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Just sold my MTB as my fitness is currently ruined and I also don’t have much free time. Looking for a bike I can ride straight from the door in all weathers. Will mainly be a combination of canal towpath, roads and bridleways. Need to build myself back up by riding on relatively flat terrain.
I’ve been looking at the current range of gravel bikes. I like the look of the Genesis Fugio, Ragley Trig, On One Free Ranger (although put off by tales of bad CS, QA and warranty issues), Titus Gold Rush, Rondo Ruut, Whyte Friston etc. Budget is around £1.7k, can go up or down slightly and not averse to buying used.
What’ve you got STW? Pictures and reviews of what you’ve got are welcomed.
Wow, just wrote a big long response then STW logged me out.
In short, a tourer.
For all that I originally chose an adventure/gravel bike (Genesis Vagabond) in a bid for ‘all in one’ solution (n minus 3), but soon began missing the 531ST tourer
Changing circumstances/requirements saw me trade the Vagabond for
1. a Longitude 29+ (covers all gnarly gravel/tame singletrack) and
2. a replacement Touristique. Now with this old tourer I feel I’m using the right tool for the job because after a year I have no plans of ever getting rid. I get cold sweats imagining NOT having it 🤣
Ride feels like a magic carpet. Sounds like mythical shit but it’s true! Silent ride except for reassuring ‘snik-clunk’ of (indexed) shifting.
It’s also fast for a tourer. Audaxy speeds without the rack. Added bonus - carries groceries or camping luggage with ease/per designation.
It’s the one bike I always enjoy riding even more than I anticipate (and anticipation is positive) It eats up miles greedily, encouraging me to explore all kinds of unfamiliar loops for the joy of it. Planning a towpath/backroad tour to visit folks in N Wales if all this Covid dies down. I’ve had a year to decide which bike to take of the two. Still have time to decide but my heart says the British Eagle because it always feels like the nicest place to be.
To test this I’ve swapped over the Brooks saddle onto the Longitude and shod with 32c road tyres. Longitude feels nice on road and path but nowhere near as nice as the old tourer. No surprise, horses for courses.
All I did so far when taking ownership of the old girl was add some (Lizard Skins) 3mm bar tape and new cables. Bike was meticulously maintained by the (bike mechanic) previous owner. A joy to ride, and with zero fuss. The Brooks Pro is a (leathery) icing on the cake.
Road/towpath/fireroad/around the world:
And the gravelbeast/29er ATB for everything else
Planet X London road
I have 3 Genesis drop bar bikes, covering most bases. A Croix De Fer 30 with 35c tyres and 105 groupset with discs, which does poor weather and winder road, light gravel and road touring. I have a Vagabond that I bought last year for bikepacking and it really is a versatile workhorse and surprisingly quick on the road for a rigid drop bar 29er, with WTB Nanos in 2.1.
During lockdown I bought a Fugio 30 which I find so much fun on local gravel trails round the nearby windfarm and it is pretty decent on the road. Did a longish mixed road and forest trail route weekend before last and it was ideal.
It has 650x47 tyres, dropper and 1x11 GRX.
29+ isn’t on the cards unfortunately. Tried it twice in the form of a Stache and a Stooge. Very expensive tyres that puncture extremely easily and don’t seal was my experience. Might just have been bad luck. Vagabond does seem good, but a bit weighty.
London Road looks like more of a commuter, but I’ll take a look. Would leave a lot of spare cash in the budget. Fugio is a nice looking bike, but seems expensive for what you get. Thanks for the input so far.
Nothing wrong with a space chicken/free ranger. Mine gets used and abused down some rough bridleways/road miles/occasional commutes.
And they're awesome VFM if you buy at the right time.
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My mate has just bought a similar style of bike and based on his experience, if you want one now you will be severely limited by availability.
Cheers lunge, I can find most of the ones in my OP in stock and in the right size. I’m in no massive rush though. Although would want something this year. Any Titus Goldrush owners in the house? Can’t find a single review of the bike or frame anywhere. Never owned Ti or Carbon, so quite interested in it.
Buy your MTB back, that will do the job. Maybe change the tyres.
Just ordered a Fairlight Faran 2 for same reasons. No review cos I don't have it yet.
https://www.road.cc/content/tech-news/fairlight-releases-faran-20-adventure-gravel-bike-276585%3famp
Buy your MTB back, that will do the job. Maybe change the tyres.
It would do the job, but not well. No mounts for guards either which isn’t great for towpath riding (or occasional commuting). It was a long, low and slack thing. Suited going downhill off-road. A bit shit and dead on the flat though. I can always get another MTB at some point when my fitness is back and I have more free time. Don’t think the guy I’ve sold it to this morning will want to return it either tbh.
