I am looking to buy a retirement bike. Probably could be in the $3000-$5000 range.I am really satisfied with my Raleigh Roker Comp now as my race gravel bike now that I had the Shimano GRX put on it. What I am looking for is a bike that I can use to gravel race if the course is too rough for the Roker. One such course would probably be the unPaved race in PA.
I don't know enough about bikes though to know what I am looking for. I would guess that a suspension bike would be out because of it weighing too much. Guessing a cross country bike might work as I wouldn't be normally riding it in the long distance races. Looking for a bike that hopefully weighs 20 lbs. or less. Is there such a bike like that. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Did some searching this morning. Has anybody on here ridden or own a Niner Air RDO. probably looking at the 4 star build?. I see the Pro's closet has some what looks to be some killer deals on some used ones.
I would be tempted to look for a Titanium gravel bike that can fit 650 B tires, like a Lynskey GR 250 (which Guitar Ted reviewed on this site), the Litespeed Gravel, the Otso Warkin Ti, or, if you want something a bit burlier, the Bear Claw Thunderhawk. The ability to have 650B tires should allow these bikes to take on rougher terrain than your Roker, and the Ti frame will keep the weight down. So will a carbon frame I guess, but you sacrifice a bit of durability, and, more importantly, shininess.
bbruening60 wrote:I would be tempted to look for a Titanium gravel bike that can fit 650 B tires, like a Lynskey GR 250 (which Guitar Ted reviewed on this site), the Litespeed Gravel, the Otso Warkin Ti, or, if you want something a bit burlier, the Bear Claw Thunderhawk. The ability to have 650B tires should allow these bikes to take on rougher terrain than your Roker, and the Ti frame will keep the weight down. So will a carbon frame I guess, but you sacrifice a bit of durability, and, more importantly, shininess.
Thanks rueing60 for those suggestions. See I never thought of the 650 B tires as helping out with the rough stuff. I do like the idea of buying ti though for durability.
Thanks rueing60 for those suggestions. See I never thought of the 650 B tires as helping out with the rough stuff. I do like the idea of buying ti though for durability.
Zman
Using high volume 650b tires completely transforms the ride of a gravel bike. I have a 700c and a 650b wheelset for my bike. For smooth easy gravel I use the 700c, when it’s going to be rough I throw on 650b. Also a Shock Stop stem and some type of suspension seatpost make a huge difference. Even the fastest mountain bike is going to feel slow compared to a gravel bike and the straight bar doesn’t give enough hand positions.
ljsmith do you know if they make a 21 deg. setback suspension seat post. Don't know a lot about bike set up but know this. For some reason on both of my Raleigh bikes I need the 21 deg. set back to get the bike set up right. I bought one of those lightweight carbon seat posts that didn't have the set back and found out real quick that I couldn't get the set up right. It was a $70 - $80 mistake. Zman
I don't know enough about bikes though to know what I am looking for. I would guess that a suspension bike would be out because of it weighing too much. Guessing a cross country bike might work as I wouldn't be normally riding it in the long distance races. Looking for a bike that hopefully weighs 20 lbs. or less. Is there such a bike like that. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Zman
After a few gravel rides/races, I decided a suspension fork was a must for what I do. It helped that I got beat by a guy on a dual suspension mountain bike in one race. In any case, I have never regretted putting a suspension fork on my all-surface bike. I know that I more than make up the time I lose climbing (plus 3 pounds means plus 3-4 watts to maintain the same speed) by riding the downhills more like an mtb than a gravel bike. Even on fast, not as steep sections I would leave people behind that were getting beat up without suspension. Unfortunately, many riders are super-obsessed with weight and think those three pounds is a big deal (it's not nothing, like I said it is 3-4 watts) and discount the idea of suspension for gravel. And probably, some people's gravel is not that rough. If I had a bundle of cash, I would be all over the above-pictured Magic Carpet Ride.
From reading this report this bike weighs close to 26 lbs. 25 1/2 if I remember right. I can't see myself laying out that kind of cash for a bike that heavy. My bike also has to be a decent climber and that bike wouldn't do that for me.
Take take a look at http://www.deanbikes.com you can a custom titanium frame that can accept both 700 and 650 wheel sets. Nothing like having a frame that’s built to your fit. Titanium offers a fantastic ride quality and the durability is unmatched. IMHO, best material for a gravel frame hands down.
Zurichman wrote: From reading this report this bike weighs close to 26 lbs. 25 1/2 if I remember right. I can't see myself laying out that kind of cash for a bike that heavy. My bike also has to be a decent climber and that bike wouldn't do that for me. Zman
Well, I guess I have never cared about how much any bike I was buying weighed once I realized weight is not a particularly significant performance factor. It either does the job or it doesn't and for the climbing I do, that bike looks like it would smooth the ruts, bumps and other things that cause friction on the way up that would more than make up for any extra poundage. And then on the way down you would dust anyone riding rigid. Why do folks think that suspension can only make you faster on the way down? I wish I could get my hands on one to test because it would be super easy to ride it with suspension and locked out at the same wattage and see which was one faster. And that does not even consider the fatigue you won't be feeling at the end of a long, rough gravel race. Plus, at 26 pounds, it would be lighter than the hardtail, all-surface bike I am riding now by a couple of pounds. 🙂
From reading this report this bike weighs close to 26 lbs. 25 1/2 if I remember right. I can't see myself laying out that kind of cash for a bike that heavy. My bike also has to be a decent climber and that bike wouldn't do that for me.
Zman
I have to agree with you that Niner is really "proud" of that bike at over $8K. But I think it is a logical extension from mild gravel to gnarlier gravel.
