Originally Posted by
Jburrow
Hello all!
just quickly put: I have a budget of up to $4k. I am looking for a bike to do 60-70% road and 30-40% gravel/trail. I will be doing centuries, charity rides, some gravel events, and club rides on the road mostly.
I am looking for something comfy, light, and able to tackle the road and gravel.
I have looked heavily into CF, and my LbS is a giant dealer. The revolt/defy is an option. However, I have lately been introduced into the world of modern steel bikes. For the price bracket, I can get a steel bike at same weight, or even lighter, than the Giant with the wonderful qualities of steel. This would be my one bike to rule them all so to speak.
so far, I have come across speedvagen, ritte, all-city, salsa, Rodriguez, breadwinner. I want something strong, comfy, light, and able to be ridden with gusto.
where else should I look? I am new to the world of steel bikes, and it is a huge world.
Well I have had excellent luck with Rivendell, a very well respected boutique steel frame builder in Walnut Creek California. Check em out. Not cheap but extremely well built and beautiful. Just finishing a build of a new model (Platypus 60cm). I’m guessing it is around $4K when all said and done. So you can hit your budget number with them. If you wanna discuss more, private message me. Good luck!