The Fairlight looks nice, but possibly overkill for my needs. Don’t need a tonne of different mounting points, just guards.
I’d still be happy with a Vagabond all day as ‘do it all bike’
What is it, 26lb for an all-steel monsters cross? For me it felt very much like a (more roomy, more comfortable) late-90s double-butted skinny steel Kona (LavaDome etc) with better roll-ability and nice medium-wide slightly flared drop bars.
I can see the attraction of a carbon 650b gravel bike for fitness/performance but going back 4 years when I bought the Vagabond I was pushing fifty (and long-term injured/unfit) so it was at the time a neear-perfect solution to easing back in. Very comfortable and capable, no-nonsense bike. I paid £700 for an ex-demo, hardly-used.
For the abuse it can take I’d argue that it’s not ‘heavy’ at all as specced. The wheels could be lighter as they are specced to budget - but that’s all I’d change (maybe a carbon seat-post) were I to have another. The ‘Vagabond’ is a very nice non-nonsense all-day bike IMO. If it wasn’t for the crappy bridleways around here I’d probably still have one instead of the Longitude. The 2.1 Nanos are a game-changer. Massively versatile and light.
Retro-tourer still wins the path-racing game though, especially with the perma-fit full guards. Just jump on and ride in any weather.
First time in a long time I’m more than happy with what I have now covering road, touring, keep-fit, gravel and all-terrain bimbling/bikepacking. Need to fix hardtail for rides with mates though...
New Boardman ADV 8.9 with 2x10 GRX hydraulic brake groupset, £900 if you have British Cycling membership.
Keen on 1x drivetrains too. Had them on the last couple of bikes and don’t want to go back to front mech land. Lots of options to look at for the money. That’s part of the problem I think. Too much choice! 😀
Don’t think the guy I’ve sold it to this morning will want to return it either tbh.
Of course not, he’s out enjoying himself on a mountain bike 😀 What could be better than that.
I have a Ribble CGR which would suit your needs pretty well i think .
Of course not, he’s out enjoying himself on a mountain bike 😀 What could be better than that.
😂 I wholeheartedly agree, but I can’t do any real exercise at the moment so a gravelly thing is a better option. There’ll be another mountain bike at some point 😀
I have a Ribble CGR which would suit your needs pretty well i think .
Didn’t think of Ribble. Will take a gander now, thanks.
Sonder also do some nice gravel bikes, good value too - Camino can be had for £1200 for a hydro drop bar version.
I have. Bergamont Grandurance, that fits the brief. Its nice.
Any other recommendations? I’m hovering over the buy button on a Titus Goldrush, mainly because I’ve never owned a Ti bike, or a Fugio 30.
Thanks, that looks interesting and well spec’d for the price. Really don’t want to go back to having a front mech though and internal routing doesn’t appeal.
The Vagabond is ace.
The bike I've put the most miles on in the last 2-3 years. Think it's done about 4000km so far.
I've run it on a variety of tyres, but for the last year it's been shod with 42c Vittoria tyres. Good for road, gravel, and even as bit of bridleway.
Did a 60km road ride on it yesterday, averaging 26/27kph.
Looks like Vagabond has a front mech and no mudguard mounts out back 😕
In the recommend-what-you-have spirit, Kinesis G2? Pretty versatile, all the racks/commuter requirements. Got mine with a set of Hunt gravel wheels for your budget, would recommend.
2016 Vagabond had 2 fixing points points (I usually used a rack* and also full guards in winter). No idea if the newer models are the same but it would be a silly thing to remove as the bike was an effective workhorse when required. 2x10 Deore was perfect for hilly country, but I was 2x newbie going from decades of 3x10. I could see the attraction of 1x but also wanted the low maintenance costs and Deore makes me feel warm and fuzzy anyway. 90’s man through and through 😎
*Alpkit Love Mud Mool
Titus gold rush looks like a great bike for the money, the planet X after care would worry me a little though.
The Vagabond is very tempting. Wonder if I could squeeze a used 1x groupset in to my budget 🧐
Yep, Goldrush looks great, but my reservations are with the after care. I’ve never bought a bike from PX, but I have heard many a tale of woe and two year warranty on Ti isn’t great either.
Will check out the Kinesis G2 and also like the look of their Tripster AT. I’m a sucker for bright paint!
I’ve ended up with a Fugio 30 in the lovely sunset fade colour. Got it in the sale from Winstanley and now just eagerly awaiting it. Thanks for all the input everyone