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What did you just buy for your gravel bike?

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Cyclocross and Gravelbiking (Recreational) This has to be the most physically intense sport ever invented. It's high speed bicycle racing on a short off road course or riding the off pavement rides on gravel like : "Unbound Gravel". We also have a dedicated Racing forum for the Cyclocross Hard Core Racers.

What did you just buy for your gravel bike?

Old 08-24-21, 08:30 AM
  #876  
franswa
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Originally Posted by beaumontjl
Sonder Camino AL frame, & DT Swiss G540 wheelset.

There are no gravel bikes for sale within hours of me, so I'm building one instead.
Nice! I almost pulled the trigger on one of those frames several times. Update us with build pics!
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Old 08-24-21, 11:42 AM
  #877  
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I got some 52cm Salsa Cowchppers today



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Old 08-24-21, 12:28 PM
  #878  
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I wanted GK SS tires and it was cheaper to buy pink!



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Old 08-24-21, 12:44 PM
  #879  
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Originally Posted by jonathanf2
I wanted GK SS tires and it was cheaper to buy pink!
Interesting- your SS tire tread looks a lot different from my SS tire tread in the regular black. I run 43s, but still- those look quite different.
The pink is cool since its otherwise an all black bike.
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Old 08-24-21, 08:40 PM
  #880  
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Originally Posted by franswa
Nice! I almost pulled the trigger on one of those frames several times. Update us with build pics!
Thanks! It was a pre-order, so I won't get the frame until at least late Sept. Once it gets here I'll get the rest of the parts ordered and start a build thread.
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Old 08-29-21, 06:56 PM
  #881  
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Pink!

Originally Posted by jonathanf2
I wanted GK SS tires and it was cheaper to buy pink!



Anyone else have or see these? Would love to see it on my frame ( light green Raleigh Tamland &#128517
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Old 08-30-21, 09:25 AM
  #882  
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Originally Posted by jeremybart
Anyone else have or see these? Would love to see it on my frame ( light green Raleigh Tamland &#128517
After a week or so of riding, the pink color actually gets a bit muted, but so far I really like how they look! I can see myself getting more pink tires in the future!
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Old 09-01-21, 01:01 AM
  #883  
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Originally Posted by jonathanf2
I swapped out my FSA crankset that came on my bike and replaced it with the GRX 600 10 speed crankset and Shimano Tiagra RS-500 BB. The tolerances are much tighter, but the crank shifts smoother and the chain line is more straight. A lot of people here said a new crank and BB wouldn't make much of a difference...I'm glad I didn't listen! I also cut almost 200g of weight switching out the square tapered BB. Seems like a win/win upgrade for me!
As someone who is about to do just about the same upgrade, I am very happy to hear this. The combination of FSA crank and 105 FD on my Topstone has meant chain rub in the highest gears and i finally managed to get myself a 2x11 GRX 600 crank!
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Old 09-01-21, 09:21 AM
  #884  
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off brand Garmin Varia seatpost mount


brooks c17 all weather, since a lot of the top on one of my original c17 saddles is finally worn away.


400x27.2 Whisky no7 offset carbon seatpost since the current 350mm Easton seatpost is basically right at the min insert line and there is a slight clicking every now and then from somewhere in the saddle/seatpost area. This will give more surface area inside the seat tube and maybe itll feel different from the aluminum seatpost its replacing.
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Old 09-01-21, 09:58 AM
  #885  
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Originally Posted by Prodigy4299
As someone who is about to do just about the same upgrade, I am very happy to hear this. The combination of FSA crank and 105 FD on my Topstone has meant chain rub in the highest gears and i finally managed to get myself a 2x11 GRX 600 crank!
I know the bike manufacturers are trying to hit a price point, but the difference going with the complete groupset was a significant upgrade. Mainly because I can now put the power to the pedals much more efficiently. Tracking my stats for the past few weeks, my average/top speeds have increased and my cadence has also improved. Plus I went with shorter crank arms which eliminated toe overlap allowing me dive into corners at full speed and I'm able to spin at a higher cadence which has helped on group rides. To me, it was the equivalent of installing a race clutch on a rally (gravel) car (bike)!
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Old 09-01-21, 07:58 PM
  #886  
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Silca frame pump:



in situ

Compared to my 1987 Bianchi Silca pump, and current mini pump and CO[sub]2[/sub]:



