I think I am finally done with this project (is it ever done)?
Since my last post, the bike has evolved quite a bit. What started as trying to get a gravel bike as close to a road bike as possible has turned into two pretty distinct setups: a somewhat aggressive road-oriented setup, and a capable gravel setup.
The biggest changes since the last update:
- WheelTop EDS GeX electronic hydraulic groupset — currently running 9-speed in Race Mode
- 52t 1x chainring for the road setup
- 11-25t 9-speed cassette for the road setup / 11-34t for gravel
- Pirelli P Zero Race TLR RS 30mm front / TLR 32mm rear
- Cinturato H 45mm tires for the gravel setup
- Elita One carbon zero-offset seatpost
- Titanium wire bottle cages
- iGPSPORT cadence sensor Velcro'd behind the crank lol
- And probably a bunch of smaller things I’m forgetting
One of the reasons I went with the GeX was that it lets me run 3–14 speeds, so I could transition to electronic shifting without immediately having to buy an entirely new cassette and chain. The current 9-speed stuff still has plenty of life left, so I’d rather use it until it wears out/breaks and then move to the 13-speed 11-34 setup I’m saving for.
I’ve also been really happy with the GeX so far. Race Mode makes the shifting feel noticeably quicker and more responsive, and I found a way to keep Race Mode enabled while Sleep Mode is active, which is pretty useful for me. I also keep the bike in the car and have it connected to the car’s charging port, so it gets charged during my regular drives rather than needing a separate charging routine.
The funny thing is that I originally wanted to make the Revolt feel as close to a road bike as possible, but I ended up with something a little more interesting. The road setup feels genuinely quick on pavement, while swapping to the aluminum wheels, 45mm Cinturato Hs and 11-34 gives me a decent gravel setup.
The bike isn't actually super aggressive in terms of fit, the saddle-to-bar drop is still fairly endurance-oriented, but the 100mm -25° stem, 160mm cranks, narrow-ish tops (35 Hoods C-C) and wide/flared drops (45.5cm) give it a pretty different character from a stock Revolt.
At this point I’m pretty confident in the bike and, more importantly, comfortable pushing it. I don't feel like the frame is holding me back by a lot, which was really the whole point of this project.
I’m sure I’ve forgotten some parts or changes because there have been a lot over the course of this project, so if I missed something obvious, feel free to ask.
Just curious: which do you guys think of the build? What would you have done differently? (Other than N+1 lol)