Gravel novice choosing between carbon, aluminium, and steel

This year I want to get more into the gravel scene after doing my first event last fall and having a blast. I registered today for the Dirty Kanza, just not the 200 mile route. I want to use a better suited bike than my current hardtail moutain bike though. \n \nI'm considering the Giant Anyroad CoMax, the Cannondale CAADX 105, and the Fuji Jari 1.5. \n \nThe Anyroad seems like a great bike and I found it comfortable. It has the widest gear range of the three which I love. But it has a girly look in my opinion and it's kind of heavy despite being composite. \n \nThe CAADX is sexy and light but the cyclocross geometry might get old at the end of a long day. People like to say Aluminum gives a harsh ride, not sure how true that really is tough. \n \nThe Jari is a new bike so not as much info on it outside of Fugi's website. It has a Rival 1x drivetrain and I worry I might want more gears. I'm not as familiar with Sram's lineup as I am Shimano. But some people swear by steel frames so I'm excited to check it out. \n \nAny advice or comments that could help me decide on my next rig? Like I said I'm relatively new to cycling.

I think if you're relatively new to cycling in general, then to me, nailing down the geometry which suits your body/riding style has to be number one, prior to looking at bikes.

It will probably take you a little while for your body to adapt to the road bike position.

I've used some online body/frame calculators in the past, which for me were fairly accurate, looking back.
Then I went looking at bikes and their geo e.g. seat tube angle / effective top tube / stack / reach.

Just my thoughts.

Are you able to test ride any of these bikes?  My suggestion  is to ride as many bikes as you can to get a feel for what is most comfortable for you. 

I seem to be a broken record, but I always recommend that when buying a new gravel bike that you don't buy anything that doesn't have clearance for at least a 40c tire.  Especially for Dirty Kanza, which is especially tough on tires.  The Giant and Cannondale are just not good gravel bikes, and they weren't designed to be gravel bikes.  They both have racy geometry and not much tire room (especially the Giant).  The Fuji is definitely the best tool for the job out of the bikes you listed.  

I'm with ljsmith on this one.  tire clearance is a must, the more the better.  If it won't take a 40c tire it's not a contender, period.  You also want at least a 70mm BB drop, 75mmis better.

+1 for more tire (mud) clearance.  

I would also strongly suggest test riding the bikes before making a decision. Also try to have the bike setup the way it'll be used. Most CX bikes on the showroom floor will have 33mm tires - the feel and steering will be different if you're riding 40's or 42's.

For geometry I'd suggest stable, predictable and forgiving.  Bike reviewers too often rave over a bike's responsiveness and quickness - these are not what I care about when drifting through a series of s-turns or when forced to make a sudden change my line on a fast descent...  

Whether or not 1-by gearing works for you will depend upon your fitness level, terrain (how steep and long are the hills?), how you ride (race? casual?), and of course budget.  The 1x12 stuff is expensive - IMO 1x11 is too few gears for gravel and road.  I find that I prefer larger jumps between gears when on gravel than on the road - on the mtb I'm usually looking for even larger jumps than gravel.  In fact my gear needs for gravel lie between my road and mtb bikes: smaller top gear (never need a 52x11), larger low gear (24x34 is way too low for my gravel rides).

Cheers,
Greg

Just to throw another option in the hat...take a look at the Jamis bikes. I have a Renegade and it's a really good bike for doing longer rides and can take 40c tires no problem.

Agree with the points on frame geo and max-tire fit.

Thing is, as you continue riding/developing your position on the bike, you may find yourself wanting to get a bit lower on the bike.
e.g. the Giant would be nice and cruisy (higher position), but it would allow you to drop the bar height a bit.

The Cannondale; you're fairly low from the start.

My $.02: I'm a big fan of Tom Ritchey. For a race like DK the steel Swiss Cross Disc might be a perfect ride. I know that it is a CX race bike, but it will fit 40mm gravel tires (I can run 40 mm Ramblers on it), handles very well, and the triple butted CroMo tube set is both light weight and tough as nails. You'll also save a lot of money vs. similarly equipped high quality carbon rides.

NoCoGreg wrote:
....For geometry I'd suggest stable, predictable and forgiving.  Bike reviewers too often rave over a bike's responsiveness and quickness - these are not what I care about when drifting through a series of s-turns or when forced to make a sudden change my line on a fast descent...  

Nor on an 6-8-hour ride.

For those that continue to insist that any difference between a CX bike and a purpose-built gravel bike is just marketing, THIS is the real-world difference.

Smithhammer wrote:

Nor on an 6-8-hour ride.

For those that continue to insist that any difference between a CX bike and a purpose-built gravel bike is just marketing, THIS is the real-world difference.

\n \nIt seems like using a gravel bike on a cross course is more palatable than using a cross bike for long mixed/gravel rides. Not that there's anything wrong with having a bike for everything. :^)

GSPChilliwack wrote: It seems like using a gravel bike on a cross course is more palatable than using a cross bike for long mixed/gravel rides. Not that there's anything wrong with having a bike for everything. :^)

That tends to be my preference.

Which is not to say that you can't use a CX bike for all of the above. Obviously, lots of people do, and are totally happy with that. But I do think that the subtle tweaks to lengthen the wheelbase a bit, slacken out the geo a bit, etc. make a difference on long days. And esp. on long multi-days...

Check out the Raleigh Willard or Tamland they come in many flavors. A great all around bike that doesn't cost a fortune and can take a beating while giving a rather cush ride. Below a light one track day out with skinny tires too woo hoo

I've only got one thing to say about the Jari. I got to try it out on the cobblestoned streets of the meatpacking district in NYC and compared it against a jamis renegade in steel (carbon fork). Figure .75 miles on each bike. The Jari utterly destroyed the Renegade when it came to smoothness and control, and not by a small margin at all. My 1.5 arrives at my LBS on Tuesday. \n \nHowever, pay attention to the sizing and geometry. My giant revolt and specialized roubaix are both 56cm bikes, as was the Jamis which fit perfectly. The Jari is deceptively big. In consultation with my lbs, I've ordered a 54cm and am going to use a long stem. The 56 Jari would lead to a hell of a nutcracker on a bad hit. For reference, I'm 6'0" with a 31" inseam. The cross bar was hitting my groin in my cycling tights.

I'm the OP and I ended up getting the Jari 1.5. The weather has sucked lately so I've only been able to put about 40 miles on it so far. I've been impressed though. It handles well and is very responsive when I put the power through the pedals.

 

Congrat's on the new ride! 

Nice pick up...enjoy the hell out of it. 

may the weather clear up and your rides get long!

I'll tell you what, I love the bike but my only complaint is that stupid rubber pad under the top tube to "increase comfort when portaging the bike." They basically took a piece of inner tube and glued it on with the cheapest, weakest adhesive they could find. The pad ripped off when I shouldered the bike the first time. Now I need some Goo Gone to clean off the rest of the adhesive. They did the same thing in the chain stay to protect it. It was a decent idea, just poorly executed. If they couldn't do it right, they shouldn't even have messed with it.

It was falling off in the shop when I test rode the bike.  I fully agree.  I didn't know about the chain stay.  this is good to know.