Last edited by Cyclist0108; 09-06-21 at 10:23 AM.
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Old 09-02-21, 01:47 AM
  #887  
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Originally Posted by jonathanf2
I know the bike manufacturers are trying to hit a price point, but the difference going with the complete groupset was a significant upgrade. Mainly because I can now put the power to the pedals much more efficiently. Tracking my stats for the past few weeks, my average/top speeds have increased and my cadence has also improved. Plus I went with shorter crank arms which eliminated toe overlap allowing me dive into corners at full speed and I'm able to spin at a higher cadence which has helped on group rides. To me, it was the equivalent of installing a race clutch on a rally (gravel) car (bike)!
In Cannondale's defence, back in 2019 GRX wasn't around, and Shimano 105 does not come in 46/30T, so it was very slim pickings. The 46/30 is actually why I chose the Topstone over the Grail, which had a compact 105 (50/34T).
But yeah, looking forward to the difference.
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Old 09-02-21, 10:32 AM
  #888  
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Originally Posted by Prodigy4299
In Cannondale's defence, back in 2019 GRX wasn't around, and Shimano 105 does not come in 46/30T, so it was very slim pickings. The 46/30 is actually why I chose the Topstone over the Grail, which had a compact 105 (50/34T).
But yeah, looking forward to the difference.
That's funny, I'm in the process of building a second (road emphasis) gravel bike using a Shimano R7000 105 50/34 crankset, 105 5800 shifters, TRP spyre brakes and using a Shimano GRX 400 rd. My thinking is that I'd have the high gears for the flats, but still have low gear access with a bigger rear cassette and GRX clutch.

One of the guys I ride with has a gravel bike with a front 48t chainring and 11-42t, but is insanely fast and strong. He was telling me he wants to swap out to a 50t, because the uphill trails were too easy with his current gearing!
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Old 09-02-21, 11:15 AM
  #889  
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Originally Posted by jonathanf2
One of the guys I ride with has a gravel bike with a front 48t chainring and 11-42t, but is insanely fast and strong. He was telling me he wants to swap out to a 50t, because the uphill trails were too easy with his current gearing!
So he has a 1x system thats 48 up front and 11-42 in back? If he doesnt need all the gearing to get up hills, then if he just gets a smaller cassette he will have smaller jumps and still have all the range he needs. A smaller cassette will save weight and likely be cheaper too.
...unless he is saying he needs harder gearing too, which then the 50 up front makes sense.
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Old 09-02-21, 11:44 AM
  #890  
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Originally Posted by mstateglfr
So he has a 1x system thats 48 up front and 11-42 in back? If he doesnt need all the gearing to get up hills, then if he just gets a smaller cassette he will have smaller jumps and still have all the range he needs. A smaller cassette will save weight and likely be cheaper too.
...unless he is saying he needs harder gearing too, which then the 50 up front makes sense.
This guy has no car, rides his gravel bike everywhere, always has a hydration pack and is in great shape. He wants 50t up front to go faster and doing trails on the 48t with his gear range is no problem for him. At first I was wondering why he was so fast on a 1x, but then I looked at his chainring and realized it was setup for high gearing. He reminds me of a cycling superhero every time he shows up for the group rides fully kitted!
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Old 09-02-21, 01:13 PM
  #891  
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Ordered the parts needed for a SRAM Eagle AXS 1x mullet conversion. The X01 derailleur came in, but with the shortage it looks like I’ll be waiting till the end of December for everything else to arrive.


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Old 09-03-21, 10:39 AM
  #892  
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A Microshift 10 speed clutch derailleur. XLE something, probably previous generation since now XLE clutched is 11 speed only.

