I just ordered the Ibis Hakka MX in fireball red as my first gravel/cx bike. I'm a roadie and using this bike mostly for training, in inclament weather, and on fire roads. I'm set on 700C wheels with tires in the 40-43mm range. The wheels will be Light Bicycle carbon wheels with i9 hubs. So now I need help with drivetrain, cockpit, and seatpost. I haven't decided if I'm better off with a 1X or 2X drivetrain. Also I'm not familiar with the flared out drop bars used on gravel bikes. Seatpost? I know the diameter is 31.6mm. Any help would be appreciate it.
I'm a mountain biker running 1x on both my MTB and gravel bike. I'm used to 1x in general, but do notice on flat road/paths I can use a bit less jumps in gearing.
You can setup 1x Di2 with wide range 11-46 XT mountain rear derailleur if that suits your fancy...that's what my friend did on his Hakka MX.
Definitely go with flared bars and 1 size wider than your normal road bars at the hood. Anything with 12-16 deg flare is a good middle ground: Salsa Cowbell, Easton AX, FSA Adventure are a few options. Wider flare, some people have issues with brifter hand position.
The 31.6 seatpost is for wide dropper post compatibility, but given you are roadie you probably don't want/need it.
Hard call going 1x or 2x, though you mentioned training so personally I'd go 2x. Have been on 1x for the last year, but now going to 2x as I'd like smaller jumps on the flatter areas.
If you required a setback post then I'd suggest perhaps the old FSA K-Force Light (compliance) as the red stripe might look ok with your frame.
Front end would be rather personal for feel. Any gravel bars you can have a look at in a shop?
I just finished a custom Ibis Hakka build. Definitely went with a 2x set up as I bought an extra set of road wheels to swap out when I want to do road rides. Also I think the 1x is a fad that will correct itself for gravel racing. 1x is great for tight CX courses but for long gravel events where you're carrying more speed, a 2x is the way to go. I have some seriously steep hills here in WV so I went with a 50/34 Ultegra in the front and an 11/40t in the back.
Yes the seatpost is burly but man it soaks up all road vibrations and hits, it's butter smooth. I went with a Whiskey carbon seatpost and couldn't be happier with it. As far as the bars go, I went with a 12 degree flare but a 46mm width Whiskey (entire Whiskey cockpit). The width is probably a little excessive but it's comfortable and gives me tons of leverage on some of the gnarly roads we have here in WV.
Forgot to mention, I tried running some 42mm WTB Resolutes on there, they didn't fit. Width was fine but the tire was too tall and was hitting where the seat tube and bb meet. I've got 40mm Nano's on there and the fit is good.
MrMojoRisin1287 wrote:I just finished a custom Ibis Hakka build. Definitely went with a 2x set up as I bought an extra set of road wheels to swap out when I want to do road rides. Also I think the 1x is a fad that will correct itself for gravel racing. 1x is great for tight CX courses but for long gravel events where you're carrying more speed, a 2x is the way to go. I have some seriously steep hills here in WV so I went with a 50/34 Ultegra in the front and an 11/40t in the back.
Yes the seatpost is burly but man it soaks up all road vibrations and hits, it's butter smooth. I went with a Whiskey carbon seatpost and couldn't be happier with it. As far as the bars go, I went with a 12 degree flare but a 46mm width Whiskey (entire Whiskey cockpit). The width is probably a little excessive but it's comfortable and gives me tons of leverage on some of the gnarly roads we have here in WV.
Enjoy, this bike is amazing
.1x isn't a mistake, it's the future of gravel and cx. I've raced several 100 plus mile gravel races in flat lands and mtns with a 1x. Even podiumed most of them. I just change change rings for races on the flats.
MrMojoRisin1287 wrote:I just finished a custom Ibis Hakka build. Definitely went with a 2x set up as I bought an extra set of road wheels to swap out when I want to do road rides. Also I think the 1x is a fad that will correct itself for gravel racing. 1x is great for tight CX courses but for long gravel events where you're carrying more speed, a 2x is the way to go.
1x is not a fad. Some of us aren’t trying to make out gravel bike double as a road bike. If you can’t “carry speed” with a 1x, then you set your gears up wrong.
Agree to disagree. I just came off a 1x that I raced for two years. I’m not the fastest rider in the land but I can hold my own during a race and am usually in the upper tier. I’ve definitely spun out countless times on descents with a 42t chainring and have been begging for a 34t on some near vertical climbs. To each their own. Gearing is a bigger indicator of where you ride versus how many 100 mile races you’ve done.
Great looking bike! Any idea if the frame will take a Stages power meter? I know some of the carbon frames that take large tire sizes like the new Warbird have issues with it because of the extra fat chainstays.
