Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

Hey All,

Im unbelievable indecisive and am stuck between a few bikes. looking to spend in the $3-5,000 mark and obviously want to get the best bang for my buck.
Im a former triathlon rider so i've got lots of experience on a bike and tend to prefer riding pretty quick. have been on a $300 fb marketplace beater for a bit but looking to splurge, want something very much in the "gravel" range of bikes as i want it slightly more capable than a road bike. Preference is pretty strong for a 2x system. i want tyre clearance north of 40mm and i'll likely end up doing the large gravel tyres and a set of slimmer wheels as well.

Currently tossing up between the following and would appreciate any input.
https://www.canyon.com/en-au/gravel-bik ... e=R119_P01
https://www.cannondale.com/en-au/bikes/ ... pstone-ltd

Scott and avanti (Addict/Speedster and Gran Durance)

I think the grail suits me better than the Grizl and i'm lucky that i have had opportunities to test a scott/avanti bike but im still not 100% sure.

Would appreciate any insight from someone who owns any of the above bikes, or anyone with experience who wants to weigh in. are these bikes decent value, could i go about building one cheaper, anything that i should be aware of?

I would also consider the Giant Revolt Advanced, Warthog on here uses his with road wheels and gravel wheels. The current version has a flip chip so can run up to 53mm tyres.

I would also look at the outgoing 2023 Cervelo Aspero for a fast more road style gravel bike that should be on clearance as the new one just came out. Officially the clearance is 40mm.

Of the Canyon and Cannondale, at the website pricing (LBS might have better deals on the Cannondale), the Canyon is much better value - carbon frame vs alloy , GRX 12sp vs 11sp, Dt Swiss wheels vs Formula/WTB.

Cannondale Topstones used to require assymetrical rear wheels to get the tyre clearance i.e. it was dished 1.5mm or so off centre. Worth asking if this is still the case, as it can make it more complicated to buy replacement wheels. I believe a lot of normal wheels can be re-dished to suit but it's not a guarantee.

https://www.trekbikes.com/au/en_AU/bike ... d_bluedark

contact a few local dealers and see if they have one in stock

I went through this pretty recently when the frameset on my Trek Checkpoint ALR5 was damaged, and I considered upgrading to something faster.

The following options are there:

Giant Revolt Advanced 0 or 1
$5k RRP for the GRX800 (Ultegra) or $4k for the GRX600. You can actually get an Advanced 0 for around $4k if you're looking around which is amazing value. I could just never resolve the 'D shaped seatpost in round seat tube' issue which cracked a few framesets. Though putting in a round seatpost instead prevents that.

Cervelo Aspero GRX610
$4.5k for the current model, but you may find a previous model on runout (I couldn't find any GRX looking briefly). Light, aero, actually has top tube mounts, reasonable spec. It's actually my pick in that price range and if Trek didn't sign of on my warranty I would have bought one. The new model has much better tyre clearance and is slightly more stable, I think it's worth it.

Specialized Crux Comp
There's a few around at $4k (RRP is $5.2k) and this is definitely the raciest option, but I feel the Rival 1x lets it down and it has literally no mounts except for two bottle mounts which makes it hard to use in a prolonged gravel race.

Canyon Grail
The SL7 you posted is reasonable, but I'd want to be spending less than that for a 9.2kg GRX800 bike without the ability to test ride (the Giant above is actually cheaper and you can go find one in store).

The one in the Grail Range I would consider is the SLX 8 Di2 which is currently on runout presumably because it's still got 11 speed.

https://www.canyon.com/en-au/gravel-bik ... e=R120_P02

Focus Atlas
Now this is left field because it's obviously not a big seller - but current models are available for $3k with GRX600, and (my pick) $5.1k with Rival ETAP.

https://www.bikeexchange.com.au/a/grave ... d=21861517

https://www.bikeexchange.com.au/a/grave ... d=21446757

Big problem here is the wheels are Boost spacing, which limits your wheel choice.

Trek Checkpoint SL5
GRX600, carbon frame and about $3.5k everywhere. They're a bit heavy (over 9kg) but for that price it's hard to argue with. Stock wheelset is rubbish so factor in replacing that at some stage. Trek have a lot of stock, a lot of stores, and if you go into one you'll probably be able to get it down further. There's even a couple of ALR5s with GRX600 for as low as $2200 which is a heck of a deal.

