aabb

Apologies if this is in the wrong section, its my first time posting here. I am in the process of purchasing my first gravel bike in a very long time. I have tried numerous times to ask those questions to bike shops, but I keep getting conflicting answers. I suspect they are just trying to move inventory without being completely honest with me.


Anyways, I have narrowed my gravel bike list down to 2 options. I enjoy the look/aesthetics of both bikes (particularly the Bianchi), and aesthetics matter a lot to me. If I am paying this much, then I want something that looks good if ya know what I mean.


One has a special type of aluminum frame (Bianchi Impulso GRX-600), and the other comes with a carbon fiber frame and also higher end components (Orbea Terra M20-D IX). As a beginner, the Terra might be too much bike for me, but the price difference between the Terra and Bianchi is not that significant given the many improvements on the Terra. And I take good care of what I am passionate about, so I am contemplating saving a bit more to get the Terra (Bianchi is $3,200 and the Terra M20-D IX is $4,800 CAD). I'm going to post my questions below


1) Carbon Fiber vs. Aluminum. I heard the purpose of carbon fiber is performance only. Also, from what I know, aluminum is more practical. A bike shop I recently visited advised me that an aluminum frame is better for a gravel bike, given its more practical nature and that if something happens it would be less 'serious' and cheaper to fix. Is this true? And does carbon fiber only matter for performance (I'm not going to race)? Does it not have any other benefits?


2) Warranty. Bianchis come with a 5 year frame warranty, while the Orbea has a lifetime frame warranty. I understand those warranties cover only manufacturer defects, but: should this be a critical factor when deciding between the two? Does the lifetime frame warranty translate to a better product in the long term (otherwise why is Bianchi offering only 5 years?)?


3) Better components. The Orbea also comes with better components in almost every other respect, which is expected given the price difference. As a beginner and someone who does not intend to race, should I be aiming for these better components since money is no issue, or will getting the better components be useless as I won't utilize them to their full potential given that I'm a beginner and non-racer?


3) Opinion/Experience. If anyone has owned/owns either of those two (or just if you have any opinion), I would appreciate your input very much on any other aspect that you wish to share.


Thanks in advance!

rollagain

All I'm going to say is that you shouldn't hesitate to get the Terra because it "might be too much bike for me". Seems like the worst that could happen is you getting spoiled for lesser machines.

Gconan

At those prices you can't go wrong. Many would be lucky to have either at that level. Are they endurance bikes? Race bikes? Have you taken a test ride or 3 on each one?

aabb

hi. They are both gravel bikes. Bianchi I cannot test ride since it would have to be special ordered. However they assured me their detailed fitting process will ensure it fits me properly. The orbeas are more readily available, but I am yet to test ride them.

wvridgerider

How long have you been riding? Just make sure the bike fits well. You can spend a thousand and it would be better than those if it fits you well

Paul Barnard

Don't get analysis paralysis. There's no such thing as too much bike. Either of those bikes can give you a lifetime of reliable service. Buy a bike. Ride it frequently!

aabb

hey im a beginner. Complete beginner. The dealer told me about their fitting service which is free if I buy the bike from them. If not it’s 50.

aabb

True. It’s just quite a bit of money for a bike so I want to be sure i get the best option.

katsup

Do you have a bike or is this your first? If you don't have a bike, and are just starting out, I'd suggest a significantly less expensive bike to be sure you enjoy riding. You rarely ever get the first bike right.

berner

The most important part of bike selection is the fit. The longer the distance ridden the more important fit becomes. For example, one bike may be fine on a 20 to 30 mile ride but be torture on a 60 mile ride. It turns out that as a cyclist becomes fitter the rides get longer. Consequently, the bike that was fine right after it was purchased may not suit at all 6 months later.

As for materials, as a boat builder I've worked with both carbon composite and aluminum and they do the job admirably. As for components, the higher end ones will be a bit lighter and this will be important in competition. The rest of us who don't race, get along well with with lower tier components. My bike has very low end components that have worked with little problem for 24,000 miles.

It may or may not be a consideration for you but aluminum is recyclable and carbon is not.

Steve B.

Are these mail order bikes ?, or at a local shop ??

As a complete beginner I’d be looking at what the shop has and do a fitting and test ride.

The Orbea is a chunk of change for a beginner to lay down on a bike, the Bianchi is still expensive.

I happen to like aluminum for off paved road use, only as I have this irrational idea that aluminum can take hits better.

