That "Perfect" Gravel Bike
 

I know the "perfect" bike doesn't exist since with all areas of cycling there's always a tradeoff between weight, aero, and in gravel what I'd call confidence/comfort.


Figured I could use the help of the wonderful forums for some ideas/options I might be missing from my list.

I've been riding my Trek Chekpoint SL7 the past couple years, and while I love it the bike feels a little heavy and a little clunky at times

Right now built up with a mullet ultegra/xtr setup it comes in at a few grams over 20lbs w pedals and cages


The goal for my next gravel rig is the lightest bike possible but still remaining confidence inspiring.

I am not racing nor do I plan on it but at 126lbs the difference on a 20lb bike to a 16lb bike is absolutely massive for me.

I stay away from insanely technical stuff and right now my biggest need is a bike that'll help me feel comfortable and safe descending the loose stuff while being comfortable to be on those 5hr+ days and not be a total slog on the tarmac.


It doesn't help that I have an Aethos for road so when switching back to the checkpoint it couldn't feel more extreme.


In the past I'd looked for only the lightest gravel bikes which got me to the obvious ones like the S Works Crux, Open UPPER not to mention Lauf Ultimate, Scott Addict yada yada but recently I've stumbled onto Alchemy Bikes which made me realize there are tons of lesser known brands we likely all skip over.

I'd never even heard of Alchemy, and the specs on their Lycos look pretty awesome but I'm sure there are way way more things.


Nevertheless my goals would be:

-17lbs or less

-ability to run 2x

-42mm min clearance

-confidence inspiring on descents


Maybe this doesn't exist!

I'll be using the wheels from my current build (Roval Terra CLX) so that'l help with weight but wondering what everyones thoughts are on the options out there!

if I was buying a gravel bike today it would be a BMC Kaius 01, but I'd race it.


you probably should consider a Crux since you like your aethos .. I've seen 2x setups on those.

How big can the ethos fit ? 42 and you dont visit the chunk... some serious questions you need to ask yourself. I did BWR CA with 35mm and never. felt underbiked

I guess my definition of chunk is different. I def hit pretty loose and rocky **** frequently. Just not trying to rip crazy single track at 30mph!
I did the wafer on this bike and it was great but damn we’re these tires a boat on the tarmac.

good shout on BMC

Never ridden one, but the WeightWeenies Crux riders say the frame tubes give it kind of a smooth ride feel vs some other high-end options.
Building one up to suit with certain components 2x, you'd hit 17lb no probs.

Specs mention a 47/48mm max, but you might be able to fit a little more in the fork? e.g. 2.1.

To cut down tyre weight a bit, for the descents grip [fork] you could do something like a ReneHerse 48mm knobby EL, or a RocketRon liteskin 2.1.
48mm rear option could be a FuriousFred AddixSpeed [they measure closer to 48mm] if you're not doing a lot of steep+loose climbing.

I do like the 29x2.2 clearance on the kind of racy geo Lauf rigid as it opens up some big lighter-weight grippy tyre options, but the chainstay design sees it only 1x unfortunately.

Steel frame, steel fork, lots of tire clearance, lots of braze-ons for attaching accessories, sliding drop-outs for singlespeed compatibility...There you go that's my perfect gravel bike.

haha sounds awesome for sure but not certain that checks the lightweight box

IMHO, you are too focused on bike weight. Yes, as a light rider, the bike weight is more impactful, but what will the effect of 1lb less weight make to your experience in a NON-RACE ride? Likely nothing, other than placebo. I'd recommend focusing on where you currently, or will ride. Is it smooth and sandy dirt (Michigan, North FL) or chunky rocks like Indiana, etc. Are you going to be climbing massive amounts per mile? That will determine things like wheel and certainly tire choices. Both of these will effect bike weight.

I've "raced/participated" in gravel events throughout the midwest. Barry Roubaix, DK200 (before name change '17 & '18), Dirty South, Michigan Coast 2 Coast and others. I am racing myself, not for the podium or necessarily the category ranks. I currently ride a '21 S-Works Diverge and a Seven Evergreen SL Titanium bike for gravel. Obviously weight of the bike is not first in my book. I those it for comfort, endurance, stability, then weight. With Di2 GRX 2x both weight roughly 19lbs! Gasp! - I know.

If you were racing for the pointy end of a race, and at your size, yes weight is an important key. If you are not racing, it seems your other points should be given more 'weight' in your decision process. Again, IMHO, think about the rides planned and what factors about a bike will maximize your enjoyment at the end of said rides. Without racing and massive climbs I don't see a reason to put bike weight at the top of the list.

All the best on your choice and hope the rides are awesome.

I got my rig, pretty much like what you described.
Ideal doesn't exist, as everyone has a different definition, but I love mine!

