Open WIDE, great modification on the amazing Open UP that help start this category. Rides incredible well, much lighter then the Cannondale and little lighter then the GT, better tire clearance then either of these bikes. No ability to get 1 by in the GT or Cannondale. Second choice would have been the Allied Able, after all it won Dirty Kanza in both men’s and women’s again modern 1 by system unlike your two choices.
It's refreshing to hear about new frame ideas that aren't all about shaving 2g off the weight then talking like it's a big deal, and/or changing the shape of tubs and parts to make a bike more aero. or maybe i'm just watching the wrong reviewers.
I bought a Topstone 105 new last year and after a few weeks of riding had an issue with the crap formula hubs. Waiting months for Cannondale to fix it, I bought a Scott Addict Gravel 10 and haven't looked back. What a beast of a bike that flies and I have had zero issues. I thank Cannondale for introducing me to my Scott 👍
Excellent review - I can't fault any of it. Still, though, I love my Topstone 105 alloy because I wanted the pavement performance with dirt road as an option.
I would really, really like to see a comparison of the feel and ride experience between the carbon Grade and the 105-equipped alloy Grade. What do you give up or change about the frame’s behavior when you switch materials? How does the back-end compliance differ, and what does that ultimately do to the experience of riding the bike? The carbon model gets a lot of attention because of its fancy tricks and unique build features, but I haven’t seen anything about the other models that share the name- and are way more accessible and likely to be purchased by the average rider.
You can refer to the experience of the previous model, there's a lot of information about it on the internet than the new model, I think the talks would also apply to the new 2020 model in the aspect of the material, because the main concept is not changing much. I own a GT grade carbon 2017 and it's great. Wondering the same thing before my purchase, finally got the carbon on wiggle's clearance with a great discount, and it's proved to be a good decision. If you ask me my verdict I'll tell you spend some more money and go straight with the carbon one, it's so much difference. ALU just doesn't have that compliance, it's a physical thing that cannot be altered by the geometry design, because alu is a so stiff material. Also you have to caution that in the 2020 model the alu version may have a different rear design than the carbon version, the seat stay and seat tube maybe fixed-connected in the alu version other than the carbon version (so it's just like the old model, took a glance at the 2020 alu model some time ago, memory could be wrong, check carefully), however the carbon version the seat stay and the seat tube is disconnected and movable/bounce-able, which brings more travel than the previous model, that's a main difference/evolution in the 2020 carbon model. With the alu version, you'll also lose the fiberglass + carbon fiber seat stay, which is the main source of the bouncing. The reason why you don't see much of the alu version is that the smart material choice + smart geometry design is the merit of the GT grade, that's what the media likes because it's new and deserves the talk. With alu, you'll miss some of it. Save (or raise?) some money and go with the carbon version, and you'll be happy with it!
@@xuchenglin6256 Thanks. I had the same question. On the Topstone it's clear that the aluminium doesn't have the kingpin suspension so I thought the GT Grade may provide the same flex (suspension feel) in the aluminium. The carbon is over my budget; if I look for an older carbon model on clearance will it be as comfortable on bumps as the 2020 model?
@@mantiq7768 I think it will, the "travel" may be a little smaller than the 2020 model (fixed-jointed vs. disconnected, 5mm maybe?), but I guess the difference may be limited. Actually the only difference there on the 2020 model may be that the "swing" things begin at the connecting point of the [seat stay] and [top tube], and on 2017 model it's on that of the [seat stay] and [seat tube]. It's the "double triangle" part, check it visually you'll understand what I'm saying... So if you are for the "compliance" definitely go with the [carbon] one, no matter of the model. Remember the difference in the characteristics of material prevails that in the geometry designs... I had the same struggle but now I'll definitely go with the carbon ones, it's a whole new experience and you won't look back.
@@DilbertMuc Hey man, I checked some of the reviews on the 2020 model, I might have made a mistake here, the aluminum version of GT grade 2020 DOES HAVE the floating seat stay. Check this out: www.bikeradar.com/news/gt-grade-2020/ , the floating stay section says "However, there is a difference here; the long, low dropped seatstays are no longer bonded, or welded on the alloy models, to the seat tube.". So if this webpage is accurate, then the ALU version of Grade DOES HAVE the floating aluminum seat stay, which should provide more compliance than the previous ALU model, but I think it should not be as par to the carbon models, no matter old or new. So it may not be "no compliance at all", but I'm also very curious of how much the compliance the ALU floating seat stay could provide, there's just no proper review of the ALU version on this yet on the internet.
