Update after a year and 3000km. Been a great bike stock exempt the 32 gravel kings and Fenders. Bike handles the payment and gravel equally well. Brakes stop on a dime and save my ass when a car went through a stop sign in front of me. No mechanical issues at all. Chain changed at 2000 km. I ride in mud a lot no issue on parts and performance. As fast as my carbon road bike. Love to hear from other owners.
I'm on a 2015 Search Ultegra. Love this bike. Two Belgian Waffle rides, at least three other centuries, one Mt. Lemmon climb on 28's. Commuter special, gravel rides on schwalbe 38's. Boadicea does it all. Really love this bike! Oh, and I've put 5,940 miles on her to date.
Btw, This bike was never intended to be a "Gravel" bike, but rather an all around or all road bike. I get the impression that the Gravel purists ride on a minimum of 40mm tyres, which this bike cannot handle (maybe on the front it could). The 38's I have measure out to 39 mm on the Reynolds ATR rims.
That said it was used to get a second place in the women's Cat at Dirty Kanza 2016. So maybe in the right hands it is a capable tool.
For the way I use the bike which is mixed road riding it is practically perfect in every way!
I've done two Belgian Waffle Rides and a metric crap load of fire road and single track through the Santa Monica mountains. I'm reg'd for the Rock Cobbler and Strada Rosso for which it will work just fine, probably better than me!
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