New allroad/gravel bike

Hi guys
I've been lurking a lot on this website lately and decided to register cause I would like some suggestions. I'm looking to build or buy a new allroad/gravel bike. I have a Spec Tricross 2009 and looking for an upgrade.

I'm more into mountain biking (I have a FS 29er and a rigid fatbike) but sometime it's hard for me to get to the forest for riding. So I use my tricross around town, for commuting when it's possible, sometime for quick training run. I would like to go more often in longer ride, exploring gravel path, secondary road, etc. I ride 99% alone so don't need to keep up with riding buddies. Never been quite confident on racy road bike with small tire, espacially around town (pretty bad road around here)

What I think I need (you can correct me if you think I'm wrong!): fast and light bike but confy enough for gravel/longer ride, big tire compatibility (40c?), really like thru-axle

What I think I want: Really like the Salsa Warbird alu (my fatbike is a Salsa), would probably build one with Rival 1x (my mtb are 1x and I really like it), Hed Ardennes FR plus, Rival hydro brake vs TRP(?). It's getting expensive going that route so maybe I should buy a complete bike and upgrade it with a cheaper 1x solution (Wolftooth NW with a new rear clutch derailleur?)

Maybe another bike that I overlooked would give me more for my money out of the box? I know Salsa is often a little bit more expensive but really like their bikes in general... I'm in Canada so accessibility to certain make can be limited ans internet shopping is more expensive (exchange + duty)

Any idea/though would be appreciated

Louis

How much do you want to spend?

Well that's a good question! I'm not too sure about that. Looking at retail prices, Warbird frame + fork 1000$, Force 1 group set (I can't find availability for Rival yet) around 1200$ and Hed Ardennes 625$, I'm already around 3000$ US and that's pretty much the top I want to spend… 

I have a tendency to keep  things in general for a while so maybe could go higher a bit. But if I can find a cheaper way to get what I want it would be great! Sometime I just think I should  buy a less expensive complete build (like the tiagra build on the warbird), ride it for a while and upgrade a part from time to time.

Winter is almost there so anyway I won't use the bike until april or may 2016 so if I decide to shop around for parts, it gives me plenty of time… But I doubt there will be big clearance on Force and Rival 1 groupset, in fact I see more an availability problem ahead.

Walt Brown wrote:How much can you spend?

I fixed that for you. 

Another consideration is what type of frame material you want.

I took a Jamis Renegade Expert out for a spin a month ago and it was a really nice bike.. especially for $2500. Weighed about 23 lbs with a Shimano 105 package. Very plush. In fact, it was a bit too plush for me. I decided carbon wasn't my thing after riding steel and ti all my life.

I was set on a Warbird carbon for a very long time.  But for a variety of reasons I missed out on the first shipment last month.  That said, most shops will give you 10% off list that gets you pretty close to your budget and with a carbon frame, thru axles, hydraulic discs, and plenty of room for 40s.  My plan B, now plan A, is the Ridley X-Trail - see related posts here.  Performance has them at a very good price and if you wait until they offer the 20% Performance Points bonus that's another $560.  Also check out the Niner RLT.  They just upgraded the aluminum frame to thru axle and the rest of the geo is very nice.  Also, perhaps something like the Kona Sutra LTD as it's already a 1x and can fit very large tires.  And, finally, the Specialized Diverge Comp DSW looks quite nice and at a good price.

GT Grade may be something worth looking at. Highly reviewed. I road a carbon briefly, really smooth ride. They have an alloy 1x.

There's also the Diverge Comp DSW DX1, pictured below.

X1, my bad

In the same boat myself. Been lurking on the forum for several months, keeping an eye on what people are buying and new releases that have people excited.

Problem I have is I'm UK based, so a lot of the small US manufacturers have no dealers over here.

