I like trudging through the forest preserves along the river and stream by my house. I wanted some front suspension to better handle what is closer to goat trails than single-track, but prefer the drop bar and stance of a gravel bike over a hardtail. Especially when on the 20+ miles of paved and gravel paths that connect the preserves. This left me with only a few options and mostly the same price. However, I found this new 2023 Cannondale for about $800 less than the current year and spent the money saved on Gravelking X1 (the new 2026 British racing green looks great on the black with gold flake frame) and Salsa Cowchipper handlebars for the wide grip to help with low speed maneuvers.
by Tastieshock