Loving my GT Grade Carbon Pro 2020 . My only (small) gripe was them not supplying the cheap rubber caps for the mount holes on the forks and top-tube. I see in the video the top-tube doesn't have any but your forks do. For £3500 it would've been nice to supply them TBH. I did add some carbon flat bars and a Redshift suspension stem which means the longer rides are much more comfortable now. Apart from that, it's been a trouble free bike. I was surprised you didn't mention how many mount points this thing has! Very impressive bike.
@@daz_the_cyclist8961 In the end I opted for some lightweight black anodised bolts which look nicer and are not going to get lost. I guess I was just surprised to not have them when I opened the box. All reviews I saw last year tended to show the bike with grommets. Can't complain though, the bike has more than made up for it.
Good to see feedback from Grade owners! Just one question guys, does the grade feel like it has suspension/ flex when pedaling on roads/ smooth gravel?? I ask bc I want efficiency rather than comfort. Thanx
@@CowneloAlvaroid There's no notable bobbing up/down as you can get with spring/air suspension but it does an amazing job of damping out rear bumps and on gravel it's a delight to ride. Subjectively it's like a comfy road bike you can use off road. Super comfy bike. The stock bars were horrible for me as they are very uncomfortable round bars. Swapped them for a carbon flat bar and Redshift suspension stem and I can now take it anywhere, even slightly beyond where it was designed to go i.e. more MTB territory.
I've owned the old model Grade Ultegra for almost 5 years now. It's an incredible bike fast and comfortable. It was a groundbreaking bike when at the time. The latest version looks even more capable. Would love to see a comparison between the two.
I've had a Topstone Carbon Force eTap AXS since December and I love it and the electronic wireless shifting. I 'm about to put on some 700x32 Conti GP5000s for the warmer weather. Warren has always loved the GT! No surprise on the outcome of this one.
I was thinking the same thing. I truly can't remember if it was these 2 or that... I think it was a Cervelo gravel bike. R3 if I'm remembering correctly?
I have put a little over 100 miles on my new Grade Carbon Pro and I absolutely agree with the video review! Love it! Tons of compliance without any proprietary components and the Di2 (my first bike with electronic shifting) was well worth the upgrade. The only thing left to add is a set of carbon wheels! (Speaking of carbon wheels, any way we could get a carbon wheelset shootout video to help us narrow down the options?) Thanks for all your content!
Is the new Specialized Diverge equipped with future shock 2.0 any better than the GT Grade from the comfort point of view or not really? I find my 2020 GT Grade VERY comfortable but I still suffer bit at it's front end on realy rough offroad terrain and sometimes I consider buying the new Diverge suposing its front end would be more forgiving. Although I find much more rewarding to pedal the GT grade than a mountain bike, when I am not sure of how the terrain of the trail will be like I still tend to pick my hardtail cross country bike due to its suspension fork. I wonder if I would ever use again my hardtail cross country bike if I had a Siverge with it's future shock. Could anyone answer me please? Where I live I cannot test ride a Diverge, but only buy one on internet sites.
I wonder if the Cannondale Lefty 30mm fork on my Slate would fit on the Topstone to balance the front end with the rear end compliance? I like the Slate, it's definitely a go-anywhere gravel bike, especially since I put a Wolftooth rear derailleur extension, 11-42 cassette (with compact crank), and dropper seatpost. But the lighter Topstone or Grade would be faster fun I thinks.
Gravel Bike especially the GT is a very durable and practical Gravel Bike. The geometric design of frame is reliable and for safety purpose. The setpost and with floating back support suspension is quiet unique and effective on off-road and safe purpose. I really like the GT Bike because of the brilliant engineering design for practical and purpose. Not only fashionable in looks, but safe in functions. I have now my GT 4.0 Traffic and turn into a gravel Bike Hybrid with 2X crankcase 48 Teeth and 38 Teeth. Combine with 10 speed 11-46 Teeth sprocket. It drives very-well. Climbing off road and on road so manageable. Long distance plain road and off-road works very well. I am so happy with my GT Hybrid Gravel Bike it serves well to my different terrains destinations.
I watched a similar video, from another RU-vid cycling-specific content provider whos name was not an acronym and they said Salsa was the first to market with their gravel bike... and consequently was also given their bike of the year award. Thanks for pushing the content and providing the information.
It is obvious that most of us will say "this X bike because... I have it". I own a Giant Revolt Advanced 2 2019. I am in love with it. However for me, the best in 2020 is the Backroad from the German brand Rose. Beautiful update. Cheers.
