First Post! Gravel Bike for under £2000? Leaning towards Canyon

[adam_]

Hi all!

First post here!

My background; I've been training/coaching a multitude of fitness for the past 15 years so feel I have a good baseline of fitness but obviously cycling is a whole other world of training. I've been riding a hardtail XC MTB for the past 12 months but recently got the bug for gravel biking events (glorious gravel, dirty reiver etc) and hopefully some bikingpacking trips this year and next - now my XC bike is a great multipurpose bike that I've been able to do the majority of things on fairly confidently but I'm eager to get a dedicated gravel bike for events now.

As the title suggests...

My budget is £2000
Not too fussed on frame material as I was aiming for higher spec components over a carbon frame
Ideally was looking at a 1x unless you think a 2x would be a better option

The bike I've had my eye on is the Canyon Grizl AL 8 1by at £1950
Spec:

Frame
Canyon Grizl AL
Axle dimension: 12x142 mm
Tyre Clearance: 50 mm
Material: Aluminium (AL)
Fork
Canyon FK0087 CF Disc
Axle dimension: 12x100 mm
Fork steer tube diameter: 1 1/4"
Tyre Clearance: 54 mm
Material: Carbon (CF)

Rear Derailleur
Shimano GRX RX822 12s
Cage length: medium
Cassette
Shimano SLX M7100 10-45 12s
Number of sprockets: 12
Crank
Shimano GRX RX820 40T
Number of chainrings: 1
Wheels
DT Swiss Gravel LN
Tyres
Schwalbe G-One Bite Performance, 45mm

Shift-/ Brake Levers
Shimano GRX RX820
Number of pistons: 2

Brake Rotor
Shimano RT70
Size: 160 mm


I don't feel like I've been able to find another bike that comes close to the spec of the Grizl AL8 for the price point but happy for any suggestions

[Nearholmer]

No particular bike suggestions, but some thoughts on 1x vs 2x on a gravel bike.

I’ve tried both (and 3x come to that!) and I would say that 1x becomes tiring on long rides, especially multi days with luggage, because of the steps between gears. At some stage I would find that I was never in the right gear, basically looking for ones in between. 2x seems to obviate that problem, even when using it the way I do, which is to say treating it as if it’s two lots of 1x.

Now, this might not apply to you, you might be a lot stronger than I am, with greater stamina, and you might have a high max HR, but particularly with 10-45T, which is a big range with big gaps, even with 12 cogs, it might.

I’d also suggest that a top gear of 4:1 overall might be a bit low for fast, easy bits, unless you enjoy going at very high cadence; I latterly had that on the 1x, and even as a person who doesn’t much enjoy speed found I was lacking traction downhill sometimes, which always feels weird, somehow uncontrolled, to me.

1x is ruddy good fun on shorter, more technical rides though, and 40/45 (0.88:1) is low enough for most things, although I’ve struggled in places on the SDW and in some places in the Chilterns with that, and had to get off and push!

GRX gubbins I’ve found to be very good, better in several respects than the SRAM gubbins I had before, although that was very good for super-quick changes when accelerating very hard (well, as hard as I can!).

[JohnR]

Consider building something based on the Spa Cycles Elan frame, 650B wheels (which will take at least 50mm tyres in that frame) and 2 x gearing. Not as light as a full carbon bike but somewhat more durable.

[adam_]

No particular bike suggestions, but some thoughts on 1x vs 2x on a gravel bike.

I’ve tried both (and 3x come to that!) and I would say that 1x becomes tiring on long rides, especially multi days with luggage, because of the steps between gears. At some stage I would find that I was never in the right gear, basically looking for ones in between. 2x seems to obviate that problem, even when using it the way I do, which is to say treating it as if it’s two lots of 1x.

Now, this might not apply to you, you might be a lot stronger than I am, with greater stamina, and you might have a high max HR, but particularly with 10-45T, which is a big range with big gaps, even with 12 cogs, it might.

I’d also suggest that a top gear of 4:1 overall might be a bit low for fast, easy bits, unless you enjoy going at very high cadence; I latterly had that on the 1x, and even as a person who doesn’t much enjoy speed found I was lacking traction downhill sometimes, which always feels weird, somehow uncontrolled, to me.

1x is ruddy good fun on shorter, more technical rides though, and 40/45 (0.88:1) is low enough for most things, although I’ve struggled in places on the SDW and in some places in the Chilterns with that, and had to get off and push!

GRX gubbins I’ve found to be very good, better in several respects than the SRAM gubbins I had before, although that was very good for super-quick changes when accelerating very hard (well, as hard as I can!).

Ah ok got you with the gear ratios! Something thats still pretty new to me to wrap my head around...my thought process was i'd swap the 40T to something a little bigger but then i guess the negative comes in when theres some steep climbs to tackle, thinking more lake district, yorkshire dales etc.

My plus with the 1x was less maintenance and stuff to go wrong especially if on a multi-day or on a long ride.

Unless I'm wrong it seems the attachment points are there if I wanted to swap out the 1x for a 2x on the canyon grizl maybe

[DanFloRo]

If you are a bit handy with DIY, I'd say you should have a go at building your own bike.
I've build a gravel bike, Surly Ghost Grappler with pretty much max specs without going electronic for about £1000, using new and like new components.
It's worth exploring the idea, not just financially, but also for having the satisfaction of having a bike exactly as you would like to have it.

