I've had my GRVL 120 for a year now and been loving it. Recently had an issue with the bottom bracket so brought it in to get fixed. The mechanic just gave me a call saying the bottom bracket thread is mangled and offered to replace my bike with a brand new one (as long as I make up the difference in cost). I had a quick look through their range and looking mainly at these 3 options:
– GRVL 120 : just a brand new version of the bike I have already. It's served me well and I've quite liked it. The 1×10 drivetrain did feel a bit limiting on the top end at times but loved the bike in general
– GRVL 520 : would be a 2nd life (grade A) bike. The SRAM APEX groupset is a big upgrade from my the microshift xle on my grvl120. But online reviews did not seem to be very glowing.
– RC 500 : Maybe I should just go for a road bike. I was debating whether to go with the gravel bike or a road bike when I first bought it. I was very happy with the gravel bike but to be honest I don't actually do that much gravel riding on a regular basis. In any case it's not far off the GRVL520.
Idk, any input would be greatly appreciated.
EDIT: I also noticed this 1×8 gravel bike. But this doesn't seem like a good choice mainly due to the 1×8 setup
by Distinct_Mud1960
2 Comments
At first looks the 2nd would be my choice – more versatile in terms of tyre clearance and rack mounts and you could easily switch to road tyres if you find you’re not doing any off-road riding.
You might find yourself limited by the 1x group set compared to the double on the 3rd bike, but I’d imagine the range would be similar.
I’d skip the 1st tbh. If you’ve enjoyed it so far, great, but treat this as an opportunity for an upgrade!
I’d suggest trying out both of the upgrade options in your local Decathlon before buying.
Good luck and enjoy!
Than 1×8 is a cheaper, worse version of GRVL120. I wouldn’t recommend it.
If you’re riding a lot of off road, check out their Microshift sword version. It has updated groupset, wider clearance and proper gravel tires.
Otherwise RC500 is a very popular platform to upgrade into a light gravel bike.