We're as riders are likely to be biased in favour of the bikes we own. However most of us test several bikes before making our purchase. Bike testers such as Bike Radar are very objective. They test lots of bikes and as far as I know are not sponsored.
I demoed the Cannondale Topstone 105 back in March at a bike show in Toronto Canada. I ride a full suspension mountain bike as well as a cross bike. I would buy that bike in a heartbeat as it felt great. I think I just might if I live through the virus and can find one. ;-)
Tapstone: Very good performance fast on road and dirt! Down side 40mm tire on the rear only leave you a little space in the BB area. Different story if there is a mud!
I've got a carbon road bike but have been interested in gravel for a long time due to wanting more give in the frame for being a twat on the bike. I'm really thinking about getting the Cannondale Topstone, the flex on the rear coupled with a 650b wheelset would be great. Too bad Cannondale don't sell the frames as its a bit pricey to buy just to change half of the things on it.
Is tire clearance exactly what gt says or is it possible to squeeze in something more? especially for 650b rims (47mm compared to 42mm for 700c rims isn't that big difference) No rack mounts right?
What size should I choose ? I am 180 cm height and 88 cm inseam. I tried (static) the Topstone in M and L, rather for the M but not convinced by the upright position. What about the GT : both 55 and 58 could fit but what about the position ?
I am thinking about getting the Topstone, but I am kinda worrying about the reliability of the flexing points, will they break earlier than other, stiffer, carbon frames? I am absolutely new to these kinds ob bikes
need some sizing help here on the topstone. i'm 5'9'' with a 30'' inseam and ride a 54cm supersix w 100mm stem. i'm between the sm/med based on the sizing chart on the cdale website... I just clear the stand over height of the MED. Is this acceptable or should i be riding a small? TIAA
Definitely Cannondale! GT brand had something to say in the past, but not any more. I already had two Cannondales, and they had amazing frame. I have also tried a few GTs, but I was not impressed. Besides Cannondale is 1st tier brand, while GT is 2nd tier brand of their parent company. Also, I really like Cannodale's rear flex technology.
@@qpwdfgh4939 Well, that would be the integrated shift/brake levers, lightweight parts, tubeless tyres and such things. I mean, sure it's a lot of money, but it's much more than a basic ride-into-town kind of bike.
I have a Topstone 105 alloy - carbon is well beyond my budget. I'm not riding rough gravel, so I don't perceive any limits to it, and pavement performance is wonderful.
both are excellent choices, but I would pick up Cannondale. It just because I ride tarmac more than gravel and want SPEED and CLIMBING compatibility from my bike. That's why I am riding CAADX cyclocross frame from Cannondale.
I've got a Merida Reacto 5000 and I take that mutha all over because it's a bicycle and that's what they were made to do. I appreciate every new rider that joins our large, cycle fam (so to speak...) but I don't think a dedicated gravel bike is necessary to have loadsa fun, everywhere! But hey, if you wanna buy a new bike, you be you! Mua!
Man, why don't they add the extra mounts for bags and shit to trail bikes??!! I spend all day on my trail bike 35 to 40km comfortably and don't think I would want the tradeoff from a bit of 'free riding' on my all days or bike-packing trips that I get from a 130mm trail bike... ... getting my drill.
I wonder how unbalanced these gravel bikes are built. Your video is all about wonderful compliance of a flexing seat tube and seat stays which make the bikes very comfy. But what about the front? You mention alu stem and alu bar, the usual stiff stuff. That's meh. Apart from that is the Specialized Diverge which has a wonderfully compliant front with its shock absorber, but they neglected the back. How come that there are no gravel bikes which make front AND back compliant (except Niner MCR, which is a starved down MTB)?
I am planning to build a bike for bikepacking from parts. Can anyone recommend a nice frameset that can be bought in Europe which is not heavy and which is around 700-1000 euros? It's easy to find nice complete gravel bikes but it's hard to find framesets.
a bit late to the party I know but that comment about the front end and back end being different (front race stiff and back much more compliant (paraphrasing)) - That just screams 'imbalance' to me... should that not have been tuned appropriately?
@@pikachupowers agreed but not really the point. It should be engineered to feel in balance. If the reviewer felt that the balance was off them that's not good.
How did the Cannondale make it this far?! Any bike with that many proprietary parts is freaking stupid IMO. A proprietary BB, especially when it's pressfit, is bad enough, but a custom rear wheel dish? FOH!
