Long hiatus and new bike itch

[.RJ]

Originally Posted by cojames

What does everyone think of the new 2022 Checkpoint?

Neat bike, very much adventure/chunky gravel/bikepacking focused. Its long & low and room for bigger tires than most of the other bikes mentioned here.

[Davist]

Originally Posted by cojames

What does everyone think of the new 2022 Checkpoint?

My buddy has one, it's great EXCEPT that trap door thing has been giving him trouble, only runs a seat tube water bottle now, kind of a shame, worked great when brand new, but seems to be a bit "flawed" with use and larger water bottles over time...

[p nut]

Originally Posted by .RJ

Neat bike, very much adventure/chunky gravel/bikepacking focused. Its long & low and room for bigger tires than most of the other bikes mentioned here.

Yes, definitely a dedicated gravel bike. Not “road bike with fatter tire clearance.”

[Gummee]

Originally Posted by XXtwindad

Get a gravel bike of whatever frame material you want. Wider tires. Disc brakes. Go anywhere. Have more fun.

There's lots of gravel between the OP and Lyons, then all the way over to the KS line.

Best thing about gravel out there? Fewer cars than are flying down 7/36/119. I was just starting to ride again, so didn't go west into the canyons, but I'm sure there's at least one gravel road up a canyon.

If I had to get rid of all but one the bikes in the garage, the one I'd keep is a CX bike and 2-3 sets of wheels. I'd keep one set with 25s and aero rims, one set of 32s for 'winter riding' or 'training' and one set of 40s for gravel.

M

[Bud]

Originally Posted by Gummee

If I had to get rid of all but one the bikes in the garage, the one I'd keep is a CX bike and 2-3 sets of wheels. I'd keep one set with 25s and aero rims, one set of 32s for 'winter riding' or 'training' and one set of 40s for gravel.



M

I'm kind of feeling this. And yeah, the are actually plenty of gravel roads up the canyons or off the main canyon climbs. But at this moment I'm leaning towards a cx bike geometry.

It's all about the geo, not just tire clearance, IMHO.

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[rice rocket]

Y'all like some slow handling bikes, some of those listed have longer and slacker geometries than some XC MTBs.

Caledonia is the only one that's interesting to me.

[Likes2ridefar]

Originally Posted by rice rocket

Y'all like some slow handling bikes, some of those listed have longer and slacker geometries than some XC MTBs.

Caledonia is the only one that's interesting to me.

Looks similar to the specialized roubaix I used to have, fun bike for road and light gravel but is nowhere near as versatile as the stigmata I have, that to me, feels every bit as quick and fits exactly the same for me across the two frames in the same size.

[mhespenheide]

Originally Posted by p nut

Yes, definitely a dedicated gravel bike. Not “road bike with fatter tire clearance.”

The 2021 aluminum Domane disc (and carbon, I assume) have a nice road geometry with surprising clearances for tires. But it's hard to find one for sale!

[.RJ]

Originally Posted by rice rocket

Y'all like some slow handling bikes, some of those listed have longer and slacker geometries than some XC MTBs.

Depends where you ride

Some gravel roads fine on my road bike on 28's, others I want a mountain bike...

[EricChanning]

Originally Posted by Bud

I'm kind of feeling this. And yeah, the are actually plenty of gravel roads up the canyons or off the main canyon climbs. But at this moment I'm leaning towards a cx bike geometry.

It's all about the geo, not just tire clearance, IMHO.

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If you've been away for 12 years, I would recommend testing out current gravel and CX bikes with different geometries before you mentally lock into any specific kind. Things got a little funky at the extremes.

I'm thinking your body might like something different than it liked 12 years ago and might like something a little different 5 years from now than what you are currently thinking.

I have a few CX geometry bikes and a more endurance specific gravel geometry on a 2019 Moots Routt YBB. (Less aggressive than the Moots RSL) I've done nearly everything on the Moots from long flat road rides, to twisty singletrack and gravel with lots of climbs. Comfort and handling was great on all of it. I can get aggressive when riding in the drops but am not stuck with an aggressive position for all riding scenarios.

I would also recommend trying out bikes with very different gearing set ups. During your absence you missed what the companies are currently doing with gravel focused 1X and 2X gearing. Are you okay with large gearing gaps on your rear cassette for wider range for steep climbs? Maybe you want less jumps in the rear and 2X up front to help you find that cadence sweet spot on rolling terrain.

Get a feel for current Di2, Campy and SRAM electronic to see if your next frame should accommodate Di2 or a double front crankset.

Are you going to eventually consider endurance bike packing events with your background? That might have you looking for frames and forks with bag mounting capabilities.

[Bud]

Originally Posted by EricChanning

If you've been away for 12 years, I would recommend testing out current gravel and CX bikes with different geometries before you mentally lock into any specific kind. Things got a little funky at the extremes.

I'm thinking your body might like something different than it liked 12 years ago and might like something a little different 5 years from now than what you are currently thinking.

I have a few CX geometry bikes and a more endurance specific gravel geometry on a 2019 Moots Routt YBB. (Less aggressive than the Moots RSL) I've done nearly everything on the Moots from long flat road rides, to twisty singletrack and gravel with lots of climbs. Comfort and handling was great on all of it. I can get aggressive when riding in the drops but am not stuck with an aggressive position for all riding scenarios.

I would also recommend trying out bikes with very different gearing set ups. During your absence you missed what the companies are currently doing with gravel focused 1X and 2X gearing. Are you okay with large gearing gaps on your rear cassette for wider range for steep climbs? Maybe you want less jumps in the rear and 2X up front to help you find that cadence sweet spot on rolling terrain.

Get a feel for current Di2, Campy and SRAM electronic to see if your next frame should accommodate Di2 or a double front crankset.

Are you going to eventually consider endurance bike packing events with your background? That might have you looking for frames and forks with bag mounting capabilities.

These are all great points. Thanks. I haven't been entirely disconnected- my MTB is newer and has a 1x drivetrain. Which is OK but I really don't want that in my next road-ish bike.

And yeah, no interest in events or racing at this point. I thought about the whole bikepacking endurance thing i n the past, but not now. I just want to ride and enjoy. There is always a probability that this could change, but the likelihood is low at this point.