Most gravel bikes have a low BB height, and I just hate pedal strike (= crash), but I love being able to accelerate out of a turn faster than other people. ;-)

Also,
The new crux is an Aethos with wider tire clearance you are asking for. Wouldn't that meet your needs?

Also II
Weight is controversial. All I know is mine accelerates and climbs like a bat out of hell (or more accurately it accelerates like my track bike). Weight? Carbon layup? BB height? short chainstays? IDK, I just know it works amazingly well compared to any other gravel bike I've tried.

great to know! what is this aforementioned setup?!

I do climb quite a bit per mile, and up in the Santa Monica mountains here in LA where I do most of my riding the gravel various incredibly. I'd say its super rare to get any smooth/easy fire-roads and usually there's at least some loose/chunk on all trains I'm riding on with the occasional gnarly rock garden. Far from champagne gravel anywhere I'm going sadly!

I got a canyon inflite when they came out. It's as fast as a road bike with road tires weighs 7.8 kg and cost about half what a crux cost. I put 54 mm tires on the front when I'm feeling rowdy.

the wheelbase is too short for loose fast sweeping gravel, but everything else it just rocks.

Come on guys, the OP wants a light bike so let them buy a light bike. With that said, there are not that many stock gravel bikes below 8kg. As people mentioned, the Specialized Crux and Open UPPER are your best choices. After that, you will have to get a frame and go custom - A Crux with a set of Farsport Carbon gravel rims, 36mm tires and an EKAR groupset should get you a gravel bike at close to 6.5 kg.

omg I feel seen

If you like the Atheos the S-works crux ( 700 gram frame )

is probably the one of the lightest gravel frames you can ride.


for reference My Ibis Hakka ( 1000 gram frame ) without pedals weighs about 17 lbs and 1/3
converted to 2x GRX
with light bicycle 46mm carbon wheels ( around 1500 grams )
post #27 https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycl...ubeless-2.html

32mm gravel kings slicks ( 290 grams )


looks like real gravel tires weigh closer to 400 to 500 grams in the size you want

I think you can hit your 17lb mark with real 42mm gravel tires if you get lighter wheels than mine ( 1500 grams ) and get a 700 gram frame.



https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ada44a4eb8.png

17lb gravel bike
S-works crux frame with Cadex AR 35

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/produc...der-1300-grams

I had an Ibis Hakka that was 17 lbs with pedals... Very light frame...

I'm running the Roval Terra CLX which to help the cause, they're ~1300 grams w/ tape/valves !

I like light bikes too and looked at a used Cannondale SuperX recently but someone else scooped it.

My current gravel bike is an old Trek XO2, it's aluminum, has rim brakes, rides and handles like a road bike, and comes in at about 18lbs with pedals and bottle cages. I can get 40mm tires on it which isn't ideal but I'm not too bothered by the couple mm I'm missing.

A different thought is to keep the frame set and upgrade parts on the bike to reduce its weight. For instance, you could probably easily save over 1.5lbs with lighter wheels and tires.

Another idea is to switch to a flat bar bike, which have lighter components and provide a better position for descending. If you mostly climb and descend rougher terrain, losing some aero points in favor of weight and control points could make you overall faster.

yes and good thought.
I made a spreadsheet today with all my components and can save about 300 grams with swapping bars, crankarms, stem. if I add in lighter tires gets me closer to 435grams which gets me def in low 19lb territory.

all that said, the frameset is the biggest offender [the checkpoint comes out to 2209 grams with fork] !

That's heavy. Light gravel bike frames from 700 grams to 1000 grams. forks about 500 grams give or take. You can save 700+ grams on the frame and fork.

exactly, and hence the thread.
looking into lightweight frames and was wondering what the best choices aside from the Crux are lol!

I can shave off about 900 grams for like $1700 but that seems very very bad bang for the buck.the three biggest offenders are my frame, the cassette, and tires atm.
really kicking myself for skipping on a rare brand new Open UPPER @ $3k back in march. I hesitated cause of tire clearance but that deal will never happen again.
oh well!

There's the Ibis I already mention above.

The new Giant gravel bike is lighter than last years model. Frame and fork 1350 grams.

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/gia...-gravel-bikes/

IIRC, the Canyon Grail SLX frame is 840 grams, and the SL version is 1040 grams.

Re your descending comment, you could perhaps consider switching in a larger-clearance fork on one of these lightweight frames.
One of the better carbon models would only add a little weight. [2.1-2.2 clearance].

If you did such on something like the 1kg+ Winspace G2 aka LightBicycle Journey, you could go crazy with some higher-end lightweight components, due to the money you saved on the frameset vs a Crux frameset for example. What I do like about the G2 is the little shorter chainstay than others [notice that fairly kinked seat tube], but still takes a 700x50 in the rear.

Have a look at the bb height of some of these frames, as a little lower position should also help feeling stable on the descents.