Originally Posted by
Moisture
On average, most of the gravel bikes I see...
Let me stop you there. On average most of the gravel bikes you see offer different geometry and different solutions for dealing with a surface that until 10-15 years ago was simply not where many drop bar riders were going. An in that decade of time gravel bike design has seen some significant evolution and general broadening of the range. For instance, we are at a point now where some companies offer aero gravel bikes.
Originally Posted by
Moisture
What would you consider to be the sweet spot in terms of a truly capable multisurface bike; one that knows no compromise in the search of speed, stability and comfort?
The bike I want to ride. It’s personal. But, there is no such thing as “no compromise.” There are a lot of bikes that can do a lot, but as soon as you build a bike to do more than one thing really well, it's all a compromise. There is a reason that TT bikes exist.
Originally Posted by
Moisture
After looking around, it seems as though light suspension, sort of like the Cannondale Topstone Carbon Lefty, or the hydraulic headset shock in Specialized bikes, and 650b wheels with thick cushioning tired seems to provide this balance. The idea of cushioning, dampening, bump absorption is what allows engineers to achieve more than ever before when it comes to a bike that truly does it all.
I disagree, "cushioning, dampening, bump absorption” is what allows a rider to go faster over rougher surfaces while accepting that those things will negatively impact power transfer and will show their limits on smoother surfaces, like asphalt.