[Closed] What is a good flatbar gravel bike.

You mean a hybrid?

Specifically a flatbar gravel bike, I've seen a few described as such. Sonder have one which is very tempting but purchasing one seems a pain, they're waiting on parts etc.

BMC Alpenchallenge or Roadmachine flatbar?

You mean a hybrid?

There's no denying it.

They look good.

Croix de Fer seems obvious.

Anyone tried a Saracen Levarg?

Call em what you want chaps, bring me your recommends.

Specialized Sirrus

Space Chicken frame and build it up how you want?

I'm just converting my other half's Space Chicken to flat bars as she doesn't like the drops.

I've also got a Boardman Hybrid Pro which easily fits 42mm tyres so currently running some Gravel Kings and used for commuting.

Cotic RoadRat. Here’s mine. 650b with roadplus byways. 1*gearing, suspension seat post. Most fun bike I’ve ever had.

I think you need a good look at geometry. Loads of these recommendations are for drop bar frames with flat handle bars. That might give a bike that is shorter than you want.

No shame in shopping for a Hybrid. I'd be looking at Whyte.....

New Sirrus X looks interesting.

Sirrus X.

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I love my hardtail. It does everything I need except its a bit slow for the commute.

Buy a lightweight wheel set and some skinny tyres and when you commute put them on. When you go full gnar put the other wheel set on.

You can always buy a rigid fork too. I run schwalbe 2 inch big apple tyres on mine and they are brilliant, comfy and not that much slower.

Then when you decide that the bike is better in its new commuting format leave it as it is and buy a new mountain bike.

Cube?

Called a road bike, but not road geometry, discs and decent tyre clearance. Will it just be for road commutes?
Out of interest, why not drop bars?

I just like flat bars. Flat pedals too. I had a racer when I was a kid and never liked the drop position.

I avoid roads as much as possible but most of the 10 mile commute is on very high quality cycle path with just a mile or two of track.

So far I'm liking the CDF and Sirrus.

Narrower tyres

I have just bought a pinnacle Roman frame set from Evans for £100 which is perfect for me as I really don’t like the position of drops and I had all the other parts in the spares bin so I now have a “29, flat bar, slick tyred (2” big apples from Planet X), disc braked bike for using on the road (notice how I didn’t give it a label).

I haven’t had a chance to ride it in anger yet but it’s basically exactly what I want.

Trek FX3 disc

A fast light 29er?

My Trek Superfly rapidly became my gravel bike and even my CX bike and felt quite at home as both, with advantage that I could stick the wider bars and tyres back on if I wanted to race MTB again.

Only stopped using it as I was spending most of my time on drop bars on my other bikes so wanted drops on the gravel/CX bike also.

I just use a cheap (on-one) 29er carbon frame, rigid fork and light ‘cross’ style disk wheels.

Use all my ‘old’ xt 10speed stuff and slightly bigger 2x front chainrings. Works a treat with 38c gravel tyres.

Orange Speedworks?
https://www.orangebikes.co.uk/bikes/speedwork/2020
I’ve never had a go on one, but I’ve always thought they looked neat. I also like the look of the fx3 suggested earlier, though I’d probably cough up for the fx4
https://www.trekbikes.com/gb/en_GB/bikes/hybrid-bikes/fitness-bikes/fx/fx-sport-4/p/27994/ If I was going that way. It looks like it would be fun on the streets, but perhaps a little lightweight for your needs.

There seems to be growing interest in this sort of bike. I reckon you might find more options in a couple of years.

I'm kinda interested in this thread, as i'm toying with the idea of one as a commuter.

As already mentioned its worth looking carefully at geometry as some manufacturers just put a flat bar onto a road frame which could end up rather cramped, also, some of them seem to have some pretty big head tube measurements for a more upright urban ride.

I quite like the look of one of those Cubes linked above, or, as already mentioned a rigid 29er with bigger rings & skinny fast rubber.

I bought a pinnacle lithium frame from Evans, put on a Geoff bar from planet X and a deeply unfashionable deore triple chainset and love it! Some carbon exotic forks and some fast rolling Michelin 2.0 tyres and it's great. It does my commuting, quick blasts after work and gravel duties. You'd have loads of change from £1000

Isn't a flat bar gravel bike just a 20 year old mountain bike?

Edit: ok so I'm getting ld fast.  Maybe more like 25-30 year old!  My 97 Kilauea was one of the last konas to come specced either rigid or with (63mm travel) suspension forks...still rides well though!

There seems to be growing interest in this sort of bike. I reckon you might find more options in a couple of years.

Probably because it is sort of like riding a lighter and better braking 80's MTB which was great for gravel roads and tarmac. I remember even have 1.75 tyres on my rigid MTB in the 80's and that is only 43c so not exactly any different than a lot of gravel tyres today.

In fact, here's my original thread!

https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/the-next-big-thing-2/

Bonkers...  Thought I wrote that a couple of years ago, not 10 months ago!!

I think the Whyte Portobello is a nice looking hybrid/ flat bar gravel bike for 800 quid. Not sure if there's a distinction or not, I assume that any bike that can fit slightly wider tyres can be classed as a gravel bike?

So I'm not the only one.

I'd build one but I'm only going to have the space for such things when I move to a new house in two weeks, no space means no tools or spare sparts. Equity release means new bike though with long term financial savings on the commute.

Thanks for all the input. I've narrowed down to Sonder Camino, CDF or Orange Superfly. A very helpful thread this has been.

(anything called Superfly needs consideration)

Ridgeback Three6Five looks like a good value option, £700. 1x10 gears, discs etc. Has 700x35 tyres, not sure if clearance for much bigger.
https://www.ridgeback.co.uk/bike/three6five

Levarg flat bar works better than most drop bar orientated bikes fitted with flat bars as the front centre and reach figures are relatively long (about 20mm longer in reach than most similar bikes). Stock build is a bit commute orientated but just needs a chainring swap to be more off-road suited.

i use a planetx tempest frame with flat bars, 40mm nano tyres. great for gravel and super fun on the local trail centre red routes

Orange Speedwork. Oh Lawd. I hope the money comes in as expected.

damascus

Buy a lightweight wheel set and some skinny tyres and when you commute put them on. When you go full gnar put the other wheel set on.

You can always buy a rigid fork too

Yeah, this.

I had a second wheelset for my Inbred with City Jets on, and just locked the fork.
The only issue might be disc alignment on the different hubs, but Syntace do shims to sort it.

Orange Speedwork. Oh Lawd

I know you specified less than £1000, I meant to link to this page https://www.orangebikes.co.uk/shop/factory/closeout/2018_speedwork_s_xl_satin_lava_grey There's a medium and an XL still available for 875, which seems to me like a decent price.

The new speedwork is £1090 and its stunning. Would easily be the best specced bike I ever had.

Sexy bike

I’ve got the older speedworks, very wide bars! It’s used as my commuter and is fun down the canals but the old one doesn’t have mudguard holes for fitting even though the description states it does...like the look of the sirrus x as it’s replacement.