Ride report;\n\n\nI took a short shake-out ride on the Serous Expert. The ride included some gravel, grass and wet mud. The bike performed very well, it's a well developed and designed product. The bike never felt cheap or slow and it handled the more challenging surfaces better than expected. I'll discuss the positives and the negatives. \n\n\nFeatures and experience;\n\n\nHandling: While the frameset is robust and stiff, the handling is ideal with high levels of responsiveness in tight turns, excellent stability on rougher surfaces at moderate to fast speeds and excellent handling and balance when the tires begin to slide. The route included both on-road, off-road and gravel road. The off-road section includes one grass and dirt covered downhill turn that is off-camber and has a double radius turn shape. This can be a tricky turn when dry. This morning the fastest part of the turn was damp, muddy and soft and the not-made-for-mud micro-block tires slid out twice. The first slide was easy to catch, both front and rear tires slid evenly and it was easy to straighten out the line and stay upright. The second slide required gentle braking and the bike remained upright and on line. I felt like a hero and I knew the bike was well designed for this kind of hooligan riding. Job well done by the design team.\n\nHaving said this, the frame is industrial-duty stiff and accurate feeling. Thru-axle wheels and a tapered headtube provide an all-business structure and the frameset is robustly built. The ride is not punishing but it's not plush in any way. I had the tires in the 50 psi range, so some ride comfort can be obtained by lowering the pressure. \n\nThe second positive result was observed while climbing. The route includes a few short-but-steep climbs. The first climb was loose gravel over damaged pavement, I usually need to stay seated to avoid spinning the back tire on the loose gravel. The Serous Expert maintained traction while I stood up and the climbing was smooth and easy. The second climb was playdough like clay and again I was able to smoothly stand on the pedals and climb. The forth climb was firm gravel, easy-peasy. The final climb was pavement. This climb was easy enough at a moderate pace. Overall, the bike is a steady climber with better than expected traction at all times. \n\nBraking and drivetrain: The Shimano hydraulic brakes are a radical improvement over road bike rim brakes and make those systems feel unsafe in comparison. Well worth the extra cost. The 2x11 drivetrain is flawless in it's action, but I do look forward to a 46 & 33 crankset that should come soon.\n\n\nI recently participated in a gravel event, the Rocheport Roubaix;\n
http://ridinggravel.com/forum/?p=post%2Frocheport-roubaix-gravel-ride-8398353%3Ftrail%3D25%232\n\n100 miles review;\n\nI have a good opinion of the Mongoose Selous Expert. In most qualities it's an advanced gravel bike and superior to some bikes sold for more than twice it's $1078.00 purchase price. The benefits of the Shimano Hydraulic disc brakes and the reliability of the tubeless rims and tires are sufficient to justify the investment. The traction and ideal handling qualities are also worthwhile, the bike feels fully developed and well thought out.\n\nI do miss the pure speed available from a carbon bike and will continue to use my lighter weight cantilevered brake Cyclocross bike with slicks on routes that 50/50 paved/gravel. I'll need expert skills and a little luck when riding softer gravel on a Carbon Cyclocross bikes on fast rolling tires, but the speed on pavement will mitigate the caution needed in soft gravel. \n\nThe Mongoose Selous Expert will be my go-to bike for local off-road riding and for Gravel events that are 90% gravel. My local off-road riding includes grassy Cyclocross conditions and single-track. The Mongoose Selous Expert will be ideal when speed while on pavement is not important. \n\nThe Mongoose delivers super-reliable braking, trouble free tubeless tire performance and industrial grade toughness and durability in a high-value well-designed package. The combination of a moderately heavy frameset and knobby tires means you will be working harder to keep pace with lighter carbon bikes on riskier low rolling resistance tires while on pavement. However, I won't be as worried about handling or braking control and 25-35mph descents on gravel will be taken with improved safety.
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