3T Exploro primarily for road use - bad idea?

[feckless]

Thanks for the useful suggestions about endurance/gravel geometry on my previous thread. Some proper measuring has revealed the oddity of my current bike and pointed me in the right direction. All good.

However, I now have another option, the 3T Exploro, which is currently exercising my bike lust gland quite thoroughly.

Downside is that it only has SRAM Rival (1X with 11-42 on the back) and a gravelly set-up (650b wheels, 47mm tyres). So would it be a completely silly choice for a bike that will be used almost entirely on road?

I can probably have it set up with 700c wheels and 32mm tyres, which will go some way towards solving the problem, but am I missing some killer reason why it would be a bad idea?

Thanks

f

 

[Jerry Atrik]

I have a Sonder al Camino with the above set up i.e. 650 wheels and 47mm tyres which I swap occasionally for mavic askiums and barely notice the difference on an average ride .
The exception being when I climb up the likes of Haytor or Widdecombe which is to be expected.

 

[Randomnerd]

You can get 3T as a frame set & build up with double chainset if you wanted it for road only. Bicycle Quarterly reviewed it for gravel and were generally positive, but it’s a big price tag for not much advantage, imo.

 

[feckless]

You can get 3T as a frame set & build up with double chainset if you wanted it for road only. Bicycle Quarterly reviewed it for gravel and were generally positive, but it’s a big price tag for not much advantage, imo.

On reflection, I'm not massively bothered by the 1x chainset, I think my misgivings are much more vain than that ... Rival just seems a bit budget (I've been riding a bike with Dura-Ace).

Good point about the cost, though it's a lot more reasonably priced outside the UK (I'm in NZ) and buying a complete bike appears to be only us$600 more than the frame only (us$3,600 v us$3,000). There has to be a catch with that I guess. Either that or I've completely misread 3T's website.

f

 

[Randomnerd]

Get one of these if money’s no obstacle https://www.canyon.com/en-nz/road/aeroad/
Far prettier than the 3T.