Originally Posted by msu2001la

I agree that the biggest difference here would be the brakes.

I have a bike with GRX800 hydro and another with Avid Shorty Ultimate cantilevers. There is no comparison in terms of performance, discs blow even the best canti brakes away. The difference on bone dry aluminum rims and flat roads may be minor, but throw in carbon and/or any kind of moisture, dirt, mud, etc or long/fast descents and there is really no argument to me.

This is not to say that a cantilever CX bike is bad. I own one and will continue to ride it for years. I love how lightweight it is, and relatively simple to work on, etc. There's some nostalgia to canti's as well, and within the confines of a CX course I think there's an argument to me made that canti's are still very capable, and actually force me to brake more smoothly and hold more speed through corners than I might on discs.

But for gravel? No way do I want to be on rim brakes for that. When I'm coming down a rocky/muddy/wet trail or bombing down a fast fire road, splashing through puddles, etc I want to know that I can slow/stop with minimal effort and drama every time.