Christ D. wrote: Thinking of getting a gravel/tour bike in aluminum with a carbon fork.
There are a lot of choices out there. I ride an Aluminum frame carbon fork Raleigh Willard 2016 model and it is the most comfortable riding bike I have ever ridden. Coming up on 1000 miles with no issues. Great bike very easy going , user friendly and quick. Light touring no problem, fully loaded, not sure about that but if it is my only option then why not. Graphite is interesting for a light tourer.
So many choices. Now is a good time to buy with new models coming out. Dealers will start clearing inventory. try and narrow your choices down to make things easier on your self, budget ,build, etc...
Looks nice on paper, some good specs and build. I never heard of Mango bikes until now. Maybe a test ride is in order. I see it is a direct to buyer company. My advice is to try and seek out mango owners and ask them for opinions. The geometry looks pretty much middle of the road gravel bike.
Well , i talked to some people owning the road or allroad version , besides some minor issues (broken cables , a bend derailleur on delivery , wich was replaced by Mango right away), most of them were pleased with the bike.
My $.02 -- it's not frame material per se, but rather the quality of the design and manufacturing that counts. Especially for GG and touring - your stated purpose -- you will get much better price performance in either hydro-formed alu, or a high quality steel frame. To wit, I recently purchased a Lemond Washoe steel road bike, as well as an alu DB Haanjo Comp gravel grinder, and have been delighted with them. Not to say that you can't get a great carbon or Ti GG bike. Just be prepared to spend a lot more for a quality Ti or carbon bike, with an equivalent component package. You'll save the weight of perhaps one or two full water bottles, but your wallet will be much lighter as well. Remember also, that ride quality is influenced far more by your tires, than by your frame or wheels. IMHO a good set of 40 mm tubeless GG tires at 35 psi will do much more to give you ride comfort than a trick carbon or Ti frame.
I know a lot of riders like 40's @low psi but to slow for me on hardpack or paved sections. maybe if I lived in gravel country I would change my tune but there are some nice 35 and 36's out now. My bike is comfy riding all tires, I just discovered Gones in 35 and they are darn good.
I've had the chance to demo a Spesh Diverge (alu version) a couple of weeks ago . With 28c tyres and way to much pressure i wasn't impressed with the comfort or riding in general . But with 30c tyres mounted and about 45psi it road so much better , even more comfortable than my carbon roadbike.
I talked to a guy on phone at Mango bike last week and he assured me the smll would be perfect. Same tt than my roadbike but shorter ST . Still in doubt but i think i'm going for the Mango. The Specialized i tried was alu with a Tiagra group for 600€ more.
You'll get lots of opinions, but I've got a Bianchi All-Road 105 Disc - alu frame with carbon fork and love it. It lists for $1900. http://www.bianchiusa.com/bikes/road/all-road/all-road-105-disc/ I don't race, but I ride very aggressively in hilly terrain.
Depending on your weight, riding style, whether you'll race or not etc., just know that you really get what you pay for. I'd take a quality alu or steel frame over an inexpensive carbon frame any day. It's not in stone, but IMHO, I'd shy away from carbon frames that list for under $2500 (with at least a 105 groupset build).
I'm pretty new to this gravel riding but at 62 I've been riding awhile. I "just had to have" a carbon road bike back when Lance was all the rage and rode it perhaps a dozen times. Hated it.
\nNow riding a steel Salsa Vaya and love it. Where we live, SW Wisconsin, we have amazing hill climbs out of lush valleys and roads that go from asphalt to gravel without warning. The Vaya seems to be good for both and gives me enough confidence to let it go down gravel.
\nI'm sold and it's the bike that got me back riding.
I ride an alu cx bike which has carbon forks. I ride it for both cx and gravel and the occasional paved transit, but not singletrack. I agree that with larger tires than typically found on a dedicated pavement race bike, aired down by half, aluminum works very well as a frame material.
