This is a thread on Gravel bikes in a the road bike sub forum and you posted a wally-mart fat bike? This thread is getting baffling the OP bought the bike in early 2021. We have both a fat bike sub-forum and a gravel sub-forum just FYI.

This is BF, so par for the course. I'm surprised Wolfchild hasn't posted to state that gravel bikes are just a marketing scam and Rydabent hasn't posted to suggest switching to a bent.

I currently have a Santa Cruz Stigmata, and I had a first Gen alloy CruX before that. My gravel is 80% gravel so I like 40+ tires. The Stigmata is a really cool bike-0 nice ride quality and nimble, unlike longer gravel bikes. It handles more like a Cross bike but with comfort (unlike the alloy CruX). My only knock- no top tube bento box mounts. Hate that.. Anyway, it is a 58 and a little big for me so I'm going to either frame-swap a Stigmata 56 or go with something else (TBD what that is). I think the Diverge is a bit long and sluggish compared to the Stigmata. The Stigmata is fast on the road too, and it does not feel like a super-stable gravel bike. That makes it nicer to handle, in my opinion. It is stable enough but when things get tight or steep, it is fun to be on that bike. If you have enough road as well, consider the Stigmata. If the darn thing just had top tube bolts for the bag, it would be a no-brainer. That said I have some slim bags that do work on top and bottom of the top tube.

Glad to hear you like the Stigmata. I just ordered one too (a GRX 2x version) after chatting with Caliwild about both the Ibis Hakka MX and the Stigmata. One reason I chose a Stigmata is because its geometry is quite close to my current endurance bike, so in case my gravel curiosity wears off (or I get tired of washing it after gravel rides), it can be turned into an endurance bike fairly easily.

The Stigmata is a really nice bike. I think you will like the ride quality, the smoothness, and the way it handles in slower/tighter sections. I have the GRX 2x version as well. I see Caliwild is still enabling away.

Just trying to spread the holiday cheer... Friends don't let friends ride crap bikes

Many gravel bikes are setup 1x, so once I decided on a GRX 2x bike, it was logical to seek advice from Caliwild, as it turns out that he owns / had owned the top two candidates. We also own the same rim brake wheels, so either Caliwild and I have similar tastes, or Caliwild buys almost everything.

I need to look at the gearing combos to see if 1x makes sense. We do so much climbing here and on long steep climbs, I need to spin more and save my knees. IF I come into some good money (or if the market ever comes roaring back) that Moots Routt YBB looks really good. I still think outside of those really nice Ti bikes, the Stigmata is the best riding/handling. A friend has the Ibis. I don't ride much with him anymore or I'd swap bikes for a time or two. I think it is also in that same league of light and quick bikes. It may be a bit less compliant (I read this) but the 40 max tire size is a bit limiting. He just bought a Ti Why Cycles gravel bike too and rides that a lot more now.

Do remember that not all 1X road/gravel drivetrains have the same or even similar ratios. I went with an Ekar drivetrain mostly because I like the ergonomics of the controls, but within the Ekar there are 3 variants.

The difference between Ekar and SRAM is that Ekar has the wide ratio 5 speed low end and the close ratio 8 speed high end. My memory says that SRAM has a more evenly spaced ratio spread, so it might ne better for some circumstances. I don't like the ergonomics of Shimano, so I never looked at it to see what they have in terms of gear ratios. There may also be aftermarket clusters for the SRAM or Shimano.

Yeah, and my big concern is that I have to keep a couple of bailout gears. Some passes like Loveland Pass and Vail Pass are quite steep and long. I need a couple of easy gears since I usually also hit those after 30-40 miles. I'll try it this year but may even swap my rear derailleur to take a 36T instead of the 33T, once I ride those on the new bike,

These Giordano steel gravel bikes alos seems preety good to me. This steel frame gravel bike is super sleek that is lightweight and surpasses our standards with being multi-use.

Are you real or is this just spam?
That list is absurd.

One example is below.

That list seems to have been put together by someone who knows nothing at all about bikes, let alone a sub-set like gravel bikes. Absurd is accurate.

You have no idea what you're talking about, and this smells of spam.

Not to mention the "list of 8 gravel bikes" actually only has 2 gravel bikes on it. The others are cruisers, mountain bikes, a hybrid and a fat bike. They are all entry level budget brands. So much for "the best steel gravel bikes".

SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, green eggs and SPAM.

What are you talking about? The recommendation for the 24 inch, 21 speed Huffy Stone Mountain Hardtail Mountain Bike seems completely suitable for a gravel ride.

Roubaix, or crux.