Gravel Class 3

[ruffruff]

Didn't get a lot of responses in the Help Me Pick a Bike section so maybe it will get more looks here.

I'm looking for an urban/gravel trail bike.

I have a great tar/gravel trail at the end of my street I would like to ride a lot.
I want class 3 as I routinely outride my PAS on other bikes and I would like to put on some serious miles.

I was looking at Diamondback Union 1 but reviews say it's a bit overpriced for the bike.
Yamaha Civante

What other suggestions are there?

 

[jabberwocky]

I have a Giant Revolt E for gravel riding. The 2021 isn't cheap (5k) but is nicely specced (GRX Di2, good parts all around). Giant uses Yamaha motors. Has mounts for racks (I have a rack on mine). I've been very happy with it.

Cannondale makes some electric Topstones that would work well for gravel. Not super familiar with the range but there are a few. Bosch motors. Most/all(?) are class 3. I think REI carries them.

Niner introduced an electric gravel bike to their line (the RLT e9 RDO). Also Bosch. Also expensive. Very nice.

Yamaha has the cross connect, but its class 1. They introduced the Civante which is class 3 but comes setup as more of a standard road bike. Might be an option if you want to switch some parts around.

This is all assuming you want a real mile-munching gravel bike. So, 700c wheels, fairly aggressive body position, drop bars... If you want more of a general purpose flat bar bike thats a different set of options.

 

[jabberwocky]

Also, the Diamondback Current is their gravel bike. For $4100 I think its reasonably well specced. Bosch motor, GRX parts, hydro brakes.

 

[ruffruff]

I'm looking for a pretty serious mile cruncher.
Definitely want 700c

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Cannondale...

 

[RunForTheHills]

What makes a gravel bike a gravel bike? Wider tires and flared drop bars? I think that most people on this forum don't have experience with gravel bikes, but I could be wrong. It might help to give a little more info on what you are looking for. The 700c wheels helps. The Diamondback Union 1 seems to have flat bars. If you are looking for a serious mile cruncher, does that mean you want a lightweight bike that you can ride with mostly leg power, or just a larger battery with more range?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

What makes a gravel bike a gravel bike? Wider tires and flared drop bars? I think that most people on this forum don't have experience with gravel bikes, but I could be wrong. It might help to give a little more info on what you are looking for. The 700c wheels helps. The Diamondback Union 1 seems to have flat bars. If you are looking for a serious mile cruncher, does that mean you want a lightweight bike that you can ride with mostly leg power, or just a larger battery with more range?

Gravel bike is lightweight in the first place. It has different geometry from the road bike. The Shimano GRX groupset makes you sure it is a gravel bike...

 

[RunForTheHills]

The Shimano GRX groupset makes you sure it is a gravel bike...

That does take a lot of the confusion out of it.

 

[jabberwocky]

What makes a gravel bike a gravel bike? Wider tires and flared drop bars? I think that most people on this forum don't have experience with gravel bikes, but I could be wrong. It might help to give a little more info on what you are looking for. The 700c wheels helps. The Diamondback Union 1 seems to have flat bars. If you are looking for a serious mile cruncher, does that mean you want a lightweight bike that you can ride with mostly leg power, or just a larger battery with more range?

Its actually a difficult question to answer. Gravel bikes are an offshoot of endurance bikes and cyclocross bikes, with a little mountain bike dna thrown in for good measure. Typically, vs a road bike they have slacker angles and a more upright riding position, and longer chainstays for stability in rough terrain. Clearance for large tires are mandatory and a decent amount of mounting points for racks and fenders are typical. Wider bars with flare are normal now, which give good leverage in rough terrain and a shallower drop which is more useful when you're less concerned with aero.

Theres a lot of overlap with CX bikes and endurance road bikes, which share some of the same characteristics. My non-electric gravel bike (Motobecane Century ti) is more of an endurance road bike vs a pure gravel bike.

 

[jabberwocky]

I'm looking for a pretty serious mile cruncher.
Definitely want 700c

Budget?

 

[RunForTheHills]

Its actually a difficult question to answer. Gravel bikes are an offshoot of endurance bikes and cyclocross bikes, with a little mountain bike dna thrown in for good measure. Typically, vs a road bike they have slacker angles and a more upright riding position, and longer chainstays for stability in rough terrain. Clearance for large tires are mandatory and a decent amount of mounting points for racks and fenders are typical. Wider bars with flare are normal now, which give good leverage in rough terrain and a shallower drop which is more useful when you're less concerned with aero.

