Tyestick

Looking to purchase a new bike soon.

My current bike is a 2013 Giant Defy 1. Aluminum frame w/ 105 group set.

I’m open to stocking with a road bike, or something x-cross.

I’d like to stay between Niner and Giant.

Conditions which need to be met:

1. Composite frame
2. Hydraulic disk brakes
3 At the minimum, 105 or similar group set

First picks that come to mind are:

Giant TCX Advanced Pro 2 (2017, or 2018)

Niner RLT 3-Star (Has aluminum frame)
The reason Niner is on the list, is because it’s a damn nice bike, and the bike shop has told me they’ll give me a steal of a deal on it. It also has a really nice stock wheel set.

What are some other bikes to look at?

Road bikes I look at, with the options I want, look to be a bit out of my price range.

PumpedUpKicks

hey tye, I was wondering if you'd bought a bike yet?

I'm currently shopping and planning on buying early 2018 or spring.

My list of requirements is the same as yours and also includes thru axles.

I am also considering the same bikes. I like the Niner RLT. Niner makes a fine ride. However, I've looked at the RLT Steel (Reynolds 853) and the RDO carbon. I do NOT want an aluminum bike. Also keep in mind the warranty. Niner has a 5 year warranty.
The Giant is at the top of my list right now. For the same money, you get a very nice build spec and the nice carbon frame with a lifetime warranty. The advanced pro 1 comes with composite wheels. For $3700, Sram Force 1 and composite frame and wheels is a steal of a deal.
Also on my list is the Santa Cruz Stigmata rival build. I have a SC mountain bike and the quality of the carbon and attention to detail is impressive. SC also does a lifetime warranty.
The last bike on my list is the salsa warbird. They have apex and rival builds and in person they are nice bikes.
I still think the Giant is the best deal.
Let me know what you think or what you bought!

Tyestick

I did purchase a bike. I went with the Niner.

$1,465.00 out the door.

I wanted a Giant, but with the hydraulic components and thru axels, I couldn’t find another bike that came close to being being in the same price range.

Here’s the link to my purchase:

My 2016 RLT

PumpedUpKicks

I saw the other thread today with pics of your bike. Beautiful ride! I would've made the same choice. Hope you enjoy it! I'd like to hear what you think about it after a few months. Like I said I'm looking to buy a cyclocross/gravel gravel bike and Niner is one on my short list. Thanks!

Tyestick

I love the Giant TCX... It had pretty much met all my criteria.
It has internal cable routing, composite frame, tubeless tires, and SRAM hydraulic disc brakes.
I also like the way the hood levers compared to Giant’s ‘conduct hydraulic levers’. I don’t care much for the bulbous look.

At $2,600 though, it was just a bit out of my price range. Perfect bike though. Sure, I could have gotten it a bit lower in price, but the shop didn’t have the room to move on the price like they did with the Niner.

At $1,465 for the Niner, I could t say no. It’s a 59cm frame size. Sram Rival components, and thru axels front and back. 2016 was the first year for front and back thru axels. I’m a heavier guy, at around 230-240’ish, so the thru axels were a good choice for me. Helps from keeping the bike from flexing too much, and causing any disc rotor rub.

The tires that originally came with the RLT were 33’s. I swapped them out, and went with 40’s. Front and back.

For the Rival components, on other competitors, I was looking at anywhere from $2600-$3400.

The Niner at $1465 was a good deal to me. I look forward to putting more time on it.