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I am vaguely in need of a new non-mtb.
I am no roady but use my current 10+ years old planet x carbon for road duties, short commutes, odd day rides etc.
The obvious thing (to me at the moment) is get a gravel bike that will offer the flexibility.
So I am thinking shimano 105 2x chainset, may be start with 700c wheels.
It would obviously be an excellent gravel bike with different wheels but how would it be as a road bike as well?
FYI other bikes are a cotic solarismax and a fatty
My partners got an escapade as her road bike. Hope 20fives with 28mm 4 seasons. 105 groupset with a GRX crankset. She loves it, much quicker both up and down hills on this than her previous surly straggler with the same tyres. Has done 100 mile rides on it with no issues.
That's precisely what I decided to do. Ended up with a GRX 1X setup (mostly as when I was ordering the bike you couldn't get a 105 double for love nor money). I love it, really versatile and fun bike to ride. Don't miss my road bike at all!
I've got a one-off sample frame from Cotic that's Escapade shaped that I use as a winter roadbike - it was an idea a few years back to have a basic Escapade and a posh one with new fangled bits like tapered head tube and a posher (Columbus Spirit) tubeset. In the end, they just made the Escapade a bit nicer all round.
It rides fine - not as zippy as my sunday best Enigma Elite HSS, but then 'guards, 1st gen Shimano hydro discs and 105 add a chunk of weight compared to naked/rim brakes/Campag SR; plus the geometry is a little more staid - longer c/stays and a higher front end (the extra stability is not a bad thing in winter)
Personally I'd say the current Escapade is a better "all road" bike than it is a gravel bike - I think 43mm is the limit on 700C tyres (much bigger if you're happy with 650b), but I'm aware that's possibly splitting hairs, and dependent on what you call "gravel".
They've got one of the full 853 frames built with Campag Ekar in the demo fleet, and that looks lovely...
I did for a few years (the old one with the backward disc mount) and kind of regret selling it. Perfect bike for meandering around the back lanes, comfy for hours. Probably not great if you're into outright speed and fast chaingangs.
current escapade only fits GRX or SRAM mechs according to cotic, not shimano road.
https://www.cotic.co.uk/product/escapade#compatibility
I use mine as both a gravel and road bike. 105 double with ultegra rx mech and hydro discs. Wheels are a bit heavy but planning to replace them with zipp 303s that will do both nicely. Currently got road bars which are a compromise off-road, also planning to swap these for something with a light flair.
Yep, bog standard Sora spec green one from a few years ago, got some cheapish carbon forks to replace the steel ones it came with, tubeless 35mm road tyres. Use it less now than I did back in Lincolnshire, but it's done 200km days in relative comfort. I've never had a fancy road bike, so I don't really know any better, someone with a more refined palette might find it slow or heavy or whatever, but I like it. I'll probably replace the wheels at some point, when I'll keep the ones I have set up with knobbles, and keep the new ones as wide-ish road.
I've used gravel bikes for road riding for years -- currently a Soma Wolverine
I'm pretty that a set of road wheels + tyres and an appropriately low cockpit gets you 98% of the way towards having a road bike; at least a road endurance bike. For the hilly, sketchy road rides I do I'm pretty sure my gravel bike is sometimes a better tool for the job
Most importantly for me, a gravel bike makes a much much better road bike than a road bike does a gravel bike
Depending if you are building up a frame or buying complete but the shimano 105 spec from Cotic uses a GRX cranks and front derailier as Slackboy said, 105 shifters and rear mech though.
I looked at one, got a Ribble CGR 725 instead and have recently changed that for a Sonder Camino AL with GRX 1x. I'd imagine an Escapade would be similar as a road bike. Quick enough for me on 700c with 38mm slicks, and comfortable for long rides over all sorts of crappy roads. If you want to go out with people smashing it on Aeroads though you are looking in the wrong place,, obviously
Definitely no smashing it on aeros for me.
The cgr is another sensible option but I love my solarismax so much so that leans me towards cotic.
If I get the green light I'd be buying a complete build so spec should be safe. My planetX is ancient and related to Trigger's broom so not really a source for parts.