Theres a lot of overlap with CX bikes and endurance road bikes, which share some of the same characteristics. My non-electric gravel bike (Motobecane Century ti) is more of an endurance road bike vs a pure gravel bike.

That helps some, but may not be what the OP is looking for. My Surly LHT would fit that description, but it is sold as a touring bike. It is one of my favorite bikes though.

 

[WattsUpDude]

Didn't get a lot of responses in the Help Me Pick a Bike section so maybe it will get more looks here.

I'm looking for an urban/gravel trail bike.

I have a great tar/gravel trail at the end of my street I would like to ride a lot.
I want class 3 as I routinely outride my PAS on other bikes and I would like to put on some serious miles.

I was looking at Diamondback Union 1 but reviews say it's a bit overpriced for the bike.
Yamaha Civante

What other suggestions are there?

I think I'm the sole responder on that thread.

I don't have a gravel bike but I have a gravel-ish bike. 38mm Gravelking tires, Ritchey Venturemax shallow drops, and Speedbox to make it Class 3+.

 

[ruffruff]

I want 700C tires with the slacker geometry. I think that constitutes a gravel bike? I don't think true road geometry would feel good at my age.
I think i want the dropper bar so I can drop into the more aggresive posture when needed.

My goal is long distance rides/a lot of miles, on gravel with a comfortable ride.
3-4k budget.

I was looking at the Cannondale's but their website is vague on what class each of their bikes are.

 

[ruffruff]

I think I'm the sole responder on that thread.

I don't have a gravel bike but I have a gravel-ish bike. 38mm Gravelking tires, Ritchey Venturemax shallow drops, and Speedbox to make it Class 3+.

So is that the Yamaha Civente?
Tell me about this!!!

 

[ruffruff]

This one checks a lot of boxes but a little out of my price range.

Topstone Neo 5

A no-frills, all-function gravel road bike with multiple mounts for water bottles, racks and storage, purpose built for adventure with the power and range of Bosch.

www.cannondale.com

 

[WattsUpDude]

So is that the Yamaha Civente?
Tell me about this!!!

This is the Urban Rush. It's almost the same as the Civante except that it's sold as a Class 1 machine and comes in a different paint color. I got it for a deep discount but at list price, it's only $100 less than the Civante. So yeah, if I didn't get it at closeout, I'd opt to spend $100 more on the Civante. I really, really like it so much.

 

[Oberst]

Specialized Creo Evo

 

[PedalUma]

I like the Midnight Special and would just add the ten-pounds of motor and battery. I would swap the bar for a SOMA Condor II that has a rise before the drop and flare because I have a high seat post.

 

[Saratoga Dave]

I have a bunch of threads and comments over in the Yamaha forum about the Civante. When I bought mine almost exactly a year ago, it was what I considered a very good deal at $3400 US… now, it seems like a terrific deal as the price hasn’t gone up at all while everyone else is shooting past $5000.

Came with 35mm smooth tires, so a little more than a straight up road bike. I recently replaced them with 38s and find I still have room to go larger if I wanted to. The bigger tires made an instant improvement in the ride, which was nice… it has always been a little abrupt over bumps or seams, shall we say. It feels more planted now. Funny you mention this, I was on mine today and went by a steep, gravel chunky hill that I go up on my gravel bike (Giant ToughRoad) and almost gave it a try with the new tires. Didn’t, but I might the next time I’m over there.

That Giant Revolt strikes me as a great choice for real actual all day gravel stuff, as does the Cannondale Lefty, but the Class 3 there is pretty expensive.

 

[ruffruff]

This is the Urban Rush. It's almost the same as the Civante except that it's sold as a Class 1 machine and comes in a different paint color. I got it for a deep discount but at list price, it's only $100 less than the Civante. So yeah, if I didn't get it at closeout, I'd opt to spend $100 more on the Civante. I really, really like it so much.

what do you like about the Civante over the Rush?
What was the speedbox install like? Any problems with it?

I have a Yamaha dealer close to me with all the models. They are high on my list. I rode a BH bike last summer with the PW-se motor. Other than the creaking that everyone complains about, I loved that motor.