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Had a couple of test rides on one of these this yr. Like it a lot. Not cheap though but seems to do it all. An N=1 bike with a couple of pairs of wheels.
Anyone got one, ridden one, any decent alternatives?
Like the 2020 model with a screw in BB and tubeless-able tyres finally.
nobody got one? Bump for the evening crew...
Not got one but pondering on the Holdsworth Mystique as I am considering a carbon gravel bike.
There is also the Kona Libre to consider
I’ve just got a Kona Libre if that’s any help, but I think it’s possibly a different beast to the Bombtrack. It was mainly the two-tone paint job that sold it to me to be honest, but I’m rather liking it now.
I would just say that these gravel, adventure, touring 2.0 or whatever you want to call them are a case where it’s really not about the bike though. They are all a compromise, they all work and whatever you get there will be bits of the ride where they are perfect and bits where something else would be better. It’s about where you go not what you ride though, so just buy whichever one you like the look of and just ride it.
Yup got one. I've done 3000+ miles on it now and i'm still dead happy with it. If i'm riding local or just want to head out the door and decide the route whilst im riding it's the go to out of all my bikes (road or mtb).
Custom build with Shimano Ultegra 2x then went to 1x (40T and 11-42T). I stuck with 650b despite saying to myself all my bikes in the future would be 700c\29er. With a fat 650b tyre I found I had the volume and grip I wanted for rougher stuff whilst still having nippy handling on twistier offroad sections. Position and handling is fine for road use and offroad it's even better. It's fast and confidence inspiring on gravel and bridleways, I've beat all my local KOMs I had on my hardtail and gained a number more. It's been really great for longer rides too, I've done quite a few 50-100milers with plenty of offroad and it happily eats through the miles with a good amount of comfort. It's a bit stiffer than some other options but I like the balance personally, once the tyres are dialled in it feels like a good balance of speed\handling\comfort.
The main long term selling point for me is I enjoy riding it whether or not im riding it flat out, 6hrs deep into a all dayer or just pottering about after work enjoying being out on my bike.
Boltcutter peacemaker
Have a search for "dklein" on you tube, he paints an ext-c frame rides and reviews it (a few months back in his videos)
Fibre. Cheers for that. I liked the one I rode a lot. I’m lucky that I have miles of gravel trails, some a bit rough on my doorstep. I’ve been riding my mk1 cotic escapade mainly which has 40c nanos on it and has been great. Test rode the hook ext-c and loved it. Seemed to do everything I want. Like you I like to just go explore thesedays and these “SUV style” type of bikes seem the obvious choice.
How are you f8nding the ride on long rides? I guess if you’re using fat 650’s the tyre soaks most stuff up. Wonder what it would be like with a 700x 40 - less comfy or more comfy than my escapade on a big day out?
It's been great on long rides, plenty comfortable (even with an old shoulder injury). Previously I was using a GT Grade Carbon with 30mm G-One Speeds tubeless, which was amazingly capable and comfortable... until I would run out of tyre volume (85kg - about 45psi offroad).
Ive had two different carbon wheelsets on the Hook, both MTB enduro wheelsets and both stiffer than the sort of wheels you'd typically run on this sort of bike. I'd imagine with a 700c road\gravel wheelset and 40mm tyres it should be spot on.
Tyres wise I've used Panaracer Gravel King SK 650x48, which were good offorad but too draggy due to lack of ramped tread blocks. I'm currently using Teravail Cannonball 650x47 (Light & Supple version), not very grippy in loose conditions but very fast and comfy (from about 25-40psi depending on the ride). I need to fit something with more tread for the winter, I might add Nanos to the shortlist as they seemed a reasonable compromise last time I tried some.
Nanos are a bit old school thesedays and there are more fashionable tyres around but I’ve stuck with mine cos they just work well. Quick on the road and fire roads and enough grip when needed.
That’s kind of my point about the bike being irrelevant. These are all basically road bikes with clearance for big tyres and the performance is mainly determined by the tyres you choose. I’m running 650x47 Byways on my Kona Libre. The slacker head angle and wider bars on the Libre in theory make it a bit better off road than some of the more racy gravel bikes, but I’d still get thrashed off road by anybody running a half decent off road tyre whatever their geometry, frame material etc.
"It’s about where you go not what you ride though, so just buy whichever one you like the look of and just ride it."
It's not that simple though is it? Non of us would be here if it was surely?
All mountain bikes are the same, it's all in the tyres. You just need to pick one that is a colour you like...?
Tyres give you grip etc and big ones more comfort but angles, bar width etc weight all contribute to give you a fit/ ride/ handling that either works for you or it doesn't. Gravel bikes effectively span a range from cx bikes to drop bar plus tyre'd mtb's.
I can't say I've liked everything I've ridden and I didnt get on with super wide swept out bars that were a trend for a while. I ended up with the Hook as it felt the best compromise of what I wanted from that type of bike. The ride is definitely more important than any bike, and you can certainly forget the shortcomings of a bike on a really good ride. But if youre spending your own money then theres no point just picking any old bike.
Don’t get me wrong: I obsessed about every detail before buying mine and am happy with the result. But I can’t help thinking that I’d have been just as happy with whatever I chose. These bikes have to span such a wide range, from road to singletrack that they all end up being a little better here and a little worse there. But, as you say, we wouldn’t be here if we didn’t enjoy obsessing over the details 🙂
the Libre is another option for me. the other local shop is a Kona dealer. What tyres can you get on it?
IIRC the Bombtrack looked better value with the Hunt wheels and rival at £3K
oh, got my sram drivetrains mixed up. Rival is a cheaper option than force but there seems to be not much difference function wise between the two. The hunt wheels are prettier/ have a good rep though.
the Libre is another option for me. the other local shop is a Kona dealer. What tyres can you get on it?
If you can live with the mixed units I think the official line is that you can run up to 700c x 45mm or 650b x 50mm tires with mudguards and up to 29 x 2.0″ or 650b x 2.1″ without. I'm running 640b x 47mm (without guards) and there is plenty of space.
Note, if you are thinking of getting a Libre, they've changed the models around a bit for 2020 although I think the frame is unchanged.
In 2019 the base model got the 650b wheels and the fancy two-tone paint job, while the DL model had 700c wheels and a more conservative finish. For 2020 the base model gets the 700c and conservative colour scheme and the DL model gets 650b and two-tone paint. Depends what you are after, but there are deals to be had on the 2019 model at the moment.
Quite liked the Matt green one last yr.
Cyclestore (which is where I bought mine) seem to have a Black Friday deal on the matt green one, but only certain sizes. The sizes are funny by the way as they size based on seat tube but use short seat tubes. So I'm on a 54 where I'd normally be on a 57 road bike. Better to think of the sizes like an MTB really: XS (46), S (49), M (51), L (54) and XL (55)