Help me choose my first gravel bike!

ralph.dickinson

Hi there, I was hoping you guys could help...

I'm looking for my first gravel bike. I'm not able to spend more than £1000, and I'm weighing up these two bikes.

https://www.merlincycles.com/merlin-malt-g1-tiagra-gravel-bike-2020-147541.html

And

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-rc520-gravel-id_8504030.html

Or... Could u just add gravel tyres to this??

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-rc-520-disc-road-bike-navy-105-id_8554421.html

While all have a bargain basement price tag, they seem to have been well reviewed and appear to have decent components.

I was hoping that the knowledge on this group could help me make a decision.

Just so you know, I'm looking to do a tiny bit of road, but mostly forest tracks. (Road will pro xipalky be riding to the forest) Longest outings would be 4-5hrs. No real bike packing atm. Looking for a solid, tough bike that will serve me well, come rain or shine for a few years.

Many thanks
Ralph

mrfpb

I would certainly pick the Merlin Malt based on spec and reviews, but you've probably got more chance of being able to test a Decathlon bike before purchase.

roastie_cyclocross

Personally I would go for the Triban as it is 105 with hydro/mechanical disc rather than Tiagra with mechanical disc.

Longshot

A friend of mine bought the blue Triban as a commuter/gravel/touring bike and has been really pleased with it.

oxoman

Out of your 3 choices id go with the Tribans however given your budget how about these 2.
https://www.paulscycles.co.uk/3615/products/giant-tcx-slr-2-carbon-cyclocross-2019-blackgreen.aspx
https://www.paulscycles.co.uk/3622/products/giant-toughroad-slr-gx-1-gravel-bike-2019-charcoal-grey.aspx
Both with hydraulic brakes all be it via giants conduct system which works just like standard hyd brakes.

joe_totale-2

If there's one thing I'd prioritise, it's proper hydraulic brakes, this has them and is just in budget:

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/vitus-energie-cyclocross-bike-apex-2020/rp-prod182826

singleton

Most expensive bike you posted was £850 - so not sure if that's your top or if you can stretch a bit more to some of the others suggested.

At one end, gravel bikes seem to be like road endurance bikes but with more tyre clearance. At the other end, they are pretty full-on with 650 wheels, massive clearance and close to a rigid mountain bike with drop bars.

ralph.dickinson

singleton said:

Most expensive bike you posted was £850 - so not sure if that's your top or if you can stretch a bit more to some of the others suggested.

At one end, gravel bikes seem to be like road endurance bikes but with more tyre clearance. At the other end, they are pretty full-on with 650 wheels, massive clearance and close to a rigid mountain bike with drop bars.

I'm looking to get best bang for my buck below £1000. The two picked out here just seemed to have pretty good spec at well under £1000. Regarding the spectrum you mention, I think I'm looking at something more akin to a road bike, rather than a hard tail mountain bike.
Thanks

ralph.dickinson

joe_totale-2 said:

If there's one thing I'd prioritise, it's proper hydraulic brakes, this has them and is just in budget:

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/vitus-energie-cyclocross-bike-apex-2020/rp-prod182826

looks good - how limiting is a single ring chainset? Where I live is pretty hilly...

N0bodyOfTheGoat

ralph.dickinson said:

joe_totale-2 said:

If there's one thing I'd prioritise, it's proper hydraulic brakes, this has them and is just in budget:

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/vitus-energie-cyclocross-bike-apex-2020/rp-prod182826

looks good - how limiting is a single ring chainset? Where I live is pretty hilly...

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/gear-calc.html

Throw in the Vitus gear specs and select gear inch stats, repeat again but use typical 2x gears of 34/50 chainrings and 11-34 cassette.