Solid piece of budget kit, some 30ish Euros. The old non clutch Deore led to chain slap on rough terrain, this looks way more solid and shifting is more precise, the old mech got a bit sloppy.
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Old 09-07-21, 03:02 AM
  #893  
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My '07 Raleigh RX 1.0 is actually my favorite road bike. It still has the original Tiagra/105 9sp group. I just ordered a Rival 22 mini group and the Bicycle Wheel Warehouse Pure Race wheelset for it. I already have a nice set of Raceface Cadence cranks with 46/36. I believe I'll get some 35mm Gravelking slicks for it, still trying to decide that. Never had a SRAM group before but always wanted it. It'll be a nice little budget build.

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Old 09-13-21, 08:26 PM
  #894  
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I bought a second gravel wheelset for my drop bar MTB that finally arrived after a few months of being built. Aaaaand then I bought Curve Walmer bars in 60cm so my bike is now MASSIVE!


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Old 10-10-21, 04:32 PM
  #895  
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Can’t believe this thread was on page 2

Treats











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Old 10-11-21, 01:25 AM
  #896  
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Originally Posted by Lazyass
My '07 Raleigh RX 1.0 is actually my favorite road bike. It still has the original Tiagra/105 9sp group. I just ordered a Rival 22 mini group and the Bicycle Wheel Warehouse Pure Race wheelset for it. I already have a nice set of Raceface Cadence cranks with 46/36. I believe I'll get some 35mm Gravelking slicks for it, still trying to decide that. Never had a SRAM group before but always wanted it. It'll be a nice little budget build.

Rival 22 shifters/derailleurs and Blackset Race 24 wheelset now installed. The SRAM levers must have a higher brake cable pull ratio. The canti's feel like the power was doubled, they're more grabby than my 105 hydraulic discs. These are the best brakes I ever had. The rims are 3mm wider and maybe that has something to do with it. I almost switched to mini-v's but I'm glad I didn't.

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Old 10-11-21, 08:07 PM
  #897  
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Ultradynamico Rosé JFF

Against my better judgement, I just purchased a pair of Ultradynamico Rosé JFF tires, tanwall.

I say it was against my better judgement because I’m using these for winter tires here in Michigan, so besides the price being rather stupidly high for my amateur needs, I reckon the winter slop is going to make the sidewalls, especially the DS rear, look crappy in short order.

Oh well. These are going on my first dedicated gravel bike, so gone are the restrictions and compromises of my old dual purpose rig, so I’m bound to make some mistakes while finding what works best for me now. The main reason I went with Rosés was the tread pattern, which seems to be well suited to my conditions; I’ll see plenty of hardpack during the season, which turns into a shallow layer of medium viscosity, sandy mud when wet. When it snows, the dirt roads get packed hard pretty quickly and I have used file treads fairly successfully on it in the past, but snow is always a mixed bag, depending on so many variables, so I figured that between the record-setting (for my use history) width of 42mm and the shoulder knobs, I should at least add stability beyond what I’ve ever had, and that’s a good thing.

I just had an appendectomy today, so it’ll be awhile before I can log miles and say anything meaningful about their performance, but I’ll try to post a review at some point.



Ultradynamico Rosé JFF

https://ultradynamico.com/products/rose-jff
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Old 10-14-21, 01:59 PM
  #898  
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Installed bolt-on top tube and frame bags on my Niner.
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Old 10-14-21, 02:36 PM
  #899  
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I got an Archer D1x Trail system.






I had to get TRP Hylex RS brakes to make it work. They are a huge improvement over the SRAM.

I think I’ll end up with a shorter stem to make the longer hoods fit.

It shifts great. Not necessarily any faster than well tuned mechanical but with no effort. $700, 300 for the brakes and 400 for the system. Pretty pleased on first impressions.
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Old 10-14-21, 03:08 PM
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Originally Posted by rosefarts
I got an Archer D1x Trail system.






I had to get TRP Hylex RS brakes to make it work. They are a huge improvement over the SRAM.

I think I’ll end up with a shorter stem to make the longer hoods fit.

It shifts great. Not necessarily any faster than well tuned mechanical but with no effort. $700, 300 for the brakes and 400 for the system. Pretty pleased on first impressions.
That’s a very interesting system! The flexibility it offers is amazing.
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