Personally I'm sticking with my ALR5 with a carbon wheelset, bars, seatpost and saddle upgrade. It's around 9kg. If someone offered me $3k for the lot I'd probably upgrade to a Cervelo Aspero but honestly it's not worth that much and I have a suspicion I'm faster on an alloy frameset anyway because I'm less worried about scratching it. And it will get scratched.

A mate of mine recently bought a Canyon (road bike, different model) and has nothing but trouble with it - squeaking seat post, chain dropping, power meter pedals not working...I'm sure there are many happy Canyon owners, but my mate isn't one of them.

P!N20 wrote: ↑

Tue May 28, 2024 11:25 am

A mate of mine recently bought a Canyon (road bike, different model) and has nothing but trouble with it - squeaking seat post, chain dropping, power meter pedals not working...I'm sure there are many happy Canyon owners, but my mate isn't one of them.

To be fair, other than the seat post squeaking, none of those are Canyon issues. However if you bought a bike from a LBS you could take it back for them to correct.

That's the main reason I never considered a Canyon. After my Bowman experience (frame a write-off, company bankrupt) it's nice to now own a Trek where I can wander into any one of three shops within a short drive and have them sort it out.

Canyon I'm sure has reasonable support but it's a different matter to do it remotely.

I had heard a few complaints R.E canyon stuff as of late which is what sort of turned me off it and got me looking into other bikes.

Will have to get to a bike shop and hopefully get on a Giant, the option to go up to 53mm is pretty enticing admittedly but watch me just have the one set of wheels and never swap lol.

Just for my own confirmation - difference between GRX 820 and 810 is 12 vs 11 speed on the rear - and the difference between the 600's and 800's is just weight/parts etc?

Monkeyonthisrock wrote: ↑

Tue May 28, 2024 3:01 pm

Just for my own confirmation - difference between GRX 820 and 810 is 12 vs 11 speed on the rear - and the difference between the 600's and 800's is just weight/parts etc?

correct on both counts
12 speed officially supports 36T in 2x on the rear. allegedly you can run an 11-40T on 2x in 11 speed.

I also noticed that no-one responded regarding the Scott/Avanti options? should i take the no response as answer enough?

Scott doesn't seem to have much of a profile in Australia.

Avanti has fallen away over the years. Maybe they are decent bikes, but I don't think many people have first hand experience any longer. You'd probably be better off looking at Merida or Norco, which probably sit at the same level, but are much more popular and available due them being sold through 99 Bikes.

Scott isn't widely available as some other brands in Australia. All their gravel bikes have internal cable routing through the headset which is a no for me. Personally I would only consider full internal routing for a bike with electronic shifting and even then probably wouldn't want it on a gravel bike.

blizzard wrote: ↑

Tue May 28, 2024 7:51 am

I would also consider the Giant Revolt Advanced, Warthog on here uses his with road wheels and gravel wheels. The current version has a flip chip so can run up to 53mm tyres.

Yep very happy with it. Mine is an advanced 2 but a 21 model. Clearance for 45mm tyres only.
The std wheels were heavy rubbish.
Got some DT Swiss GR1600 for gravel and Light bicycle WR50 wheels for road. Similar speed to the TCR I also have. 48-11 top gear is good for 55-60 kph

Monkeyonthisrock wrote: ↑

Tue May 28, 2024 3:50 pm

I also noticed that no-one responded regarding the Scott/Avanti options? should i take the no response as answer enough?

I had an Avanti Giro from 2008. Great bike - $1500 or so with 105 and I put close to 50,000km on it before breaking it in half on the trainer.

There's just no reason to buy an Avanti these days. They're not cheaper, the quality isn't better, and they're becoming increasingly on the margins.

If I wanted an NZ bike I would buy a Chapter 2. They're a beautiful looking thing though you'll pay for it.

AO gravel framesets are on special currently for $3k but you'll have to build it yourself.

https://chapter2bikes.com.au/collection ... mo-waipoua



One day. I'm keen to do a build on a Kaha (their gravel race bike) next.