I have never even pedaled a carbon cx bike. I bet the carbon frame has some advantages for actual cx racing. But the advantage would be very nuanced. Slightly lighter carry and perhaps would handle uneven turf better - perhaps.
For gravel riding & racing, I bet it doesn't truly matter. Ted King just won Kanza on an alu 650b!
I'm so happy with it, I'm not really thinking of a carbon frame upgrade. I ride a 2015 trek crockett 7. I don't feel I'm missing out on much. I'm sure if I spent the extra $1,000 for the carbon boone, I would have a lighter bike and it would be the very best of the breed. But, I don't feel I'm missing out out on anything. I feel my cx geometry provides excellent stability (on gravel or cx) and I feel very comfortable at all times not touching brakes to a greater degree than my fellow riders on sketchy gravel.
Instead of upgrading my crockett, I'm thinking of getting into a SSCX bike, which will probably also be alu w/crabon forx.
Ordered the Mango Point AR (Allroad) with the 105 groupset. Can't go wrong i guess . If i want to go fast and race i'll take my carbon roadbike . The reason for getting a bike like the Mango is that i often went offroad with my carbon roadbike (25c tyres) but wanted something that's actually made for it.
One other thought - It seems like the comments on this topic can be summed up by saying that for many of us, the extra cost of a good carbon frame just isn't worth it. We haven't talked that much about Ti; but my guess is that we could say the same thing about costly Ti frames. But, that still leaves the question -- which steel or alu frames? The sad truth, is that almost all frames - regardless of material are manufactured in Asia. How are you to know if the frame you are buying is well designed, and manufactured with high quality materials in factories with high QC standards? I don't know the answer to my own question. My advice though, is to stick with "name" brands through reputable suppliers. Companies like Diamondback, Specialized, Trek, Jamis etc. have a brand name equity to protect. Hopefully, they have long term business relationships with Asian companies, insist on high QC standards, and have serious design and testing capabilities. Otherwise, keep reading the reviews here; or on sites like Gravel Cyclist.com.
My first mountainbike (16y ago) was an aluminum frame wich was also used by Specialized . I rode it for 10years without any problems. I'm pretty confident the Mango will do just fine for what i'm gonne do with it.
Titanium is awesome i know , but already bought a new bike last march so was a bit on a budget for this one.
I was lucky enough to have extra cash available to buy a '15 Salsa Vaya it which I've been riding now for approx 10 months. I've never been happier. I've added a couple of Revelate bags and have my ultimate gravel/ road bike.
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\nRich
IMHO the differences between frame materials are similar to road riding. CF is lightest but Ti, steel and aluminium all work great. As others posted it's more important to get a bike with the geometry which provides the desired handling and features than the material used by the builder. For example, do you want a bike which can keep up with the local racers by simply swapping out the wheel set to some carbon rims with light 25's? If you frequently encounter mud then perhaps extra clearance is critical - many GG capable CX bikes barely fit 35's. Few CX bikes have eyelets for fenders or racks. Touring bikes have tons of mounts and tend to have extra long wheelbases - some such as the Surly Long Haul Trucker also have clearance for 45c tires.
A steel frame and fork will add about 3 to 4 pounds versus a high performance carbon CX bike. Ti will save about a pound. A carbon fork will save up to a pound over a steel fork.
I just replaced the steel fork on my Ti Dean CX bike - saved about a pound and a HUGE difference in ride. Converting the handlebars and seat post from Al to CF also made a big difference in the feel of the ride. Carbon damps high frequency vibration - no it does not replace the shocks of a mountain bike so washboard still sucks. Hope this helps
Well , after some rides on the Mango i'm very pleased. Shifting is superb and brakes are great too. It weighs just under 10kg with pedals , two bottlecages , garmin mount and a bell. Pedals really nice and is surprisingly fast.
Doesn't have the looks of a high-tech carbon gravelracer , but that wasn't my plan .
![[biggrin]](http://cdn.websitetoolbox.com/images/boards/smilies/biggrin.gif "Big Grin - :D")