I totally get the appeal of a dedicated gravel bike and would prefer that over road riding. One could build a nice hike/camp gravel bike, so to speak. These days there are tons of options for bag attachments and bike-specific bags for gear (small tent, overnight food & water, edc stuff, etc.).
Having both a hard tail or full suspension mtb in addition to a gravel bike would be ideal ~ or all three

If my wife left me tomorrow I would have half the garage and probably would add a fat bike and now presumably a gravel bike to me retinue. Fortunately she shows no such predilection however so adding a bike to the stable just isn’t going to happen.

That being said, I have always preferred the geometry and riding style of mountain bikes over road bikes. I think if I was going this direction I would prefer a mountain bike style, minus suspension and more road friendly hybrid tires. I certainly am not averse to trying one out though.

For me, a “gravel” bike would be a non suspension mtn bike frame, hybrid tires, dropper post, single chain ring. And a bell. Steel frame to keep cost down and I’m not fast anyway. Lol

SigSentry, that’s a great looking bike! What king of tires are those?

As a 45 year road cyclist, I don't really understand the allure of avoiding smooth paved surfaces for rougher with variable traction. Obviously many do and more power to them.

I suppose it would be interesting to explore low traffic gravel roads without much risk from cars. Maybe I'd explore them by car, then go on a road ride.

quote:

Originally posted by pbslinger:
As a 45 year road cyclist, I don't really understand the allure of avoiding smooth paved surfaces for rougher with variable traction. Obviously many do and more power to them.

I suppose it would be interesting to explore low traffic gravel roads without much risk from cars. Maybe I'd explore them by car, then go on a road ride.

For me it's the ability to ride paved roads which aren't perfect and not worry about thrashing my rims - or back.

All these bike threads have me wanting to get back on the road.
Don't think I've ridden my road bike since Hurricane Harvey.

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:

quote:

Originally posted by LS1 GTO:
I have a Specialized Diverge in 64cm and absolutely love it.

It's that road bike (and it is fast BTW) which I can take onto a trail and handle the roads which all show signs of neglect.

64?!?
I'm 6'0" and ride a 54cm road bike.
Had a 58cm Cannondale & it was a stretch.

I'm 6'5" with a 38" inseam.

Not since high school have I had a bike which fit so well. I can get a full extension when riding and never feel cramped - or over extended.

If not for this house arrest, I'd be riding the bike the 2.5 miles to work.

Forgot to add, about 0.50 miles is walking/dirt path.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: LS1 GTO,

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:
SigSentry, that’s a great looking bike! What king of tires are those?

WTB Resolute TCS 650x42. Also, I currently have a set of Byway 650x47 installed (black).

Life in progress issues have had me off the bike for about 18 months now. If I can get it all back and justify the expense I'd consider a Cervelo Caledonia or a a Look 765. Both can be used as either gravel or road depending upon what wheelset is used. We have mile after mile of dirt county roads around here.

I have a Lynskey GR300 with GRX 600 and I9 wheels. It’s a bit heavier than the Niner RLT RDO I was looking at but I have really enjoyed it so far.

Cyclocross and Gravelbiking [ bikeforums.net ]

Anyone here ever bought a bike from State bicycle company? They have two 4130 frame gravel bikes that are similar to the Marin I like. State’s prices seem pretty competitive.

My LBS has a sweet silver and purple Cannondale gravel bike with the “lefty” /single shock fork but it’s about 4x the cost of the Marin. That Cannondale is just gorgeous but cost significantly more than my last motorcycle purchase.

I love the idea of a bike that is decent both on the street and able to explore gravel. I never considered buying a street bike because I’m not fond of riding in close proximity to cars. Now with that said I’ve been doing an awful lot of biking and I am lucky to live in a neighborhood that is just SPRAWLING. It dawned on me recently that for someone who isn’t fond of street riding I had been doing a lot of it in my neighborhood and on the way to a park that I live near.

It may be a while yet before you guys see me all kitted up in aerodynamic nut smuggling attire but I’m becoming more open to the idea of obtaining more bike friendly attire. I went on a long ride the other day and thought to myself how I probably needed to get more form fitting clothing if I was going to be going on such long rides. When I got warm and took my jacket off I could actually feel a bit of a difference.

My uncle is into cycling and street bikes BIG TIME. He keeps trying to talk me into a nicer gravel bike than this Marin Nicasio + with its heavy steel frame. I don’t think he will succeed, yeah sure I love his fancy Specialized carbon S-Works road bike but it just doesn’t excite me like this timeless Nicasio +.

Bibs are the way to go for the lower half.
I would get stomach cramps from the elastic pressure from regular bike shorts.

I'm a fan of Cannondale bikes & liked the R400 I had years ago, but at 58cm, it was just a bit too big.

On the road bike side, I was talking with a guy that was looking at upper mid-tier bikes & lined up test rides of 4 or 5 models from different brands. He ended up buying a really nice Pinarello (Dogma, I think).
He liked the Cannondale SuperSix, but said it rode like a cement truck because it was so stiff.

