Need toneeplace creaking dented frame with something of a do it all element. Moon on a stick maybe but also needs to be cheapish given current climate!
Wants are as follows
1. Threaded bb
2. Clearence for 40mm tyres and mudguards
3. Robust enough for future light touring/bikepacking so multi mounts and pannier compliance
4. Disc
5. Sprightly enough for another set of wheels for road riding days out
Thinking pinnacle akrose is the closest to what im after. Thoughts/advice?
Sonder Camino? The previous gen one if you can find it sonds like its fit the bill.
Love mine
https://flic.kr/p/2nimNGh
Fearless Warlock
Mason Bokeh. I will have a 54cm frame in green going soon. I’d recommend it if your feet are size 8 or below!
They are Light Bicycle AR46 rims with sapim d light spokes on Dt350 rear and hope pro 4 front hubs. The tyres are specialized pathfinder pro in 38mm.
Thanks
The mason is a lovely bike but out of my price range and im a 58-60cm in most road bikes but thanks for the interest!
Ill take a look at the sonder as an option.
The warlock looks like a bit too far offroad as mist of my miles in this bike would be road/rough lanes.
Pinarello Grevil ticks all of those except #3 😉
Boardman ADV 8.9 in stock in some sizes in dark/white.
Cotic Escapade?
PlanetX Freeranger /Carbonda CFR 696 fits every requirement.
+1 for the Freeranger.I normally run mine on 38mm Schwalbe G One Bites,but on my spare wheels I have tried 25c Schwalbe Pro One on which it felt very sprightly.
If you don’t like lurid paint schemes Tifosi do a black version albeit higher cost.
Flat or drop bar?
Another for the Freeranger. On 650b wheels you can when run 2.1 Nobby Nics
I am coveting my mate's Ritchey Outback
I did similar last year - find a gravel bike that also works as an endurance road bike with a wheel swap.
Things not covered that might fit:
Genesis CDA/CDF? Will take the tyres, threaded BB, new ones come with generous fork mounts.
Big brands: Cannondale Topstone? Giant Revolt? The alloy versions have threaded BBs I think. Those might not have all the fork mounts you'd like though, but that can be solved with straps.
The carbon frames listed - not sure if they have threaded BBs - but how much of a priority is that?
This year's Camino is a notch more ATBish than the previous gen, hence the recommendation above specifically for a 2021 / V3 frame.
I was going to say Arkose, I recently bought one because it seemed to be the best mix of gravel and road that I could find. It's got masses of tyre clearance (even with the 700x45 stock tyres fitted), rack mounts, front mech compatible. It also isn't too racy, I struggled to find a frame with a decent stack height.
merlin-malt-g2x-gravel £389.95 says it clears 700x40/650x42 and they have 59cm in stock...
My last bike was an Arkose 5 with SRAM Force. It lasted years and was bombproof! It had a rough life and I never had to adjust the gears once. Not sure of current spec/geometry but going on my last one I’d highly recommend.
Kinesis Tripster AT
Or maybe the new GX Race
https://www.kinesisbikes.co.uk/Catalogue/Models/Gravel-Race/GX-Race-Frameset
The kenisis is very nice but too pricey for me.
I like the look of the tifosi ifni can find one on offer as well.
Merlin Malt was another thought as well but not sure its going to be a bit boring for the road ride wise.
Im on a 58cm spec diverge smartweld 2015 currently but ive had enough of the ceeaking pressfit bb and stupid rear wheel spacing.
Freeranger now has new colours including black.
If I hadn't gone for the Camino the Carbonda/One One Free Ranger would have probably been my next choice if i was going to spend more. The on one is 600g lighter that the camino. On one is £600 more than what I paid for the camino frame.
I was going to recommend the ribble cgr Al frame and fork but it's not as cheap as it once was. Ticks all the boxes except cheap! It does have rack mounts, mudgaurds, threaded bb and tyre clearance for 700x50.
I really like mine. Fast as a road bike and capable as a gravel bike.
https://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-cgr-al-blue-frameset/
I like the gravel frame as it has the fork mounts.
https://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-gravel-al-frameset/
Having said all that, I think it's hard to see past the sonder camino which is almost half the price
https://alpkit.com/products/sonder-camino-al-v3-frame-and-fork
@skybluestu - where are you based?
I've got a v1 XL Camino AL that I'll be selling next month (W Yorks)
Isn't the Carbonda/Tifosi/Free Ranger all press fit? (I may be wrong here tbh)
New Salsa Journeyer looks like a very flexible frame.
Nordest Albarda or Super Albarda?
Free Ranger has a threaded BB.
I like mine. Did a 200km road ride on it yesterday, but equally as happy with it loaded up with bags on an adventure.
Merlin Malt was another thought as well but not sure its going to be a bit boring for the road ride wise.
You're kind of in the territory of "beggars can't be choosers" here, wanting gravel bike tyre clearances and a sprightly road ride are a wee bit contradictory, those chainstays inevitably have to be a bit longer to squeeze a 40mm tyre in, plus there's a budget to consider (what actually is your upper limit for spend?). It might be more workable if you have 650bx45ish gravel tyres and 700x28ish road tyres, but sprightly
Personally I don't quite believe the 'one bike, two wheelsets' thing quite works, but if it's going to you have to compromise somewhere.