IMO, Topstone Alloy is better than Topstone Carbon. Both for rear wheel compatibility and geometry where Topstone Alloy have lower BB but Topstone Carbon raise it back becase people complain about pedal strike when using 650b wheels.
@@StevesDaysOff True, but it's a pain in the ass. Making matters worse is the fact that you wouldn't even need to dish the wheel if Cannondale just went with a more conventional method to gain tire clearance such as dropping or lengthening the chainstays.
I was about to come down and say that. The intentional flex in both of these bikes makes me think that in 2 years we're likely to hear a lot of stories about how quickly these frames broke down.
Actually flex designed into carbon rear triangles has been around for 4-5 years now (widely used that is) - as much as I too personally didn't like the idea, it unfortunately seems to work, even on 100mm travel mtb's... Engeneer in me would definitely prefer a pivot with an axle and a bearing anywhere something has to move, but there we go.
@David Vanderbist I have an Iso-Speed on my Procaliber as well, but the use of this i'm talking about is f'ex. in rear linkage on full sus bikes where seatstays change their angle quite a lot, depending on the design obviously, but still without a pivot there.
Its nice to see innovation in frame design but in the long run I can't be convinced that any of these gimmicks come close to the advantages of a fat tubeless tire (650b x 47mm) and appropriate inflation pressure. Both of these bikes accept 650b and I applaud this feature. My ideal adventure bike, however, is metal and most likely aluminum. Nice balance of light, inexpensive, and durable. Steel and titanium are great as well, you just have to be honest about how long you plan on owning in order to justify the extra $. Lastly, for the love of all that is practical - super expensive groupsets are ridiculous for gravel bikes. One heavy tumble could easily cost a thousand smackers. I must be doing it wrong, because when I gravel, I crash a lot.
This is a market that I don't really see a point in, it's essentially a sub par mountain bike designed for roadies that want to get dirty and pretend they do hardcore stuff, any 29er would be just as comfy and far more useful than any of these bikes.
And what's wrong with that .. sometimes you just want a bike you can jump of curbs and go over harsher terrain than you would on a dedicated road bike. No way I am hopping off curbs on my TCR disc. This is for mixed terrain. Riding where a MTB would be overkill. Wicked for fast commuting.
Or for people (like me) that enjoy mixing a lot of road with some off-road. A 29er isn't particularly efficient or comfortable on 80 km of tarmac and 20 of dirt roads.
@@dlevi67 My average ride on a 27,5 Giant Trance is 60-80km and it's fine, I've done 156km on a 29er rigid with a carbon fork mixing some of the hardest climbs with XC over rocks that come from your worst nightmare, trust me, you might as well go for the 29er rigid with 2.4 Maxxis Ardents over a gravel bike because if I had taken a gravel bike I couldn't have done it, my philosophy is that an XC bike gets you out of situations that a gravel bike can't and as such a fully rigid 29er is more versatile, match an XC bike with bar ends and you have an XC touring bike that is far more capable than a gravel bike and gives the same result. Edit: You can also use a rigid XC bike on mtb loops with your friends on full on mtb's and it improves your skill.
@@OriginalAirsoftGasser Well, after 20 years of riding a mountain bike in exactly this way (and sometimes enjoying it, and sometimes not), I'm going to try something else... Plus, where I live there isn't really that much that requires more off-road capabilities than a gravel bike can provide; I may as well go a bit faster on the road! (You are making a shedload of assumptions about how I ride, with whom and when - not everybody is the same)
@@dlevi67 Shitload of assumptions hahaha, You said that a 29er isn't efficient or comfortable on 80km of tarmac and that there isn't much that requires a 29er, I think the real problem in your argument isn't your bike, it's you, on an 80km ride I would be fine on a 29er, triple chainrings on the front, 10 speed 11-32 on the back and a set of Schwalbe CX tyres, do I care about 1 or 2km/h faster, nope, aerodynamic advantages, bar ends and a drop stem with narrower flat bars and when it comes to me wanting a bike to do some more then I just swap out. Done lots of gravel riding here in Spain where I live and I've been out on a 29er Anthem with people on gravel bikes no problem and never really thought about wanting a gravel bike, not going to say you shouldn't get one but with my comment of not seeing the point, well that's because it's a bike that 95% of the cycling world won't need or even consider, what the bike companies want is that everyone has a road, cx, gravel, hardtail, full sus xc, trail, all mountain, enduro and downhill bike in their garage.