My uncle bought a Pinarello Prince, which is what got me on my current road bike (his old bike), a custom build on a Romeo frame.

Bibs for the win! I switched a few years ago and would never go back.

My "gravel bike" is a 1989 Specialized Rock Combo, one of 500 made. Was an early attempt to create a mountain bike/road bike hybrid.

I live on a US highway and don't like being overtaken by semis doing 75. But a quarter mile of highway puts me on a network of gravel backroads and two tracks where I seldom encounter vehicles or other bike riders. The Rock Combo is perfect, IMHO, for this type of riding and I assume the newer (and much more expensive) dedicated gravel bikes would be even better.

But at 76, I'm perfectly happy with the RC. I have a 2013 Specialized Tarmac that gets hauled to multiple bike paths locally and within a 50 mile radius.

For seriously bad road conditions or cross country on nearby state owned section of grassland, I have a 1985 Diamondback Ascent purchased for $7.50 at a thrift store.

Is Cannondale the Ducati of bicycles? Hear me out on this, there are I think a few similarities. Both Ducati & Cannondale are: Expensive, utilize interesting and sometimes controversial designs, both have an eagerness to utilize single side swing arms or forks which look interesting and amazing and really help their products stand out.

I came close to test riding a Cannondale Topstone Carbon Lefty 3 the other day at my LBS. It was pouring down rain and while there was a place I could have ridden a little and stayed dry it’s probably best I don’t acquire a taste for bikes like this.

** update**

That Cannondale was tempting me mightily but I pulled the trigger on the classic looking steel frame Marin Nicasio +.

While doing research I noticed that Marin’s Nicasio + has been pretty well received. In its price category few could find many flaws or things they would immediately upgrade. The brakes are the only area that people found somewhat lacking. I have to agree. Mine are still breaking in but so far my experience has been similar to the people who reviewed this bike. The rear brake sucks and the front one is only ok. I’m going to give them a bit more time to bed in and improve but I’ll probably change them out for better brakes in the future.

Coming from the world of BMX and mountain bikes with knobby tires this thing feels like a rocket. It’s sooooooooo much more efficient and faster than what I am used to. I was able to carry my speed and ride with ease up hills that would have been more of a workout on my other bikes.

A few pics from my early morning ride to the park today. 15 miles goes by a hell of a lot faster on this bike than my others. I wish I could have stayed out longer.

This is such a sweet bike. At first glance you wouldn’t think it’s a 2021 model bike, it looks like it’s from the 1970’s.

Pretty sweet set of wheels Stickman. I have tried, and I just can’t seem to transition away from the 20” wheels.
I’m happy you found one you really like.

As far as that Cannondale, im not a fan of bikes that don’t utilize the classic double diamond. It’s tried and true and tested to be extremely strong. Deviations from that design, usually tend to be one offs and seem to just not stand the test of time.

Glad to see you chose a model that will be plenty sturdy.

***ETA, I know the Cannondale is a double diamond in theory, but the points of the diamond don’t connect closely enough. The back diamond connecting halfway up the seat tube isn’t okay by me. Not that I’m some engineer, it’s just my personal opinion.

I've never understood the lefty concept from Cannondale. Just what exactly does it improve? A Supersix was mentioned before as being very stiff. That's because its built for speed. My Cannondale Synapse is built for some compliance and to some degree a small measure of comfort. But, its still a bike prone to bumps and shitty rough chipseal. Plus, the geometry allows for a more upright position and it doesn't require having a slinky for a spine to ride it.

Nice ride Stickman. The disc brakes really don't out perform the rim brakes under normal circumstances. But, if they're wet the disc brakes still work normally where it increases the stopping time and distance of rim brakes.

Thanks Beancoooker & Goose5. I’m absolutely loving the Nicasio!

Cannondale claims that carbon frame has 30mm of flex built into the rear triangle when used with their seat post. If you look closely at the seat tube you will see a pivot (they call it the wedge or something like that). The wedge/pivot thing along with those super thin carbon chainstays are supposed to flex and soak up hard bumps almost like a rear suspension.

This front lefty suspension was tuned specifically for gravel riding and apparently only engages on hard hits like potholes etc so most of the time it should feel more like a rigid fork. It doesn’t have a lot of travel either but I like that it has a blow off valve in case you lock the suspension out and then hit something hard.

From the reviews I saw of the bike everyone who rode it claimed to be able to detect the frame flex and overall the feedback on the new lefty fork has been mostly positive. It really catches your eye but maybe that’s the main appeal/draw of such a design. It’s certainly different.

I wanted to but I just couldn’t bring myself to buy a bike that was over $4,000 and didn’t have the best and lightest components AND would also be more difficult to upgrade later on due to its unique and specialized fork.


I guess you could say I was considering two wildly different gravel bikes. The bikes I was considering would kind of be like the automotive equivalent of looking at a Tacoma and a Mercedes G-Wagon and then deciding to get the more affordable and easily modified/improved ride. I doubt I will modify the bike much. I’ll probably just upgrade the brakes and tires and maybe pick up a thinner wheel set for days when I stick to the street and paved trails.