Hi all. A quick intro for context… I'm 47, male, and I live in the US. I've been riding bikes for about two years and would describe myself as an enthusiastic newbie who is still learning how bikes work. I ride recreationally about 100 miles per week, predominantly in urban/suburban areas with mixed elevation and terrain. My longest ride to date is 87 miles, and my goal before winter is to stretch that out to 100. Most of my rides are solo, but a good portion of them are social rides with other people.
I currently own two bikes. One is a custom-built Kona Sutra with a 1×12 SRAM Rival AXS groupset, and the other is a Specialized Aethos with a 2×12 SRAM Rival AXS groupset. I love both of these bikes for different reasons.
The Kona is steel, which I generally prefer to alloy. I have it set up as a light touring/commuter bike with 700×43 tires and a rear rack for hauling whatever. It's comfortable and stable, and it doesn't feel overly sluggish to me on pavement. I can carry everything I need to be comfortable riding around the city all day. It's currently filling my "all-day bike" slot. My only two quibbles about it are that 1) it's relatively heavy, which is totally fine, but lighter would be nice, and 2) the gearing has proven to be less than ideal in certain situations. The picture is a little dated as I've since removed the front rack/basket situation.
The Aethos, on the other hand, is super light, quick, and has sweet gearing that has gotten me through climbs I didn't think possible. I love riding this thing, but I only take it out if the plan is to go on a ride and come straight home. It's not an all-day, bounce-around-town type of bike.
So, I got it in my head that I want another bike that blends the capabilities of my two bikes into a single package. Something noticeably lighter than the Kona, with a wider gear range, and equally comfortable and stable without feeling sluggish on pavement.
New Cannondale Topstone 1 Alloy / Shimano GRX 820 2×12
My first thought was to seek out an alloy frame/carbon fork gravel bike with relaxed geometry and a nice groupset. A local bike shop had the new Cannondale Topstone 1 Alloy with the Shimano 2×12 GRX 820 groupset in my size, so I took it for a short ride and liked it. To me, it felt both stable and quick and, yeah, just a fun bike to ride. What I didn't care for, and what concerns me, is rear rack compatibility. I know it has mounting points for rear racks, but the positioning seems odd to me, and I've seen Reddit posts suggesting that finding compatible racks can be challenging. On the other hand, the salesman at the bike shop says they install racks on that bike all the time, so I am not sure what to believe. Anyway, it sells for $2500, and that seems like a fair price to me.
New Surly Midnight Special 700c / Shimano 105 2×12 Mechanical
Then it came to my attention that Surly has refreshed the Midnight Special with 700c wheels and the new Shimano 2×12 105 mechanical groupset, and that sounds pretty awesome to me. It is steel, which is great, but about 4 lbs heavier than the Topstone. However, with a carbon fork and wheelset, I am guessing I can get the weight pretty close to the stock Topstone. I love the look of this bike, and on paper, it checks a lot of boxes for me, and I wouldn't expect any rack compatibility issues. I have yet to ride it because it's a brand new bike, and none of my local shops have it in my size yet. But from what I've heard, this is also a comfortable, stable bike to ride with relaxed geometry, and that sounds like what I am looking for. It retails for $2349, so a tad bit less expensive.
Used Salsa Vaya (Custom build) / Shimano 105 2×11
I also have the opportunity to buy a used Salsa Vaya that is being described as "a custom build, barely ridden, in near-new condition." It has quite a few upgrades, most notably a Dynamo hub. I don't have any experience with Dynamo hubs or know too much about them, but I like the idea of them, so my interest is piqued. The full details are as follows:
- Frame: Salsa Vaya 59.5 cm (Charcoal Gray Matte)
- Fork: Salsa Vaya Carbon (15 x 100 Thru-Axle)
- Front Hub: Shutter Precision SP8X Dyno, 15 x 100
- Rear Hub: DT Swiss 350, QR 135
- Rims: DT Swiss R500
- Spokes: DT Swiss Double Butted w/ Brass Nipples
- Tires: Rene Herse Snoqualmie Pass 700 x 44 Extralight Tubeless
- Tubes: Q-Tubes Superlite
- Rim Tape: Tubeless
- Crank: Shimano RS510 46/34 (Black)
- Bottom Bracket: Shimano RS500 (Silver)
- Shifters: Shimano 105 R7000 (Black)
- Front Derailleur: Shimano 105 R7000 (Black)
- Rear Derailleur: Shimano 105 R7000 (Black)
- Chain: Shimano HG500 (Silver)
- Cassette: Shimano HG701 (11-34)
- Brakes: TRP Spyre
- Rotors: Shimano RT70-S 160 mm
- Bar: Salsa Cowbell 31.8 mm x 46 cm
- Stem: Cannondale 31.8 mm x 7 x 11 cm
- Bar Tape: Blackburn Cinch 3 mm Black
- Seatpost: Kalloy Uno 27.2 mm Black
- Saddle: Ergon
- Pedals: Shimano SPD
Custom build includes:
- Hand-built, full cartridge bearing, dyno wheelset w/ Shutter Precision SP8X Dyno/DT Swiss 350 hubs, DT Swiss R500 rims, and DT Swiss double-butted spokes.
- Dyno powered lights and onboard USB charging via Busch & Müller Luxos U IQ2 headlight, Secula Plus taillight, and bar-mounted remote.
- Wide-range 11-speed drivetrain with full Shimano 105 R7000 gruppo and custom 46/34 Shimano RS510 crankset.
- Hand-radiused SimWorks by Honjo Turtle 58 fenders with custom wiring that allows removal without impacting dyno wiring.
- Light and fast Rene Herse Snoqualmie Pass 700 x 44 Extralight tubeless tires float over gravel and rough roads.
- Nitto M-18 rack for hauling gear.
Includes extras/spares:
- Kalloy Uno 31.8 mm x 7 x 10 cm stem (Black)
- DT Swiss spokes for front/rear wheels
- Shimano brake pads
- Shimano 11-speed chain quick links
- Shimano HG500 11-34 cassette
No idea how much it weighs, but clearly not the lightest of the bunch. The 2×11, while not a 2×12, is probably sufficient and I'm guessing a noticeable improvement over the Kona. All of the components seem decent, except for possibly the brakes? How about the dynamo hub? How much trouble should I expect that particular hub to give me?
What do you think of this build? What do you think a fair price is for this bike?
Ok, those are 3 bikes that are currently on my radar. I am also open to other options.
Which bike?
by yodeeds