Giant Revolt

Anyone here have any intel on the Giant Revolt? I've not been hearing a whole lot about this bike so far. I know that Guitar Ted took a look at one at Interbike, said that the mudguard was a poor design. I know that the chainstays are a little wacky, but it seems like a good setup for gravel and maybe a bit of bikepacking. 

Any thoughts? Anyone had a chance to take one for a spin? I've not heard of any ride reviews of the thing yet. And as far as I know, none of the Giant dealers in my area have one on the shop floor yet.

Specs from Giant's site.

Hope everyone has a weekend full of good riding ahead!

I've not had a chance to ride one, but I did see one at Interbike. It's a nice aluminum frame with a threaded English bottom bracket (yay!). The mudguard is a little wacky looking, but the tire clearance is massive. I like the 48x32/11x36 gearing looks great and a standard 27.2mm post is perfect (easy to tune position or install a ti post for a bit more comfort). 

i saw one at the local shop about 2 weeks ago.......they seem nice, just not what i wanted

I had the opportunity to put a few miles on a Revolt 1 at a demo day. The surfaces were varied from asphalt, to gravel road, and even a little single track. To reserve fair judgment, the fit was slightly off for me and I could have gone from an 18.5 to a 19, though I don't think it would have made as big a difference in ride quality as the rep said.

My initial reaction to my short amount of saddle time is that front end of the bike is overly built and very stiff, even to the point of being harsh. I kept trying to perceive where this feeling was coming from and would have to think it was in the fork, but I can't be for sure.

The rest of the bike seems to be spot on, especially in terms of power transfer and climbing. Any seated or standing climb effort resulted in immediate forward motion without the slightest hint of traction loss. The drivetrain just seemed to be spot on. Other areas seemed good as well to include a nice saddle and seatpost combination.

The frame deflector seemed to just disappear on the ride, though I can't say that I ever longed for one on the thousands of gravel miles I have logged over the years. So in the end, I would probably replace the fork right off the get go if I were in the market for this bike, but that is just me!

Thanks for the information!

A stiff carbon fork has been a bit of a concern for me. Admittedly, I'm used to a rather flexy steel fork, so anything might come off as harsh. 

Has anyone noticed rear rack mounts? Admittedly this bike would probably take to bikepacking pretty nicely, but a couple of mounts would be nice as well.

My Giant rep had a Revolt 0 for show and I convinced him to let me take it for a ride. Had about an hour in on it on a fairly flat but familiar route on rough pavement - he didn't want me to get it dirty. Reluctantly, I obliged him. It was a medium, I would ride a large, so I had everything maxed out. The bike felt very much like a mountain bike in the cockpit and from Giants' spec list it reads that way - that's not a bad thing, just interesting. It rides quite upright, given the small size I was more on top of it than in it, but I was not cramped up on it. It felt very "monstercrossy" in that it rolled like a skinny tired mountain bike. It did eat up road vibration, frost heaves and pot holes and did not feel too stiff or harsh. I'm sure that the 45c tires were part of it but I'm also sure that the carbon bladed forks did their intended share of dampening. It does have rack mounts. The gearing was also an interesting choice and if you are looking for a bike packing ride or singletracking it makes sense. I prefer a Compact Road setup in front but that is a personal preference and for singletrack, I have a hardtail 29er. The Sram hoods rode better than they look and I really didn't have to brake but I did as I wanted to feel what the discs were all about. They reminded me of why discs took over the mountain bike market - they feel as though they "pull" you down from speed and while I'm sure they could toss you over the bars in a panic stop I really believe that they offer a more controlled stopping power - again a personal preference and observation. I threw it on the shop's fairly accurate Dairy Scale - 21.5 lbs with Time ATAC 6 pedals.

I finally got a chance to take a Revolt for a test drive a few weeks ago. Spoke and Sport in Sioux Falls has a Revolt 1 and a Revolt 0 both on hand. My experience was compromised by the bike shop only having mediums on hand, I would ride a large at least, an XL if I could find one. The ride was through some potholed and heavily cracked roads near the shop, I considered taking a back alley, but they were very muddy that day.

What impressed me about the Revolt 1 was how spunky the bike was even with the wider tires. Perhaps the very stiff fork and frame compensate for the rotational weight. The ride was very smooth over the cracks and bumps that I could find. Brakes were alright, I was expecting shorter stopping distances from the discs. Full disclosure: I'm 215 lbs, so some rider weight could be part of that.

I did experience a pretty good creak while standing, that could be a tuning issue, but it did surprise me.

I have had my new Revolt O for about 3 months and have logged around 500 miles on it so far in all kinds of terrain. Very smooth ride and very fast. Lots of miles in the Flint Hills and also in North Central Kansas. This is my first true gravel machine. I looked at all of them including the Warbird but settled on the Revolt mainly because of its huge tire clearance. Love this bike!!!

bikeguru1 wrote:My Giant rep had a Revolt 0 for show and I convinced him to let me take it for a ride. Had about an hour in on it on a fairly flat but familiar route on rough pavement - he didn't want me to get it dirty.