Whether the weigh makes a difference depends on how much the suspension can improve the ride which then improves overall performance.
As mentioned above titanium is not a bad choice. I had a titanium gravel bike made to order by Davis Carver's contractor last fall and the prices are really good, the cost of custom mods is reasonable. Like I choose couplers which are normally quite expensive in titanium, like $700-$800 but I paid $480 from Carver and more importantly the fit is great. He also meets his delivery estimates which is current 90 days. That is amazing for most custom builders I have worked with and wondered if I was every going to get my frame. So am happy with my Carver. http://carverbikes.com/frames/ti-all-road/
zman, are you still leaning towards a flat bar cross country hardtail to complement your Roker? Or are you thinking another drop bar bike?
If I'm going downhill fast, I'm gonna want my hard tail with front suspension (and proper tires). Something that excels at climbing (for gravel rides). If I'm just doing the rolling gravel hills that I encounter most around here, I'm on the drop bar bike for its light weight, climbing prowess, aerodynamics, and gearing.
chas wrote:zman, are you still leaning towards a flat bar cross country hard tail to complement your Roker? Or are you thinking another drop bar bike?
If I'm going downhill fast, I'm gonna want my hard tail with front suspension (and proper tires). Something that excels at climbing (for gravel rides). If I'm just doing the rolling gravel hills that I encounter most around here, I'm on the drop bar bike for its light weight, climbing prowess, aerodynamics, and gearing.
Chas thanks for your reply. Yeah I am still looking for a bike. What I am basically looking for is a lightweight suspension bike that can handle some gnarly stuff as people mentioned that my Roker can't. A course that would probably fit that bill would be the unPAved ride. It has some nasty sections in it from what I hear/read in the 120 miler. It doesn't have enough that you want the weight difference of riding it in a heavy mt. bike but probably would be a good ride to ride a hard tail or cross bike. I am beginning to think a bike like I want doesn't exist. I have been doing some research and thought this Niner clicked all the boxes. Kicker is I don't see a dealer around that I can go try one. I also see that some frames are S M L and yet I see another shop advertising a 53 cm and 56 cm so not sure what is going on there. Bike list weight of 21 lbs 6 oz. and that works for me.
What do you think of the Niner AIR 9 RDO. In the 4 star build it's 2x.
Looks good to me, but I have't been mountain bike shopping in a while, and every year they seem to be longer/lower/slacker. But, being a cross country hard tail, this one is going to be a bit more like a gravel bike. Not sure what the trail is, but 70 degree head tube angle is fairly aggressive for a mountain bike (but not for a gravel bike). (That means it will take a bit of skill on very technical single track, but should be great for gravel)
I'd consider getting a Canyon - their mountain bikes are very well specked for the money (but I'm biased as I love my Inflite). I'm thinking that in that category (high end hard tails) most of the bikes are going to be pretty similar between brands. That said, RDO makes a great gravel bike, so I expect good stuff from their hardtail.
32x11 gear ratio could hold you back a bit on the flat, or rolling downhill gravel stuff.
velogeorgia wrote:Take take a look at http://www.deanbikes.com you can a custom titanium frame that can accept both 700 and 650 wheel sets. Nothing like having a frame that’s built to your fit. Titanium offers a fantastic ride quality and the durability is unmatched. IMHO, best material for a gravel frame hands down.
I'll second Dean bikes. Send Yo an email and he can make you something in your price range that will last your the rest of your life.
Looks good to me, but I have't been mountain bike shopping in a while, and every year they seem to be longer/lower/slacker. But, being a cross country hard tail, this one is going to be a bit more like a gravel bike. Not sure what the trail is, but 70 degree head tube angle is fairly aggressive for a mountain bike (but not for a gravel bike). (That means it will take a bit of skill on very technical single track, but should be great for gravel)
I'd consider getting a Canyon - their mountain bikes are very well specked for the money (but I'm biased as I love my Inflite). I'm thinking that in that category (high end hard tails) most of the bikes are going to be pretty similar between brands. That said, RDO makes a great gravel bike, so I expect good stuff from their hardtail.
32x11 gear ratio could hold you back a bit on the flat, or rolling downhill gravel stuff.
Chas and others
Herein lies the problem for me. I have absolutely no mt. biking background or mt bike riding experience at all. I was mostly the roadie biker before the 2nd hit by the drunk which shook me up enough I decided to go the gravel route. The only bike I had before that was a cheapo bike and just a little bit better than a Walmart bike. It is a Schwinn mt bike that is heavier than a rock and probably a 30 lb.+ bike.
Here is pretty much what I am looking for in a bike. I want to buy a bike pretty sure that has some front suspension to it. It has to be light enough that it is still a climber for me though. The gearing I figure or hope I can work out with the builder but guessing I will go the new Shimano GRX route 48/31 and not sure what the rear gears will be. I want the bike to be comfortable enough that if I want to do a nasty/somewhat gnarly gravel bike race that isn't right for my Roker that I can ride this bike instead. I am guessing that I could put 650 tires on my Roker but this is just a retirement so I don't need to be swapping 700 and 650 wheel tires out on my Roker. I also would like the bike to have the front suspension on it so I could do some manageable mt. biking on it but not something too crazy. I have read ride reports enough to know that they say some rides/races not one bike is going to be enough for the entire ride. The unPAved race in PA would be one of them. It is suppose to have a 3-4 mile section that is really rough. It isn't long enough that you would be wanted to ride a mt. bike and take all that weight loss for the entire ride. That is why I thought I wanted a lightweight hard tail that would fit that bill and I would take the chance on it being somewhat on a stiffer ride side than a gravel bike. Again I don't know enough about bikes to know what I want.