VTFerg wrote:Great looking bike! Any idea if the frame will take a Stages power meter? I know some of the carbon frames that take large tire sizes like the new Warbird have issues with it because of the extra fat chainstays.
itll be really really tight. I threw on my cadence meter without thinking and after two revolutions and a grinding/clicking sound I looked down and realized the error in my ways. Luckily it didn’t scratch the frame from what I could see. There was barely enough room if I slid it to the top of the crank. I’ll take a picture of the clearance later today and post it.
MrMojoRisin1287 wrote:Agree to disagree. I just came off a 1x that I raced for two years. I’m not the fastest rider in the land but I can hold my own during a race and am usually in the upper tier. I’ve definitely spun out countless times on descents with a 42t chainring and have been begging for a 34t on some near vertical climbs. To each their own. Gearing is a bigger indicator of where you ride versus how many 100 mile races you’ve done.
This.
I used to live in the Great Plains, which is a very flat area. Could've happily run 1x with a tight cassette and small gaps. Now I live in an extremely hilly area and am glad to have 2x.
As far as the Hakka MX build goes, you have lots of options. For a gravel bike, I prefer alloy over cf components, but that's probably superstition more than realism. I am also getting a 48/32 crankset (Praxis) on my new gravel bike, as I don't need a 50-tooth.
itll be really really tight. I threw on my cadence meter without thinking and after two revolutions and a grinding/clicking sound I looked down and realized the error in my ways. Luckily it didn’t scratch the frame from what I could see. There was barely enough room if I slid it to the top of the crank. I’ll take a picture of the clearance later today and post it.
Yeah, that's about what I was expecting. This probably points me back to steel since I don't want to rebuy a new power meter. Fortunately, there's really no sacrifice there. 🙂
I have been riding a Hakka for some time now. Really love the bike. It gets equal road miles vs dirt miles. I bought it with the Rival build and the I-9 650B wheelset. I switched the cranks out for a Easton EC90 SL (1x), the bars for new Enve Gravel bars with a Easton EA 90 stem, seatpost for a Thompson setback and my personal seat of choice SMP Dynamic. I have built several more sets of wheels. For cushy road/light gravel use I have a set of Hed Belgium + with Compass Switchbackk Hill 650x48. For cyclocross I have LightBicycle carbon rim with with various 700x33-40 tires. I have an additional LightBicycle 700C wheelset with Compass Bon Jon 700x35 for fast road rides. The origalnal I-9 wheelset has Scwalbe Thunderburts and is used for single/double track and rough gravel. Thoughts on the bike: I have several other bikes, road, MTB, and gravel/cross, the Hakka get the most use by far, it's that good. A simple wheel change and the bike is ready for action. The 31.8 seatpost is not a problem, the cushy tires (and frame design to a certain degree) handle the vibrations. The Enve gravel bars are super comfortable. The flare just puts your hands in the right place. I believe mine are 44cc, but the flares go to 48 if I recall correctly. 1x vs 2x...It's a personal thing. People get so dogmatic about it. It boils down to what your preferences are. I personally am going to upgrade the bike to Shimano Ultegra as I don't really care for Sram. This Upgrade will be 2x mechanical with 36/46 chainrings and a 11/40. I live in So CA, there is a surprising amount of steep aggressive climbs around here. 2x will be great...for me.
Yeah, that's about what I was expecting. This probably points me back to steel since I don't want to rebuy a new power meter. Fortunately, there's really no sacrifice there. 🙂
heres a picture of the space between the cranks and the chainstay
Yep, that definitely won't work. The main part of the power meter looks like it hits at just about the narrowest spot, before it starts bending back in towards the tire. Thanks for the help!
I have an Ibis Rival build with the Ibis carbon 650s and I love it. Only change from stock is the WTB byways and a 9-46 e*thirteen race cassette (easiest way to shave 250g off the build).
With a 40 upfront the 20%+ grades are tough, especially if it's loose and I can't get out of the saddle. Thinking of going down to a 38 or 36 with maybe a CAMO setup to swap in lower gears when I need to. I run a 32/10-42 on my bike packing setup and really appreciate the bailout gear out here in the Cascades.
MrMojoRisin1287 wrote:I just finished a custom Ibis Hakka build. Definitely went with a 2x set up as I bought an extra set of road wheels to swap out when I want to do road rides. Also I think the 1x is a fad that will correct itself for gravel racing. 1x is great for tight CX courses but for long gravel events where you're carrying more speed, a 2x is the way to go. I have some seriously steep hills here in WV so I went with a 50/34 Ultegra in the front and an 11/40t in the back.
Yes the seatpost is burly but man it soaks up all road vibrations and hits, it's butter smooth. I went with a Whiskey carbon seatpost and couldn't be happier with it. As far as the bars go, I went with a 12 degree flare but a 46mm width Whiskey (entire Whiskey cockpit). The width is probably a little excessive but it's comfortable and gives me tons of leverage on some of the gnarly roads we have here in WV.