But I’d be looking local first.

aabb

hi yes I would be buying from a local shop (authorized dealer too)

bruce19

[QUOTE=aabb;21289632]

1) Carbon Fiber vs. Aluminum. I heard the purpose of carbon fiber is performance only. Also, from what I know, aluminum is more practical. A bike shop I recently visited advised me that an aluminum frame is better for a gravel bike, given its more practical nature and that if something happens it would be less 'serious' and cheaper to fix. Is this true? And does carbon fiber only matter for performance (I'm not going to race)? Does it not have any other benefits?
/QUOTE]

Gconan

If this is the color of the Orbea, I would say go for it.

https://www.orbea.com/us-en/bicycles...terra-m20-d-1x

aabb

I know right! Even though I can fully customize the colours on their website, I like that colour combo. It’s very bold and striking!

mstateglfr 

https://www.orbea.com/us-en/bicycles...terra-m20-d-1x $3300usd

https://www.bianchi.com/bike/grx-600-11sp-hydr-disc-2/ $2200usd

these are totally different bikes in both components and feel. Not sure how you landed on them, but I wouldnt suggest either for someone who is totally new to riding.

The orbea is carbon fiber, 1x drivetrain, and $1000 more. Head tube angle looks relaxed and it will probably have higher trail(a guess since the website doesnt list fork offset).

The bianchi is aluminum, 2x drivetrain, and head tube angle is closer to typical endurance road geometry. It will probably be lower trail, but not positive since the website doesnt list fork offset.
​
Both have relatively high bottom brackets for gravel road bikes.


Anyways, if these are the 2 you want, then I guess figure out if you want a 1x or 2x drivetrain. Also consider if you want a higher trail or lower trail bike(which you wont know without riding them. They feel different though). Last would be material, at least for me.

Good luck.

Steve B.

[QUOTE=bruce19;21290087]Good article from GCN as always. My take was tire size and pressure trumps frame material, all things being equal.

Steve B.

There’s a bunch of posts for the 1X vs. 2X debate. My personal preference would be 2X for better gearing options.

I agree with others about the expense of both these bikes for a beginner.

I did a search last fall for a gravel bike, my budget was lower, under $2,000 and I wanted aluminum or steel for my own admitted bias for those materials in a non paved environment. After looking at 15-20 bikes, in shops as well as online I ended up on a Cannondale Topstone 105. Part of the decision was the geometry was nearly identical to a carbon road bike I use, so I was comfortable knowing I would likely be comfortable after a bar change to wider and a slightly longer stem. I really liked the Specialized Diverge, especially the color, but it had no rear eyelets for a rack, which I wanted for credit card touring.

Bottom line is there are a LOT of gravel bikes out there, it’s a hot market right now, so a lot of choices. I’d keep looking and make an effort to not fall in love with something until you’ve done a test ride.

aabb

Thanks. I don’t know much about the terminology (eg 1x drivetrain) so i I guess I have some researching to do.

as for the head tube angle difference you mentioned , what does the difference translate to in the real world? Would one be more relaxed and comfortable than the other?

I can test ride the Orbea but not the bianchi as none of the shops here in Ontario have the 2020 models. Is a 5 minute test ride sufficient to notice such differences in ride quality? Or should I ask for a significantly longer test ride?

and out of curiosity, what gravel bikes would you recommend for a beginner like me? Thanks again to you and everyone else so far I really appreciate it.

wvridgerider

I wouldn't spend that much if I were you. What kind of riding are you going to do? Your head will spin trying to figure it out. My favorite bike I believe I ever had is my Surly Karate Monkey. I had it for six years and it has been through hell and back. I now use it for a ride anywhere bike. I have a Gunnar Crosshairs and it is a great riding bike.

Steve B.

1X means it has a single chainring on the crank. 2X means 2 chainrings. A book could be written about why one is better then the other, or you could search this forum and get a feel for what people think and the experiences folks have.

Its immensely helpful to have a LBS (Local bike shop) where you trust the sales folks to help steer you into a bike that’s right for you, your experience level and budget. Also one that isn’t going to sell you the $4200 Orbea when a bike less than half the price fits you better and that you like on a test ride.

Attending the beginner nature of the purchase, is your skill level also at the beginner level ?, in terms or your ability to not get into a crash while you learn the particulars of riding off a paved road ?. That too drives the decision to maybe not spend as much at this stage.

