And another "help me with some bike options" thread

[majl]

So here is what I am looking to do: consolidate my stable of road bikes from 3 down to 2. One primary lightweight "road-racing" bike and one back-up do-it-all winter/gravel/fendered bike that I can ride when the conditions sour, roads are wet, mix in rides on both pavement and dirt, and yet still be light and fast enough to hang with my buddies on road rides when they are on their sub-15 lb carbon wonder bikes.

I have the first bike taken care of - in fact I have two and plan to sell one; it's the the second bike I need help with. I currently have a Hampsten Crema as my winter/rain bike - it can run full fenders with 25s, and 32s in the summer. I have used it for gravel rides and light touring. My only issue is that it is not a light bike and for dirt, I am ready to make the switch to disc.

In reading through a number of threads here, there don't seem to be a lot of options for lightweight, carbon gravel bikes that can run big tires and yet still take full fenders. The Specialized S-Works Diverge comes to mind as fitting the bill, but it has that funky suspension in the steerer tube and is also spec'd with a 1x drivetrain, which although I could live with, would really prefer a traditional 2x set-up. The Haka MX also caught my eye but no capability for a full front fender??

So let me know if there are some options out there that I may have missed that I should be looking at. In terms of weight, ideally I would like for the bike to build up in the 18s complete with pedals and cages, assuming standard 25-28mm road tires. (This would be in a size L or 57-58).

So again, the main criteria:

- Disc brakes
- Full fender capability
- 18.xx lbs complete
- Up to 42mm tires on 700c wheels (47mm tires on 650b would be a nice bonus)
- 2x drivetrain preferred

TIA.

[Mzilliox]

This sounds like something custom/boutique ready made Ti may be able to accomodate rather than carbon.

are you preferring off the shelf type bikes or are you open to more boutique builders? budgetish?

does it have to be 40mm? discs give you the option of 650b for the fatties and maybe something like 35mm 700c, unless you know you like riding 40mm 700c tires, in which case, carry on.

[eddief]

and build it 2X?

[Ken Robb]

If you forget about disc brakes the Rambouillet offered in the classifieds might make you very happy for a good price. It's a Riv 60cm but that's C-T.

[AngryScientist]

serious question: why the big push to go from 3 bikes to two?

knowing what's available for gravel and offroad in the bay area and in easy driving access to, if i were you, my preference would be to have a dedicated road bike, a dedicated very capable gravel bike, and a back-up road, wet weather bike. trying to combine the last two will lead to compromises to either.

if you can manage to keep three, i think you'd be in better shape.

IMO, the ideal 3:

-Colnago C60 (substitute any good carbon race bike)
-zanc aluminum road 32 with fender mounts. (substitute another aluminum fender capable bike)
-moots Ti gravel bike. (substitute any other good Ti builders gravel bike)

[majl]

Hey thx for the early replies.

A few comments:

- Doesn't have to be off-the-shelf - custom could be in the cards - the s-works diverge is $9K retail before the typical discounts that can be obtained. Firefly or Moots maybe?

- Yes I saw s-works diverge can be bought just as a frameset and can run a FD so thinking about that too

- Yeah 35s would be OK too. I just threw 42s out there since that seems to be the top end for width on 700c wheels on these type bikes. I am currently using my SV CX for most of my mixed terrain rides that are weighted towards dirt and running on 35mm knobbies.

- Riv is not a light bike so no thanks.

- re: number of bikes: I have too many other bikes - MTB and cross and just want to reduce the total number in the fleet. My garage is overly cramped.

[ColonelJLloyd]

Originally Posted by Mzilliox

does it have to be 40mm? discs give you the option of 650b for the fatties and maybe something like 35mm 700c, unless you know you like riding 40mm 700c tires, in which case, carry on.

Unless you are getting a custom fork then it's sort of moot point as nearly all the carbon forks in this category will fit a 700x45 with a few listing 700x42 max. There are few exceptions that can be purchased separate (not as a frame/fork combo like the Ritchey Outback) and the only one I can think of right now is Wound Up.

Then you have the decision to make the rear triangle clear as big a tire as the fork will or not.

[majl]

I would add that I live an area close to the coastal range so I always ride right out of my house and can be on the trails within 15 minutes, and also have access to some outstanding road rides right from my door to the coast. The road rides could easily be interspersed with some great trails (singletrack and/or fire road) if I had the right bike.

[Lionel]

In the bay area I have the same setup you are looking at with one pure road bike and a gravel/do it all bike which I also use on the road. It is a Seven Evergreen Pro, mine does not take fenders but they can build one for you that does.

[Hilltopperny]

I would look at the parlee chebacco for carbon and I had a no22 drifter built to accommodate fenders and racks. Also owned a Moots Routt and it was excellent as well.

My 54cm no22 is 19lbs all in with 35mm schwalbe g-one allroad tires and ultegra 8020 and doesn’t feel heavy while riding at all. It also rides great on and off road and is very responsive to input. It is one of the best bikes I’ve ever ridden!

The Chebacco is an excellent choice and will build up lighter. It is an excellent bike and I was impressed with it from the get go. I purchased it on ebay and it was just a bit too small for me.

The Moots Routt was buttery smooth and very plush riding. It had an excellent ride and a much more upright riding position than the other two. A great bike, but the no22 won out over the others.


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[Lionel]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

serious question: why the big push to go from 3 bikes to two?

knowing what's available for gravel and offroad in the bay area and in easy driving access to, if i were you, my preference would be to have a dedicated road bike, a dedicated very capable gravel bike, and a back-up road, wet weather bike. trying to combine the last two will lead to compromises to either.

if you can manage to keep three, i think you'd be in better shape.

IMO, the ideal 3:

-Colnago C60 (substitute any good carbon race bike)
-zanc aluminum road 32 with fender mounts. (substitute another aluminum fender capable bike)
-moots Ti gravel bike. (substitute any other good Ti builders gravel bike)

Nah, two is actually a better setup with the gravel bike used as a rain bike as well.

[yinzerniner]

Originally Posted by majl

So again, the main criteria:

- Disc brakes
- Full fender capability
- 18.xx lbs complete
- Up to 42mm tires on 700c wheels (47mm tires on 650b would be a nice bonus)
- 2x drivetrain preferred

TIA.

Pretty sure the Norco Search XR is the one bike that suits all your needs, with the possible exception of weight as it might spec a bit heavier than 18lbs in stock config
-Discs
-2x Capable
-42 with fenders, 650b capable with larger tires
-Lots of added mounts, eyelets, etc for adding stuff on

https://cyclingtips.com/2018/04/norc...-versus-steel/

[veloduffer]

The Trek Boone might fit the bill - it has hidden fender mounts and feature a fairly low bb height (6.8cm). My Boone with mostly Shimano 105 and Nox carbon wheels weighs at 17 lbs.




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[FlashUNC]

Originally Posted by Lionel

In the bay area I have the same setup you are looking at with one pure road bike and a gravel/do it all bike which I also use on the road. It is a Seven Evergreen Pro, mine does not take fenders but they can build one for you that does.

Having seen Lionel's Seven in the flesh, I could not recommend them more for this kinda thing.

Rob and crew will build exactly what you want, and the Evergreen is a killer bike.

[Lionel]

Here, don't remember the weight but it's light. For sure below 19.