evan the cdn

I'm thinking about building up a gravel bike. I'm leaning toward spending less on the frame (so aluminum) so that I have more left over for components. I've heard good things about the Topstone alloy frame so that was my first thought. After having a look around the Giant Revolt looks like a good option too.
Cannondale Topstone Sora (Canada)
Cannondale Topstone Sora (US)
Giant Revolt 2 (Canada)
Giant Revolt 2 (US)

Geometry - Similar in most areas except for the Revolt has 9mm taller stack and 5mm higher BB.
Fork - Both have carbon forks that I can't find any complaints about.
Thru-Axles - Both have 100mm front and back
Internal Cable Routing - Both have it.
Brake Mounts - Both have flat mount disc brakes.
Bottom Brackets - Revolt is press fit and Topstone is threaded.
Looks - Basically the same style and I like the colours of both base models.
Seatposts - The Revolt uses their proprietary D shaped seatpost which seems like a downside.
Price - The Revolt is about 8% cheaper.

Anybody know what the weights are for the framesets? The Topstone is listed as 10.3kg / 22.8lbs for the Sora build.

Any other input or opinions?

shoota 

See above in bold.

mstateglfr 

Specifically, what building are you looking to do on the bike? If you are wanting to add components that wont work for one/both of the bikes, itd be good to know now as that would affect your decision.

shoota 

Good catch and good question, I missed that.

evan the cdn

I was thinking 105 shifters and hydraulic brakes, XT rear derailleur, 1x Easton crank with 30mm spindle, XT 11-42 cassette and possibly Hunt wheels if I were to push the budget to the limit.

mstateglfr 

Thats basically changing the entire bike. Totally cool if you want to, but it may cost less to buy a frameset and build from there?
Also, XT rd wont work with 105 shifters without a work-around, just fyi.

https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/FROOSP...ravel-frameset first that came to mind, though carbon.
https://www.jensonusa.com/Niner-RLT-9-Frameset-2020 this too.

Admittedly, I dont keep up on aluminum gravel framesets.

evan the cdn

Yeah, I'm open to starting with a bare frameset but all that I found seemed to be really close in price (or more) than these two complete bikes and with the complete bikes I would be able to upgrade as I go (stem, bars, seatpost, etc). That Niner frame is the same price as the Topstone. Would it be that much better in quality? I'm also open to other good value frame recommendations. The budget needs to stay well below Open U.P. territory though.

Bummer! Thanks for the info. You just saved me a potentially expensive headache. I thought the current mtb and road 11 speed stuff all got along.

tangerineowl

Would the Vaast A1 complete be a suitable alternative to that route?

mstateglfr 

https://www.wolftoothcomponents.com/...roducts/tanpan

Basically, road and mtb dont work together past 9speed. There are a couple odd exceptions, but neither are truly full functioning drivetrains.

Use the link above to make 11sp mtb dr and 11sp road shifters work.

evan the cdn

Thanks. I've been watching Rides of Japan on Youtube. I didn't realize that the Di2 part of his setup was the magic sauce he used to get the XT derailleur to work with Ultegra levers. I guess the 600 and 800 level GRX is more of a big deal than I thought.

Hmmm

Topstone AL is beautiful. Revolt 2 is not.

Helderberg

Having not ridden the Revolt 2 this is a one sided remark. I ride the alloy Topstone 105 and have found the bike works very well as a complete system. In my case I have no intention of drastically changing much on the bike and Cannondale frame sizing fits me very well. Most of my rides are on pavement/packed gravel-sand and the bike is very predictable. So much that it has saved my butt more than once when I have tried a path that was beyond my experience. Good luck.
Frank.

shoota 

I'll also add that the stock Fabric saddle on the Topstone is very nice, especially for a stock saddle.

Steve B.

Curious what Cannondale charges for an aluminum Topstone frame ? and can you order one ?.

I have the aluminum 105 Topstone. I purchased this bike as it's a very good price for a great frame and good component choice. I doubt it';s cost effective to order a frame and parts and do a build. It might be easier to buy the built bike, swap to 1x and a 11-42 cassette, maybe a GRX rear derailer might work with a 105 shifter, not sure. Personally I don't get the 1x choice for gravel, thinking 2x is far more useful.

If I had had the money to burn I would order somebody elses frame (Surly, Soma, Kona.....) which might be cheaper than what C-Dale will want for the frame.

evan the cdn

Unfortunately, they don't sell just the frameset. I called my LBS about it.

It seems way easier to find steel framesets than aluminum. I've got a Specialized Sequoia right now. It's nice and cushy but I'm looking for something a little lighter and more responsive. That's why I'm leaning toward aluminum. I really like the green colour of the Topstone Sora so I think I'm pretty well decided on getting that one. I might ride it as-is for a while and just pick away at the components as I feel like it.

Steve B.

Well, there’s this route. Grab this and swap out whatever components you desire.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Cannondale-...MAAOSwN4VdzIHs

loheiman

Last summer I found someone selling a brand new topstone frameset (in the sora build green color) on Craigslist and he said he bought it from his LBS. Might have had a special connection but it's worth calling around if you really want one.

I built up a jamis renegade escape from a frameset and I've been very happy with it. It's steel (Reynolds) 631 and was only $849 from my LBS. I think it checks most of your boxes:

Geometry - Can't compare. On my phone.
Fork - Carbon fork.
Thru-Axles - 12mm x 100 front. 12 x 142 in back.
Internal Cable Routing. Yes except for rear derailleur cable.
Brake Mounts - flat mount disc brakes.
Bottom Brackets - Threaded (BSA 68mm)
Looks - Dark grey/black
Seatposts - Not proprietary
Price - $849

DarKris

Since I didn’t see much input for the Revolt I thought I’d add some since I own the Revolt 2:

• The BB is in fact threaded not press fit (the square tapered crankset was a big red flag)
• Tire clearance is huge. I ran 48mm tires on the stock 19mm internal rims and had enough room to get by.
• Can also fit 650b tires up to 50mm in the back and 55mm at the fork

EDIT: On the topic of the D-Fuse seatpost, unless you intend on running a dropper post, I've had no issues with this. It's also very comfortable so I don't see myself wishing that I could replace it at the moment. (I also had the carbon D-Fuse post on my Toughroad for a year+ with no issues)

My only gripe is with the Conduct brake system. Not because they are bad (because the braking performance is exceptional for this setup), but I basically have no way to figure out how to adjust or bleed them if necessary. I have GRX hydro levers that will go on and replace these so I won't be worried about that, but it is one annoying thing to deal with if you're a "home mechanic". If I wasn't, then these are perfectly fine in terms of actual real-world use.

evan the cdn

Update!

I decided to go with the Topstone Sora. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to strip it or ride it as is for a while.





Here's the weight of my size medium. This is with the reflectors removed and the free plastic pedals still installed.

Helderberg

Ride it as is. I have Sora on my second bike and it works well. The 105 on my Topstone is great gearing for my terrain and old legs. Ride it first and that will give you some real time feed back as to what needs to be changed and what you would want to maintain in the new build. Nice looking bike but I am more that a little biased.
Be safe, Frank.

shoota 

Still shipping with non-tubeless ready wheels?

evan the cdn

Correct. The 105 and Apex versions have tubeless ready wheels. With either one I would have been considering a different wheelset anyway so it didn't seem like too much of a downside for me.