Ari Shafer 3.0 First Impressions

TLDR; I picked up my new Shafer 3.0 on Friday in Bentonville; did a 57-mile mixed gravel/pavement ride on Saturday and was very impressed. I loved the handling and comfort. I also own a Veyo road bike and a Signal Peak MTB, so I'm basically a shill at this point. Of course, it is my positive experiences with my other Fezzari/Ari bikes that made this purchase easy.

Much longer version:

The build (full details at bottom):

I ordered a Shafer 3.0 Pro Build when they were announced last month. It has Force E1 transmission with a 40t chainring (I have a 44t I'll probably throw on it). I went with the stock alloy rims as I did not want the Zipp upgrade – I'll probably throw a different set of wheels on at some point, but for now these are fine.

Pick-up: My wife and I planned a weekend trip to Bentonville to pick it up rather than shipping it. I was very impressed with the Ari store; they set it up with my bottle cages, Zipp out front mount, pedals, and my preferred saddle height and bar drop. The staff were super-friendly. There were two deviations from the online description. First, it has 55mm G-One RS Pros instead of 50mm (I was happy about this). Second, it does not have a bag for the internal storage – I was less thrilled about that. Supposedly they're working on it. The overall first impression, however, was quite positive. There is still tons of clearance around the tires.

The ride: I planned a route that included pavement, lots of gravel, and constant up and down. I'm coming from a Lauf True Grit with suspension fork. I'm in pretty good shape, and have raced a fair amount, including longer stuff like Gravel Locos 150. I've gradually moved from 38mm when I got the Lauf to 45mm Pirelli Cinturato H's – that bike came with original Force XPLR and now has a GX AXS derailleur, so that's my frame of comparison.

Based on the head angle / trail figures, I expected the bike to take a bit more effort to turn, and I definitely felt that. The handling is as sharp as my Lauf, and nowhere close to a road bike. Once you are in a turn, though, it tracks very well. In a straight line on asphalt, I was impressed with the comfort and how fast the Schwalbes rolled.

Once I hit gravel, I immediately understood. I rode a variety of smooth, fast gravel, chunky stuff, loose stuff, a little sand, some washboard, etc. Stability and comfort are the words that kept coming to mind. The same geometry that made it slow to turn on asphalt works great on gravel – nothing upset it. I intentionally took some bad lines; it was easy to maintain control. It was also very comfortable – I was worried about the buzz since I'm coming from a Lauf fork, but it the wide tires, fork, and Zipp bar seemed to eliminate front end vibrations, and all the exposed seat post + whatever they've done to the rear end made it far more comfortable than the Lauf. I had one dumb moment where I was on a paved descent where I hit right at 40 MPH before a gravel transition. I dabbed the brakes, but hit the gravel at speed (it looked smooth). I hit a big 'ol pothole, but the bike just kept going.

So my initial impression is that the bike exceeds my expectations. The geometry is way different than what I'm coming from on gravel, and I have to say I think I like it more. I'll be doing a lot more miles on it in the coming two months, including some light singletrack. I'm likely to take part in a short gravel training camp in January, and then a few races Jan-March, including Valley of Tears. I'll post updates.

Build:

Ari Shafer 3.0 Small
SRAM Force XPLR E1
* Force crank with 40t chainring & spindle power meter (I don't like this downgrade on Force – prefer the PM on my old Force)
*10-46 13 speed cassette
*Force calipers / 180mm rotors
Zipp XLPR SL70 carbon bars/alloy Zipp stem
Reynolds/Sun Ringle g30 Alloy wheels (they're fine… a bit budget)
Schwalbe G-one RS Pro 55mm tires
Arundel Mandible bottle cages
Zipp out front mount (replaces the faceplate on the stem