12 months after my G2X gravel bike construct, it’s notched up about 4500k of precise gravel driving. Not as a lot I had hoped, nevertheless it’s been an eventful yr off the bike, with shifting home and medical points consuming into trip time. All through the final 12 months I’ve barely touched my highway bike (and its a pleasant highway bike). So why have I ‘dumped’ my different bikes in favour of the G2X?
Consolation
We’re all getting older and to be trustworthy, I wish to be snug once I trip my bike. I’ve obtained a couple of previous nigly accidents which don’t trouble me an excessive amount of in any respect on fatter tyres on the proper strain – greater tyres present a bigger pillow of air to maintain you comfortable. The G2X permits a road-bike-like driving place, while having fun with sofa-like ranges of tyre consolation – you possibly can have your cake and eat it.
Geometry
After we specced the geometry for the Merlin aluminium gravel frames together with the G2X, and it was a deliberate transfer away from the super-long headtube, ‘uglier’ finish of the gravel bike market. We wished a driving place leaning extra in direction of that of a daily highway bike. It appears extra like a highway bike too and fewer like a teapot, which is what we have been on the lookout for.
Go The place Motors Don’t
Undecided whether or not it’s to do with the pandemic or not, however the usual of driving and aggression of drivers, appears to be worse than ever. My native traffic-free gravel trails are simply extra pleasant and stress-free than stressing over shut passes and aggressive drivers. As an alternative I can chill out and do extra chilled out stuff like look out for animals, take heed to music and even ‘zone-out’ just a little on my trip. Whereas the G2X will take 42mm tyres (relying on the tyre and rim mixture) I settled on 35mm (Schwalbe G-One tubeless) as a result of it’s often dry on the paths and the gravel is often compacted fairly nicely, 40 and 42mm appears like overkill.
Stable
The G2X is constructed robust. With a really stable entrance finish, largely because of its 1.5″ to 1 1/8 tapered head tube & fork steerer, out of the saddle efforts end in little or no flex. The triple butted aluminium frameset is gentle but additionally excellent for battering down quick gravel trails, harking back to the resiliance of the Merlin Malt mountain bikes of years passed by, this body won’t break.
Construct Spec
Relying on parts, the G2X frameset builds into a light-weight gravel bike, because of the approx’ 1.65kg body and 400 gram forks. I constructed mine to be fairly gentle, however nonetheless robust – it is available in at slightly below 8.5 kg, it will get used a good quantity and has had zero points in 12 months. Loopy to assume my highway bike is just a kilo lighter, however with not one of the off highway capabilities.
Enjoyable
As a result of it’s fairly gentle and easy over the gravel, you possibly can chill out and push the envelop just a little, discovering that line between grip and ‘fun-times’. In addition to simply being a quick, responsive aluminium framed bike, it additionally has the power to go off piste and enterprise onto tougher trails. On the identical time, the body is stable and responsive, push on arduous if you end up tacking onto the again of a bunch of road-bike riders.
Tighter Than a…
The one tweaks to the G2X by way of the yr have been switching between 1X chainrings. In a bid to get most life from my cassette, I’ve switched by way of 39, 45 and 50 tooth chainrings. This undoubtedly works in case you solely trip fairly flat routes and in case you are as ‘tight as a duck’s arse’ It’s fairly satisfying to see an evenly warn cassette – I don’t get out a lot tho…
In Inventory Now!
The primary batch of G2X framesets offered out fairly shortly, nonetheless final week noticed the most recent batch arrive.
At the moment out there in all sizes.
