Brodie Bikes Introduces The “Monster” For 2015


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It is no secret that bicycle companies are looking for more sales in what industry analysts all agree is a “flat market’ for sales growth. That means that sometimes we see some strange marketing ideas and things are not quite what they are presented to be in a ploy to scratch up more sales. Typical road bikes being marketed as “gravel” bikes, for instance, are one of the most common tactics we see.  In this case, however, Brodie seems to be hitting a lot closer to the mark and are truly presenting something different with their 2015 “Monster”.

gravel bike
2015 Brodie “Monster” (Image courtesy of Brodie Bikes)

The Monster ticks off a lot of boxes for the gravel/back road cyclists with things like sliding drop outs, which obviously can make the bike single speed compatible. However; considering the amount of snapped derailleurs I’ve witnessed in gravel events, it is a feature that may just save a race for someone, or simply get you out of a jam. The chain stays aren’t too long, (Range from 425mm to 450mm with the slider), and there is room for bigger tires. (40mm stock) While many don’t want or need that big of a tire, it should be apparent that mounting skinnier rubber is possible and that gives you copious amounts of room for things like fenders and mud.

The Monster has a rather shocking 69° head tube angle, which is something you don’t see everyday in a bike aimed at all-road travel, but we’re curious to know how that might work out on a chunky gravel road. Beyond that, the Monster seems to be a well spec’ed, versatile bike in the vein of Surly’s Straggler and even comes in a rich purple hue, similar to that bike. The steel frame may put off a few with the weight, (Brodie claims 27lbs), but for the enthusiast gravel/back road rider, the toughness of steel is often prized over weight. Brodie offers this bike at a MSRP of $1799.00 and you can check it out along with the rest of the Brodie Bikes line up here: Brodie Bikes for 2015

Note: Information and images for this post provided by Brodie Bikes.

Discuss and share your questions or thoughts about gravel bikes on the Riding Gravel Forum.

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Author: Guitar Ted

Guitar Ted hails from Iowa. Home of over 70,000 miles of gravel and back roads. An inaugural member of the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame and Co-creator of Trans Iowa in late 2004- Guitar Ted has been at the forefront of the growth of gravel events and riding since then. Creator of Gravel Grinder News in 2008, he produced the premier calendar of gravel and back road events. GT joined forces with Riding Gravel in late 2014.

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7 thoughts on “Brodie Bikes Introduces The “Monster” For 2015

  1. This is touted as a gravel bike and you fail to note a 12 inch high bottom bracket? After all your talk of the need for lower brackets?

    1. I said, and I quote, “The Monster ticks off a lot of boxes for the gravel/back road cyclists…” I didn’t say “all the boxes”.

      Big difference there, right? Still, it has a BB drop within the range of typical so called “gravel bikes” on the market,(I checked my mounted Nano 40 as a reference against their stated spec), so yes- it isn’t what I would prefer or recommend there, but it by no means is out of the ordinary either.

      So, I would agree there still is a ways to go to reach optimum values in terms of geometry for this, (or many other), gravel bikes, but it still “ticks a lot of the boxes’. Okay?

    2. If you look at geo charts on the website, I think the Monster shares its frame with a couple of mtn bikes.

      I really like the stainless steel Woolf, but I was hoping it wouldn’t be so spendy!

  2. Slap on a flatbar and an MTB crank and race some XC MTB or singletrack, heck this look like it could handle 60mm travel fork.

  3. How well would this bike perform as a daily commuter (average about 70 miles a week) and for bikepacking?

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