Personally I don’t quite believe the ‘one bike, two wheelsets’ thing quite works, but if it’s going to you have to compromise somewhere.
Agreed. It is doable, but all depends on the compromise you want to make. If you're realistic about goals/usage it's doable.
To illustrate with my own example: I ended up with a Giant Revolt; my compromise was pressfit, and 2x. The Giant is at the less rowdy end of gravel, but still capable: 700x45 or 650x47 (maybe 50) clearance; 11-34 out back and 48-32 up front (and you could go 46-30 with GRX now). The geo works ok as an endurancey road bike, albeit a slightly chunkier one, and it's fun off road. No fork mounts, 3x bottle mounts. I really get the appeal of 1x off-road, but on - was riding 1x today - I always found the ratios a bit spread out. The front mech is maybe annoying off-road, but makes for nicer road gearing.
But it's not going to compete with a rowdy, steel 1x ATB - Surly or Richey or Brother Mehteh, etc - or even, really, the Carbonda (and Free Ranger and Tripster). But it's working for me. You just have to pick which end of the all-road spectrum you're going to aim for, and by extension, which you compromise on. (I think a lot of the best fits perhaps fall out of your price range - Ribble CGR, Fairlight Secan, some of Brother's frames)
Spa cycles Elan?
I've been eyeing one up for pretty much what you describe, may not have all the mounts that you want though
No one had said PX Tempest yet.
BSA BB, disc, mounts etc
I run mine 2x11 with rack and guards for commuting 2x 20 miles on 700c wheels. Takes up to a 43mm Nano tyre happily enough in that guise. (PX say 48mm but that probably doesn’t include mudguards)
When I stick the 650b wheels on it, I run 47mm but I could go bigger. (PX say 50, but I suspect that’s conservative)
Yes my road bike is faster / but not much. And it’ll do most of what a 90s mtb would do - had it round (selected bits at of the red at Dalby)
Price-wise - work out what you want to pay and wait until PX offer it at that price. Presently there’s only £400 difference between the frame a a Rival hydraulic build.
Really impressed by the Free Ranger offload (and on). Only bought one as a punt to see what this gravel malarkey was all about. Very impressed by how well it behaves.
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52141742232_cfa9c4ae30.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52141742232_cfa9c4ae30.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2nrA4nJ ]On-one Free Ranger[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/brf/ ]Ben Freeman[/url], on Flickr
£1500 with SRAM Force build in one of their every other month sales.
Would a carbon bike with panniers be a concern regarding load weight in general or am i overthinking things! Chances are ill be using it mainly for just a rough rural road/occasional bridelway bike with the occasional bikepack and asperations for a bit of touring! I reckon 90/5/5 split.
Obs, 2 bikes would be better but only got capacity for one really (plus proper bike that is of course)
Would a carbon bike with panniers be a concern regarding load weight in general or am i overthinking things
Maybe. To wit: how much do you weigh? I'm 90+kg, which is the same weight as an 80kg person with 10kg of crap in panniers - and my carbon bike is fine. By which I mean: in general, the heaviest thing in a bike is a rider. If it's got rack mounts, that means it is expected to take a rack and all that entails. Some manufacturers do spec a max weight for rider+load and it's often around, say, 110-120kg.
Also: if "loaded touring" is an anticipated 10% use case, then yeah, it's almost certainly fine.
Winspace G2
Far more interesting than a Sonder, Pinnacle or Planet X
The warlock looks like a bit too far offroad as mist of my miles in this bike would be road/rough lanes.
It isn't with the right wheelset. I tried 3 configurations
https://ukgravelco.com/fearless-warlock-frameset-review/
Another vote for the Planet X Freeranger - out of my stable of bikes, it's by far one of my favourite rides and really versatile. I have 38mm gravel tyres on and i can take it pretty much anywhere. I love it and it was really well priced (as a complete build - no idea what the frame retails at).
I’d say the Specialized Diverge ticks pretty much all the OPs boxes.
I’d say the Specialized Diverge ticks pretty much all the OPs boxes.
Isn't that what he's already got?
That Warbird looks interesting the way my needs are converging towards the 'One.'
Ah yes, not sure how I missed that! However the newer ones now seem to have regular 142 axle spacing and a threaded bb (although I think the higher end carbon ones might still be press fit).
Fairlight Faran
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/403732617472?hash=item5e0056d900:g:NkcAAOSwQm1hcTw~
Check out Planet X eBay site above. I got the same frameset in the ‘lovely’
Cream egg colours and have built it up as a flat bar Sram 1x11 bike as I prefer a flat bar. Without trying it weighs just over 9kg. The FreeRanger always has good reviews.
I can +1 for the Ritchey Outback.
+1 Freeranger and I've 50c gravel tyres on one wheelset and 28c slicks on another.
Would a carbon bike with panniers be a concern regarding load weight in general or am i overthinking things! Chances are ill be using it mainly for just a rough rural road/occasional bridelway bike with the occasional bikepack and asperations for a bit of touring! I reckon 90/5/5 split.
It'll take a hammering, mine spends at least half it's time on rocky routes.
Surly midnight special, really comfortable on all day road rides, great on forest roads greenlanes etc.
Mines currently set up with 650x47 wtb byways and full mudgaurds
@jodafett Would you mind PM'ing me some details on the Bokeh? Been looking for one for a while!
