which fork is that? orbea clone?
Thats interesting Norco claims 693 standover for the 50.5, while Spec says the Small Epic is 762. They must be measuring in very different places.
It wasnāt ārandomā. 
A Salsa Cutthroat would be a viable option. Its designed exactly for that.
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Fork: SP Cyclesā¦
Regarding a Cutthroat. Someone on another forum told me I shouldāve just gotten a Fargo or Cutthroatā¦ While it might work for some, the Fargo and Cutthroat are very much a MTB with a rigid fork and a shorter top tube. The angles are MTB more than gravel, which isnāt really what I wanted. The Stack on a comparable Fargo is a whopping 83mm taller than my Crux, (Cutthroat is 35mm), on which Iām already running a 110x -17 stemā¦ Oh yeah, and its literally double the weightā¦
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Would you have a link or something for the fork? I checked the SP cycles website, and I am not seeing a 450mm A2C mtb fork. Thanks!
The Beaux Jaxon is a wacky one. Its similar to Curveās GMX+. Impressive how much tire clearance they managed to get into the Bearclaw, although I suppose those big long chain stays help!
I kind of already have something very similar in the stableā¦ 
@Pottery I just looked as well, and it doesnāt appear to be listed any longerā¦? but thats definitely who I purchased it from. I bet you could track it/one down on Ali.
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What size chainring are you running and how good is clearance? This kinda thing has been interesting to me recently
Originally had a 38t 0mm offset SRAM XXSL ring, tons of clearance(5mm+), couldāve easily ran a 3mm offset 38t. I think you might need the 0mm for a 40t or larger based on visual check. Shown above with a 36t 3mm offset ring(3mm+ clearance)
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This is the thread I was looking forā¦ā¦I basically want to explore the best option for my use case between:
- Enve MOG with gravel fork.
- Drop Bar S-Works Hardtail with front fork
- Drop Bar S-Works Epic WC
I want a fast climbing bike that descends like a MTB under 20lbs.
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Not a hardtail MTB, but drop bar gravel optimized for wider tires and will take 2.25"+
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Thanks!. The thing is I already have the MOG, and I can fit 2.1 tiresā¦.so In theory, I would only need the $800 fork. Old
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Thereās a big difference to the hardtail with mtb fork, so I think the bike would be suited to quite a different thing than the MOG.
Iāve been experimenting with this, and I think it makes sense for some, but you need to make sure you get a frame size that will work for you with drop bars.
The epic wc has less chainring clearance from what Iāve seen, but if you want full suspension, I think that could be quite interesting.
I know Iāve expressed my opinion on this thread and others, but Iāll keep going since youāre still ponderingā¦ The speed at which a bike climbs isnāt really measurable, but I get what you mean.
-The Mog with a āGravel Suspension ForKā might be worth a try. I ran my Hakka with a 40mm fork for a while prior to the Epic HT build and really liked it, especially with 27.5 x 2.1" Schwalbe Racing Ralphs. With anything less than a 45mm tire, it seems a bit silly to have suspension in my opinion. And since youāre so focused on weight, you canāt ignore the ~2lbs that a suspension fork adds to any build.
-Thereās no way you could get a Epic World Cup sub 20lbs in a drop bar configuration without some serious weight weenie/boutique parts.
-A drop bar Hardtail, such as the Epic HT, does what youāre describing, as thats just what they areā¦ A MTB, and as such, will go down hill on rough stuff better than a gravel bike, regardless of which handlebars are on it. And with several hardtail options that are lighter than most gravel frames, and now pretty readily available on the used market for a bargain, its hard to look past those.
My only wish is that there were a few āshort travel forksā being made, and with boost spacing. If someone made a 70-80mm fork, boost spacing, and with an axle to crown of under 490mm it would make for some really easy conversions for people. It would help solve the stack height issues people encounter when trying to build a drop bar mtb, it would steepen the HTA, which is probably desired if youāre moving from flat bars to drop bars, as the steeper angle is āfasterā on less tech stuff. This is such a niche within a niche, that I know its not going to happen, but in a perfect world, thats what Iād like to see.
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Thanks!. Could you elaborate a bit on the differences?
I donāt know if this helps at all, but this is my current build that I rode to set the FKT on the Cross Florida Individual TT last month. It is a mashup for sure. I own a Rodeo Labs Trail Donkey 3.1 that Iāve taken on stuff as big as the Trans Virginia 550 (Mountain Route) with 47x700C tires, but had I owned this bike, I would have taken it. I think itās just as fast on unpaved climbs for me, close to the same weight (although weight is less of a penalty for me as Iām 6ft 4in, 180ibs, and 350-360w ftp). It a little floppy because that wheel is out there, but I can ride this bike all day and all night (and I have)
- The frame is a 2022 Specialized Chisel (I stripped and clear coated it during the off season)
- 2023 Fox 32 100mm 44mm rake
- Shimano GRX 12sp 38x10-51T
- Conti Racekings 29x2.2
- PNW Coast Suspension Dropper
My āGravel Bikeā the Rodeo labs now has 28c GP5000s on it with 2x road gear and I donāt think Iām changing with exception of going to a 35c slick once I wear out the 28C GP5000s I had sitting in the garage.
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I think a few of the Manitou forks are adjustable down to 80mm. Certainly the Markhor is according to the manual. Thatās not exactly the high end fork in their lineup either.
I put slicks on my hardtail mountain bike and it now handles dangerously bad. I think the fork is a 51mm offset which may be the key thing thatās messing up the trail figure. Itās borderline unrideable though and has definitely curtailed my plans to put drop bars on it.
Hi there. I created an account on TR just to reply to this build here. Itās an excellent application of sizing down to use with drop bars. I have a few questions about your drivetrain.
Are you running an XDR freehub body for that XPLR cassette? How do you manage that with the boost frame spacing? Are the 142 and 148 caps the same width?? (I donāt think they are.)
Is that a dub WIDE Force crankset? I saw that you detailed it as a 3mm offset 36 tooth. How is the chainline? How does it play with that XPLR cassette? More in or outboard than stock on a non boost gravel frame?
Would love to know your overall drivetrain measurements, etc. I am looking at picking up a medium Epic clone to do the same. I am looking to put to use a set of Roval boost wheels and an old SID brain 100 fork I have sitting around. AtoC of 506.
After following the build of Dylan Johnson, iām really curious to build my own drop bar hardtail. Whatās interesting to me is that he has no issue with the frame size or stem length when he swaps between the gravel fork and 100mm fork. I normally ride a size L in specialized frames, like their Epic Evo. Hence sizing down to a medium to have an appropriate reach. Any advice or help would be much appreciated! Thx!
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One thing to keep in mind with Dylan is that heās running 40cm bars too, which help keep the reach feeling shorter.
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