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Been looking at gravel bikes for quite a while and with birthday around the corner (although it'll be B'day & Xmas combined for the next 5 years ... 10 if The Mrs has her way 🙂 ) ... think I've narrowed it down based on tyre clearance, cost and spec to a choice between these 2.
https://www.evanscycles.com/pinnacle-arkose-3-2018-adventure-road-bike-EV306246
https://www.giant-bicycles.com/gb/toughroad-gx-slr-1-2019
I'm kind of erring towards the Arkose 3 as it's 105's vs Tiagra and it's the only real difference I can find between them but which would you chose and why.
I’ve been working on a utility website which allows you to do side-by-side comparisons of gravel bikes from different manufacturers:
http://www.gravel-bikes.co.uk/
I don’t have any of the bikes you are currently considering on the site. The site is a hobby project of mine and I can only add bikes as and when I find time. But there might be others there you may wish to consider.
As it happens, I have a Pinnacle Arkose 1 (2015). I'm really happy with the bike. It totally suits my needs and type of riding. The only thing is the really poor brakes (Tektro Mira), but this won't be a consideration with the one you're looking at.
Took me ages to decide when I bought, ended up buying the '17 version of the 105 equipped Arkose. Superb bike, use mine for a mixed surface commute a few days a week that varies from short sections of A road, small lanes, forest fire roads, chalky/flinty bridleways to singletrack, I really like mine, no changes apart from switching to tubeless when I got it home, rest is stock, spec is pretty much perfect I've found. Found I can ride a lot of the local trails faster on this than my mtbs these days. The only annoyance is that the cassette has cut into the alloy freehub body and now the cassette creaks like a pig under load in certain gears. If you are based where your username suggests and fancy a spin on one I'm just over the downs from Petersfield.
@bugpowderdust
I'm going to be in your neck of the woods on Sunday doing a 52 mile sponsored ride all round that way and the longest ride I've done and quite hilly I believe which I'm not used to .... if you see a cyclist collapsed at the side of the road stop and give me a hand 🙂
I'm awful tempted to take you up on your kind offer at some stage ... although I think I'm probably erring in the Pinnacle direction anyway.
If you're going out for a weekend ride at all and fancy some company let me know ... wouldn't mind doing some different routes as we end up doing the same one's an awful lot of the time and nice to do them if someone has "local" knowledge.