Originally Posted by jjames1452

I'm going to the storage locker to pick up this bad boy tomorrow. My winter ride!

Originally Posted by mstateglfr

Ive had it for almost a year and a half and absolutely love the frame- it is simple, well designed, and fits what I wanted.
Admittedly, the design isnt for everyone.

It is a lower trail design, which i really like, but many large brands seem to design around higher trail. I like a gravel bike that rides like my road bikes since my gravel roads are simply unpaved roads. I just want more tire clearance over a paved road bike, basically.

The frame is very well fabricated- its a neatly welded front triangle and the rear triangle is brazed. The printed cable guide is very simple and sturdy. Paint has been excellent, as expected.
I dont think I need a 44mm head tube, but its the trend, so it exists. The front end is stiff as expected, but I have never thought its uncomfortable compared to my other bikes. 43.5mm wide tires definitely eliminate any harsh/stiff feeling that could be created from the trendy stiff front end.
The front triangle tubing is 853, but this is not a light frame. It is a strong frame that is overbuilt for most in order to comply with fatigue testing. The 853 DZB(double zonal butted, which is really just triple butted) downtube is basically a mountain bike tube that exists so a gusset isn't needed.
The frame is by no means heavy compared to other steel disc gravel frames, but it isnt light compared to steel road bike frames. Just keep that in mind.
The ovalized top tube is for lateral stiffness apparently, but I like it because it makes carrying the bike easier/more comfortable.
I bought the Hope headset upgrade so that was already installed and it is very nice.

I have looked at the Secan 2.0 and the only difference I've seen from the original is that the fork now has mid-mounting points.
Thats cool and could be appealing for those wanting to use the bike for bikepacking, but I have a Black Mountain MC for commute/touring that so I dont have a need for fork mounts.

The frame builds up easily since all cables are routed outside the frame. I get that there is a strong industry trend to route all cables internally from the bars, but having them on the outside makes setup and maintenance super easy and I dont think twice about the cables routed externally.

Tire clearance is excellent too. I'll suggest a couple of great tires- - wtb Resolute are 42mm, pretty light, have significant tread, but roll fast. These are great overall and work well on dirt singletrsck too.
- panaracer gravelking ss 43mm. The ss version stands for semi-slick. These are heavier than Resolute, but still light. They are basically a slick and seem to roll faster than Resolute tires. Seriously comfortable and fast tire. I moved to these recently because most of my gravel rides are 2/3 gravel 1/3 paved.


Edited to add- there are a handful of other steel gravel frames i considered.
Ritchey Outback 2.0- good weight, low stack, limited tire clearance.
Ribble CGR 725- stack too low and frame a bit heavier.
All City Cosmic Stallion- came super close to buying. Awesome paint schemes, good weight, but stack a bit too low.
Jamis Renegade S1 frameset- again, came super close to buying. At the time the stack wasn't high enough, but they have since tweaked geometry at least on the largest frame. This is a fantastic option with a 631 and carbon fork with mounts.

Just mentioning these in case you haven't considered them. They would have sizes that work great for most who aren't goofy tall like me.

Originally Posted by gomango

I'm going for a Faran 2.0

It checks all of the boxes for me.

I'm ready to send the deposit this week as soon as I choose the frame color.

I'll likely retire the Bilenky and that will just about cover the frameset.

https://fairlightcycles.com/product/...v=79cba1185463

Originally Posted by BFisher

@Sir_Name
Love that Woodrup. Very nice looking machine.

Originally Posted by Marylander

I just put together an 84 Roberts for light gravel. Here it is done enough to take a test run (and get a little dirty). It now has fenders... and handlebar tape.

Originally Posted by ollo_ollo

1979 Peugeot PKN-10 with 32c

1979 Peugeot PKN-10

Originally Posted by gesta

Peugeot PVN-10


This is my go-to bike for gravel (and almost all other riding, too) - Peugeot PVN-10 with 38x650b Panaracer GravelKing slicks.
First image is for show, second is from the "go" department.

Originally Posted by jet sanchEz

Lovely.

Did you add a doo-hickey to the fork to get eyelets at the front?

When converting to 650b, did you use 700c fenders?

Originally Posted by Sir_Name

Very nice. I think we’d all appreciate some updated pics with the fenders and tape!

Originally Posted by Marylander

Sure, here it is. Done (for now).

Originally Posted by mstateglfr

that paint has me interested- whats the story?

Originally Posted by Sir_Name

Very nice. I’m still interested in both, the Faran looks like a great option for an adventure bike. That or a Moots would be right at the top of the list. For more off-road focused adventures I think I’d be sold on the Faran. Curious to see how you build it up and what you think as it comes along. I’ll try to keep an eye out on the gravel sub-forum or mtbr/etc. to see if I can spot it if you wind up posting (hints welcome...!). :

Originally Posted by Sir_Name

Hey, thanks a bunch for the detailed reply. Appreciate it! I was curious about how stiff the front end would be in practice, thanks for mentioning it. If I recall from reading some copy on their site, they stayed away from tapered head tubes in order to avoid an overly/even harsher ride. I’m sure the plump rubber will help smooth things out, and I have enough mass to me that a bit of stiffness in the right places can be a benefit... : ) Also keeps the food scale and handwringing about each gram far from mind. If I recall correctly, Fairlight said the only difference for the Secan 2.0 is the warty fork. I’d actually prefer the original fork without everything cage mounts, but that’s fine.

I do like a lower trail front end in the right use-case, and a dedicated gravel bike would be a good case for me. The Raleigh I pictured is very low trail, and it’s helpful in slow speed maneuvering around all the rocks and roots typically found on the singletrack here in New England. Great for a front load, too of course. The other bikes you listed also caught my attention, but didn’t quite do it for me for various reasons. The Fairlight stood out, and I don’t see them mentioned as often so was neat to see yours.

Originally Posted by gesta

Peugeot PVN-10


This is my go-to bike for gravel (and almost all other riding, too) - Peugeot PVN-10 with 38x650b Panaracer GravelKing slicks.
First image is for show, second is from the "go" department.

Originally Posted by Oldairhead

This 1963 Girardengo is a work in progress but will be ready for spring rides!

Originally Posted by gomango

I have an older Moots rigid mtb. 26r.

RTP's, Wald and Tubus Tara low riders. Built with XT.

Can't afford a new one.

Ordered the green Faran. Will go 90% off road. Should be a hoot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLWPQjFEW4Y

Originally Posted by mstateglfr

forgot to mention earlier- this is a build thread on mine. It has some weights and closer pics on clearance, etc if it helps.
https://www.bikeforums.net/cyclocros...can-build.html

I have since moved to 105 hydraulic brakes and dropped the stem 20mm from the initial setup. The Gevenalle shifters had been with me for gravel from the start and I wasnt ready to give em up, but after a year of using them on this frame I made the switch.
Oh, and I now have Panaracer GK SS 43mm tubeless tires. The SS are semi-slick and they are fantastic. The WTB Resolute is a great tire if you are riding more dirt/singletrack. The GK SS is better for pavement and gravel around me. These 2 tires are what I would choose from depending on terrain/style of riding as both roll fast. The GK SS set up tubeless without any weeping and the Resolute casing is like cheese cloth, but thats been changed on a new version.