£1000 budget for Gravel Bike (without being able to test ride)

alistair_pollard

Hello,

I would like some advice on buying a bike. I have a £1000 cycle scheme voucher and I understand that you can't top this up anymore so £1000 is my limit.

Given the coronavirus situation I don't think I can go and view bikes even though bike shops are allowed to be open (anyone able to clarify this?).

I have already tested a Genesis croix de fer 20 and a Marin Gestalt 2. The Genesis felt nice but I was put off by the weight of the steel frame. The Gestalt just felt underwhelming even though it was on a great deal at my local bike shop for £850 (with hindsite maybe i should have got it).

I live on the middle of dartmoor so I have a great space to go and do my once a day exercise! I want a gravel bike because the roads are a bit lumpy and there are plenty of off-road tracks. I mainly see myself doing on-road rides though. It is very hilly here, so I want a bike that is good on climbs and that is a comfortable ride.

I think I am going to have to buy without testing as this lock-down situtation could go on for months.

So far, I'm leaning towards the Vitus Energie VR, available for £999 from Wiggle and Chainreaction. The spec reads very well and it seems to review very strongly. Does anyone have any experience with this bike?

Are there any other standout contenders at this price point?

Any advice will be greatly appreciated!

singleton

If you can't get out and need to buy one before you can get out, then you'll need to rely on desk research.

The Vitus Energie is listed as a cyclo-cross bike, not a gravel bike - meaning it probably has different geometry.

I bought a Cube Cross Race Pro last year which I use as a winter road bike (with road wheels and mudguards) and off-road duties - and I've recently seen them with 105 groupset and hydraulic brakes for £40 over your budget but you may find a better deal. It feels heavier than my carbon summer bike when ridden on the road, but feels light enough when ridden offroad.

Some others to consider?

Pinnacle Arkose D2?
Ribble CGR AL - Sport?
Whyte Glencoe?
Octane One Gridd?
Genesis Vapour?
Marin Nicasio+?

alistair_pollard

Thanks for the input. Very helpful. Yes, I should have said that it's a cyclo-cross, but from reading around about it, it looks as though it has comfortable geometry that would allow for long road rides.

I think I have narrowed it to 3 bikes:

1) I have seen the Cube Cross Race Pro with 105 groupset for £1000 that does look great value for money. I haven't been able to find many reviews of this bike so far.

2) The Vitus Energie VR has SRAM Rival groupset which is very high end for the price and the weight of the bike is just over 9kg. Certainly the spec of this bike seems amazing for the price. The reviews are very positive.

3) Cannondale Topstone with Tiagra groupset. This gets great reviews. I can currently get it for £1000. The reviews are very positive. Though the group set is inferior to the two bikes above.

What would you go for?

Cheers!

diplodicus

I bought a 2nd hand CAADX for similar duties and am impressd with it. It is a little heavy but great fun to ride.
So with that in mind I would go for the Topstone. I woudn't worry about Tiagra, I had that on a road bike and it is perfectly good.
Disclaimer. I do like Cannondales

alistair_pollard

Thanks for that. The frame off the topstone is meant to be excellent. My only concern was the weight. Given I'm about 5kg over my optimal, maybe o should worry less about a kilo extra on a bike!

Likewise I am a big Cannondale fan. Still take ou my old v4000 full suspension off-road and it's still remarkable. Friends with far newer bikes are amazed by it.

veronese68

Topstone and upgrade as bits wear or you feel like it then.

alistair_pollard

Good point. Think I'll go for the topstone, subject to be able to get a deal without my cycle scheme budget!

janwal

Hi Alistair, have a look at this. Sale at £840 at the moment and they take cycle to work scheme. Or can you up your voucher value at work as there isn’t a limit anymore providing employer agrees?
https://www.scotbycycles.co.uk/collections/cannondale/products/cannondale-topstone-alu-tiagra-gravel-bike-2020?variant=28470613573716&gclid=Cj0KCQjw6_vzBRCIARIsAOs54z5sXpXCny6NwQf836VOT9_E9TfskUHbbiQC3vncbp-HT2wLa-dglc8aAsCXEALw_wcB

janwal

Forgot to add that you can then spend the difference on accessories such as pedals,mudguards etc up to your limit.
Also,if you hadn’t realised but the VR is Sram 1x11 and the Topstone is 2x10.
The Sram 1x11 is superb. I have it on a Trek Domane disc and now my Bianchi. I like it and is fine even around the Pennine hills of Huddersfield but I have an 11-40 cassette.

diplodicus

Cracking deal that^

alistair_pollard

It took ages for my work to approve my voucher as our HR is so slow, so I don’t want to go back and ask if they’ll increase the limit, but I would have liked a 1500 quid budget as it seems to be a good price point for getting a decent frame and group set. At the 1000 mark it seems to be a degree of compromise.

The SRAM 1-11 is a big appeal to me especially as it is the rival range on the VR. The frame comes in very light.

I have just looked at that topstone deal, absolute bargain. I have emailed them to see if they will honour it on the cycle scheme as a few seem to be funny about it on discounted bikes.

I guess my ultimate question is, would you go for the VR with better components and being lighter or the topstone which is heavier with lesser components? I haven’t tested either so I’ll be buying blind. If I sell on in the future I imagine the topstone will sell easier as it has a bigger brand value.

mrb123

https://www.triuk.com/Triathlon-Bikes/ORRO/Terra-C-ADVENTURE-GRX600-Pearlescent-Steel/349374

This is an absolute steal if you could increase the budget. Carbon fibre frame, Shimano GRX, decent enough wheels.

alistair_pollard

Hi, just to update, I was unable to secure any of the bikes above and I have been busy with work to continue my search.

I am very close to pulling the trigger on either of these:

https://cycletowork.wiggle.co.uk/felt-vr30-road-bike-2019/ - £999 (from £1600)

https://cycletowork.wiggle.co.uk/vitus-energie-vr-cyclocross-bike-rival-2020/ - £999 (from £1300)

The Vitus gets a great review and generally very positive feedback. Although it's a cyclocross it seems the geometry is quite relaxed. I also like the idea of a cyclobike as I ride rough moorland roads. Unbelieavable geat at the price with the SRAM Rival set up and it seems very light at under 9.5kg

The Felt hasn't got so many reviews but I haven't found anything negative. It seems to be almost a gravel bike but not quite! It weighs a little more coming in at under 10kg. Comes with a 105 set up. Geometry is meant to be very comfortable.

My main objective is long rides on hilly and poorish quality roads. Not worried about my speed really. Good hill climbing ability helps.

If anyone can push me in one direction or the other I'd be grateful as I'm bored of my procrastination!!!

Cheers!

mrfpb

The gearing on the Vitus seems narrow, the Felt has higher and lower gears due to the 2x set up.

So you get a 1:1 bail out gear on the Felt if you find yourself climbing steep, rough paths. The lowest ratio on the Vitus is 40/36.

If you are a bit on the heavy side, then you might want the bail out gear.

mrfpb

On the other hand, the Felt is very much an endurance road bike, the Vitus is very much a gravel bike. For example, the spec doesn't say if the Felt will take wider than 28mm tyres.