Bear with me...
I'm musing about a new bike with pretty diverse requirements which is probably best summarized as:
I travel abroad a lot for cycling. Sometimes it's flying (yeah, I know...), sometimes it's driving. Sometimes it's road biking, sometimes it's more gravel orientated and sometimes it's (proper) mountain biking (though rarely "bike parks"). Sometimes I'd like to mix it up - and this has usually meant taking one bike for one purpose (eg my road bike) and then hiring a different bike for specific purposes locally.
For instance, last year I took my road bike to the Pyrenees but hired a mountain bike for a day when we got to Ainsa to sample the singletrack. Anyway, that mountain bike was shite and sorta compromised the fun.
So I want a bike which crosses a pretty wide range of use cases which I can take on holiday so I don't need to hire bikes locally
(If for no other reason that I'm 6'4" so hiring a bike which fits is next-to-impossible)
On the road cycling side, obviously that's going to be most compromised BUT a reasonably light hardtail and decent wheels/tyres would make the odd Col bagging ride tolerable.
At the mountain bike end of the scale, I'm generally solo and out in the back-country so more-or-less wheels-on-the-ground/low risk stuff (with the emphasis on tight/technical rather than jump/flow trails) - so again, a (slack?) hardtail seems doable.
Regarding "gravel": obviously this is less specific but I'd want a frame with sufficient mounts but also comfortable for long/multiple days.
So, this bike could be used for exploring Scottish estate tracks, bagging occasional Munro summits, Colorado/Alpine singletrack, Moab exploring, Arizona trail end-to-end, Cairngorms (outer) loop, Oregon gravel, Pacific NW singletrack, bagging Alpe D'Huez, exploring Iceland and Lofoten
So...what do-it-all bike ticks enough of those boxes or what should I be looking for?
I'm assuming I need
Lightish 29"er hardtail
Dropper post compatible
100-120mm forks
"Comfortable"/triple butted frame (inc rear triangle). Not aluminum?
Mounts galore
Flat bars/mountain bike shifts/brakes rather than drop bars
Two wheelsets/cassettes
Long reach and not too head-down (I've a long back and flexibility isn't what it used to be)
Solaris Max
On the road cycling side, obviously that’s going to be most compromised BUT a reasonably light hardtail and decent wheels/tyres would make the odd Col bagging ride tolerable.
For me, that'd be too much of a compromise.
You've just described my Mk1 Solaris. Proper jack of everything.
If someone said to me 'we're going for a ride, grab your bike' and that was all I had to go on that's the one I would take, wherever we went it would be fine
Solaris Max *could* do it but I’d get a go on one to make sure you’re happy with the geometry for road. My first response was something more in the mk1 Solaris area too- not an xc race bike but not launching into chunky trail bike territory.
(I’ve had both. The Max would be high on my ‘one mountain bike’ list but the Mk1 would be higher on the ‘one bike’ list).
Oh, and considered a rigid carbon fork as an option too? Would make the ‘road’ build roadie and allow a bit more freedom for a cushier bouncy fork. Then again, I rode absolutely everywhere on my 100mm 26er and just flicked the lockout on so maybe that!
Yep - a lightweight rigid fork would take off a bit of weight. Also consider the option of aero bars for long road/gravel sections?
My Pact Ti hardtail is built to take B+ or 29er wheels, I have both 120mm and rigid forks, three sets of "bottle" cage mounts (two are tripled to take Anything cages) and has a set of inboard bar ends fitted for a bit of a more "aero" riding position. For any more luggage I have suitable frame/seat/bar bags.
You have pretty much described my Shand. 120mm travel steel hardtail 29r
I never bother with a lockout on the forks I prefer suspension even for road riding
I have done everything you describe on it. Swap tyres around and thats it. Thats the bike I rode 3000+ miles to spain on summer before last
Stanton Switchpath Ti described as a Gravel, Groad, Grountain bike…
Presuming some of that overlaps with how you ride at home, why not buy one larger bike and a smaller bike and take whichever one on a trip suits the riding there?
Presuming some of that overlaps with how you ride at home, why not buy one larger bike and a smaller bike and take whichever one on a trip suits the riding there?
I have a SC Hightower, a Giant TCR and Specialized Diverge at home already to cover any one single base but I specifically want something "versatile" for travelling. I've tended to default to the Diverge but I'm running into limits with drop bars when I want to explore singletrack or on rough descents.