Jamis Renegade Elite and GT Grade Carbon Ultegra were both lovely bikes. Very smooth rides. Excellent gear changing. Felt both nippy and stable simultaneously on both road and gravel (although the Jamis felt better than the Grade off road). I'd highly recommend a test ride on each. If you say you won't be riding your gravel bike over winter then these may suit you. They didn't quite meet my needs, and until I find something that does I'll just keep enjoying all the bike porn on these forums 

Do you have anything that you're dead set on the bike having/not having? For me I need

Proper rack/fender mounts (no removable seat stay bridge a la the Grade)
Threaded BB
Tyre clearance for up to 35 (higher is great, but not really needed in the UK. We don't have much 'gravel' over here, so it'd either be road or mud I'll be cycling in)

I bet the Jamis Renegade Elite was a sweet bike. The wheels on the Expert version were pretty blah, but I'd be drooling all over the AmClassic wheelset on the Elite. But for the price of the Elite, you're getting into custom build territory.

Over in the UK, I'd give serious consideration to the Genesis Croix de Fer. Also, there's the Van Nicholas Amazon. Altho I'm not sure what tires it will accommodate.

A lot of great bikes to choose from! My problem: I'm in Quebec City Canada and some brand are not available, even online. For example: Jamis and GT are with sports check in the rest of Canada. Their website is blocked for us in the province of Quebec!!! Almost like in China!! Their sister company in Quebec  sports experts don't seems to offert those brands.

I have never ridden anything else than aluminium road bike. My FS is carbon but with 140mm suspension! So it's hard for me saying I want to pay for steel or carbon.

I am sure that I want disc brakes, thru axle, possibility to run 40c tire, 1x if possible but open to go 2x11. I don't mind having rack and fender mount but not planning to use them...

I have to say, this Niner Steel RLT in grey and orange did catch my eyes... Gorgeous bike... It seems to be a good gravel bike and I wonder I much it's a compromise on the road, with the more relaxed geo and slight weight penalty?

I can have easily acces to Niner, Salsa, Giant, Specialized (Diverge seems a good choice but not to found to buy another spec...), Ridley as well but not to many build choice on the x-trail (cheaper build)

What are you thinking about this bike guys?
 
http://whyte.bike/gb/saxon-cross-team/ 
Since I really want Sram 1x drivetrain, Force or Rival, this bike looks like it could be what I'm searching for, with a decent price (2099$ us and they will have a 10% discount for thanksgiving) and ok wheel set.

Geo is unusual with longer TT 25 mm  and 30mm shorter stem from what you see generally and and head angle of 70 degree.

No thru-axle at the back is a drawback... 

I've emailed them this morning about BB-drop and tire clearance. Got a reply within 1 hour: BB drop 70mmm, Max tire clearance 40c with slick tire and 35-38c with more knobbier tire in muddy condition.

I've seen one online review on bike radar:
http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/category/bikes/cyclo-cross/product/review-whyte-saxon-cross-team-15-49304/


QUOTE

The Cross Team’s 70-degree head tube angle is more relaxed than the 72 degrees used for many cyclocross bikes, and at first the frame looks stretched, the 80mm stem making us worry that we’d hit our knee on the bar.

But compared to our ideal ’cross setup, the Whyte’s extra 25mm top tube length and 30mm shorter stem give an almost identical position. What this means is a subtle repositioning of the rider’s weight within the 30mm longer wheelbase, the results of which are more intuitive than expected.

Easton’s beefy fork and that head angle ensure tracking accuracy, making the bike super stable on most terrain, while the wide 44cm bar and short stem give it fast, accurate steering.

There’s an undeniable mountain bike feel in the way it rapidly dispatches whatever it’s pointed at, but with the reactions and manners of a road bike. The front wheel stays planted on steep off-road climbs, but when descending, you feel less like you’re on top of the bar, improving confidence and control.
QUOTE

I gotta say I really like the looks of the Whyte. I'd love to put a leg over one, but highly unlikely I'll ever find one in a shop. Your pricing isn't right, tho. 1999GBP comes out to about 3000USD. Or did you mean 2999 instead of 2099?

In any case, it looks great, but I have a strong aversion to aluminum frames so I would only consider it if I could try it first. And I think they should call it the Whyte in Black.

