Originally Posted by
pbass
IMHO you don't need suspension for the type of riding you describe. Or for
most riding, really. If I worked at a shop I'd definitely try and steer folks to a modern flat bar gravel bike over a hybrid with a heavy, usually not very good, suspension fork. That goes for lots of hardtails too frankly. So many people riding heavy, entry-level hardtails with crappy forks and they only ever see bike paths. I'm a steel guy so I'm biased but if your budget will allow, I think the Surly Bridge Club is a real winner. Super versatile, can run 700c or 650B, great ride quality:
https://surlybikes.com/bikes/bridge_club
Thanks for the input,
Yeah, I agree that's why I mentioned I'd still have the suspension forks which I don't want even after I did any gearing changes. I bought the Traverse used for a good deal a few years ago and have already done a few things to it. It's a great bike but instead of dumping money into it, I'd rather get something built more for my needs thus my inquiry here about a flat bared gravel bike.
https://archive.fujibikes.com/2014/Fuji/traverse-132
I like the looks on paper of the Specialized
Diverge Expert and Comp EVOs, I just need to find one of either in a medium. I'd like to stay $2k or under but I'm sure if I stumbled the Diverge Expert, I'd probably splurge. That Surly looks good too. Hopefully we have more flat bar gravel bike options soon as stated earlier, this could be a very popular bike for most's riding habits.