New Kestrel TerX

Hello,

I m in the market for a new gravel bike.  I found this one at bikesdirect.  Its new so I couldnt find any reviews.   I know nothing about what to be looking for in a gravel bike.

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/kestrel/cyclocross-bikes/kestrel-terx-discbrake-carbon-cross-bikes.htm

If you would, reply if its going to be a decent bike for long trips on the gravel. 

Thanks!  

I’m no expert - not having ridden too many ‘gravel’ bikes, but going by the numbers and specs, I think it looks superb! For my riding, I reckon it’s spot on. Nice looking rig too :-)

I'm also intrigued by this bike - it's a hell of a deal. The spec is pretty amazing for the price. Bikes Direct is billing it as a cross bike, but I really think this may be Kestrel's entry into the gravel bike segment. The geometry is similar to many gravel bikes.

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/kestrel/cyclocross-bikes/kestrel-carbon-cross-geo.gif

It has a reasonably high stack and low reach, the wheelbase is longer than many gravel frames, and the trail is 68 with a 35mm tire, which, while perhaps not ideal, is comparable to other gravel frames (Niner RLT Steal is 73). BB drop is a little on the lower end at 67, but again not too far off from other frames (70-75 seems to be the average). And it has mounts for front and rear racks and it seems three bottle cages - one on the top tube, which I haven't seen before. I also like the 1x setup - most gravel bikes are 2x. 

I'm not sure what the maximum tire width is - sent an email to Kestrel asking if they know. They don't have any info on their site about the bike, but the picture at BD suggests it's MY2019 (says "confidential" on the picture). It could be a Bikes Direct exclusive. 

Would love to hear other folks' thoughts on this bike. 

UPDATE: Confirmed with BikesDirect - 700x45 Max Tire width. That's pretty great. And this is a BikesDirect exclusive. 

Looks like a copy of the Bombtrack EXT-C to me (which is a nice looking rig).

Yeah, it's similar to the Bombtrack EXT-C - but the geometry may be even closer to the Gravel-bike ideal in terms of trail at least (BB drop though is 3mm less - not sure how much of a difference that makes). And it comes specced with Force components (vs. Rival), a Stan's wheelset, and it's $1000 less. 

I'm thinking this bike is definitely worth a try. I've ridden Kestrels before - fine bikes. 

I guess what I am saying to the OP is look up reviews on the Bombtrack EXT-C because I bet this is the same frame.

I'm pretty sure it's not the same frame - different geometry and slightly different shape on the seat tube. Kestrel has their own designs. 

You know, I think I may have had the BombTrack confused with something else - my apologies. The frames have identical geometries.

What concerns me is the standover height - 790mm for a 52cm frame. That just seems awfully high. I'm 5'7 and my standover is around 775mm, but the 49cm seems to small.

I received this bike in a 52cm and it is really BIG.   I touch the top tube pretty hard when flat footed.  I have a 69cm saddle height and there isnt much seat post sticking out  and the stock 80mm stem fits perfectly (I fully expected to switch this out to a 100mm stem).  I havent had it out for a ride so I dont know how it will handle on and off road but now I have serious case of "my bike is way too big" syndrome.

Oh, bummer - sorry to hear that. And I just ordered a 52cm myself. I was concerned about the standover height, now I really am. 

What is your inseam? 

Barefoot is 30.5".  

Can anyone who has this bike weigh it? I'd love to be able to compare it to other options out there

I bought the 52cm - weight with a set of Industry Nine AR25 TRA wheels and Schwalbe G One 700x38 tires is 18.34 lbs. That includes Crank Brothers Candy 3 pedals. My guess is that the Stan's Grails / Grifos it comes with would push it to around 19 lbs. And those wheels are really nice (just not as nice as I9s). Any one who wants them - $450 for the set including rotors and tires, unused. Just shoot me a pm. 

Point is: it's a light bike, especially if you upgrade the wheels. It'd be easy to get it under 18 lbs with a carbon seat post, bars, and lighter pedals. The I9 wheels are light, but you could probably build yourself a set of carbon wheels at 24/28 and shed another 150 grams. 

I've only had it out for 15 road miles - rides great, faster than I thought, and really comfy - takes up the bumps and vibrations very well. I will likely put an 11-36 on the back and a 38 up front for serious trail riding trips in more mountainous areas. But the 11-32/42 it comes with is a good combination for the terrain around here. Saddle is okay - probably not for me, but saddles are usually the first thing to be changed out. 

I don't think there's any other gravel bike out there that comes close in terms of spec and overall value. Compare this to the BombTrack, which uses Rival and Hunt wheels and costs $1000 more. I don't know how BikesDirect does it, but it's $2099 for a bike like this, delivered, is just a stupid good deal.  

Frame looks very similar to my Rodeo Labs Trail Donkey (also built in Taiwan).

sbh1973 wrote:Any one who wants them - $450 for the set including rotors and tires, unused. Just shoot me a pm. 
 

PM sent.

Texasbbq wrote:Frame looks very similar to my Rodeo Labs Trail Donkey (also built in Taiwan).

It's similar to be sure, but not quite the same. And for $300 less than the frameset you also get a fully built bike with mid-high end components. I honestly don't think there's a better deal out there right now on a carbon gravel bike, probably nothing comes close. I'm betting these sell out quickly. 

I just got out for another short ride - this is a seriously fun, fast, comfy bike to ride. I didn't want to stop riding. 

Hi - 

First time posting in here. 

To those of you who bought the 52cm... if you had it to do over again, would you get the 49 cm? 

I'm 5' 6", and have a 52 cm Kestrel Evoke SL road bike and a 52 cm Motobecane Fantom Cross Ti.  Both fit well enough, but w/o much exposed seatpost  or standover clearance (while adequate) could be better.

Reading the comments here about the 52 cm TerX, I'm suddenly thinking I should lean toward the 49.  The effective top tube length on the 49 is 1 cm shorter than both bikes mentioned above, and I think I can live with that - but I'd appreciate any insight from anyone who's spent some time on the bike.  I'm afraid the standover would be too high on a 52!

Cheers!

Joe

Hi, 

I'm 5'7, inseam 30.5. I went with the 52 because the 49 just seemed to small for me. The standover is tight - just enough clearance, but the rest of the bike fits perfectly. You ride a bike, don't stand over it. 😉 I could probably have gone either way, but am glad I went with the 52.

This really is a great bike and as far as I can tell nothing comes close to it in terms of value. Everyone who's seen it comments on how cool it looks. Rides really nice - very happy with the purchase.

Stick wrote:Hi - 

First time posting in here. 

To those of you who bought the 52cm... if you had it to do over again, would you get the 49 cm? 

I'm 5' 6", and have a 52 cm Kestrel Evoke SL road bike and a 52 cm Motobecane Fantom Cross Ti.  Both fit well enough, but w/o much exposed seatpost  or standover clearance (while adequate) could be better.

Reading the comments here about the 52 cm TerX, I'm suddenly thinking I should lean toward the 49.  The effective top tube length on the 49 is 1 cm shorter than both bikes mentioned above, and I think I can live with that - but I'd appreciate any insight from anyone who's spent some time on the bike.  I'm afraid the standover would be too high on a 52!

Cheers!

Joe

I am looking to purchase the Kestrel gravel bike from bike direct and looking for feedback from kestrel owners?