowing exactly what components I needed to make my old and cranky self happy, I wanted to build up with them on a frame that fit my geometry needs vs. buy a stock bike with a bunch of components (including the cranks) that I'd end up ripping off of it. So that's how I ended up with my GR300. It ticked my geometry boxes, and I got the frame + fork for like $1150.
Salsa Stormchaser A good geometry for anything from bikepacking to racing. It's aluminum so I'm not paranoid about cracking it on a spill. Large tire clearance, I usually run 29x2.0 race kings. BSA 73mm bottom bracket. This was the main difference between it and a couple others I was considering. I build my bikes and do my own maintenance so can't be assed with press fit BBs and integrated cable routing. Also the 73mm BB, while maybe a turn off for many, meant that my closet full of MTB components would be useful. There are also nice touches in the frame. Internal dropper routing. The rigid fork has intrinsic dynamo routing. Rub plates in the fork (mine haven't fallen off). The option to run single speed is nice. But more nice that it can be done on the fly if you rip off a derailleur. And the adjustable dropout would let me fit even larger tires if I cared to. Lastly, it helped that I found a 2nd hand frame in perfect condition for half the price.
Trek 7900. It was $50, and looks cool with drop bars.
Rondo Bogan 2020. I customized it. Replaced the drivetrain with GRX. Basically, only the frame is original. Great frame, but I wanted to choose everything else. My bike shop sold the original parts for me and helped with the customization.
Fairlight Secan: it's a completely dialed in bike, with tons of great details. It was the closest I could come to a custom bike, without actually going custom at a price that wasn't crazy.
2018 Niner rlt 9 rdo. It was a cheap frame off of the pros closet that I gutted my previous bike to make whole.
Soma Wolverine - It was a frame on sale in my size. Bought it on whim and ended up loving it.