My biggest fear is that the test ride will feel so different from this bike that I won’t like it or be able to make a fair appraisal of their qualities.
FYI – I am 61 years old, currently in southern Arizona for the winter. I can see myself heading out for up to 4 hours on rides in this area. I think I see myself possibly completing some gravel races and other slower events with my wife.
Pilot_on_autopilot on
There’s hundreds of brands and models of gravel bikes out there now, and recommending a couple would just be personal preference, but a couple suggestions based on your blurb:
If you’re feeling stretched out, you might look at flat bar gravel bikes, there are some legit options these days. (Google will give you a ton of suggestions, narrow it down from there)
If you want to stick to drops, look for gravel bikes with mountain bike geometry or high stack numbers ike the Warbird or La Cabra.
If you’re only doing 4 hour rides, you probably don’t need a lot of mounts and can save some weight going aluminum and carbon
It’d be nearly impossible to do New now anyway, but absolutely go tubeless in a place like Arizona.
You’re right that any new bike you ride will feel low and slack compared to your current stead, I suggest test riding the size you think need as well as a size smaller than you think you need to get a feel for how the geometry affects the ride.
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My biggest fear is that the test ride will feel so different from this bike that I won’t like it or be able to make a fair appraisal of their qualities.
FYI – I am 61 years old, currently in southern Arizona for the winter. I can see myself heading out for up to 4 hours on rides in this area. I think I see myself possibly completing some gravel races and other slower events with my wife.
There’s hundreds of brands and models of gravel bikes out there now, and recommending a couple would just be personal preference, but a couple suggestions based on your blurb:
If you’re feeling stretched out, you might look at flat bar gravel bikes, there are some legit options these days. (Google will give you a ton of suggestions, narrow it down from there)
If you want to stick to drops, look for gravel bikes with mountain bike geometry or high stack numbers ike the Warbird or La Cabra.
If you’re only doing 4 hour rides, you probably don’t need a lot of mounts and can save some weight going aluminum and carbon
It’d be nearly impossible to do New now anyway, but absolutely go tubeless in a place like Arizona.
You’re right that any new bike you ride will feel low and slack compared to your current stead, I suggest test riding the size you think need as well as a size smaller than you think you need to get a feel for how the geometry affects the ride.
Test ride a lot!