Example: I would have loved to explore more off-road in Ainsa as there appeared to be endless gravel but I had my (fragile) TCR with me which would have broken at first sight of rough gravel.
Example: I would have loved to explore more off-road in Ainsa as there appeared to be endless gravel but I had my (fragile) TCR with me which would have broken at first sight of rough gravel.
I've a little experience of that. Can confirm, not fun on a road bike. Even less so loaded up with bikepacking gear.
Personally, I think if I had to do one bike for all things, I'd go for some kind of gravel bike, flared bars for a bit more control on rougher stuff, but have a narrower bit to not feel like a boat on road. Maybe a dropper post, but not at the sacrifice of 2x. Probably keep a conventional post too for bikepacking duties.
I'd be really tempted to go either side though, and have a gravel bike and a hardtail, and bring the one I felt was best for the trip.
Personally, I think if I had to do one bike for all things, I’d go for some kind of gravel bike, flared bars for a bit more control on rougher stuff, but have a narrower bit to not feel like a boat on road. Maybe a dropper post, but not at the sacrifice of 2x.
That's how my Diverge is setup (dropper/2x) but I'm finding drop bars too limiting on rough descents. It's surprising how capable it can be if you can get a bit of flow but it struggles when it's tight and more technical, which is why I (think I) want a hardtail...
I'd be happy with my Highball for that - I already use it as a gravel bike, and it would build up pretty light for mountain road rides with a rigid fork. You could substitute something like a Yeti Arc too. Main thing missing from your spec is mounts galore, but how much do you need these? Bags etc will still strap on. I guess if you had a rigid fork with mounts you're halfway there.
Isn't that new Pace supposed to be a bit of a do everything bike?
Maybe that with a spare set of forks and bars?
I’d be happy with my Highball for that <br /><br />
That’s what i used to use for everything- bike park, gravel commuting, single track and big days out. Brilliant bike.
I’ve done a bit of Alpine road riding on my old 140mm trail bike (to get to the top of singletrack trails). As long as you’re not obsessed with speed and are just enjoying the scenery and day out then I think it’s fine.
You’re always going to be compromising somewhere. As you’ve mentioned, drop bars make the road and smooth gravel much more efficient, but when it becomes technical, it can be too much fun to the point of being terrifying. Similarly, flat bars into a headwind on the road are a PITA.
OP - I’d be looking at something like a Santa Cruz Chameleon, or a boutique titanium hardtail with a 120-140mm fork. The new Orbea Laufey may also be worth looking at too? I don’t think you’d necessarily need two wheel sets, just bring a set of tyres to swap with you.
I bought and built up a Ragley Marley frame with a 140mm fork recently. I’ve been really pleased with how much fun it is in a variety of circumstances, from long XC type rides, to more enduro type trails.
I found slicks and good old 90s bar ends helped lessen the road compromise a little with a mtb hardtail.
What about something like a Stanton Sherpa? It can do Singletrack pretty well, handle a bit of exuberant terrain and also be used for gravel/bike packing trips.
or something custom by Marino (more expensive brands exist), Curtis XC bike with tweaked gea (shorter seat tube, slacker head angle, etc.
My thinking is you can ride a hardtail on gravel and on the road but a road or gravel bike is going to totally suck on some decent alpine Singletrack.
I wouldn’t bother with rigid forks (although you could have a spare pair at home for when you specifically go on a gravel holiday) as you can just pump up air forks hard or use a lockout.
120 hardtail would be my choice with modern (but not hardcore hardtail geometry), think Sherpa.
Just came to suggest the Cascade. They're on offer at the mo.
Mason Raw or ISO or Exposure ?
Flat bar Cotic Cascade?
Yes, just like that! Interesting...
They’re on offer at the mo.
Unless I'm missing something, it's only one drop bar build that's one offer (and I'd probably opt for frame and fork only but I need to put a spreadsheet together 😄)
Going back to the Cotic Cascade...how compromised will the fit be for something which can be set up for drop bars OR flat bars?
I've assumed anything optimized around drop bars would have a different reach (shorter?) as drop bar bikes generally have longer stem than flat bar bikes.
For any bike I consider, reach is critical as I'm 6'4" with a very long back...
