Hello! Like so many others I am driving myself mad with which gravel bike I should invest in and am hoping to crowd source some knowledge to support my decision.
Usage: Short-trip bikepacking thru mixed terrain. Mostly gravel, some double and single track and definitely some pavement. Just here to have some fun, escape to the outdoors and have some adventures.
Open to other suggestions (Canyon seems to be popular here) but I’ve looked closely at:
– [Kona Sutra LTD](https://www.konaworld.com/products/sutra-ltd-1) (current top choice)
– [All City Gorilla Monsoon](https://allcitycycles.com/bikes/gorilla_monsoon_grx) (I know they’re going under but still a cool bike and frame is resilient, albeit less bag setup customization)
-[Salsa Fargo](https://www.salsacycles.com/bikes/road/fargo) (love the cutthroat but I think it’s too much for what I’m going to use it for)
Looking for a party rig – something that can get me places without too much extra effort but has flexibility to pack heavy and ride comfortably. I’m conditioned to drop bars and jumpy thin tire bikes.
Appreciate your help!
by StickyRay
15 Comments
The fork mounts on the All City require a rack or a fiddly adapter to run three pack style mounts if you’re planning on that. The Kona and Salsa will be easier to set up for bikepacking right out of the box.
I have a Kona Unit X which is close to the Sutra but with flat bars. I love it but it’s heavy and the part spec is a little weird.
My wife has a Fargo and she loves it to death. Salsa has a great interchangeable system of parts so it’s easy to replace dropouts, forks, etc.
A bit biased since I just recently bought a Gorilla Monsoon, but it’s been a blast to ride. Like you stated I wish it had more mounting options especially on the fork, but the sizing is spot on for me and I absolutely love the color scheme (Charred Berry). All the bikes you mentioned are great options, so pick the one that checks the most boxes for what you’re looking for and ride the crap out of it!
First hand, the Kona is pretty flexible and a great platform for most types of drop bar riding. Personally, I would want the Fargo. But it’s really down to the geo you are used to between these in my opinion and how broad you’re willing to stretch your comfort zone, and how “mountain bike” you’re trying to go. In my opinion, you have them listed here in order from least to most mountain bike.
Ritchey Outback or Crust Bombora would go on my short list — I had a Kona Unit that I liked but would be looking for something with better tubeset after many years of riding on ‘off-the-shelf’ 4130
I’ve had the Sutra and the Gorilla Monsoon and I’ve test ridden the Fargo and the Cutthroat.
My fave was the Sutra. This is mostly because of fit and handling characteristics. For a reason I don’t quite understand, I don’t get on well with the Fargo & Cutthroat. Maybe those bikes handle differently loaded vs unloaded but my unloaded test rides of those bikes have just felt odd. Had the same feeling when test riding a Rivendell. That said, much of bike fit and handling is about personal preference so if you can test ride any of the bikes you like, you should.
My GM was set up as flat bar with 27.5 wheels and was probs a size too small so it didn’t last long with me. But it’s not a bad bike. Sutra fork is beefier; GM fork didn’t like a lot of weight up front.
Fargo has a carbon fork, the other two have steel forks. Even know I know that carbon forks are generally safe, and plenty of people do super rowdy stuff on them, I personally am wary of anything carbon since I’m clumsy and have 3 clumsy children.
You could also consider the Kona Rove (DL or LTD), or even the Libre — for mixed usage that includes pavement, those options might be a little faster/sportier than the Sutra LTD.
The lack of three-pack fork mounts ruled out the Gorilla Monsoon for me, although it’s a great-looking bike.
Throwing in the inevitable ‘hey, what about the bike I have?’ the Bombtrack Beyond 2 is still on sale [https://www.campfirecycling.com/product/bombtrack-beyond-2.html](https://www.campfirecycling.com/product/bombtrack-beyond-2.html)
I like mine, the only thing I’ll say against it so far is the weight (but then I’ve equipped it with a rack, full-size saddle bag etc.), and the fact that the three-pack mounts face forward, so are only suitable for anything cages etc. Small fork-mounted panniers like the Ortleib fork-packs don’t work.
Apart from that, it’s good, capable, handles well, and has a dynamo hub and lights.
Get the All-City while you still can. 😢
Just to muddy some waters, I agonized over gravel bikes for ages and finally settled on ‘less gravel more mountain’ since I’d rather be off the roads as much as possible.
I’m using a panorama Taiga exp and I can’t say enough good things about it.
If I were closer to Australia I’d think about a curve gmx+.
I have the sutra and love the bike. Comfortable for all day rides, and handles anything and everything, even some rowdy single track well. It’s beefy and the geo is not built for speed, but it’s such a Swiss army bike that I can look past the dip in speed on flats and appreciate the downhill ability on rougher stuff.
I test ride the sutra and the monsoon and the monsoon was twitchy and less solid feeling than the sutra for my money. Could have rode that sutra all day.
I have the sutra ultd and my wife has a fargo, I like her bike more. They’re both 2×10 with jones bars, mechanical disc brakes and big ass tires ( neither are stock). If I had to do it all over again I’d probably get the salsa fargo or the rove dl which i personally think is a better bike for my needs than the sutra but its what i could get during the pandemic. I’d also look at breezer radar x/pro x or thedoppler team +. Jones bikes are on sale and I can’t think of a single reason why you wouldn’t go that route either, +tires, progressive geo, great groupset at an affordable price, what not to like. Good luck!
I’m not a big fan of skinny tires on anything but pavement. 2.25″ and larger it gets more comfortable. With front suspension even more, and you can crush any standard gravel bike on downhills and chunk. I’m describing monster gravel bikes or drop bar mtbs, preferably with a suspension corrected rigid fork that can be swapped out as desired. It’s nice to have a bike/frame so versatile that you can dress it rigid and skinny for easier pursuits, or suspension and big tires for rougher routes. The Fargo can do that. I have a similar Titus Silk Road that can as well. I have mine built up from frame/fork with MTB 2x components and a drop bar-ish style carbon Corner Bar knockoff though a Jones or similar may be more versatile. Lots of choices out there. Analysis paralysis!
I love my Fargo! Definitely more of a mountain bike than an all-road/gravel bike as far as geometry goes, but that makes it feel like a confidence-inspiring ATB that I can take anywhere. It’s also the most customizable. Any handlebars you can think of, Rohloff, belt drive, single-speed, can take up to 29″x3″. It is a well-balanced platform that you can set up for pretty much any adventure imaginable.