Looking to get a real gravel bike after a few years riding an old steel frame road bike that was too big for me. I didn't like how squirrely the old bike got on gravel descents and since it didn't fit me it (far too big) was unstable at low speeds too- especially big loose climbs.
Both new bikes are a '22 and about the same price. Stigmata is a few hundred dollars more.
I'll be using it 50/50 on/off road. Fire roads, some single-track. In Boulder for this summer and then I'm moving back to the Marin Headlands where some grades are 18-20% so having good climbing gears is a must.
Dropper post would be sweet.
Shimano grx 52-11 on the hagar, the Stigmata has a 2x drivetrain which I'm not really thrilled about. I'm not trying to buy a whole new groupset though I'm not opposed to swapping out groupsets if one bike is that much better.
Hoping someone can chime in on what is better for me. Bonus points for having owned either bike and double bonus for being familiar with the terrain I'll be on. Your help is much appreciated!
by SenderShredder
1 Comment
That Stigmata is not new. It was released almost a decade ago in 2015. Max tire clearance on that thing is going to be like 38mm and that is pushing it. Its a CX bike through and through, before the gravel thing really took off. Its a stiff, twitchy, race bike, with poor tire clearance compared to modern day gravel standards, where we would expect to fit at least 45mm tires.
The Hagar is the complete opposite end of the spectrum, and is basically a drop bar MTB.
You could not have chosen two bikes that were more different.
If its just between these two bikes, you’ve really got to pick what you want to prioritize, single track or road. Both of these bikes will make fine gravel bikes, but its at the extremes where they will slow down.
Source: I’ve ridden that stig, and I live in San Francisco and ride all the trails you’d be riding. Both bikes will handle those trails fine. I’d prefer the stig, because I like my gravel bike to be more towards the road end of the spectrum. My gravel riding is 50/50 road/gravel, and I toss in single track no problem.