Originally Posted by
biketampa
yep. I don't see my bike as one that accelerates particularly well.
You could go to your local LBS and try a good CX bike and see how it compares to yours - then decide how much you want to go in that direction. I compared a Specialized Carbon Crux (it was the owners bike and I think retailed for about $5000 new) to a Sequoia (steel). Huge difference in acceleration and handling. The sequoia was probably the most comfortable gravel bike I have ridden - then again it is designed for all day adventures. On the other end, the Crux is designed for acceleration and agility - and it was a blast. Those were rather two extreme ends of a gravel bike. Your bike leans a bit to the Sequoia end I'm guessing (I've only ridden the carbon version).