New bike for a newbie
 

I'm looking to buy my first bike that will primarily be used in the city (70%-80%) and on light trails (20%-30%). Started researching a couple of weeks ago and stumbled upon this forum and now looking forward to learning more about these machines. I have tested 3 bikes so far - 1) Kona Rove (felt stable though sore bottom) 2) Giant Revolt 2 (didn't feel comfortable going over bumps) 3) Cervelo Aspero (could feel the difference in weight vs Rove). I have been suggested to get a better drivetrain and hence been looking at other options available currently including GRX and Apex 1.

My preference would be 1x though better drivetrain takes precedence, so including 2x as well in the analysis given limited availability. I'm not sure about the frame though given the options of steel vs carbon. These are some of the bikes available locally and now I'm confused in terms of which one provides better value/specs amongst these. I'll be test riding these over the next 2-3 days, so any tips will be helpful. Based on my limited understanding, GRX is a better drivetrain but not available in 1x at the moment. Will really appreciate any inputs or pointers in my bike search. Thanks

Kona Sutra ULTD
All City Cosmic Stallion GRX
Salsa Wabird Carbon GRX
Cervelo Aspero Apex 1
Trek Checkpoint SL5
Kona Rove DL (no disc brake but including to see the difference)

Get the Kona Rove, all day long. Perfect for your needs, great handling, nice build. I like the Cosmic Stallion, but approach All-City's sizing with care. Your other choices are seriously over-biked for what you're going to do with it.

The Sutra ULTD is a great bike, but do you need a dropper post and 2.25" tires for urban and light trails?
The Salsa Warbird and the Cervelo Aspero are hardcore gravel racing bikes.
The Trek is an "epic adventure bike."

For your first foray into the gravel bike thing, I think spending upwards of four grand is foolish. Those are bikes you can upgrade to later, when your needs demand that kind of performance.

All nice bikes on your list. I would strongly consider getting the bike that fits you the best when test riding - treat it like a blind test where you don't know which bike you are on.

Thanks for your thoughts! Yeah, I'm thinking of getting Kona Rove DL (preferring steel over carbon) unless any of the other bikes really stand out. Will be test riding a bunch of these tomorrow, so hopefully will have a better idea by then.

That makes sense. Will go with an open mind without focusing on specs and see which one feels the best. Thanks

FWIW, I've never ridden a Kona I didn't like. Whether mountain or gravel, they just seem to know the formula for designing great-handling bikes. And their steel frames are excellent - I've owned two.

My main ride is a 2019 Rove ST, which is a previous incarnation of the DL. I can't rave about this bike enough. It has that "thing" in the ride quality that I look for in a steel bike. I know some folks with hi-end custom steel bikes who concur Kona got it right with these frames. This bike is comfy, tough, and fun. I ride mine in some serious rough where I probably shouldn't, but on the road it's perfectly capable for long days.
The bang for buck is incredible--I've changed a number of things on mine over time making it "mine" but stock it is appointed perfectly fine (nice that it comes w Ventures now--great all-around tires). Set that baby up tubeless and you'll be a happy camper. The new color is nice too!

Since you're totally undecided on what you want, and don't really know what you need from experience, it makes a lot more sense to buy an entry level bike around $1,000 that fits right as the main decider. You can't be happy on any bike that doesn't fit right, and it make no sense to spend $2-3K+ on a bike you might not like anyway. You don't lose much money flipping an entry level bike after a season, and then you know later exactly what you want from experience if an upgrade is in order.

I prefer 2x gearing if riding mostly on the road.
Stock is out or so low on so many bikes. I was looking at Marin and a few other gravel type bikes to ride about the same as you 70/30 road to gravel.
Ended up buying a Triban 520 with 105 online for $1200. Yeah, it is listed as a road bike, but it can fit a 36/38 size tire. I also know my size, which makes it easier to shop either LBS or DTC. The Kona looks like a really nice bike and I never got around to calling a Kona dealer to see what was available.

Just a quick update - I test rode multiple bikes yesterday including Rove AL, Sutra, Sutra ULTD, Cosmic Stallion, Warbird GRX and Checkpoint SL5. The first key learning was the wrong size I was given earlier to test the first 3 bikes (Rove, Giant Revolt 2...), which were 54. Size 52 works much better for me and thankfully no more sore bottom after test riding each of these 6 bikes for 15-20 mins.

My LBS also had Rove DL frame, so considered building it with same specs as to Rove LTD but the owner suggested against it given difficulty in sourcing parts and likely 10%-15% higher cost vs fully spec'ed bike.

It finally came down to Sutra ULTD and Cosmic Stallion. First on Sutra ULTD, what a bike! Seriously it felt like you're driving on a flat surface irrespective of the terrain, thanks to those 2.25" tires. Extremely comfortable and dropper function seems handy while trying to come to a full halt. Think it lacked top acceleration though not a slow bike in any sense as well as felt like there were bigger jumps between gears due to 1x drivetrain.

So, ended up buying Cosmic Stallion GRX! Pics soon. I simply loved riding the bike....something I can see myself spending a lot of seat time on! What I really liked was that the bike felt stable and comfortable as well as great acceleration and cornering abilities. While test riding all these bikes, I realized Shimano worked better for me vs SRAM along with preference for smaller jumps on the 2x drivetrain. As a new biker who is still learning, thought smaller jumps made it more intuitive and easy when moving from flat to uphill terrain.

Thanks to everyone who provided their input, really appreciate it!! And I agree with Rolla , while test riding all these bikes felt like Kona ones are very well made! I definitely wanted to get one (was a difficult decision to not buy the ULTD) but lack of inventory is crazy right now. Really happy with the purchase and hoping to ride it for the next few years with no major upgrades planned!!

Glad you ended up with something you're happy with! Enjoy! :thumb:

That is great - glad you found what you wanted, in your size, and in stock! I think you'll love the 2x. 1x is fasionable, but no real downsides to 2x - besides - the sharp and snappy gear changes of an shimano drive train (with small jumps) just makes my heart sing - its like having a DCT (Dual Clutch Transmission) on my bike - quick, sharp and precise!

A buddy had a Rove, its heavy, like over 25 lbs. He sold it, got a Cannondale Topstone Aluminum 105, lighter at 22 lbs and change. I too got a Topstone, love it.

Congrats on the new ride! The Stallion is a great bike, and great-looking too. Glad you got your size sorted out too before buying - that's a pretty big deal (I should know, I've bought a couple bikes too large in the past).

Good choice with a great drivetrain and brakes. You won’t be disappointed.