Just built mine (mostly). I've been a fairly infrequent rider in the past 6 years, due to lumbar spine issues which I found to be due to cycling on bumpy roads on my road bike. Did a couple of dirt rides on my 2005 Fuji CX bike, and was reminded of how much fun that was, but then learned about this new thing called gravel bikes and had to have one. Tried to convert the CX bike to have disc brakes, as it already had disc mounting brackets (IS mounts). So I ordered a GRX groupset before finding out about through axles and 142 vs. 135 mm frame spacing. At that point it seemed evident that it was an uphill battle converting that CX bike to what I wanted, so I started looking for complete bike builds, but couldn't find anything in stock that drew my attention. Figured it would be easier to build a bike from individual components and just get what I wanted. I have a fairly strong weight weenie streak, but placed even more emphasis on compliance / vibration damping to protect my spine. I kept my normally frugal self from thinking about the costs too much, except that I chickened out on the wheelset (for now).
Open UP (XL)
GRX 810 2x mechanical groupset w/ Ultegra 11-34 cassette
Redshift Shockstop Pro suspension stem (heavy, but I think worth the weight)
Shimano PRO PLT Ergo carbon bars
Wheels Mfg 386 EVO angular contact BB
Shimano PD-M9100 XTR pedals
Syntace P6 Carbon HiFlex seatpost
Fizik Aliante 00 Versus Evo saddle
DT Swiss GR1600 wheelset (heavy)
Weight is just under 20 lb / 9.0 kg as pictured, which is more than I had hoped for, but not too bad. I plan to upgrade the wheels in a couple of years after I've digested / forgotten about the cost of the initial build. Want Zipp 303 Firecrests but am also considering Farsports.
I love the stability of steering, and the vibration damping. This is my first carbon bike, first bike with hydraulic brakes, first bike with tubeless tires, and first bike with >32mm tires. I'm loving all of it. Loving the whole gravel bike thing also, how it opens up routes and adventures that did not exist for me before.