[Nearholmer]

What you could try in respect of gaining a feel for bottom gears is to pick some climbs and try them on your MTB, but with all the gears below “gravel range” forbidden to you (ideally adjust/fox things so that you can’t select them, even if you want to).

I personally find that the main thing that limits how steep I can go with gravel gearing is MaxHR, I just “top out” even at bonkers low cadence, whereas if there were lower gears, as on an MTB, I would be able to keep creeping forward without hitting that limiting condition. MaxHR falls with age, and as discussed in other threads it seems not to be a good idea to “cane it” anyway, so a huge amount does depend on age and fitness, of course, but everyone I know who rides “gravel” frequently in very steep areas (Peak District for instance) has messed about with their gearing to take the bottom gears down towards MTB territory.

[pjclinch]

Have you tried drop bars, particularly off-road?
Obviously loads of folk get on fine with them, but not everyone is a fan (I rode pretty much nothing else for years but now prefer something a bit wider and more sat up). I think a lot of why drops are default on gravel bikes is it was a way of selling off-road to roadies: that's not to say it's a bad choice, but if you're not coming from a drop-centric background you may well be happier with a position, braking and shifting setup closer to something you already have.

Pete.

[pjclinch]

...but everyone I know who rides “gravel” frequently in very steep areas (Peak District for instance) has messed about with their gearing to take the bottom gears down towards MTB territory.

My wife has a Genesis gravel bike she bought mainly to race 'cross, for which it's great, but our off-road touring (which I'd think most would class as "hilly gravel") she definitely finds it short of low gears and uses her MTB at the moment.
Currently in the works is speccing of something a bit more gravelly in general for these tours, including drop bars and rigid forks, and she's insisting on an MTB-like bottom gear, probably using a SRAM Eagle 12 (I'm looking at a bike for similar but don't want drops and do want a Rohloff).

Pete.

[Jezrant]

If the fork on your XC HT can be locked out, I’d swap out the MTB tyres on it for something like the tyres on that Canyon you like and have a go on some ‘gravel’ routes like those in the events you’re keen to enter. Make notes on the gears you’re using to see how low and high you really need to go. There are gear calculators online to convert the chainring(s) and sprocket combinations into gear inches, which many people find are an easy way to understand the gears and figure out the jumps and duplications (if 2x) if this stuff is new to you. An easy one to use is on the Sheldon Brown website but there are newer ones too. There are pluses and minuses to both 1x and 2x. Personally, if I was starting from 1x, I’d probably want a frame/bike that could take 2x just to keep the option open, but that might narrow down your choices too much. 2x works better on tarmac if you need to keep pace with your fast mates.
The point made above about drop bars on gravel bikes to attract roadies is fair, but there are also good valid reasons to put drop bars on a gravel bike, especially for the type of events you want to do.
BTW, do you know what the trail or head tube angle is on your MTB?

[warey4life]

I converted an old 26er MTB to a gravel bike as a trial. 2 1/2 years later and I'm still riding it, it's great, i rarely use my MTB now, but I've decided now's the time splash before I'm too old. My last 3 bikes I've built myself, but I don't really have the time any more, which is a shame because I love sitting in the shed fiddling with bikes.
Shopping for gravel bikes at the moment and I've narrowed my search to 3 bikes:

Marin Gestalt X10 2024 (love the frame geometry) £1200-£1400

NS Bikes Gridd 2. £1100-£1400

CINELLI ZYDECO MUD GRX GRAVEL BIKE. £1600-£2000

All the above reasonably priced I think considering the spec. Really don't know which one I prefer

I'm going for a 1x as it does away with the front derailleur so less shifting required and less to go wrong and less to maintain.

[JerseyJoe]

My money would be on the Marin. I've had a few of their bikes over the years and they've all been too notch and extremely reliable. They do build stuff to last!

[mattsccm]

Couple of things.
12 speed chains wear faster than 11. And they cost more. My 12 speed grouper is being swapped onto the road bike and that 11 is going on the gravel.
If you are used to modern mountain bikes you will be familiar with 1x set ups and won't notice the gaps.
I went 12 speed to get right up to date. I was ahead of the curve with disc brakes but soon ended up with old kit which was great but harder to keep up to date if you like new toys.
Don't compromise. Go for mega tyre clearance. My 50 mil slicks are brilliant.

I think the front mechanism issue is a marking red herring. They are the most reliable thing that moves on a bike, allow easier shifting with the choice of a very coarse shift and if you can't think about two levers at once you have bigger problems to worry about.

[Pinhead]

Google Sanderson bike frames

[warey4life]

So, after much deliberation I eventually decided to go for a NS Bikes Rag+3. Estimated delivery June 11th - June 18 hopefully. It ticked all the boxes in terms of price and components, all apart from the brakes, as I wanted TRP Spyre-C calipers but the Rag+3 has Tekro md-c510, which might be ok, I'll give them a go. I've got a spare set of Avid BB7s in the shed which i could swap to.

https://www.tradeinn.com/bikeinn/en/ns- ... 39983630/p

NS Bikes has an interesting history too

https://nsbikes.com/story-line,283,pl.html

[warey4life]

Google Sanderson bike frames

P1050175 (2019_06_14 13_02_52 UTC).jpg

What a unique looking bike