Quality SSCX
My gravel bike was recently completely destroyed in a bad crash. As a result, I'm back on the market for a new gravel bike. I'll use the bike for fast/flat road/gravel training and several 3-4 hour flat gravel events a year. I won't race cross on it. I don't need rack mounts and I'm not going to mount fenders on this bike.
Here are my preferences:
- Budget is $2K-$2.5K
- Single speed
- Steel frame yes, aluminum maybe, carbon maybe, Ti in my dreams (looks wistfully at the No22/Firefly/Moots)
- Room for big tires (preferably up to 45s)
- Threaded BB
- I don't mind a custom build, starting with a frameset is fine
- I want to bring it in around 21-22 lbs, but I prioritize reliability and quality over weight savings
- Fairly racy geometry: I like road/CX race geometry: about 4" of saddle to bar drop, ~73 parallel angles and short chainstays. I don't want ultra-steep true track geometry.
- I like disc brakes a great deal but I'm a little suspect of the idea of disc brakes on a SSCX bike as aligning the rotor while tensioning the chain seems like a total pain. I don't mind cantis, not a lot of braking around here.
I have a Kilo WT that I like, but that's a budget bike and a bit of a pig. I want something higher quality and a significantly racier. I really like the Nature Boy 853, it has some interesting rear dropouts that might make aligning the rotor a bit easier. The upcoming Wabi Thunder looks right up my alley and will likely come in well below the top end of my budget but might be a little too commuter-y for me. Beyond that, what are some other options?
Last edited by Hiro11; 11-04-17 at 03:34 PM.