And since you are in Canada, do look at Norco bikes. Great products, great value. A Canadian company whose bikes are not well represented in the US, so you read less about them.

This has a nice feature set and it’s red, which everybody knows is faster.

https://www.norco.com/bikes/2020/roa.../search-xr-a1/

veganbikes

I would at least test ride one of the bikes and try and ride something as close to the other one as possible. If you are doing a dynamic fitting then certainly go with the best bike you can purchase that your fitter would recommend. If just a static fitting then I would certainly test ride some bikes and do it based on that. Static fits just don't quite get the job done as well as you are just in fixed positions rather than doing everything while moving under motion capture. The position you want while riding a bike is different from just sitting on it.

Certainly you will want to decide if you want 1 chainring at the front or two. A 1x system will make things easier and a lot of newer riders tend not to shift at the front very often if at all. However you will have fewer gears so you will lose out on the high and low end generally. A 2x system will give you the extra gears and a more traditional set up. However with that you will add a bit more weight and complexity.

As far as carbon vs aluminum, they both don't rhyme with anything so they should be avoided. Steel is real, Ti is Fly and Wood is good. The reason for steel and ti is comfort number 1 but also in more cases they will have rack and fender mounts plus they are going to be more durable and repairable. However also having a good quality groupset and comfortable cockpit is also quite handy and certainly with really wide tires some of these stiffer frames can feel a bit better but for me steel or ti is my chosen path.


Here are some neat made in 'Merica Titanium options to consider in that price range:
https://lynskeyperformance.com/2020-...nture-edition/ (this comes with some MUSA bike packing bags which is nice)
https://www.chumbausa.com/terlingua-...-700c650b-plus (build kit 1 gets you 2x11 105 equipped with Thomson stem/seatpost and you can get it in Steel as well and spend more money on the groupset)
https://litespeed.com/collections/ti...30944906739787 (you can get Ultegra equipped with ti seat post for $4835)

Other options in steel (though not all made in USA)
https://ninerbikes.com/products/rlt-...29545490579554
https://www.chumbausa.com/terlingua-700c-650bplus-steel
https://www.specialized.com/us/en/se...ext=90517-4054 (super cheap right now but low stock)

For some of these bikes you probably won't get lucky and test ride them but talking to your fitter about them will help get you on the right path and with fit bikes like the Retül you can actually have them match the geometry of the bike you are looking at and a capable fitter can tell you sizing and also help you decide based on geometry or potentially help you decipher a geo chart.

In terms of warranty lifetime is nice and as someone who has a lifetime warranty that I needed to use on my old Specialized frame, I can say it is a nice piece of mind and certainly worked in my case and has worked for other customers as well. Now is it absolutely crucial, no, is it a deciding factor in buying a bike not really unless both bikes are nearly identical and I cannot decide between the two. The most important thing in warranty is support from your dealer.

bruce19

[QUOTE=Steve B.;21290129]I agree. I have two bikes that I ride on the road. One is a steel Guru and the other is a CAAD 12. Both have 25 mm Mavic USTs. So much more comfortable than when I was running regular clinchers with 120 psi. I did a very brief road test on a friend's CF Bicnchi. It felt "dead" and sounded hollow to me. I think it's all down to how things work and feel to you as an individual .

altondavis2

I was recently faced with comparing a Specialized Diverge E5 Comp (105 components, aluminum frame) and the Diverge (Tiagra components, composite frame).
On 2 different occasions I rode them both, back to back. The composite frame cost an additional $500 (no big deal).

I preferred the feel of the aluminum frame model. I'm not racing anybody, just enjoying the ride. Oh yeah, I was surprised after hearing all of the hype
about carbon frames, I really anticipated a better ride, a quieter ride. Lightweight, less than a pound difference. By purchasing
the aluminum bike I also eliminated the fear of someday cracking a carbon frame.

Hope my experience is able to help you out.

fishboat

Beginner, narrowed it down to two bikes, bikes are dissimilar, haven't ridden either bike, doesn't understand the terminology that describes each bike, bikes range $3k-$5k...

I think you're in for a very expensive lesson..

Better to buy a used, well-reviewed(on Bike Forums), well regarded $1k bike and ride the heck out of it. If you feel it's limiting your riding, then take a $3k-$5k bike for a ride and compare them to the base of experience you've developed. If/when you decide to trade up, your $1k used bike will still be worth $750.