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Looking at buying a gravel/Monstercross bike. Must be 650b, alloy or steel don't mind. Budget of £1500 and don't mind waiting for stock to arrive either.
Must be capable of fire roads/backlanes even the the odd bike packing adventure.
Problem is my lower back hates riding drop bars for long periods of time. Had a Cannondale Slate a few years ago which was nice so something similar? Any ideas? Quite like the look of the NS Rag.
Genesis Vagabond meets the criteria, though standard spec is 700 x 2.1 tyres. Mine gets used for all sorts, a pretty versatile bike and definitely my first choice for bike packing stuff.
When I was looking I was close to going for a Ribble Adventure 725. Looks like it should tick all of your boxes.
https://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-adventure-725-apex/
You mean your lower back hates your bars being too low?
I'm the same, I combined lots of spacers (think I have about 70mm from top bearing to underside of stem) then an adjustable Specialized Comp Multi stem which uses angled shims for lightness and 'not looking like an adjustable stem'-ness. The stem can adjust up to 16 degrees I think, possibly more.
Finally I stuck some Controltech Gravel Riser bars for another 20mm of height.
I can now easily run the tops of the bars higher than the saddle if needs be.
Worth thinking about?
Cheers 13thfloormonk. Great advice, thank you
Same as 13thfloor,I had back ache until I got the bars higher. I added a 30deg stem that looks awful but it means I can ride a lot more. Also I now use the drops regularly.
Have a look at the Merida Silex as the stack height is huge for the reach. There are other high stack gravel bikes such as the Marin.
Also I now use the drops regularly.
A huge amount to be said for this, especially on a gravel bike. Drops are the happiest place to be on descents 🙂
Pretty sure someone me tiined they’d just bought a Bombtrack Hook EXT (carbon) for that price (Fugio thread?)
As much as I loved the Vagabond I’d be all over the Hook like a rash
how does the spaced drop (and possibly flared) bars on a gravel bike compare with say a more standard MTB geometry and Jones riser H (or loop) bars? Would that be an option..?
Malvern Rider
MemberPretty sure someone me tiined they’d just bought a Bombtrack Hook EXT (carbon) for that price (Fugio thread?)
As much as I loved the Vagabond I’d be all over the Hook like a rash
Posted 28 minutes ago
Yeah, that was on my Fugio thread. It does look like an awesome bike and killer value. I guess I like Genesis for local dealer backup, and having a Croix De Fer 30, Fugio 30 and Vagabond I’m probably a good advert 😁