UKH

Anyone got any comments on this bike?
Evans have got the Topstone 1 AL at £1400 (+20 Delivery!) rather than £2000 (delivery end of oct). 

Presumably too much stock at the end of the season and a new bike coming out, but could it be some other flaw?

I know the geometry is a little different to many bikes, and its low geared (30-46!). 

Goals: Winter road bike, perhaps some 'light' cyclocross, some bike touring, light gravel duties.

I'd want to fit 28-32mm road tyres for road work and maybe a 2nd set of wheels for (e.g DT Swiss P or E1800...) and mudguards for winter.

The spec is generally high apart from that crankset. GRX 800/600 (400calipers)

How is the handling? I'm used to my Canyon ultimate (summer) and a vitus Zenium (winter), both of which are quite sharp. The zenium is just a bit limited on the tyre width for off-road (max 28mm at front!).

Would you buy this or order a Ribble CGR or buy something else? (e.g. Giant Content AR1 or Revolt / Dolan GXA)

I bought a Topstone Tiagra - same frame as the one you are looking at - second hand this time last year for similar uses as you. I’ve used it for commuting, winter training, canal towpaths and gravel up to roughly ‘blue/red route’ technicality.

I was concerned the low gearing would infuriate me and I’d swap it out after a week. As it is, I’ve still got it on. For road riding I’m rarely out of the big ring but unless I’m riding say on a quick club ride it’s rare I’m spinning out. For off-road the extra gears are fantastic. I used to ride off road on 34x32 as my lowest gear and on a steep gravelly hill had no choice but to drill it. In future, if I found myself doing almost all road and easy or flat gravel then I’d swap the rings to bigger ones.

I’ve got an extra set of wheels now and run 30mm road tyres with guards, while my others are 37mm off-road tyres. The stock hubs aren’t great- they develop play pretty quickly, no doubt exacerbated by the discs.

I didn’t like the handling at first. It’s obviously slow compared to a race bike but I’ve lowered the bars a fair bit and that’s helped loads and now I have no complaints. It’s still not a race bike but it’s not intended to be. The stock bars are wide for road riding but I haven’t been bothered to change them yet. The flare on the bar is fine and thankfully not stupid like some of them where you’re basically riding a mountain bike bar.

I think it’s a great bike and would recommend it. I’ve not ridden many other gravel bikes but wouldn’t change much on the Topstone. If you’re planning on doing lots of road then something nippier might be better but for a jack of all trades it’s great.

Had a Topstone for 18 months but the SRAM Apex 1 version. The bike itself was fine. I used it in blue mtb trails, Stanage causeway and similar. Used WTB Nanos so I was at the gravel rather than road section. Just sold it but that was because of the sram brakes were hit and miss. Unpredictable in the wet despite change of caliper. Sram gear changing also so so finicky. Now have shiman grx on another bike which is just Brill. Ribble cgr would be more road orientated in terms of geometry but the topstone will be fine, especially with narrower tyres.

So now the topstone has shimano grx braking, you'd be happy with it?

For your stated goals it would be very good. If you wanted to do more "mtb light" you might want longer wheelbase slacker head angle but it is a very capable bike. I did think of changing the sram brakes and shifters to shimano but it really was not cost effective. Tyres make a massive difference to any bike so with 28mm road tyres it will do quite nicely. The ergonomics of grx is so superior to sram as well as actually working better.

Thanks both for your comments.

I've pre ordered... 

Will have to sell the vitus zenium Road bike, but that's no hardship. It's done me nicely for 4 years, but it's no love affair. Ali frame with 105 5800 (I think).