Amazing!  Here, try out our new GRAVEL bike and tell me what you think, but don't get it dirty.  Oh the irony!  At least it's not a Specialized, right? Pffft!!

For the Colorado Front Range people....

Pedal of Littleton just posted this - looks like they have the Revolt in stock.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=660107930697038&set=a.355924064448761.76201.155866901121146&type=1&theater

Hi,

the geometry of this bike looks strange: very slack angles compared with most cross bikes.

Wondering if anyone can offer any insight into 
1) geometry. The bike has a very slack seat tube---why?
2) fit. very slack seat tube angle plus short top tube would seem to suggest very short reach?
2) how does the bike feel? (Thanks for the descriptions in earlier posts.)

I thought i was looking for a road bike with better clearance, like say a tricross; this seems like an alternative, but i have no idea how it'll differ.

I'm going to ride a bunch of bikes, but not sure that my 15 minute on road tests will tell the tale.

thanks,
Reg

If you look at the Revolt as a cross bike, I'd agree that the geometry is a bit off. I think you need to see the bike with an eye towards its intended use as an endurance off road bike. The slack geometry and short reach (coupled with the fat tires) should result in a more forgiving, stable ride. Generally a cross bike will be disigned to be agile and quick to accelerate, and only needs to be comfortable for an hour or so. The Revolt is more of an all-day bike, and I think the design reflects that. There most definitely are cross bikes that make excellent gravel bikes, but the Revolt drops the design demands of a cross bike in favor of long term comfort.

As far as ride quality goes, I haven't found a long term review of the bike beyond what some on this thread have said. I know the fork is very stiff, any front dampening will have to come from the large tires. My brief spin with it felt quite responsive, but I cannot speak about stability in rough conditions, or or what riding it for 100 miles would feel like. For me, this bike was at or near the top of the list of what I wanted in a gravel bike, it only narrowly lost out because I scored a deal on another bike. I think its a wonderfully capable bike that can be tweaked to handle a very broad range of conditions. I'd be happy to have it in my stable.

Thank you

I have owned my Giant Revolt 1 for almost a year, now.  Finally decided to join the discussion after reading all the other posts.  In the past year, I have put 1,728 miles on my Revolt, and I love it!  I ride a mixture of really bad pavement (l live in N.E. Oklahoma where road maintenance is almost un-heard of) and gravel, as well as some totally off road, MTB type stuff thrown in for good measure.  The revolt has become my all arounder.  I have commutted by bike, 18 miles one way trip, all day explored, and rode for just the pure pleasure with it.

You can see plenty of pictures on my blog at http://www.okieoutdoors.blogspot.com, as I have it outfitted.

The Revolt is ultra-comfortable, and is a beast.  The upright position makes it very comfortable for an all day ride.  I put Clement MSO's, 40mm width tires on it and there is room for more width if desired.  I can tell you that it is super-stable in some very rough downhill runs that I have done.  It is NOT a speed demon, for sure.  I have a Defy road bike that I use on pavement when I feel a need for speed.  The Revolt is my favorite, though, as I can ride it anywhere I desire.  Have taken it places where I usually ride my MTB, but stay out of the super deep mud with it.  Also, have put a rear rack on it and have packed my fly rod down to some local ponds for fishing, on occasion.  This bike is not going to win you any speed contests, but you will find it is more than capable of going the distance on any endurance type of ride.  I have ordered a new, 2015 Giant TCX advanced pro 2, and plan on using it for anything requiring a little more speed than the Revolt can produce.  I have never felt unstable, no matter what type of gravel conditions I have rode, on the Revolt.  In my opinion, it is an excellent gravel ride, and I know that I will put many more miles on it before I am finished.  Also, the mechanical disc brakes are top-notch, and haven't let me down.  The geometry of this bike, and how it is set-up, soak-up a lot of the punches that gravel can throw your way.  First thing, though, was to ditch the stock tires in favor of the MSO's.  Made a huge difference in how the bike felt and handled.  

Can anyone provide an update? I saw a modified version last night at a bike shop. Looks like the owner uses it as his commuting bike and loves it.

I was interested in the Revolt, until I saw the huge price jump to get out of the "beginner" components. I don't want to pay for a carbon frame just to get away from the abysmal R350 rear... why do bike companies build 3 levels of a particular model, but lowball the components so badly on all but the $3000+ model?
So I'm buying a Raleigh

AlanEsh, my thought exactly on the Revolt.  I would've like to have seen a Revolt with better components for around $2000 or so.  So, like you, I order a Raleigh.  I got a Willard 2 for about $1750.

david wrote:AlanEsh, my thought exactly on the Revolt.  I would've like to have seen a Revolt with better components for around $2000 or so.  So, like you, I order a Raleigh.  I got a Willard 2 for about $1750.

I have a Willard 2 coming in next week to test ride BUT I might end up with the Tamland... very hard to decide!