Bike on Sale & Upgrade it Or Buy More Expensive Different Bike

Candyon

Hi,

I'm looking at getting an n+1.

The bike will mainly be a winter/foul weather bike and offer a bit more versatility than my Canyon Ultimate CF SL and Genesis Flyer that I currently own.

Basically I've been looking at Gravel and Cyclocross bikes. I'm not expecting to do loads of off roading but my other half has a hybrid and also have a few mates that are into MTB (obviously this bike wouldn't be doing serious MTB trails) so that's where I'm looking for the versatility.

My main concern with these bikes is the geometry. I don't want to be riding one on my own on the roads and it feels really sluggish like it's purely built to just ride on rougher stuff. I do want to be able to blast it.

Two that have caught my eye as trying to convey that they're just as good on road as gravel are:

1 - Specialized Diverge E5 2018 £649.99 from Leisure Lakes at the moment. I could then potentially upgrade the groupset or buy one of the higher models. But I think even the £1500 version still has mech discs.

2 - Orro Terra Gravel Disc Racing Sport 2018 £1199 from Tredz.

I'm also unsure as to what size I would need in the Orro. I'm just short of 5'11"
My Canyon is M and the Genesis is S.

Does anyone have any experience of these two bikes? Or any others that might fit the bill?

Sorry for the long post and appreciate any help in advance.

CitizenLee

I can't comment of the geo or how fast they'd feel, as anything that isn't a full suss MTB feels fast to me! However, I was looking for a CX/commuter recently so have a list of bikes that might be of interest. Most are on sale at the moment too, and all have good reviews.

-Boardman CXR 8.9 (1x11, hydro discs)
-Cannondale CAADX Tiagra 2018 (mech discs)
-Cannondale CAADX 105 (mech discs)
-Cube Cross (mech discs)
-Cube NuRoad (mech discs - just ordered one of these myself)
-Sonder Camino AL (1x11, mech or hydros)
-Vitus Substance V2 105 (hydro discs)
-Vitus Substance V2 Apex (1x11, hydro discs)

I'm not familiar with Orro, but I do love Specialized bikes. The only problem with them is they tend to be lower spec than other bikes at the same price point. Although if they're on sale they usually represent better value, so £650 for the Diverge seems decent. I'd probably still be inclined to spend a little more so I don't have to upgrade things straight away though, otherwise you may as well buy a frame and built it up.

As for sizing, I'm 5'11" and usually go for a 54 or 56cm depending on the brand as some measure their bikes differently to others. Probably best to try and throw a leg over if you can, or if that's not possible check each brand size guide and Google "bike name + sizing" and see what people are saying on the various biking forums.

Candyon

Thanks, I'd been looking at the two Cube's as well. Please let me know how the NuRoad is.

The lower spec is one thing I have noticed about the Specialized bikes. I guess the cost of the bike is that you'd like to think that it's a good frame to justify the lower spec groupset.

From what I've read on Orro is they're able to spec their bikes well for a good price. So that has 105 Mech discs.

fenix

I have a Planet X cross as my winter bike. It's a taller ride than a road bike with lots more clearance- which is good for fatter tyres and guards. Apart from that - the ride is very close to my road bikes and the only difference in speed is down to the tyres.