Recommend me a gravel bike to replace my MTB

[jay clock]

I have a fleet of bikes, road, tourer, folders and an excellent lightweight MTB from 2003 (a Cannondale F1000SL from 2003). The MTB has had virtually zero use in the past several years (like literally twice) and the headset has now packed up and due to being a HeadShok parts are not available probably without cannibalising
a second hand one that I can't really be stuffed to do

So bearing in mind my off roading is occasional and generally mild to say the least I am looking at a gravel bike (not really sure of the difference between CX/gravel/adventure) with fattish tyres, disks and gearing to winch me up the side of a mountain. Seems there are a lot of them these days with single front ring, which I assume is fine?

Budget £1000 max at a guess. I am assuming that will give me alloy frame and carbon forks.

Really after some guidance on where to start.

 

[vickster]

Merlin Malt, Tiagra, around £700. Not sure on the forks. Lots of disk braked bikes seemingly don’t come with carbon fork

Edit...yes it does
https://www.merlincycles.com/merlin-malt-g1-tiagra-gravel-bike-2020-147541.html

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Given that you just stated that your off roading is of a very occasional and mild nature, spending up to £1k on a "gravel" bike, that probably isn't going to get used much anyway, seems like a massive waste of cash. If you just need a working MTB for occasional use when the fancy takes you, why not buy a secondhand rigid 26" of conventional mechanical construction (i.e. cup & cone bearings, square taper BB, threaded headset) so it's sitting there if and when you want to use it, and very little cash is tied up if it doesn't get much use.

 

[steveindenmark]

John the OP may be like me and enjoy wasting his own money.

On the other hand he may like his gravel bike so much, his other bikes wont get used.

 

[vickster]

John the OP may be like me and enjoy wasting his own money.

Hear hear

 

[jay clock]

I prefer to have something I get excited about. And I do tons of cycling and thousands of miles a year so having something lovely appeals more than saving money.

 

[rivers]

I have a Felt CX bike (FX series) that I use for off-road adventures. Their gravel/adventure bikes look nice and I've heard good things about them (Breed and Broam are the models I believe).

 

[vickster]

I have a Felt CX bike (FX series) that I use for off-road adventures. Their gravel/adventure bikes look nice and I've heard good things about them (Breed and Broam are the models I believe).

Wiggle have a 2019 reduced to a grabd
https://www.wiggle.co.uk/felt-broam-40-adventure-road-bike-2019/

seems to be Tiagra

 

[All uphill]

I've just bought an Orro Terra, aluminium with carbon forks and full 105, for under 900 pounds. Sounds like it would do what you want and you won't see one every day.

A bit of searching on the net shows a few within your budget.

 

[vickster]

I've just bought an Orro Terra, aluminium with carbon forks and full 105, for under 900 pounds. Sounds like it would do what you want and you won't see one every day.

A bit of searching on the net shows a few within your budget.

Are the still using pressfit bottom brackets? There were plenty of reports of bad ones on earlier models, but maybe they’ve changed?

 

[All uphill]

Are the still using pressfit bottom brackets? There were plenty of reports of bad ones on earlier models, but maybe they’ve changed?

Just had a look and mine has press fit. Oh well...

 

[Justinitus]

I've just bought an Orro Terra, aluminium with carbon forks and full 105, for under 900 pounds.

New? If so, you bagged a bargain! Nice bike

 

[All uphill]

New? If so, you bagged a bargain! Nice bike

Thanks! New from my local LBS.😁

 

[Cycleops]

Just had a look and mine has press fit. Oh well...

Just hope it doesn't turn into a Orro story .

 

[tom73]

Planet x london Road worth a look will more than do what you want.
Mines happy on or off the road.