BMC Granfondo GF02 disc or.........?

Hello everyone,\n\nI am a mountain biker that has wanted to try gravel riding. I really have been loving it. I am currently am riding a Jamis renegade exile. I bought it to try out this type of riding without spending too much. Since I have been enjoying it so much I want to upgrade my ride to a new one. \n\nMy LBS is a Jamis, Raleigh, BMC and Khs dealer. I am looking to spend around $2000.00. The bike I am interested most is the BMC Granfondo GF02 disc. There is not very many reviews out there on it. The biggest thing I hesitate with the BMC is the tire clearance. They say it's 35mm and might fit up to a 37mm depending on the tire. I have the MSO 40 which I like, so, that's the reason I hesitate. \n\nThe other bike that interests me is the Raleigh Willard. Tire clearance is no problem and even comes with the tires I like. It is even through axel front and rear.\n\nAnyone have any experience with the BMC? Any insights or advice would be welcome.\n\nThank you!

The other option is to go wth the Jamis renegade exploit. It has the tire clearance. It's a steel frame with a carbon fork. They claim 23 pounds on the web site. That's about the same as the Willard but not as light as the BMC.

Xroads wrote:The other option is to go wth the Jamis renegade exploit. It has the tire clearance. It's a steel frame with a carbon fork. They claim 23 pounds on the web site. That's about the same as the Willard but not as light as the BMC.

I have the Exploit and I love it.  I went steel as when conditions here in OK get wet, the gravel can turn to "peanut butter" with mud and gravel and erode carbon forks and chain and seat stays very quickly.  I also have a BMC SLR01 Road bike and several team mates that have the gran fondos and they love them.  I have 38mm tires on my Exploit that measure right at 40 with my HEDC2+ rims and plenty of clearance with fenders on. We have a ton of hills and elevation here and the compact and 11/32 cassette are perfect.  I advise to ride them all and see which one feels best.  I love the steel feel, in fact this was my winter bike thru wet and even snowy weather this winter.

Keepamonte, what does your Exploit weigh? I am curious on the actual weight. Thanks for the info!

Xroads wrote:Keepamonte, what does your Exploit weigh? I am curious on the actual weight. Thanks for the info!

\n \nOut of the box with pedals and cages it was right at 24lbs. I have since dropped some custom wheels and need to reweigh her. I will put that on my to do list!

keepamonte wrote:\n\nOut of the box with pedals and cages it was right at 24lbs. I have since dropped some custom wheels and need to reweigh her. I will put that on my to do list!

\n\nThanks for the info. 24 pounds is two pounds lighter than my current bike.\n\nMy LBS ended up ordering a Granfondo for another customer. He let me ride the bike. We also tried the Schwalbe G-one 38 in it. It fit in, but there was no clearance. So, it's not useable. It fit the Clement xplorer ush 35 fine. That's all the the large tires he had to try. \n\nThe BMC was a nice ride. It weighed 21.5 pounds with pedals and the Continental 32 tires. It accelerated very well and I thought it was smooth riding. However, the geometry of the BMC is different than the Jamis. The stack on the Jamis is higher. I didn't think the BMC was as comfortable. Perhaps a fit would take care of that. \n\nI am leaning to going with another Jamis. The BMC is nice and light, but the tire limitation and geometry are a big negative.\n\nHaven't had a chance to check out a Willard. I did ride a Tamland. It was nice, but it was heavy.

Just wanted to update the thread. \n \nI ended up withe the BMC. I decided that the ride was really nice and a fit would take care of the riding position. The front will fit a x'plorer MSO 40 with clearance. I have a x'plorer USH 35 on it now. I am waiting for a set of x'plorer MSO 36 to come in and I will probably set those up tubeless. \n \nI went on a mixed 30 mile ride today. It was half asphalt and half gravel. I wanted to see how it felt on both surfaces. I was very impressed how it handled. It's so much lighter than my Jamis was, it just feels like a rocket when you hammer on it. It handled the rough roads well. It has been raining off and on last few days. Lots of potholes and ruts. Handled like a champ. \n \nHere is a pic at the end of the ride. \n \n \n \n