The Whyte in black! Excellent! On Whyteusa website, it's listed at 2099us$. It seems almost like a mistake to me. A complete Sram Force hydro is retailed at 1475$ (building one with Art's cyclery is around 1100US$).

For me, the fact that the frame isn't tru-axle is really the only thing stopping me to buy this bike. If I eventually buy a carbon wheelset, I would like to be able to use it on my Intense spider Comp if I want to. But for now, it's the best bike for my money even with duty and shipping to canada… I will have to get canadian price for the frame-only option on the warbird and for component as well from my LBS and then make a decision. Also interested in Ridley x-trail, Jamis Renegade, but prices will likely be higher by a few $$$...

Well, from what I see of the Whyte and my limited experience with Jamis, a Renegade is going to be much more relaxed than the Whyte.

 

 

Another beautiful bike. Really like the build and detail in the frame. But its price is in carbon range. Plus I think I prefer to buy with lbs support. With duty and currency rate it's a better option for me. I will probably wait a bit and try to find a Warbird Carbon or go with a custom alu warbird… There's a 58cm Norco Search at my lbs, if the price go down it could be a good choice. Maybe I will have some other option when I'm ready to pull the trigger

The Turner looks great.  But, I'm partial to Black and Blue bikes......

Well I've finally decided to wait a bit before buying a new bike. I'm gonna go with a higher-end bike so need some more time to gather money! Meanwhile, I'm doing small upgrades on my Spec Tricross 2009 (1x, new wider range cassette, new front brake). I'm gonna keep this bike for city duty/commuter. I don't see myself locking my new bike outside for 10 hours where I work (often evening and night shift).

Looking at geo charts, I was surprised to see that my tricross is pretty similar to some bikes I'm  looking to purchase. At the moment, I'm looking at Norco Search, Salsa Warbird carbon (if available), Niner BSD 9 RDO and Santacruz Stigmata. I think they are similar bikes and good choice for what I want to do: road bike like performance, disc brakes, thru axle, capaility to use bigger tire.

Looking at Warbird 58cm vs my Tricross 58cm geo for example: head angle, seat-tube angle, TT lenght are identical. Chainstay 430 vs 440mm, head tube lenght 185 vs 170mm, BB drop 70 vs 67mm are nearly identical. I don't have stack and reach measurement but should they feel the same fit wise?

 Also, consider the Niner RLT9 which has more of a gravel geometry than the BSB which is more cyclocross.  In addition, they just upgraded the alu version to thru axle front and rear.  And the RLT9 Steel looks good too.

That said, Performance Bicycle has a couple of bikes available now for some very good, even amazing,  prices.  The 1st is the Ridley X-Trail CR1 and the 2nd is the GT Grade SRAM Force.
Ridley:  http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1185378_-1___
GT:  http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1185360_-1___000000

I bought the Ridley about a month ago.  The price was very good as compared to the carbon Warbird w/Rival and I think it has better components.  And I bought it when they were offering 20% Performance Points worth an additional $560 for a net of $2,240.  It's a very nice bike and I've been riding the heck out of it.  It was Plan B when I couldn't get a carbon Warbird.  In fact, I think it's a better bike than the Warbird though I just love the colors on the black Warbird.  I called Salsa last week and they still don't know when the next shipment is going to arrive -  maybe Spring.  They announced the bike last February and so far have got one shipment, in September, which was sold out before it arrived.

As to the GT, I recommended it to a friend and he got his a few weeks ago.  I think it's an even better deal than the Ridley @ $2,000.  That's a pretty amazing price for a bike with a carbon frame, hydraulic discs, thru axle front and rear and some pretty nice wheels.  It has SRAM - the Force group but a 2x system.  He also got his with 20% Performance Points worth $400 in future purchases.  This is a very nice bike too and, I think, an outstanding deal.

I would consider both of these to be high end bikes and they should be affordable now   The main upgrade would probably be a 2nd set of wheels/tires to complement the OEM set for different terrain.  Some of the components are a bit on the heavy side so a lighter crankset, seat, seatpost, stem and bars would be nice.  But the drivetrain and brake systems are very good as delivered.