Hi! I am trying to help my mother pick out a gravel bike. I am much more educated on the mountain bike side of things so I want to make sure I give a good recommendation. Our budget is around 2 thousand with some wiggle room.
I recommended the Cannondale topstone 2: https://www.cannondale.com/en-us/bikes/road/gravel/topstone-alloy/topstone-2-c15702u
And we also went to sun & ski and the guy there recommended the Masi Brunello Rival 1: https://www.sunandski.com/p/77200056650002520/masi-brunello-rival-1?vpc=77200056650002520-009804700&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22585136375&gclid=Cj0KCQiApL7KBhC7ARIsAD2Xq3Akxdunkv3wv3K7D3VdpfMoEKaIR2PteFOeyfdWdU3ALNcFYstgEN8aAo1jEALw_wcB
Both of these seem relatively equal in parts so in my mind it will come down to how they feel.
Am I correct in my assessment of these two bikes? Are they quality? Any other recommendations in this price range?
by thisacistemporary
6 Comments
Cannondale. Slightly lower tier groupset, but its a gravel specific one. The really big pro for the Cannondale is the threaded bottom bracket vs the press fit in the Masi. Masi is a good deal cheaper though.
Whatever you get, make sure she likes it and is comfortable on it. A few years ago, I was riding an aluminum Rove DL. Even with the larger tires I felt a lot through the pedals and handlebars. Suggest and lead her, but let her make the decision or it likely won’t be ridden long term.
How much experience does your mother have?
Specialized Diverge is my go to and I’m an older rider.
Are you sure about road bike dropped handlebars instead of flat bars? I mean, have you asked her specifically? I like my dropped bar gravel bike, but realistically it is only 2 mph faster than my flat bars gravel bike, and for commuting I really prefer my flat bar hybrid bike.
A specialized Sirrus X 4.0 will give you flat bars, a good group set, decent weight, some vibration damping in the future shock, wise tires, through-axles, etc. when I got one for my wife, she sold her Salsa Journeyer with dropped bars and said “I am never going back.”
For 2k you can actually get a carbon 5.0 with the cool frame geometry.
Not sure how old your Mom is, but my 40 something wife loves her LIV bikes. Looking around online you could get a Devote Advanced 2 for $2k. That gets you a nice carbon frame with GRX drivetrain and other goodies. That’s what I would be looking at right now:
https://www.liv-cycling.com/us/devote-advanced-2